Beast Attack on a Foggy Night

Sweat rolled into my eyes, stinging and painful.

Lu Yuan didn't wipe it.

He listened intently. From the depths of the thick fog, the dragging sound rolled over gravel, now to the left, now to the right. A deep, guttural roar would reverberate every now and then, causing the fog to tremble.

The same kind of Soul Beast creates an illusion in the fog.

With less than 30% of his Soul Power, carrying someone on his back, a direct confrontation would mean certain death.

He crouched down, pressing his right hand to the ground. A few wisps of transparent grass blades spread from his palm, disappearing into the mud. The Blue Silver Grass, sensitive to moisture and vibration, became his only eyes at that moment.

The feedback is blurry. To the left front, slightly lower. Thirty steps? Fifty steps?

He grabbed a stone and threw it with all his might at the rock wall to his right rear!

Thump!

The dragging sound stopped abruptly. The roar turned into a wary grumble.

Effective. Lu Yuan grabbed a few more pebbles and threw them further across the stream to the other side.

Water splashed up.

The dragging sound moved towards the sound of water and stopped. The roar revealed confusion.

It's trying to make a judgment, but it can't see clearly in the fog.

Lu Yuan carried Lin Xiao on his back and began to move lightly in one direction. His footsteps on the moss were almost silent. At the same time, he kept picking up stones and dry branches and throwing them to the sides and behind him.

"Snap! Crack!"

The sound echoed in the fog, like prey fleeing in panic.

The dragging sound followed. It was slow and steady, maintaining a safe distance.

Lu Yuan's forehead was sweating. The tension was more tiring than fighting. Lin Xiao's breathing was steady, and he was completely unaware of everything.

He couldn't lose his way. He remembered the direction of the stream, and the location of the cave with the strange plant—upstream, deep in the rock wall.

I especially remember the pure fluctuations of Soul Power.

Any Soul Beast will be wary of unfamiliar, high-concentration energy sources, especially ambush-type ones.

I took the gamble.

Lu Yuan adjusted his trajectory, meandering towards the edge of the plant area. He threw stones more frequently, deliberately trying to attract attention.

The fog thickened, and water droplets clung to eyelashes. The dragging sound followed closely a dozen paces away, shifting erratically. The roars sometimes drew closer, sometimes receded, gradually revealing a growing anxiety.

It got impatient.

Lu Yuan abruptly stopped, pressing his right hand to the ground again. The vibration feedback was clear—less than twenty steps to his right rear! It stopped.

Are they assessing the situation, or preparing to pounce?

Without hesitation, he squatted down, took out some dry grass and flint from his pocket, and struck them together.

"Sizzle!"

A few sparks, a wisp of smoke. It wouldn't light in the damp environment.

But that's enough.

He channeled his meager Soul Power, his fingertips glowing slightly, and forcefully flicked the wisp of green smoke, along with the grass fibers, towards the plant area!

The grass fibers enveloped in Soul Power, like a small signal flare, streaked through the mist and landed in the grass.

Almost simultaneously, a furious roar erupted from behind!

"Roar--!!"

The roar was completely different! The thick fog churned violently, and a dragging sound rushed forward!

The gamble paid off! It really did repel that aura!

Taking advantage of the moment, Lu Yuan mustered all his strength and charged towards the opposite cliff face! There, the rocks were jagged and the shadows were thick.

Lin Xiao stumbled, his steps faltering. He gritted his teeth and charged forward with his head down.

The roaring and dragging sounds behind me abruptly stopped at the edge of the planted area.

The sound turned into a restless pacing and a suppressed growl. The Soul Beast paced anxiously at the edge, no longer advancing.

Lu Yuan rushed to the bottom of the cliff, his eyes scanning the area rapidly.

Got it!

At waist height, behind dark brown vines, a recess in the rock wall conceals the cave entrance.

He parted the slippery vines and crouched down to crawl through.

The entrance was shallow, like a depression, barely enough for two or three people to curl up in. That was enough.

He squeezed in sideways, gently set Lin Xiao down, and then stood in front of the cave entrance, holding his breath as he peered through the gaps in the vines.

The heavy dragging and suppressed growling lingered nearby for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.

It was very close. Sometimes it felt like just a few steps from the cave entrance. A strong, fishy smell wafted in.

Lu Yuan clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm. His Soul Power circulated, ready to fight to the death at any moment.

Eventually, the sound faded into the distance.

The dragging sound rolled deeper into the darkness of the valley. The low growl dissipated into the mist.

He waited a long time, until only the sound of the stream and the wind remained, before Lu Yuan finally exhaled a breath of stale air.

My body went limp, and I slid down against the wall.

We're safe for now.

He closed his eyes to regulate his breathing. Exhaustion washed over him like a tidal wave. His Soul Power was almost depleted, and his limbs felt weak.

After resting for a while, I opened my eyes and looked around the shelter.

The cave was shallow, only six or seven feet deep, just tall enough to stand upright. The ground was dry sand and gravel, free of insects and ants. The air smelled of dust and old rocks.

His gaze fell on the cave wall.

Um?

Looking closer, the surface of the rock face... is too smooth? Especially at the corners, there are regular chisel marks. They are very shallow, and the edges have been rounded by time and covered with a thin layer of dust.

Someone has been here.

A long time ago.

Lu Yuan crouched down and carefully examined the corner.

In the deepest part of the cave, in a corner of the rock wall, several pebbles partially concealed something dark.

He pushed aside the rubble.

Several pieces of metal, about the size of a palm, irregularly shaped, covered with a thick layer of reddish-brown rust, their original appearance unrecognizable. They made a dull thud when struck.

There's also half a wooden handle.

It was buried deeper in the soil. He dug it out gently.

The wooden handle was about a foot long and as thick as a wrist. It was badly rotten, covered with cracks and wormholes, and was dark brown in color. It felt light and brittle in the hand. One end was a broken edge, and the other end still showed faint traces of the mortise and tenon joint, which were also blurred by rust.

Lu Yuan sat in the dim, shallow cave, holding the half-rotten wood and rusty iron, and remained motionless for a long time.

Valley floor. Dense fog. Strange plants.

There are also traces of artificial excavation, unidentified metal fragments, and tool remains.

Long ago, people were active here. What were they doing? What did they discover? Why did they leave these things behind?

The fog outside seemed to have thinned a bit, but the night remained deep. The stream murmured softly, as if nothing had happened.

He carefully placed the broken wooden handle aside and turned to look at the chaotic darkness beyond the gaps in the vines.

The valley floor is probably far more complex than what we see on the surface.