230: Corrupted wolf pack and the baptism of "star rain"

The grayish-purple thick fog churned violently, as if stirred by an invisible hand. Accompanied by hair-raising "rustling" sounds and low growls, countless pairs of eyes flashing with insane scarlet light ignited from deep within the mist, rapidly closing in!

With the faint light emitted by the God-Protecting Jade Pendant, the group finally saw the appearance of the attackers—they were large, wolf-like creatures, but their forms were extremely twisted and terrifying! Their fur had largely fallen off, revealing rotting, pus-oozing muscles and stark white bones beneath. Their joints were twisted at abnormal angles, fangs exposed, dripping with corrosive saliva. Most horrifying were their eyes, which were nothing but pure blood-red, filled with violent and destructive desires!

"It's Corrupted Wolves! Watch out for their claws and saliva; they carry strong corrosive and filthy energy!" Mu Wanqing quickly identified the origin of these monsters and warned loudly. These had originally been ordinary Yao Beasts in the swamp, but they were clearly thoroughly polluted and corrupted by the power within the fog.

"Form a circular formation! Prepare for ranged attacks!" Wen Youyi ordered calmly.

The twelve people instantly stood back-to-back, forming a tight circular formation, protecting Mu Wanqing and the two support personnel in the center. The combat members on the outer perimeter raised their arms, and the armor on their arms popped out special crossbow slots—this was the "Meteor Crossbow" designed by Senior Brother Li, which could rapidly fire short bolts infused with Star Power.

"Fire!"

At Wang Wu's command, a dense sheet of silver short bolts shot like meteors toward the surging pack of Corrupted Wolves!

"Pfft! Pfft!"

The arrows accurately hit the Corrupted Wolves charging at the very front. Star Power seemed to have an extra restraining effect on the filthy energy on their bodies. The struck Corrupted Wolves let out shrill wails, white smoke hissed from their wounds, and their movements immediately slowed down.

However, the number of Corrupted Wolves was simply too high! As the ones in front fell, those behind immediately stepped on their companions' corpses and rushed forward frantically! They were fearless of death, braving the rain of arrows, and rapidly closed the distance!

"Prepare for melee combat!" Zhao Iron Pillar roared, holding his heavy sword horizontally in front of him, blocking the very front of the formation like a rock.

The first wave of Corrupted Wolves slammed heavily into the circular formation!

"Clang! Sizzle!"

The sound of metal clashing and sharp claws tearing through armor rang out simultaneously! Zhao Iron Pillar's heavy sword was powerful, smashing a pouncing Corrupted Wolf away with a single swing, the sound of breaking bones clearly audible. But another Corrupted Wolf's sharp claws left a harsh screeching sound on his shoulder armor, leaving several deep dents, and the corrosive energy attempted to erode the armor.

The battles in other directions were equally intense. The strength and speed of the Corrupted Wolves far exceeded ordinary beasts, and they carried a kind of madness, disregarding their own injuries, knowing only how to pounce and bite. The circular formation bore immense pressure, with Star Power and filthy energy constantly colliding and annihilating each other.

"This won't do! There are too many of them; we'll be worn down to death!" Wen Youyi frowned tightly. He could feel that more and more Corrupted Wolves were gathering from all around, as if the malice of the entire twisted jungle was concentrated here.

"Use 'Star Rain'!" Wen Youyi decided decisively, "Iron Pillar, thirty steps to the front left, cover fire! Everyone else, defend with all your might, prepare to withstand the impact!"

"Understood!" Upon hearing this, Zhao Iron Pillar did not retreat, but instead took a sudden step forward, sweeping his heavy sword horizontally to temporarily force back the wolf pack in front of him, buying space for his teammates behind him.

A team member responsible for carrying the area-of-effect Magical Artifact immediately took out a fist-sized metal ball covered in fine holes from his backpack—it was the "Star Rain" Magical Artifact! He injected Star Power into it without hesitation and then threw it forcefully in the direction specified by Wen Youyi!

The metal ball traced an arc, flying toward the area where the wolf pack was densest to the front left.

Just as the sphere was about to hit the ground—

"Explode!"

Following the team member's low shout, the metal ball in the air exploded violently! There was no deafening roar, only a muffled boom!

The next moment, countless metal fragments as fine as cow hair, flashing with sharp starlight, shot out in all directions from the explosion point like a real rainstorm! It covered an area of nearly twenty zhang in radius!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—pfft pfft pfft!"

The dense sound of penetration was like a musical movement of death! The Corrupted Wolves within the coverage range of "Star Rain" were instantly riddled with holes! Their corrupted bodies could not withstand the high-speed fragments infused with Star Power at all, falling down in rows while wailing, with filthy blood and flesh splattering everywhere, staining the already filthy ground even more messily.

With just one strike, the pressure on the front left dropped sharply!

However, although the power of "Star Rain" was great, its consumption was also extremely staggering. This single Magical Artifact consumed nearly one-third of that team member's spiritual power, and it was not easy to craft, making it impossible to use consecutively.

"Don't stop! Cover each other, advance forward! Wang Wu, guide the direction!" Seizing the opportunity while the wolf pack was temporarily stunned, Wen Youyi immediately gave the order.

The team maintained the circular formation and began to move forward with difficulty along the direction pointed out by Wang Wu, which led to the ruins. Zhao Iron Pillar and the other melee members stood at the front, clearing out the scattered Corrupted Wolves pouncing up like a meat grinder, while the ranged members used the "Meteor Crossbow" to snipe enemies attempting to sneak attacks from the flanks and rear.

The battle was intense and cruel. Corrupted Wolves were constantly falling, but new wounds were also added to the team members' armor, and their spiritual power was rapidly depleting. Mu Wanqing and the two support personnel were busy, occasionally casting healing Spells on injured team members or feeding them recovery Medicinal Pills.

Wen Youyi stayed in the center of the formation, using precise beams of Star Power to snipe elite Corrupted Wolves attempting to break through the defensive line while fully sensing the surroundings. He noticed that these Corrupted Wolves seemed to be directed by some unified will, their attacks quite methodical, and... they seemed to be preventing them from heading in a certain direction.

"Pick up the pace! We are getting closer to the target!" Wen Youyi encouraged everyone.

With the path opened by "Star Rain" and the desperate fighting of all members, the team hacked a bloody path through the endless pack of Corrupted Wolves, firmly advancing toward the core area where the fog was deeper and where secrets were more likely to be hidden.

(End of this chapter)