After calming down, Zhenjin and Zi Di began to discuss what to do next.
Their situation was dire.
They had almost no food or water left, and the survival tools in the wilderness were very scarce. Worse still, they were almost unarmed, with Zhenjin practically bare-handed.
Zi Di proposed that they return to the other side of the river to search for the bodies of the recently deceased guards. They had supplies, survival tools, and equipment on them.
Zhenjin immediately agreed with this good suggestion.
The two did not choose to climb back; it was too dangerous.
They walked along the river.
The river water gurgled, the banks were lush and densely vegetated. On the grass by the riverbank, there were clear trampling marks, left by the recently sprinting Silver Level Evil Wolf.
After walking for a while, the river gradually narrowed, and the terrain rose gently, forming two mounds facing each other across the small river.
The two mounds weren't far apart, rooted on either side of the river but extending slightly over it. Vegetation on the mounds was sparse.
On the mounds, they found more wolf paw prints.
"It seems the magical wolf jumped over the river from here."
The two climbed onto the mound.
The mounds were very close, and one could easily jump across.
However, any misstep and falling into the water would result in being hunted by the Golden Python Vine, leading to a gruesome death.
"Look, what is that?" Zi Di pointed downwards.
Zhenjin squinted his eyes.
He saw many broken and mangled remains of River Vines scattered by the riverbank.
This riverbank had evidently witnessed a fierce battle, leaving it in shambles, filled with black soil as if dried lava had solidified, looking very suspicious.
Zhenjin felt heavy-hearted, "The River Vine is a Golden Level Magic Plant, but it is not the lord here. A battle took place here, and it lost. Whatever fought it was at least of Golden Level."
"This island is indeed full of danger!"
In such a short time, Zhenjin had already encountered a Silver Level Evil Wolf, a Golden Level River Vine, and another mysterious, at least Golden Level extraordinary life form.
"Without being able to use fighting energy, relying solely on my current strength would make it extremely difficult to contend with Silver Level magic beasts. The chances of victory are very slim."
"The previous confrontation with that evil wolf was sheer luck."
"At that time, the wolf was airborne, unable to leverage its position. My sudden awakening and attack caught it off guard. It couldn't dodge, and eventually fell into the river."
"The terrifying River Vine in the water quickly claimed the wolf's life."
"If it had been a straightforward fight, I would probably have been in grave danger."
"What should I do if I encounter such fierce beasts again?"
They jumped across the river smoothly and ventured deeper into the rainforest.
The blue sky gradually got obscured again, and the air became extremely hot and humid.
Stepping on the ground felt soft, due to the accumulation of many decayed leaves.
Zhenjin had to frequently look down to watch his step because of the entangling vines and exposed tree roots. A moment of carelessness could easily lead to tripping.
Zi Di paused slightly, scanning the surroundings, "It should be around here."
According to Zi Di, when the evil wolf chased them, the last three guards stayed behind to hold it off with all their might to buy some time for Zi Di and the unconscious Zhenjin.
After walking several more steps, circling a large tree, they saw the corpses.
Among the underbrush, two bodies lay several steps apart, exuding a strong stench of blood.
Their eyes were wide open, faces still etched with fear and anger.
Zi Di subconsciously held her breath and stood still while Zhenjin swiftly stepped forward to examine them.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a thick black-red string shot out like an arrow from under a corpse, aiming straight at Zhenjin's face.
Zhenjin's hair stood on end, his pupils contracted to needlepoints, and he reached out his hand.
He grabbed hold of the "black-red string"!
"Hiss, hiss, hiss!"
The black-red string was clutched by Zhenjin's fingers, revealing itself as a very peculiar venomous snake!
The snake's scales were black, while its head was bright red. A distinct crimson line extended from its head down its back, all the way to its tail.
The snake also had hundreds of centipede-like black legs along its sides.
"It's a Bronze Level Magic Beast!" Zhenjin sensed the life breath of the centipede snake, his face showing a strained expression.
"Ah, be careful!" Everything happened too fast. Zi Di finally reacted, exclaiming in alarm.
"This is a Bloodline Centipede Snake, extremely venomous. The poison acts swiftly, killing within a few breaths," Zi Di hurriedly explained, "Moreover, its centipede legs can pierce through leather armor."
As she spoke, the Bloodline Centipede Snake retaliated.
Its body twisted, coiling around Zhenjin's arm, with hundreds of centipede legs embedding deeply into the boy's arm.
Blood gushed out, and searing pain surged through Zhenjin's mind.
