Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf, A Moment of Crisis

The team passed through smoothly, once again using the buildings for cover as they groped their way toward the distant Safe Barrier.

Along the way, they did encounter a few elderly people who hadn't managed to evacuate yet. After temporarily settling them in, they pressed on.

The Main Force's final decision was to take the risk and push through.

Because staying put also carried the risk of an ambush. Rather than wait idly, why not take a gamble and try to pass as quietly as possible.

"Good. One kilometer left."

"Everyone, pay attention. The density of demons around the Safe Barrier will be higher. Don't let your guard down for a second."

Xue Musheng instructed.

For this last kilometer, there were no wide streets—mostly a maze of alleys and lanes, perfect for demons to hide in.

Although the Vanguard Squad had two Wind Element Mages scouting ahead, Tang Yue was still observing from the shadows, acting as a safety net.

"Hmm."

At that moment, a ripple passed through the darkness.

Tang Yue stepped forward with a grave expression. Before anyone could react, she immediately made a 'shush' gesture.

Everyone froze, then slowly pressed themselves against the wall corner under Tang Yue's direction, not daring to breathe.

"Hoo~!"

A snort came from not far away, stirring up a chaotic gust of air across the ground.

"Thud, thud, thud..."

Heavy footsteps approached, growing louder with each step, and the surrounding buildings trembled in response.

Everyone's breath caught in their throats. None dared to stick their heads out to check the situation; they could only guess at the demon's size from the shadow on the ground.

Nearly two stories tall, an enormous head, bone spikes all over its body... Such obvious features left no doubt—it was a General Grade Demon, the Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf.

"Thud!"

The footsteps stopped for the last time.

The Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf halted because it had caught an unfamiliar scent.

Its head, as large as a bedroom, turned. Its body leaned against the building as three reddish eyes scanned the area below, taking in a 270° field of view.

But it didn't lower its head all the way, so it failed to see the Vanguard Squad beneath.

The Vanguard Squad, pressed tight against the wall, all had their pupils constricted in terror as they stared at the dark mass above their heads.

Even Tang Yue's expression turned slightly serious.

As an Intermediate Level 3 Fire Element Mage, she naturally wasn't afraid of the Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf. With the terrain and environment here, she could fight it.

But she wasn't alone.

Behind her was a group of green, inexperienced students. Against the Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf, they were nothing more than a single swipe of its claws away from death.

"Hoo hoo hoo..."

The Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf's heavy breathing was crystal clear.

It sniffed the unfamiliar scents in this area.

Fortunately, there was a garbage pile next to the Vanguard Squad, temporarily masking their smell.

"Hoo."

The Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf exhaled and slowly pulled its head back.

Just as everyone began to relax, the clouds in the sky happened to scatter, and the faint moonlight shone straight down.

The glass windows across from the Vanguard Squad brightened slightly.

At that moment, everyone's figures were fully exposed.

The Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf's head, not yet fully turned back, caught sight of this.

"!!!"

"Scatter!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Tang Yue barked the order and immediately began tracing a Fire Element star chart. Brilliant flames burst forth.

But no one had time to admire it. They instinctively scattered, diving and dodging in all directions.

"ROAR!!!"

The Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf let out a furious howl, its three reddish eyes cold and enraged.

It had almost been fooled by these cunning humans—so this is where they were hiding.

"Sparrow Flame—Fierce Fist..."

Tang Yue's body blazed with scorching flames that rapidly gathered toward her right hand. The condensed ball of fire seemed calm on the surface, but it was the embodiment of destruction.

With the enhancement of the Spirit Seed, Sparrow Flame, its power far exceeded an ordinary Fierce Fist.

"Sky-Shattering Fist!"

Tang Yue's right hand shot upward, and a massive flaming fist silhouette instantly materialized, blasting straight toward the Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf's lower jaw.

The Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf dodged at once, the punch grazing past its face by a hair's breadth.

"Roar!"

It was thoroughly enraged now, its enormous body slamming viciously into the building.

"Shadow Escape—Shuttle." Tang Yue merged with the darkness, evading and fleeing.

"Rumble~"

In an instant, the building collapsed, revealing the Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf's hideous, terrifying form.

Compared to it, a human was barely the size of one of its claws.

Thanks to Tang Yue's earlier warning, Mo Fan and the others had dodged in time, so they were mostly fine—just a few scrapes and bruises.

But now, things were dire.

The Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf stared down at the humans below, randomly picked a lucky one nearby, and swung its sharp claws down.

Shlash!

"Ah!"

Zhang Yinglu's face went pale with fright, completely forgetting she was a Wind Element Mage.

"Zhang Yinglu!"

Everyone's expressions turned panicked.

Just as the demon wolf's claws were about to tear Zhang Yinglu apart, the darkness beneath her collapsed form rippled, and a hand grabbed her, pulling her away into the distance.

"Hum."

In the distance, darkness surfaced, and Tang Yue and Zhang Yinglu's figures emerged.

"Don't just stand there, run!"

"Get as far away as possible!"

Tang Yue shouted loudly.

She wanted to use a third-level Fierce Fist, but the magic's area of effect was too wide—one wrong move and she'd accidentally injure a student, burning them to ashes.

"Thump thump thump..."

Everyone scattered at once, bolting in several different directions.

"Roar!"

The Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf let out a roar and chased after a slender female student.

It was clever—it knew Tang Yue wasn't easy to deal with, so it avoided her for now and went after the others first.

"Damn it!"

Tang Yue cursed under her breath.

The situation she'd feared most had come to pass: the Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf wasn't paying attention to her at all, instead preparing to kill the weak first.

"He Yu!"

At that moment, Zhang Xiaohou noticed the Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf had already caught up to He Yu.

His eyes instantly turned red, he spun around and rushed back, sprinting madly toward He Yu's direction. "Wind Track!"

"Sparrow Flame—Fierce..."

Tang Yue wanted to use Fierce Fist again, but after seeing the distance between He Yu and the Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf, she gave up.

"Shadow Escape—Flying Shadow!" Tang Yue still used her Shadow Escape skill.

But He Yu happened to be in the opposite direction from her.

She couldn't even make it in time herself, let alone Zhang Xiaohou, who was even farther away.

"Roar!"

The Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf opened its gaping maw and lunged to bite down on He Yu, who was still fleeing.

He Yu ran in terror, not daring to look back even though she knew the Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf was coming.

She felt she was about to die, so she could only numb herself this way.

The sky went dark.

Because the moonlight was blocked by the Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf's massive body.

"Am I going to die..." He Yu closed her eyes in despair.

Tang Yue and the others looked on with grief.

Zhang Xiaohou ran like a madman, his eyes growing redder and redder.

Just as He Yu was about to be swallowed whole by the Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf, an intense chill suddenly descended.

"Extreme Cold—Ice Lock—Ice Chain!"

Several ice chains linked by ice-blue locks rose abruptly from the ground, firmly binding the leaping Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf.

"Crack crack!"

The cold of the ice chains climbed up along the Bone Spike Ferocious Wolf's limbs, as if trying to freeze it into an ice sculpture.