132: Chapter 132 We are a team

The miasma deep within Mist Shadow Valley grew increasingly thick, with pale gray fog clinging to their clothes, carrying a faint, elusive scent of raw sweetness.

Li Menger's Mental Energy detection suddenly fluctuated, and a white light trembled slightly at her fingertips.

"Thirty meters ahead, there are living things moving rapidly. The number... at least five. They are much faster than Shadow Wolves."

Zhang Wen immediately raised his hand to signal the team to stop. The electric light at the tip of his sky-splitting startling thunder spear suddenly brightened, dispersing the surrounding fog into a small clearing.

"Han Xu, go and scout the situation, and be careful to hide your Aura."

Han Xu's figure flickered and merged back into the dense fog, leaving behind only a few blades of grass stirred by the wind.

Within two seconds, his voice came through the mental link: "It's Mist-Patterned Leopards. Their fur can change color with the miasma, they have carrion in their mouths, and they are highly aggressive."

"Their strength is approximately at the Forming Realm!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a sharp bestial roar suddenly exploded from the fog.

Three Mist-Patterned Leopards pounced simultaneously from different directions, their silvery-gray fur appearing and disappearing within the miasma, their sharp claws glinting with a cold light.

Zhang Wen reacted extremely quickly, sweeping his spear horizontally. The electric current trailing from the spear shaft carved a blue arc in the air.

He forcefully drove back the Mist-Patterned Leopard pouncing from the left, the electric current striking the ground and sparking a flurry of embers.

It just happened to trigger the 'Thunderbolt with Lightning' buff, shocking the Mist-Patterned Leopard until it convulsed, though it quickly recovered from the state.

"Menger, lock onto their movement trajectories!"

Ding Siyi simultaneously stepped back, Crimson Pearl Immortal Fire condensing into a fan shape at her fingertips, the pink flames strikingly vivid in the fog. "I'll use a wall of fire to block them!"

Li Menger closed her eyes tightly, her Mental Energy spreading out like a spiderweb, clearly transmitting the movements of the three Mist-Patterned Leopards to her teammates.

"The one on the right is preparing to flank us. Han Xu, its front left leg has a limp!"

Han Xu, hidden in the fog, immediately locked onto his target. Gripping his short blade in reverse, he took advantage of the moment the Mist-Patterned Leopard adjusted its stance to flash out from the rear-diagonal, his blade precisely slashing toward its front left leg joint.

The Mist-Patterned Leopard let out a pained roar, stumbling and falling to the ground, exposing a vulnerability in its abdomen.

Ding Siyi seized the opportunity, pushing the fire fan at her fingertips forward. A pink wall of fire instantly formed, trapping the other two Mist-Patterned Leopards in place.

The high temperature of the fire wall scorched the miasma, emitting a sizzling sound. The Mist-Patterned Leopards paced anxiously within the fire wall but dared not rush out rashly.

Zhang Wen took the opportunity to close in, thrusting his sky-splitting startling thunder spear directly at the largest Mist-Patterned Leopard within the fire wall.

The electric light at the spear tip penetrated the fire wall, precisely piercing its shoulder blade. The electric current surged through the spear shaft into the beast's body, causing the Mist-Patterned Leopard to convulse all over before collapsing to the ground.

The remaining one, seeing its companions fall one after another, turned to try and break through the fire wall to escape, but Li Menger tightly restrained its limbs with her Mental Energy, leaving it unable to move.

Han Xu stood up from the ground, pressed his short blade against its throat, and cleanly and efficiently ended its life.

"Wait, there are still two more in the fog that haven't moved!"

Li Menger suddenly spoke, the white light at her fingertips flickering more urgently. "They... they are coming over?"

Before she could finish, two dark shadows suddenly darted out from the thickest part of the miasma, moving nearly twice as fast as the previous Mist-Patterned Leopards, pouncing directly at Ding Siyi, who was at the back of the team.

Zhang Wen's pupils constricted. He immediately turned to defend with his spear, the electric light at the tip surging, but he was still half a beat too slow.

One of the Mist-Patterned Leopards had already closed in behind Ding Siyi, its claws about to land on her shoulder.

Just then, Han Xu suddenly flashed out from Ding Siyi's side, blocking horizontally with his short blade, forcefully taking the Mist-Patterned Leopard's strike.

The blade and claws collided, emitting a harsh metallic scraping sound. Han Xu was jarred into retreating two steps, his arm slightly numb.

"This one is not right; its fur is harder, and its strength is greater!" Han Xu warned in a low voice.

Ding Siyi immediately turned around, condensing a ball of Crimson Pearl Immortal Fire twice as large as before at her fingertips, and threw it toward the Mist-Patterned Leopard's face.

The immortal fire landed on its nose tip, but only scorched a small patch of fur, failing to penetrate its defense.

The Mist-Patterned Leopard shook its head and pounced again, its Aura even fiercer than before.

Zhang Wen took the opportunity to circle behind it, thrusting his sky-splitting startling thunder spear out at an angle. The spear tip avoided the tough fur and precisely pierced into the gap in its spine.

The 'Thunderbolt with Lightning' triggered instantly. The Mist-Patterned Leopard's body stiffened, and its movements came to a complete halt.

The last Mist-Patterned Leopard, seeing the situation was bad, turned to try and flee, but was firmly locked in place by Li Menger's Mental Energy.

Ding Siyi immediately followed up with a ball of immortal fire, this time aiming for its eyes.

The immortal fire surged in instantly. The Mist-Patterned Leopard let out a shrill, miserable cry, spun in place, and finally collapsed to the ground, convulsing incessantly.

The team members breathed a temporary sigh of relief. Ding Siyi wiped the sweat from her forehead, looking at the Mist-Patterned Leopard corpses on the ground.

"These two must be the leaders. Their strength has reached the Subtle Realm, and their defense is much stronger than the ordinary ones."

Zhang Wen put away his spear, his gaze looking toward the deeper parts of the miasma. "Deep within Mist Shadow Valley, there are likely even more dangerous things."

"And they are fighting on their home turf. Menger, how much longer can your Mental Energy hold out?"

Li Menger opened her eyes, her complexion somewhat pale.

"At most, I can maintain it for ten more minutes. The miasma is interfering with my Mental Energy, and the consumption is faster than before."

"Let's find a clean place to rest for five minutes before continuing forward."

Zhang Wen made the decision, his gaze sweeping over the team members. "Everyone, stay vigilant. The road ahead may be even harder to walk."

The four of them quickly found a relatively dry rock area nearby. Han Xu was responsible for keeping watch, while Ding Siyi helped Li Menger sort out her disordered Mental Energy.

Zhang Wen observed the flow of the miasma, his brows slightly furrowed.

He always felt that something in the vicinity had been watching them all along.