At the same time, Zhenjin felt his arm being squeezed by an immense constricting force, as if his flesh would be ground into pulp, and his arm bone groaned from the pressure.
He tried to strangle the centipede snake, but its bones were extremely tough, and its scales exceptionally tenacious and slippery.
Zhenjin let out a low growl, pinning the snake's head to the ground with one hand while drawing a dagger and viciously stabbing down with the other.
The dagger pierced through the snakehead like it was cutting through hard stone, nailing it into the ground.
In its death throes, the centipede legs sank an inch deeper into Zhenjin's arm, causing more blood to gush out.
However, after a few breaths, the snake's body finally went limp.
Although the squeezing force ceased, the centipede legs still embedded deeply in the boy's flesh.
Gritting his teeth, Zhenjin retrieved his dagger and stepped back quickly. Only after moving several steps away from the corpses did he start pulling out the centipede legs one by one.
Zi Di quickly took out medicine powder from her pouch, sprinkling a layer on Zhenjin's wounded arm. Then she swiftly wrapped it up with a white bandage.
The wound was deep, but Zhenjin's robust constitution and the effective wound medicine soon stopped the bleeding.
Along with a cool, slightly tingling sensation mixed with a bit of pain, the feeling continuously transmitted from Zhenjin's wound.
"What kind of potion is this? It's so effective! Didn't they say magic and fighting energy are prohibited on this island?" Zhenjin was curious about the instant effectiveness of the potion.
"This is a herbal medicine, sourced from the Barbarian tribes of the Frost Continent. It is not a Magic Potion but simply utilizes the natural properties of the herbs," Zi Di explained.
Magic Potions are concocted by pharmacists using magic materials, successfully blending them with magic power and forming a balanced and stable state. Because such potions inherently contain magic, they often act quickly and are highly effective.
Zi Di looked at Zhenjin's wound, her eyes reddening slightly with guilt and remorse, "Thank goodness the centipede legs aren't venomous! I'm sorry, my Lord, for getting you hurt. I should have informed you earlier."
Zhenjin felt tenderness for the girl, shaking his head and quickly comforting her, "This is not your fault."
After crossing the river, they had been hastening through the jungle with great vigilance. Even their communication was limited to avoid distractions.
The speed of the Bloodline Centipede Snake's emergence from the corpse had taken Zhenjin completely by surprise.
"Just one snake on this island is so bizarre and treacherous." Zhenjin returned to the previous spot, using the tip of his dagger to pry open the snake's head, then slicing open its body.
"If I could activate my fighting energy, I wouldn't be wounded by it," Zhenjin sighed.
Regardless of whether his fighting energy was Silver Level or Black Iron Level, if he could activate his fighting energy for defense at that time, the centipede legs wouldn't have easily pierced his arm.
Observing the snake's insides, Zhenjin found its belly contained a large amount of undigested food.
A flash of insight crossed the young knight's eyes, "It seems this centipede snake likes to devour the innards of its prey, thriving on blood. No wonder it emerged from the corpse."
"Strange." After searching twice, Zhenjin felt puzzled, "Where is this magic beast's Crystal Core?"
Magic beasts can absorb natural elements, brewing their own magic power over time, forming magic power crystals—Crystal Cores.
A newly born magic beast does not have a Crystal Core. For young magic beasts, the Crystal Core is very small, but adult magic beasts usually have one.
This Bloodline Centipede Snake was not a juvenile but a mature specimen, yet it had no Crystal Core. This left Zhenjin confused.
Zi Di timely explained, "Many strange and peculiar magic beasts on this island possess abundant life breath but lack Demon Crystals in their bodies. The search teams previously killed some magic beasts, finding no Demon Crystals inside them. However, maybe because of this, these beasts also did not exhibit any magic-like abilities."
"I see," Zhenjin finally understood.
Although magic beast Crystal Cores are valuable, the fact that lacking Demon Crystals prevents these beasts from using magic-like abilities significantly benefited Zhenjin and Zi Di.
After dealing with the Bloodline Centipede Snake, Zhenjin continued to check the corpses.
The two guards were already dead.
One had a fatal throat wound, with the neck almost entirely bitten off except for a small piece of skin at the back. The other had an even grimmer fate, with his head severely deformed and brains mixed with blood all over the ground.
These were indeed fatal wounds.
Their abdomens were also badly mangled, evidently wounded by the venomous snake.
Zhenjin's expression grew more solemn as he stood up and looked around.
He carefully observed that the underbrush around them was extensively trampled.
