Deep in the Wolf Soul Mountains, it was like a silent ancient graveyard. Kaleb stepped on the stone path covered with thick moss. The air was filled with a damp smell, as if the entire mountain range was breathing, silently watching his arrival.
The wolf pack followed closely behind. Azure Claw always walked beside Kaleb, with a light and alert pace. Its ears twitched slightly, constantly catching any movement around. However, apart from the occasional snakes and insects scurrying out from under the withered leaves, there were no signs of any other living creatures.
But Kaleb knew that there was a deadly danger hidden behind this silence.
He squinted his eyes slightly and looked towards the distant mountain forest where the mist was churning. A trace of uneasiness welled up in his heart. Since he had killed that stray wolf, he had felt that something was silently following them, always hiding in the dark, patiently waiting for the best time to attack like a hunter.
"Azure Claw, do you feel it?" Kaleb asked in a low voice, gently placing his palm on Azure Claw's shoulder and feeling its tense muscles.
Azure Claw raised its head, and its yellow wolf eyes flickered slightly. It let out a low growl: "There's something that has been following us. It hasn't left since we were at the eastern ridge."
Kaleb's heart sank.
The eastern ridge... That was the deepest part of the Wolf Soul Mountains, and also the direction where the Wolf King was sleeping. If what was following them were stray wolves, it meant that they were gathering, trying to stop his advance.
"We must speed up."
He gave a low command to the wolf pack. The wolf pack instantly scattered and moved forward alertly on both sides of Kaleb, forming a defensive formation. Azure Claw walked in front, leading the way alertly.
The fog grew thicker and thicker, and the visibility dropped sharply. Kaleb's vision was blurred by the thick fog, and he could only judge the situation around him by his ears and sense of smell.
However, just as they entered a canyon, a strange smell suddenly hit them.
— Rotting, blood, death.
Kaleb suddenly stopped in his tracks and raised his hand to signal the wolf pack to stop. Azure Claw also whimpered, raised its tail, and its body tensed up like a bow.
"It's ahead." Azure Claw said in a low voice.
Kaleb concentrated and looked ahead. In the fog, a huge body of a stray wolf lay across the middle of the canyon. It was horribly mangled, as if it had been torn apart by some terrifying being. The limbs of the corpse were twisted, and its chest had been completely eaten away, revealing its white ribs.
However, what shocked Kaleb the most were the huge claw marks left around the corpse —
these were not marks that an ordinary wolf could make.
"This wasn't a fight among stray wolves." Kaleb crouched down and carefully observed the marks on the ground. "This was left by something more powerful than it."
Azure Claw slowly approached, its nose close to the ground to sniff. After a moment, it raised its head, and its eyes were filled with alertness and shock: "This is the scent of the Wolf King."
Kaleb's pupils suddenly shrank, and his breathing became rapid in an instant.
The Wolf King... was still alive?
He stood up and looked towards the dark depths at the end of the canyon. He had originally thought that the Wolf King had been asleep for thousands of years, but the scene in front of him proved that it was still wandering in this mountain range, perhaps clearing out those stray wolves that had been eroded by the darkness.
"This means that we're getting closer to it."
However, just as Kaleb was about to move forward, a sharp scream suddenly reached his ears, piercing the silent valley like tearing silk.
The wolf pack instantly became restless, retreating one after another, their fur standing on end, and their fangs bared.
"It's coming." Azure Claw said in a deep voice, his gaze fixed on the black shadow emerging from the fog.
Three stray wolves, their scarlet eyes were like two faint flames in the dark, slowly approaching.
Their figures were much taller than ordinary wolves. The height of their shoulders was almost level with Kaleb's. Thick saliva dripped from the corners of their mouths, exuding a nauseating, putrid smell.
"Prepare for battle!" Kaleb growled. The wolf pack instantly formed a circular formation, protecting Kaleb in the center.
The stray wolves' steps were slow and steady, and their eyes were filled with a cunning and bloodthirsty light, as if they were looking for the flaw in Kaleb's formation.
"Don't give them a chance." Kaleb sneered, clenched his long knife, and rushed towards the nearest stray wolf first.
The long knife cut through the fog and slashed towards the stray wolf's front paw like lightning.
The stray wolf leaped up suddenly. While avoiding the blade, its sharp claws lunged straight at Kaleb's face!
Kaleb's eyes flashed with determination. He stomped on the ground, quickly retreated, and avoided the deadly blow. Then, he took advantage of the momentum to roll over and slash the long knife fiercely at the stray wolf's back. The blade cut through the flesh, bringing out a puff of black blood mist.
The stray wolf let out a roar and frantically counterattacked. However, before it could get close,
Azure Claw had led the wolf pack to attack from the side, knocking another stray wolf to the ground. Their fangs bit hard into its throat, and blood spattered.
The battle was extremely fierce.
Kaleb's left arm was scratched by the stray wolf's sharp claws, and blood dripped from his fingertips, but his movements didn't stop for a moment. He was like a shadow, and the light of the knife kept flashing. Every slash was precise and sharp.
Just a few minutes later, the bodies of two stray wolves lay on the ground.
However, when Kaleb raised his head, he found that the last stray wolf was standing not far away, staring at him with its eyes fixed, and letting out a low growl.
But strangely, it didn't launch an attack. Instead, it slowly retreated and finally disappeared into the thick fog.
"Did it run away?"
Kaleb squinted his eyes. His intuition told him that things weren't that simple. Stray wolves never ran away, especially after their companions were killed.
Azure Claw walked up to Kaleb and said in a low voice: "It didn't run away. Instead, it's... going to bring more companions."
Kaleb's heart sank suddenly, and he looked towards the end of the canyon.
Amidst the churning fog, he seemed to see a pair of even larger black shadows slowly approaching them.