These wild wolves had originally been mere human rank first turn demons. They were somewhat more savage than ordinary beasts, with stronger bodies and sharper claws and fangs, but they posed little threat. Any Spirit Tamer who had mastered a combat spirit creature could deal with them easily.
But when their numbers swelled to twenty or thirty or more, the situation became entirely different.
Seeing the sizable pack before them-at least thirty wolves at a rough glance-the group hurriedly stopped and formed up where they stood, preparing to kill them before passing through this long underground corridor.
Just then, however, a gigantic gray wolf emerged from the darkness and moved past the pack. It was a full size larger than the Blue-Eyed Gray Wolf, nearly as large as the Crimson-Patterned Tiger Ning Yuerong rode.
Its massive body radiated an oppressive, frenzied aura. Even the air seemed tinged with a faint scent of blood, making the group's spirit creatures grow restless.
Several Gray Wolves backed away, baring their teeth.
The Blue-Eyed Gray Wolf beneath Wei Wen and the Crimson-Patterned Tiger beneath Ning Yuerong also grew wary.
"It's a wolf king! That aura is formidable—it's at least a Sixth Transformation demon!" Ding Long said gravely.
"It does indeed have a Sixth Transformation aura. It looks like the Void Tide swept an entire wolf pack over here," Wei Wen said.
"Look, there are more demons over there!" Wei Wu exclaimed.
Everyone looked in the direction he pointed. In the dark passage, a blackish-brown monster some ten feet tall was lurking nearby, using the darkness for cover as it watched them hungrily.
It was a Demon Spider with long, jointed limbs and an enormous abdomen swollen like a ball.
On the Demon Spider's millstone-sized forehead were seven eyes, utterly unlike those of an ordinary spider, embedded like copper spheres. One sat in the center, while the other six were arranged by size, slanting upward in a reverse V and gleaming with a sinister green light.
Its aura was actually stronger than the wolf king's, reaching the Seven Turns level!
Rustle, rustle, rustle...
The sound came from deep within the shadows behind the Demon Spider. More than a dozen smaller Demon Spiders, each the size of a calf and sporting three eyes, emerged.
"A Seven-Star Demon Spider, and Three-Eyed Demon Spiders..."
Their expressions changed again. Without a doubt, this was another whole group of Demon Spiders, previously hidden in the darkness and undetected.
Nor was that all. Soon, some hunched Dwarf Demons no larger than dwarfs, along with Ratmen, followed them out.
These monsters normally belonged on the third and fourth levels of the Demon Suppression Cavern, not far from here, so it was no surprise that they had been swept over.
Both groups of humanoids numbered around a dozen, but each had an obvious leader, the tallest and most powerfully built among them. Their auras clearly exceeded human rank third turn and were probably around the fifth turn.
"We're in serious trouble!" Wei Wen said helplessly with a wry smile.
A Seven Turns Seven-Star Demon Spider, a Sixth Transformation wolf king, a fifth-turn Dwarf Demon chief and Ratman chief, each with a dozen or so Third Transformation lackeys, and thirty-four first-turn wild wolves! Fang Qianyuan quickly assessed what he saw and realized that this force of demons could fight their squad to the bloody end and pose a grave threat.
Moreover, the Void Tide would continue throughout their battle against these demons. No one knew whether more demons might appear.
"These demons are normally bloodthirsty and frenzied, and they fight among themselves. But when they encounter living beings like us, they become unusually united. We contain the pure spiritual energy they crave, and devouring our flesh, blood, and spirit essence brings them boundless benefits. So don't count on their groups falling out and fighting each other. We have to cut our way out of the encirclement and escape to the entrance!" Wei Wen reminded everyone, though his explanation was mainly for Fang Qianyuan.
"I'll handle the Seven-Star Demon Spider. Yuerong, hold off the wolf king. Ding Long, Wei Wu, take on the Dwarf Demons and Ratmen. Junior Brother Fang, act as the situation demands. Ideally, kill as many lesser demons as you can to ease the pressure on us!"
"Can't we charge straight past them now?" Ning Yuerong asked.
"We'd better not. If there aren't any demons blocking the way ahead, that's fine-we could quickly escape to the upper levels. But if there are, we'd end up with enemies in front and behind," Wei Wen explained.
His value as the squad leader became apparent. Drawing on his wealth of experience, he immediately assigned everyone their roles and even volunteered to take on the strongest foe, the Seven-Star Demon Spider.
Naturally, the others obeyed his orders and prepared for battle.
"Go!" Wei Wen called again, taking the lead as he urged his Blue-Eyed Gray Wolf forward.
This time, he personally rode the Wolf Spirit he primarily cultivated into battle against the Seven-Star Demon Spider.
His Gray Wolves formed a small, well-coordinated army, arraying themselves in a flying-goose formation to block the Three-Eyed Demon Spiders.
Ning Yuerong glanced over, then urged her Crimson-Patterned Tiger forward to meet the wolf king.
The other Gray Wolves followed as well, clashing with the wild wolves.
Ding Long and Wei Wu also found their opponents. Since they were stronger than the two humanoid chiefs, they gained the upper hand as soon as they engaged and brought their fights under control.
But a prolonged battle was bound to invite a mistake. This place was already fraught with danger. Only by ending the battle as quickly as possible while avoiding injuries could they escape the demon cavern safely.
The situation remained highly unfavorable for them.
Fang Qianyuan frowned, feeling ever more strongly that he had to do something.
Though he could avoid fighting on the grounds that he had only recently begun training and possessed little cultivation, and his senior brothers and sister would say nothing, the demons would show no such consideration if they gained the upper hand. Everyone would suffer.
Still, he did not immediately rush forward to fight the demons. Instead, he first observed the battle, looking for a suitable opportunity.
Although the demons Wei Wen and Ning Yuerong faced were powerful, the two of them could hold their own for the time being thanks to their cultivation and their respective spirit creatures.
Ding Long and Wei Wu had also temporarily suppressed their opponents and were in no immediate trouble.
Instead, it was the weaker demon lackeys, left unchecked, that were gaining an advantage over their Gray Wolves and gradually cutting off their room to maneuver.
If they were allowed to keep pressing forward, they would surely become a tremendous threat.
Fang Qianyuan immediately resolved to eliminate those demon lackeys first.
Once his mind was made up, he acted with the speed of thunder and the force of the wind. He circulated his spirit essence and used Wolf Rush to charge into the wolf pack, curling his fingers into claws and drawing sprays of blood.
In his wake, three wild wolves were left with gaping wounds across their bodies, their entrails spilling out along with their blood.
Several wild wolves lunged viciously at him, but Fang Qianyuan nimbly dodged them and used Black Tiger Rips Out Its Heart, tearing open a wolf's body with a single grab.
Spirit Tamers who practiced the Way of Transformation generally disliked weapons. Unless they were divine arms of magical-treasure caliber, ordinary blades were less useful than their own bodies.
If they had to name their weapons, their spirit creatures and spirit essence were the most reliable ones!
Fang Qianyuan gave it everything he had. In just a few breaths, he killed several wolves in succession and carved his way into the enemy ranks.