The moment the blade struck down, a crack appeared on the wolf tooth stone, as if opening a door to the abyss.
From the pitch-black crack, a withered and skinny hand slowly emerged. The nails were as sharp as knives, scraping the stone surface slowly and coldly. Kaleb's pupils suddenly shrank. He quickly stepped back, gripped his long knife tightly, and his whole body tensed up.
"Azure Claw! Lead the wolf pack to retreat!"
Azure Claw's fur stood on end, and a low threatening growl came from its throat. But it still quickly signaled the wolf pack to retreat and ran towards the forest.
However, just a few steps after the wolf pack started moving, the surrounding space suddenly distorted. The trees stretched into strange shapes, like an invisible mirror blocking their way ahead, trapping them firmly.
Azure Claw crashed into the invisible barrier with a dull thud. The wolf pack was trapped in place, growling restlessly, but there was nowhere to escape.
Kaleb stood in front of the altar, his gaze fixed on the figure slowly emerging from the crack.
"You shouldn't have broken the seal..."
That voice was cold and hoarse, echoing in his ears like the sound of rotting wind.
What slowly crawled out of the crack was not a wild beast, but a shadow draped in a pitch-black cloak. Under the cloak, the face was blurred, and only a pair of cold blue eyes glowed brightly in the dark.
"The Black Mist Phantom..." Kaleb murmured in a low voice.
He knew that this was the most ancient curse of the Wolf Soul Mountains. It was not a simple monster, but a pure malice, dwelling in the shattered wolf souls and the grievances of the deceased.
"Why are you blocking me?" Kaleb asked in a deep voice, pointing the blade at the shadow and moving his steps slowly, looking for a chance to break free.
The Black Mist Phantom stood quietly beside the crack, its gaze cold and distant: "This land doesn't belong to you."
"The Wolf Soul Mountains are the territory of the wolf clan." Kaleb replied coldly, his gaze firm. "I have inherited the power of the Wolf Soul, so this land naturally belongs to me."
The shadow slowly raised its hand, and a trace of thick black mist gathered at its fingertips: "Power doesn't mean the right to dominate."
Before the words were finished, that wisp of black mist suddenly spread out and instantly turned into several shadows, pouncing towards Kaleb!
Without hesitation, Kaleb swung his knife horizontally. The light of the knife cut through the night sky.
Clang!
The blade struck the shadow, making a dull metallic collision sound, and sparks flew. However, the shadow didn't dissipate. Instead, it split into countless tiny fragments like a liquid and quickly wrapped around Kaleb's wrist, trying to drag him into the crack.
Kaleb gritted his teeth and forcefully broke free from the black mist. But those shadows seemed to have a life of their own, clinging to him tightly and gradually eroding his skin, bringing an excruciating cold.
"Kaleb!" Azure Claw roared, crashing against the invisible barrier with all its might, but it couldn't break through.
Kaleb felt his body gradually going numb. The coldness spread along his blood vessels, as if his soul was about to be pulled into the darkness.
He suddenly bit through his tongue. Blood filled his mouth, and the intense pain allowed him to regain control of his body.
"Get out of here!" Kaleb roared angrily. He gripped the long knife with both hands and swung it with all his strength.
The blade burst out with a dazzling silver light, like a bolt of lightning tearing through the night, cutting off all the shadows wrapped around his arm.
The Black Mist Phantom stood there quietly, its gaze profound: "Do you think a knife can cut through fear?"
Kaleb panted heavily, his eyes full of coldness: "There is an end to fear."
"Then let me see where your end lies."
The Black Mist Phantom slowly stepped out of the crack. With each step it took, the surrounding space distorted a little more. The ground cracked under its feet, and withered vines grew wildly from the ground, wrapping around the surrounding trees and dyeing the entire forest a deathly gray.
Kaleb suddenly realized that this was no longer an ordinary illusion, but a real domain erosion — the Black Mist Phantom was turning reality into its hunting ground!
The air became thin, Kaleb's chest heaved violently, and even breathing became difficult.
He knew that if this continued, the entire Wolf Soul Mountains would be swallowed up by the black mist, and they would have nowhere to run.
"Azure Claw!" Kaleb called out in a low voice, and Azure Claw immediately looked up.
"Make the wolf pack form a formation and hold the perimeter." Kaleb said in a low voice, his gaze fixed on the shadow. "I'll deal with it."
Azure Claw hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded. It led the wolf pack to disperse and formed a defensive formation around the altar.
The Black Mist Phantom looked at Kaleb quietly, the corners of its mouth slightly raised: "You're smart, but this won't change the outcome."
Before the words were finished, the shadow suddenly disappeared from its spot and instantly turned into several afterimages, rushing towards Kaleb.
Kaleb's gaze was cold and resolute. He swept his long knife out. The light of the knife was like water, impenetrable, cutting off all the surrounding shadows. However, the speed of the Black Mist Phantom was far beyond his imagination. In the next instant, it had appeared behind him.
"The back is always your most vulnerable spot."
The cold voice rang in his ears, and the shadow's sharp claws stabbed towards Kaleb's back!
At the critical moment, Kaleb suddenly rolled forward, avoiding the fatal blow, and stabbed his knife backhand towards the figure behind him.
The blade pierced the shadow. However, that figure instantly turned into nothingness and dissipated with the wind.
Kaleb's expression changed slightly — that was just a phantom!
The real Black Mist Phantom had silently appeared on the altar, looking down at the wolf pack with cold eyes.
"Your weakness isn't your back, but your companions."
The Black Mist Phantom raised its hand, and the black mist turned into sharp spear blades, pointing directly at Azure Claw.
Kaleb's pupils shrank suddenly, and he rushed towards the altar: "Stop!"
However, the black mist spear had already been thrown out. The air let out a sharp whistling sound as it stabbed straight towards Azure Claw's heart!
Just as the spear was about to hit Azure Claw, a silver figure stood in front of it.
"Crunch —!"
The spear pierced through the flesh and blood, and blood spilled onto the stone surface.
Kaleb stood in front of Azure Claw. The sharp spear had penetrated his shoulder, and blood dripped down the blade.
Azure Claw was stunned, and the wolf pack let out angry roars.
"You..." Azure Claw opened its eyes wide, its voice trembling.
Kaleb raised his head, his face pale, but a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth: "Don't be distracted. It hasn't won yet."
The Black Mist Phantom stared at Kaleb quietly, a hint of surprise showing in its eyes.
"You're interesting."
"I'm not just interesting," Kaleb raised his knife, blood dripping down his arm, "I'm also dangerous."
The Black Mist Phantom narrowed its eyes, and its aura became even colder and more sinister — it was starting to take this seriously.