Hidden Entrance
Glancing at the ugly Cripple, Li Wei thought for a moment, then asked, "How long have you been here?"
The Cripple was taken aback. It didn't realize that the other person was talking to it. Perhaps it was used to seeing its own kind who couldn't speak, and it didn't understand the question at all.
However, the Cripple didn't remain stunned for long. After a brief moment of astonishment, it uttered a low, slightly trembling voice. "I... I... don't... know!"
Sometimes, trembling represents excitement and exhilaration.
Li Wei couldn't understand the excitement of a human soul with its own consciousness, who had lived with unconscious zombies for a long time, upon seeing someone willing to communicate with it for the first time. So he directly defined the Cripple as a stuttering Corpse Jumper.
"Do you know about the Hundred Wolf Cave?" Li Wei continued to ask.
The Cripple nodded; having lived here for so long, how could it not know this terrible neighbor?
"Then... what about the Wolf King?" Li Wei, somewhat excitedly.
The Cripple shook his head. Demon King-level beings were beyond the reach of someone of his level. Let alone a Demon King-level Wolf King, even the captain-level wolf Cripple of the Hundred Wolf Cave would make the cripple give way to them.
Although he had anticipated this outcome, Li Wei was still somewhat disappointed. On the Cripple hand, the lame Corpse Jumper, having encountered Li Wei, who was willing to communicate with it, seemed very excited. It would steal glances at Li Wei from time to time, comparing the differences between itself and the other, like a curious child.
Unable to glean any further information from the conscious Corpse Jumper, Li Wei felt somewhat helpless. With a sigh, he picked some Demon-Transforming Grass leaves from the nearby bushes and put them in his pocket; this amount of Demon-Transforming Grass was enough to conceal his presence.
Upon seeing Li Wei's actions, the Cripple's eyes lit up, but it remained silent. Having lived here for countless years, it naturally knew the effects of the Demon-Transforming Grass, and it also had some ideas about Li Wei's purpose.
Li Wei then got up, walked over, and patted the Cripple on the shoulder.
He was about to set off to find the hidden entrance Qu Ling had mentioned. As for the Corpse Jumper called "Cripple," Li Wei didn't intend to pay much attention to it, and of course, he wouldn't kill it. Li Wei wasn't one of those so-called Daoist who claimed to be eliminating demons and protecting the righteous path. Although this "Cripple" was a Corpse Jumper, this wasn't a path it could choose, and judging from their recent interaction, it wasn't a bad person. On the contrary, it was more friendly than most humans.
Seeing Li Wei about to leave, the Cripple beside him paused, stammered a few times but couldn't say anything. Li Wei, however, saw the Cripple's expression and suddenly understood.
No matter what, this is a sentient Corpse Jumper. Aside from its terrifying monster appearance, it's essentially just Cripple an ordinary person. After talking to it for so long, it probably still doesn't know its own name.
"No matter what you look like now, since you've gained sentience, live well, Cripple. Now that you've told me your name, as a friend, it's only fair to reciprocate. I won't let you suffer. My name is Li Wei!" Unconsciously, Li Wei began to regard the Cripple as a person, not a monster. In fact, Li Wei had encountered many strange and bizarre creatures. Take the Kai Star people, for example; they were basically humanoid giant crabs. So, having another friend who looked like a zombie didn't matter.
Li Wei had originally intended to shake hands with the Cripple as a farewell gesture, but upon seeing the Cripple's somewhat rotten hand, he skipped that step and simply waved.
After Li Wei, who had used the Ghost Step, disappeared from the Cripple's sight, the Corpse Jumper and revealed a disappointed expression. It murmured, "Li... Wei... friend... Hundred Wolf Cave... Wolf... King!"
Perhaps the Cripple lacked the ability to express himself, but his thinking ability was different from his rotten appearance. In fact, he was very smart. Recalling Li Wei's previous actions of picking the Demon-Transforming Grass, he figured out the purpose of the other party's visit in just a moment.
It immediately emitted an invisible brainwave, and suddenly a large number of Corpse Jumper appeared from all directions, some even crawling out directly from the rotting soil and tree roots. These Corpse Jumper were all the Cripple's companions, who had appeared after hearing its summons.
Seeing the hundred-strong group of Corpse Jumper, the Cripple was extremely excited. He glanced at the group of dazed, walking corpses, opened his mouth wide, and said, "Li Wei... my friend is going to the Hundred... Wolf Den to find the Wolf King. I... I want to help him. Those who have eaten... those who have eaten wolf demon meat... come with me!"
The Cripple didn't know what cultivation or evolution was, but it did know that any of its kind who had eaten the flesh of a monster would become very strong and possess other abilities. Only these creatures could rival the powerful wolf demons of the Hundred Wolf Cave. Of course, the Cripple did this because its Corpse Jumper had been bullied terribly by the Hundred Wolf Cave. More importantly, the Cripple wanted to help Li Wei, whom it had only known for less than half an hour but who was willing to be its friend.
