Chapter 69

At the bottom of the canyon, it was practically another world.

The sky above was sliced into ragged fragments by the dense, nearly light‑blocking canopy, only a few feeble rays of light squeezing through to cast eerie spots in the pervasive gray mist.

The air was damp and hot, like being thrown into a steamer; each breath carried the foul mix of rotting branches and an unknown stench, choking enough to make one roll their eyes.

Visibility? Hah, beyond three or five steps figures blur; the whole forest is eerily silent, save for the rustle of their steps on the thick leaf litter and the occasional distant, hair‑raising howl.

Wang Shan leaned against a huge tree that took two people to embrace, his chest heaving violently, feeling as exhausted as a sick donkey that had plowed eighty acres for three days.

He wiped his face, unable to tell whether it was sweat or condensed miasma. The group stopped; the surviving clansmen slumped one by one, faces smeared with mud or blood, that sense of despair making his chest feel tight.

He began counting heads.

One, two… with each count his heart sank a little.

Originally, when jumping down from the cliff, he'd roughly estimated twenty‑five or six, but a closer look now showed they were short—two more missing!

That meant that during that chaotic crash‑landing and the first few steps, two more lives had silently been lost.

Twenty‑three—only twenty‑three people remained. That number felt like a red‑hot branding iron, searing his chest.

The wounded were even more shocking to behold.

Several clansmen lay on the ground, sallow‑skinned and purple‑lipped, their inner organs shaken by Wan Tianjue's old‑dog Foundation Establishment pressure; others bore scorched marks from the thunderstorm's aftermath, still trembling.

Wang Zhize's arm was wrapped in blood‑soaked bandages, still oozing.

The Return Spring Pills and wound medicines he'd brought had already been mostly used on the Black Feather Boat to treat those struck by lightning; now, with this few people and these injuries, the remaining medicines were a drop in the bucket.

"Don't just stand there!" Wang Shan hoarsely barked, pointing to a nearby relatively dry, slightly sunken hollow, "Get over there, catch your breath! Zhize, take a few people and tend to the seriously wounded—use the medicine sparingly, give priority to those who can still be saved!" This was truly ruthless, but now was no time for womanly kindness.

He himself dragged his weary body back and forth at the edge of the hollow, ears straining for any hint of movement in the woods. This damned place—who knew what deadly thing might leap out from any corner?

While keeping watch, Wang Shan silently recited in his mind, his consciousness sinking into the system space.

On the panel, the Spirit Plant Points column showed a lonely "87".

This was the pittance left over from exchanging the Thunder‑attracting Talisman earlier—pitifully little. With a thought, he turned to the last batch of spirit herbs that had been ripened in the system space but not yet harvested: mainly Pure Spirit Grass, plus a few young Staunch Blood Flowers.

No point worrying about it—even a tiny mosquito is meat! He mentally commanded and swiftly harvested all the spirit herbs.

【Ding! Harvested 37 stalks of Pure Spirit Grass and 12 Staunch Blood Flowers, gaining a total of 485 Spirit Plant Points.】

Adding the original 87 points gave a total of 572. Wang Shan looked at the number, feeling a tad more reassured, yet the urgency remained intense. These Spirit Plant Points were hardly enough to stuff between his teeth.

He didn't dare delay, immediately rummaging through the system mall. What they lacked most now were healing and detox items.

Soon he spent three hundred points to exchange five bottles of Basic Detox Powder and two large boxes of Fast‑acting Healing Ointment. These were basic goods from the system, not as potent as proper elixirs, but they were plentiful and worked fast.

"Zhize, take these!" Wang Shan shoved the bottles and ointment into Wang Zhize's arms, "Use the detox powder first on those poisoned by the miasma, and apply the healing ointment to external wounds—quick!"

Wang Zhize took the items, saw his father's face visibly more gaunt, nodded heavily, and immediately went to distribute the medicine.

Although he knew this amount was merely a drop in the bucket for their predicament, having something was better than nothing—at least it could lessen some clansmen's suffering and give them a sliver of hope to survive.

At last the squad got a breather. The wounded had their injuries hastily tended, those afflicted by the miasma took the Basic Detox Powder—though their complexion remained grim, at least their breathing steadied. Others leaned against tree trunks or simply sat on the ground, seizing the chance to recover strength.

But heaven seemed unwilling to let them fare well. This brief calm didn't even last half an hour.

