The Ghost Wolves emerged from the mist without warning, biting off chunks of flesh, then vanished silently back into the fog.

They seemed like the favored children of this mist.

After resisting for quite some time, Fao finally seized an opportunity to sever one of the Ghost Wolves' forelegs, which startled them into retreat.

The group had a moment to catch their breath, finally pulling some distance in an attempt to shake off the two Ghost Wolves.

Now, the Ghost Wolves seemed intimidated by Fao's strike; although they didn't give up tracking, they dared not come within a hundred meters, only trailing from afar.

Like maggots attached to bone, they continued to follow in their wake.

Another nun turned back, staring at the silent Fao, unable to help but frown and shake her head: "Fao, we are companions now, you must tell the truth!"

The sisters specialized in Healing Divine Skill and could easily understand Fao's current state.

"..."

But Fao remained silent, hesitating, ultimately not explaining the true reason.

He waved his hand, tightly grasped the Longsword, glanced around at his four teammates, and slowly nodded: "I'm fine, don't worry about me, and please trust me, I will definitely lead you back to the Monastery."

"Sigh!"

The sisters sighed in unison upon hearing this; that was not the assurance they were seeking!

"What exactly are you thinking? You're like this..."

Just as the situation was becoming more awkward, the tall Martial Monk proactively changed the topic: "Ahem! Fao, I don't care about the rest, but why are we taking this path?"

He looked at the road leading deeper into the mist, clicked his tongue, and said, baring his teeth:

"Taking this path was your suggestion, and we agreed, but now you're saying nothing, it's really worrying us all."

Relieved by the change of subject, Fao nodded to him gratefully and said in a deep voice:

"I know of a path; though it's a bit of a detour, a strong figure recently cleared the Magical Beasts there, so other Demons shouldn't have occupied it yet."

"It's an open swamp, they would have to reveal themselves to approach us, but we can rest there for a while."

The place Fao mentioned was where they hunted swamp boars.

The Lord there had been killed by Herbert, and new Demons would not migrate there in the short term, allowing them a chance to rest on that unclaimed land.

The ensuing events unfolded just as Fao anticipated, and they actually reached the swamp smoothly.

"Phew! Finally, we can catch a breath."

The tall Martial Monk wiped the sweat from his forehead, eyes still carrying traces of the recent tension, while the slightly shorter Silent Meditation Martial Monk gripped his weapon tightly.

The two were taking turns keeping watch.

"Zar, you can relax for a bit now."

The elder twin Nun exhaled, saying: "It is indeed much open here, we have more space to maneuver."

They had been restricted in the forest and couldn't display their full strength; now on the plains, they finally had room to properly perform.

They stacked their books together and held hands, chanting silently in unison.

"I praise you, for your glory shields us from foreign invasions."

Buzz—

Soon, a large hemispherical shield, ten meters in diameter, enveloped the squad.

With this shield in place, the team visibly relaxed.

Divine Skill: Ten-Meter Shelter Technique

With this, they could detect attacks at the first opportunity and possessed a basic level of defense, allowing more reaction time.

With basic safety assured, the five quickly moved, extracting rations and water pouches from their backpacks and rapidly filling their mouths.

They had been fighting for too long and urgently needed to restore their strength.

While Fao and his companions were ravenously swallowing their food, two figures silently appeared in the distance.

The two Mist Ghost Wolves that had been following them stood at the edge of the mire, distastefully shaking their feet.

Their ghostly gaze fixed on the shield, before they finally retreated slowly, merging back into the mist.

Seeing the Ghost Wolves temporarily back down, the group finally fully relaxed.

Though given their nature, these creatures wouldn't completely give up, the five of them could at least catch their breath for a while.

As they relaxed, the tall Martial Monk suddenly grew interested, asking curiously: "Speaking of which, Fao, there's something I've always wanted to ask you."

"When I asked before, you didn't answer, why are you so fixed on participating in this Demon hunt? With your strength, joining next month's hunt after a good rest shouldn't be hard at all."

They all knew that Fao had previously escorted a group of stranded adventurers back to the Monastery, sustaining significant injuries himself, and ought to rest and recover.

However, after receiving treatment, he returned eagerly before fully healing. Was there a hidden reason behind this?

Not only was he curious, but the other three were also very much interested, all looking towards Fao curiously.

Fao, under such scrutiny, shook his head with a hint of helplessness and explained quietly: "There's really no secret as you imagine. I merely want to follow in a lord's footsteps, hoping to repay his kindness..."

"Follow?"

They were all surprised upon hearing this explanation, blinking continuously.

They hadn't expected that Fao had ventured back into the Misty Mountains for such a reason.

Furthermore, with Fao's current strength, only a Legendary figure would be worthy of his following.

"Wait, the lord you're talking about is––"

Just as they were curious about the person's identity, Fao suddenly stood up, raising his sword and shouting: "Watch out!"

!!?

At that moment, the other four suddenly realized something was wrong.

At the edge of the mist beyond the shield, an unknown number of Mist Ghost Wolves, numbering over a hundred, had appeared and were slowly closing in!

Realizing they had been spotted, those creatures suddenly sprang forth.

Baring their sharp teeth, they charged towards them with terrifying speed.

And this was not the most despairing part for Fao...

For it was only at that moment he suddenly discovered that the two High Tier Mist Ghost Wolves had silently leaped above their heads.

Click, click, click...

Click!!!

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