Wolf Raiders

"Are you sure you want to go in?"

Just as the dozen or so people were preparing to enter the village with Iron Dragon to investigate, a voice sounded from behind them.

At some point, Ning Yao had gotten down from the carriage and come up behind them.

"Brother Ning Yao, did you notice something?"

The caravan owner was somewhat bewildered. He glanced at the visibly anxious Iron Dragon, then at Ning Yao, who had just spoken.

He was merely an ordinary Soul Master in his teens and had no idea what was happening.

Ning Yao and Iron Dragon were stronger, so he would listen to them.

"Can you smell something?"

Ning Yao fixed his eyes on Iron Dragon and the others as he spoke softly.

He had actually understood what had happened to this village from the very beginning. He simply hadn't had the heart to tell Iron Dragon the truth earlier.

As Ning Yao's words fell, everyone looked at one another. Only Iron Dragon's expression noticeably changed.

The other Soul Ancestor in the group reacted the same way.

He had originally been the most excited of them all, but his expression had turned subtle after they approached the village.

Because his martial soul was feline in nature, he had always been the most sensitive to scents in the group.

At once, everyone's gaze focused on the man who had stepped forward.

"There's a faint smell of blood in the air."

He spoke in a low voice, not forgetting to glance up at Iron Dragon as he did.

At such a close distance, there was no need for an exceptional sense of smell anymore. The others might truly not have noticed, but as a powerful Soul Ancestor, he did not believe Iron Dragon had failed to notice the strange odor in the air.

After the man finished speaking, Iron Dragon's hands visibly trembled.

He slowly raised his head and looked at Ning Yao.

"Brother Ning Yao, would you be willing to enter the village with me and take a look?"

"Perhaps someone in the village hunted a soul beast in the mountains, and they're deep in the village dividing up the meat."

His voice was clearly trembling. The previously overlapping discussions gradually fell silent at Iron Dragon's words.

They looked at Ning Yao, who had spoken first.

There was not much expression on Ning Yao's face. He merely shook his head gently.

"There's no need. They're already here."

As his words fell, a tremendous boom exploded before them.

"Boom!!"

Sand and stones flew everywhere. The nearest small house suddenly exploded, and a massive figure "walked" out through a hole in its wall.

As the dust settled, a creature over two meters tall appeared before them. Its body was covered in gray fur, with sharp claws and fangs, a wolf's head, and a human body.

"Th-this is... Wolf Raiders!!"

Someone in the group cried out, but more people chose to summon their martial souls.

As a caravan that traveled the continent, they were all too familiar with this kind of creature.

They were terrifying soul beasts born from human-beast hybrids, and the soul beasts they least wished to encounter.

These soul beasts generally lived in packs. They were exceptionally bloodthirsty and brutal, raiding villages and towns, slaughtering villagers, feeding on humans. Every one of them was also exceedingly cunning and difficult to hunt.

Only powerful, organized forces from Spirit Hall and other major factions generally had the strength to hunt them.

"How could Wolf Raiders appear here?"

Hiding behind the others, the caravan owner's face was filled with despair, his voice brimming with fear.

Wolf Raiders!

Although he considered his caravan's lineup quite good, that did not mean he had any confidence in facing creatures like these.

These were the terrifying beasts said to be capable of defeating an army head-on.

How could such things appear here? They were rare soul beasts seldom seen on the continent. Were they going to die here today?

The caravan owner was not the only one thinking that. Most of the dozen or so others felt the same way.

Iron Dragon alone had all four of his soul rings spinning beneath him. His eyes were bloodshot, and his fists were clenched tightly.

His body was trembling too, but not from fear. It was rage.

Wolf Raiders had appeared in the village. Everyone understood what that most likely meant.

At that moment, Ning Yao stepped forward as well, passing several people to stand beside Iron Dragon.

"Don't panic yet. I can sense other life auras in the village besides the Wolf Raiders. They're still alive."

He spoke slowly. The other life auras in the village were all gathered in its deepest area. Though they were very weak, they still clung to life.

As long as they were willing to accept his power—or rather, as long as they desired to live—no one would die today.

"I heard Wolf Raiders need human women to reproduce. This pack is likely the same. They should have merely imprisoned all the male and female villagers together, intending to choose women as breeding tools and men as food. They haven't died yet."

Upon hearing Ning Yao's words, Iron Dragon visibly relaxed.

Yet his spirits remained at rock bottom.

He was angry, but he had not lost his reason.

With their strength, let alone saving anyone, they would probably struggle just to protect themselves.

A bitter smile appeared on his face as he raised his head and swept his gaze around.

Sure enough, pairs of blood-red eyes were lighting up throughout the dense forest surrounding them.

They were facing a species capable of confronting an army head-on.

They...

"Brother Ning Yao, I've dragged you into risking your life with us."

Iron Dragon looked at Ning Yao apologetically. Today, they would likely go no farther than this.

Ning Yao said nothing and merely shook his head gently.

He turned and swept his gaze over the group. After this brief period of adjustment, everyone, including the caravan owner, had summoned their martial souls.

Though afraid, every one of them knew that only by giving it their all would they have a chance at survival.

"Everyone, rest assured. Since I took your carriage, I said I would keep you safe."

He smiled.

Just as the others still had no idea what Ning Yao intended to do,

the Wolf Raider that had been standing before them, watching them with a mocking expression, suddenly stiffened and fell straight to the ground before them.

After it collapsed, a patch of green leaves sprouted from the ground beneath its body.

This sudden scene left not only them stunned, but the surrounding Wolf Raiders as well.

The Wolf Raiders that had been about to step forward and tear Ning Yao and the others to pieces all halted.

One Wolf Raider was the first to recover, immediately throwing back its head and howling.

"Awooo—!!"

The long, piercing howl echoed through the mountain forest, followed by one wolf howl after another ringing across the entire mountain.

Amid those howls, the earth trembled faintly, and an overwhelming pressure rushed straight at them.

Iron Dragon and the others immediately braced themselves for a powerful enemy. They had no time to figure out what had happened to that Wolf Raider and looked ahead again.

From within the village ahead, an even larger figure slowly emerged from its depths.