"Sussurus…"

A faint rustling, like leaves rubbing together, came from the deep forest to their rear right. The sound was tiny, but in the dead‑still woods it was unusually clear.

Wang Shan sprang to his feet, all fatigue vanishing.

Next, in the darkness, pairs of eerie green lights ignited like ghost fire, silently surrounding them. Their numbers grew rapidly—from three or five pairs to seven or eight pairs!

As the lights drew near, using the forest's faint glow, everyone finally made out the attackers: several beasts the size of adult leopards, covered in dark‑gray fur that blended perfectly into the gloom.

Their limbs were agile, muscles bulging, long tails swaying silently behind them; most terrifying were the two pairs of icy‑glinting fangs, each three inches long, bared from their slightly open mouths.

First‑order demon beast, the Shadowcat! This creature excels in speed and stealth, loving to hunt in packs.

The jar is ready, just waiting for the turtle! The Wang family folks are now the turtles about to be boiled!

Everyone's hearts leapt to their throats; the nerves that had just relaxed snapped tight again—several young women and children even let out stifled cries.

"Don't panic! Form a circle, protect the wounded and the children!" Wang Shan bellowed, his voice edged with iron‑blooded killing intent, as he yanked out the thick‑backed steel knife he'd worn for years, "Zhize! Zhitao! Follow me! The rest, hold formation and defend yourselves!"

Before his voice faded, Wang Shan lunged forward like a descending mountain tiger, the qi and blood of his Eighth‑Stage Mid‑phase Body Refining exploding outward, his steel knife infused with all his strength—he turned the supreme Pishan Palm into a blade and slammed it hard into the head of the leading Shadowcat.

"Roar!" Wang Zhize and Wang Zhitao each bellowed, charging right after him.

Wang Zhize was at Fourth‑Stage Body Refining, Wang Zhitao at Third‑Stage; though their cultivation fell far short of Wang Shan's, they too risked their lives, swinging their weapons to meet the other two Shadowcats.

The remaining dozen or so able‑bodied clansmen quickly followed Wang Shan's earlier drills, backing into a rough circle, shielding the wounded and women and children in the center while nervously guarding all sides.

Wang Shan's strike was heavy and forceful; that Shadowcat clearly hadn't expected this seemingly exhausted human to unleash such power, and in its haste it could only tilt its head aside.

"Pfft!"

Although the steel blade didn't split its skull, it left a deep bone‑visible gash on its shoulder, and emerald‑green blood spurted out instantly.

"Meow—"

The wounded Shadowcat let out a shrill shriek, not retreating but instead flying into a frenzy, lunging at Wang Shan with a foul wind.

Wang Shan's strength was indeed formidable; facing two opponents he still held his ground.

But these Shadowcats were essentially a pack of fearless lunatics—and there were seven or eight of them!

They moved as swift as wind, coordinated perfectly, launching attacks from every tricky angle.

For a moment, blade flashes and beast roars erupted at the hollow's edge, blood‑smell spreading fast. Wang Zhize and Wang Zhitao's side was especially perilous—the two of them together could barely fend off three Shadowcats, and they quickly accrued new wounds.

"Ah—"

In the fierce battle, a short, shrill scream suddenly came from the edge of the defensive circle!

Everyone looked in horror, only to see a Collateral Branch Body Refining Second Layer junior tasked with outer perimeter watch, momentarily distracted and unable to dodge, being bitten on the throat by a shadow cat that slipped in!

The shadow cat's sharp fangs pierced like steel awls, and blood gushed out like a fountain!

That clansman's eyes widened, his hands clenched tightly around the shadow cat's head, emitting a hoarse 'hoho' sound from his throat, his body twitched a few times, then he slumped lifelessly to the ground, his vitality rapidly fading.

"Wang Wu!" Wang Shan's eyes nearly burst, and he let out a grief-stricken, furious roar.

He backhanded a blade, forcing back the two shadow cats before him, pushing his palm power to the limit, but ultimately it was too little, too late!

We've only just entered this damned place, and already another one has died!

A deep sense of helplessness welled up in his chest—damn it, is there no end to this life? How much farther can they possibly go in this wilderness?

Wang Zhe thrust his sword through the eye of a shadow cat, while another clawed three bloody gashes into his shoulder; he panted heavily and shouted hoarsely, "Dad! We can't keep going like this—there are too many!"