Leaving aside the corpses that were making some movements, Li Wei, after traveling quickly for half an hour, finally found a strange mountain. The mountain was not high, but it stretched for several miles. Even before entering the range of this mountain, one could see many sharp, thick logs stuck in the ground, with various animal hides and skulls hanging on them.
Undoubtedly, this is a warning, and also a marker of boundaries. The one who made this marker wanted to tell all the nearby monsters that this mountainous area was their territory, and anyone who trespassed would be killed, skinned, and dismembered, leaving no trace.
Approaching the somewhat rough wooden pillar, Li Wei smelled a peculiar odor—a stench mixed with demonic energy, the same as the scent emanating from the wolf demon he had captured.
"It seems the Hundred Wolf Cave is just ahead!" Li Wei took a deep breath, then leaped over the warning sign and headed into the mountains. Now, using his Ghost Step at full power, Li Wei could cover a kilometer in just a few breaths, so only a few minutes had passed before he saw the huge cave entrance.
Without a doubt, Li Wei knew that this huge cave entrance was the main entrance to the Hundred Wolf Cave. Not to mention anything else, the dozens of wolf demons guarding the cave entrance were enough to confirm this for him.
Those wolf demons were even stronger than the Xiao Zuanfeng he had seen before. Not only that, they were also wearing some simple armor made of iron.
"These monsters that have become sentient are really powerful. They can even make armor and weapons. If they are given more time to develop, they might become the rulers of this world." Li Wei thought of this question. In fact, he was right. If it weren't for the Demon-Sealing Formation that prevented the Demon King level from leaving, this world would probably have been overrun by demons long ago.
The Demon-Sealing Formation is not only a constraint, but also a sharp knife hanging over the heads of all demons. Having become sentient, that is, possessing intelligence, they can easily deduce one thing: what kind of powerful being could set up such a terrifying array? If they were to launch a full-scale invasion of the human world, would that powerful being intervene?
This concern is what makes the demon kings, big and small, in Quyin Mountain hesitant to venture out or take any major action against the outside world. However, they do engage in minor skirmishes, such as sending out demon spies and agents to gather intelligence on humans, and... whether the guy who set up that Demon-Sealing Formation is alive or dead.
Li Wei shook his head, realizing he was thinking too far ahead. His mission was to kill the Wolf King; once that objective was achieved, nothing else mattered. Li Wei focused his attention on the wolf demons again, beginning a careful observation. These wolf demons not only wore protective iron armor but also carried weapons. Some wielded steel swords and wooden shields, others gripped iron spears with barbs, and still others even had quivers at their waists and carried iron bows.
Can wolf demons also draw bows and shoot arrows?
Li Wei was dumbfounded. These things weren't monsters anymore; they were just people covered in hair.
Besides these dozens of wolf demon guards, Li Wei also sensed several more powerful demonic auras. However, Li Wei dared not use his divine essence to detect them, as no one could guarantee that the Wolf King would not discover him if he released his divine essence.
At this moment, all Li Wei had to do was memorize the terrain and then retreat silently.
Bypassing the main entrance, Li Wei opened the sketch Qu Ling had given him. The hidden entrance was about a kilometer away from the main entrance, which Qu Ling had discovered by chance during her frantic escape.
Li Wei walked through a pile of rocks. Unlike the dense vegetation of the Jungle, this place was much more desolate. There were some withered yellow grasses on the ground, growing unevenly and swaying in the cold wind. Some unidentified skeletons were vaguely visible among the swaying grasses, telling the story of the cruelty of this area.
According to the sketch, the hidden entrance was located among the rocks and weeds. Just then, Li Wei suddenly felt a gust of wind coming from above his head.
With a quick sidestep, a shadow flashed past and landed with a thud in the grass.
Li Wei glanced at it; it was an iron arrow. Although crude, its lethality was not to be underestimated. Looking up in the direction from which the iron arrow had come, Li Wei saw an iron bow wolf demon.
At this moment, the wolf demon was using its furry paws to nock another iron arrow onto its bow, preparing to draw the bow and shoot.
But when it finally took aim, it was surprised to find that its target had vanished.
Although it had gained intelligence, it was still dumbfounded in this situation. The wolf's mind was racing, unable to understand how a living person could have just disappeared. It wasn't until a sharp pain shot through the back of its head that it realized the other person was behind it.
However, by then it was too late to realize it.
After defeating the Iron Bow Wolf Demon, Li Wei discovered the hidden entrance behind it. The entrance appeared to be only about half a person's height, pitch black, and a foul-smelling wind occasionally blew out from the cave.