To an ordinary person, this scene would seem chaotic. However, Zhenjin could easily distinguish between tracks made by humans and by the evil wolf.
Moreover, from these marks, he could reconstruct an imaginary route in his mind.
With eyes slightly narrowed, he followed this envisioned path, his gaze extending far ahead.
Soon, though, the dense forest obstructed his view.
Zhenjin moved forward, taking several steps, emerging from the underbrush and rounding a large tree.
Then, an unusual clearing in the forest appeared before him.
Zi Di followed Zhenjin into the clearing.
Looking down, Zhenjin noticed footprints on the ground.
The forest floor accumulated many decayed leaves soaked in rainwater, making the ground soft.
Thus, the heavier the person, the deeper the footprints, sometimes even oozing water.
The footprints in the clearing were widely spaced, indicating that the guards who made them were running.
Zhenjin focused his thoughts deducing silently, "These two guards saw this open space, which offered a clear view making it an ideal battleground against the evil wolf."
He visualized the events.
"When they held their ground here, they likely saw the evil wolf running through the underbrush, seemingly bypassing them to chase after Zi Di."
"In a panic, the two guards abandoned their advantageous position and recklessly rushed into the underbrush to intercept the wolf."
"In the underbrush, the two guards were in single file. The wolf, moving extremely fast, suddenly turned and attacked, leaping up and crushing one guard's skull."
"Then, it charged at the other guard, snapping his throat!"
Based on the corpses and various tracks, Zhenjin made a series of conjectures.
A shiver ran through him, sensing the evil wolf's brutality and cunning. It seemed almost intelligent, executing a complex strategy involving lures and counterattacks, efficiently killing both guards.
Throughout, it utilized terrain and the guards' protective instincts against them.
Even during its lethal attacks, it acted strategically—
Those without helmets had their skulls crushed by its fangs.
Those with helmets had their throats snapped.
Although the guards were not strong enough to be considered Black Iron Level, they were at least of Bronze Level. They should have inflicted some injuries on the wolf.
However, when they perished, the wolf suffered virtually no damage.
Zhenjin sighed to Zi Di, "This blue-furred evil wolf surely has Silver Level strength!"
The battle marks were undeniable proof, clearly displaying the wolf's biting force and jumping ability of Silver Level standard.
Zhenjin remarked, "What's most terrifying is its astonishing intelligence, surpassing typical magic beasts, especially in its tactical prowess comparable to humans."
"Typically, wolves hunt in packs using group tactics. Lone wolves are usually outcasts or weakened individuals."
"Tigers hide and stalk, striking decisively to ensure a kill."
"This evil wolf chasing us used tactics more insidious than a tiger."
"We were fortunate to overcome it earlier!"
Zi Di nodded, her face paling, "I even suspected that the wolf had a human soul! Our first encounter with it was when a rear team member was ambushed."
"Though capable of killing, it merely dragged the guard, forcing us to rush for a rescue."
"Our formation fell into disarray, giving it an opportunity."
"In the initial confrontation, despite injuring it severely, it killed three guards."
"Losing so many, we were enraged, but the Silver Level beast vanished. We agreed to continue searching for you, my Lord, temporarily abandoning revenge."
"Many believed the injured wolf would fall prey to the forest's predators. Even if alive, it would avoid us."
"However, reality proved us wrong."
"Gravely wrong!"
"Six days later, the wolf reappeared, its injuries mostly healed, assaulting our camp in the evening."
"It carried a beehive, tossing it into the camp before retreating."
"Following that, a swarm of Fire Poison Bees attacked the camp. The bees feared neither smoke nor fire, armed with potent fire poison. We managed to fend them off, but four guards were stung, falling unconscious in critical condition."
"Despite all efforts, we couldn't reduce their fevers. They all died that very night."
"Following this, the wolf repeatedly harassed our team, becoming our relentless Death God, a haunting nightmare..."
Zi Di hugged her arms, trembling as she recounted, her heart filled with lingering fear.
Zhenjin watched his fiancée, her vulnerability evident.
The young knight stepped forward, gently embracing Zi Di.
She quivered like a terrified rabbit finding warmth. Quickly, her emotions stabilized in Zhenjin's arms.
Zhenjin lightly patted her back. Looking down, he saw a blush appearing on her face.
"I understand your feelings," Zhenjin said gently, "Now, I'm with you. Unless I fall, I'll protect you and prevent any beasts from harming you."
"Lord Zhenjin!" Zi Di's eyes filled with tenderness.