Chapter 189: Danger Ahead
Rotten leaves covered the path, a thick layer, swollen from the rain.
The group stepped on them, producing a dull and sticky sound.
Wet mud clung to the soles of their shoes, making each step heavier.
Despite this, no one complained, and no one slowed their pace.
The scene from earlier left a mark on their hearts.
The once suppressed emotions seemed to have been ignited by something.
There was no conversation among them, but when their eyes met, they saw a spark in each other’s gazes.
Suddenly, Kaelan, who was leading, stopped in his tracks.
He stood still, his ears twitched slightly, then he quickly stepped forward a few paces.
A moment later, he doubled back, looking solemnly at Wyatt.
"There’s a river ahead blocking the way. It’d take two days to go around it. It’s the rainy season, and the mountain roads will only get worse. If you want to cross the river, the water is very murky, and something might be hidden below. Before, some males of my tribe were dragged under and never came back up."
Wyatt tightened his hold on Seraphina, stepped forward, and followed Kaelan’s gaze, his heart sinking.
The river nestled between two mountains was seemingly endless.
Murky yellow water swirled, carrying broken branches and decaying leaves.
Raindrops hit and splashed, creating a layer of mist, making it impossible to gauge the depth.
The current was swift, with waves constantly crashing against the rocks on both banks, producing a dull roar.
He hugged Seraphina closer, letting the tip of his tail dip into the river to test the water.
He withdrew his tail tip and turned to everyone.
"Evan, carry Seraphina across the river; take anything that can’t get wet."
Evan immediately agreed, shaking his silver-white wings to scatter the rainwater, then crouched in front of Seraphina.
"Climb on, I won’t wobble while flying."
Seraphina cautiously climbed up, her arms around his neck, looking at the roaring river below, softly reminding.
"Keep an eye on the water surface."
Evan responded with an "um," spreading his wings and taking off.
But he didn’t fly too high, waiting for the people below to toss up the beast skin bag.
He flew close to the river’s surface, his wing movements causing the rain to shift direction.
The wind brushed past his ears, tousling the tousled hair on his forehead.
Wyatt was the first to transform, morphing into full beast form, a long silver-white snake gliding into the water.
Next was Gideon, struggling in the water, barely managing to move forward while holding the bag.
Evan swooped down in a circle, catching the parcel in mid-air.
The actions in the water had to be quick; any delay risked being swept away.
Wyatt’s body maneuvered through the rapid current, relying on strength and balance to control direction.
Each twist precisely avoided driftwood and whirlpools.
Gideon gritted his teeth, feeling the pain from his arm injury in the water, but he didn’t stop.
When it was Kaelan’s turn, he was slowed by the injury on his waist, swimming a beat slower than before.
Evan noticed this, deliberately lowering his body, his claws almost grazing the water surface as he flew.
Flying at reduced height became challenging, the air currents chaotic, requiring more frequent adjustments of wing angles.
With one hand clutching the parcel, his other hand extended, ready to receive.
Just as his claw hooked onto the bag Kaelan handed over, the water surface exploded!
A black-green shadow suddenly shot from the water, straight for Evan’s claw.
The claw was too low, practically a target handed over!
"Watch out!"
Seraphina shrieked from his back.
Evan was caught off guard, his body instinctively flinching back.
Yet the monster lunged too fiercely, too swiftly, with barely any pause, closing in instantly.
A foul stench assaulted his senses, laden with heavy moisture and rotting odors.
In a life-or-death moment, Kaelan didn’t think but took a sudden step forward.
Sharp teeth sunk into his already injured waist, tearing open the old wound.
Blood and flesh ruptured, fresh blood gushing forth.
Swept by the rainwater, it slid down his skin, staining the edge of his belt red.
The intense pain caused his muscles to tense and his breathing to quicken.
Before he could struggle, the monster’s webbed claws stretched from its neck, ensnaring him.
The claws were covered with a rough keratin layer, sharp-edged, embedding into his arm and shoulder.
The claws clamped down with tremendous force.
The murky river surface was instantly stained with a streak of bright red.
Spreading with the waves into thin, elongated patterns.
It was a Kyzag Beast, its body covered in black-green scales as if steeped in dark ink.
Its scales were hard enough to shatter bones, each edge lined with jagged, hook-like teeth.
Its head was as large as a grinding stone, beneath protruding brow bones lay two yellow-brown eyes.
Its mouth snapped open, fangs gleaming coldly.
The sharp teeth pierced directly through the fur, into the flesh, tearing muscle fibers.
The agonizing sensation spiked along his nerves into his brain, making Kaelan’s vision black out momentarily, his pupils contracting fiercely.
He clenched his teeth hard, emitting a suppressed grunt from his throat.
Muddy water filled his nostrils and mouth, the icy, sticky touch triggering his instinct to hold his breath.
Relying solely on the remaining air in his lungs to maintain consciousness.
Suddenly, his awareness grew hazy, with only the roaring of flowing water left in his ears.
"Gideon, get to the shore first!"
The icy serpent’s roar tore through the rain curtain.
A flash of silver light, the white shadow like an arrow loosed, burst through the rain and carved an arc.
"Splash," he dove into the river, raising a big spray.
Gideon had no time to react; Wyatt had already charged in, eyes ablaze with killing intent.
He knew Kaelan’s waist injury couldn’t withstand this turmoil.
A reopened wound would lead to exacerbated blood loss.
Dragged underwater, with oxygen depleting, coupled with low-temperature immersion, meant imminent demise.
He couldn’t wait, couldn’t retreat.
Yet Isaac was even faster, ice-blue fish tail drawing a graceful arc through the rain.
The tail fin slapped against the ground for leverage, and then he plunged into the waves.
Merfolk have an extraordinary sensitivity to water, every ripple was within her perception.
The spiritual power gathering at her fingertips was like fine needles, consolidated into a bundle, directly jabbing at the Kyzag Beast’s gripping webbed claws.
The water’s surface churned more violently, waves stacking in layers.
The murky splashes began to reveal traces of blood, spreading wider, gradually forming a faint red mist over the river.
The underwater battle was fierce yet silent.
Only the occasional thud and the scrape of scales revealing the brutality of the fight.
Seraphina lay on Evan’s back, her fingers clutching tightly onto the feathers of his wings.
Her voice trembled.
"Evan... Can you see clearly below? Kaelan, he..."
Evan’s wings tensed, feathers standing upright.
His eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the swirling river.
"It’s too chaotic below, the water’s movement too intense to make out anything."
He answered softly, his tone heavy.
"Don’t panic, that creature is only Green Rank, its combat power is limited. Wyatt has one foot into Green Rank, and with venom, has the upper hand against such a fiend beast. Isaac is a bona fide Green Rank, her spiritual power suppression very strong. Together, they stand a good chance against a non-Black Rank creature."
As soon as he spoke, the hue of blood on the river deepened further, no longer thin strands of red.
But large swathes blending into dark red, as if the river itself was transforming.
Seraphina furrowed her brow, unable to avert her gaze.
Rain slid down her cheeks, mixed with liquid — unclear if tears or sweat.
Kaelan’s old wounds unhealed, if this dragged on...
Her heart clenched with pain, she dared not breathe heavily.
She intended to sever the bond with Kaelan.
But this didn’t mean she wished for him to die in this river.