Chapter 1 Approaching

As the wolf howls drew closer, everyone's mental focus intensified, their eyes fixed on the countless stone pillars looming ahead on the path.

No one glanced at the items dropped by the thousand-plus werewolf warriors on the ground, let alone considered picking them up.

It wasn't that Shi Feng and the others didn't want to, but that they couldn't.

They had experienced firsthand just how formidable and cunning Lord-ranked monsters were in White Fog Canyon.

Even elite monsters resorted to petty tricks like sneak attacks, let alone Lord-ranked monsters. Sneak attacks were child's play. What was truly frightening was their ability to target a player's blind spot with a fatal blow, making it impossible to defend against. The main MT, Cola, had almost been killed by a Lord monster's sneak attack several times. If it hadn't been for Arcane Shield's heaven-defying skill, Arcane Time, he would have died at least five or six times over.

Shi Feng and the others didn't have heaven-defying skills. Trying to pick up dropped items now was simply courting death.

Before long, the wolf howls abruptly ceased, and a suffocating aura of death descended, as if the air around the path had frozen.

"Where's the monster?" Hei Zi asked, looking ahead in surprise, unable to spot any sign of it.

"It must be hiding. The stone pillars up ahead are perfect for concealment. It's probably waiting for an opportunity to strike a fatal blow," Fei Ying said, still in stealth mode. "Guild Leader, should I scout ahead?"

"No, it's already coming," Shi Feng said, shaking his head. He drew Abyss Blade and Shadow of Hell from his waist, his expression grave. "Everyone, prepare for battle. Fire Dance and Fei Ying, support me from the sides. Purple Smoke, focus on healing. Aqua Rose and Hei Zi, try to restrain it without drawing too much attention. This monster is stronger than you imagine."

"Coming? But I don't see it," Aqua Rose said, carefully scanning the area ahead, finding no trace of any monster.

"It's normal not to see it. It's in stealth mode. Even I can only barely make out a blurry figure," Shi Feng said. Thanks to the Holy Breath of the Tianlong, his abilities had been greatly enhanced, allowing him to barely detect it.

"Stealth? No way!"

Hearing Shi Feng's words, and seeing his grave expression, everyone looked around warily, their hearts filled with tension.

A stealthy Lord-ranked monster that could deliver a fatal blow with the slightest carelessness was definitely a player's nightmare…

Shi Feng didn't dare to be careless and immediately activated Eyes of All-knowing.

With a single glance, he spotted a small, red-furred werewolf only about the height of a person. The red-furred werewolf held two pitch-black daggers with serrated blades. It was already on the path, approaching them step by step, less than 30 yards away.

Crimson Shadow Dire Wolf, Rare Lord, Level 28, HP 1,000,000.

Although Rare Lords weren't as powerful as High Lords, their stats were the same as ordinary Lords. However, Rare Lords possessed an additional talent skill compared to ordinary Lords.

It was like players who changed to become a Hidden Class, possessing the Hidden Class's unique Legacy Skill.

Therefore, Rare Lords were much stronger than ordinary Lords, and even more deadly to specific players.

If Shi Feng had a team of five hundred people with him, he would have definitely taken down the Crimson Shadow Dire Wolf without a second thought. But with only six of them, and no MT, it would be truly difficult to deal with a Rare Lord.

When Shi Feng saw the red-furred werewolf's stats, a wave of shock washed over him. If he hadn't been equipped with the Legendary item fragment, Holy Breath of the Tianlong, which kept his mind exceptionally clear and drastically increased his stats:

Strength increased by 40%.

Agility increased by 40%.

Intelligence increased by 30%.

Endurance increased by 50%.

Movement speed increased by 20%.

Attack speed increased by 30%.

The pure stat increase was even greater than being promoted to a Tier 1 Blade Saint.

In addition, he had mastered three skills: Dragon Might, Dragon Breath, and Tianlong Power. With these skills, he could fight a Lord of the same level.

Shi Feng would probably have shouted out a single word.

Run!

In God's Domain, a Tier 1 class was equivalent to a special elite, and a Tier 2 class was equivalent to a Lord-ranked monster.

In other words, a Tier 2 player's combat power was equal to that of a same-level Lord monster.

This was why Shi Feng couldn't face a Lord monster in a one-on-one fight. However, now that he had the Holy Breath of the Tianlong, although it wasn't as terrifying as a Legendary item, which could allow players to easily fight above their tier, it still gave Shi Feng, a Tier 1 peak Blade Saint, combat power comparable to Tier 2.

It was equivalent to stepping into the threshold of Tier 2, possessing stats close to Tier 2, just without Tier 2 skills.

He was fully capable of confronting a Lord monster of the same level head-on.

What's more, he had the skill Tianlong Power, which was even more powerful than the Tier 1 skill Blade Liberation. Shi Feng had used Tianlong Power before and successfully suppressed the final Boss in the Demon's Castle.

Just as Shi Feng activated Eyes of All-knowing and discovered the Crimson Shadow Dire Wolf, the Crimson Shadow Dire Wolf knew it had been discovered. With a whoosh, it charged towards Shi Feng, its speed so fast that Shi Feng didn't even have time to react before the Crimson Shadow Dire Wolf was standing in front of him. Immediately, the two serrated daggers slashed towards Shi Feng's neck.

Shi Feng was instantly shocked and quickly activated Sword's Orbit. Abruptly, the two serrated daggers stopped at his neck, unable to advance even a fraction of an inch.

"So fast!" Shi Feng exclaimed inwardly.

If anyone else had faced the Crimson Shadow Dire Wolf's speed, they would probably already be dead.

He had used Sword's Orbit the moment he discovered the Crimson Shadow Dire Wolf, but even so, he was still a hair's breadth away from having his throat slit…

The Throat Slit skill not only silenced the player, but also caused a severe bleeding effect, as well as a significant amount of damage.

If players were silenced, they had no choice but to rely on their basic stats to endure. But wanting to endure for ten seconds in front of a Lord, even a same-level MT couldn't do it.

Seeing that its attack had failed, the Crimson Shadow Dire Wolf shifted its feet and suddenly disappeared from Shi Feng's sight, immediately reappearing behind him for a Backstab, but it was blocked by Sword's Orbit again.

Aqua Rose and the others standing in the back row were dumbfounded.

They only saw the Crimson Shadow Dire Wolf's figure when it launched its first attack, and the next thing they saw was the Crimson Shadow Dire Wolf appearing behind Shi Feng for another attack.

But this was far from over. In the short span of a second, Shi Feng was attacked by the Crimson Shadow Dire Wolf no less than six times. Seeing that Sword's Orbit's defense count was depleted, the Crimson Shadow Dire Wolf swiftly used Flying Knee, kicking towards Shi Feng's side.

Flying Knee could easily knock an enemy into the air, disrupting the player's battle stance and making it impossible to easily block or dodge attacks.

Seeing that the Flying Knee had hit Shi Feng, the Crimson Shadow Dire Wolf revealed a human-like sneer, reversing its grip on the serrated dagger in its wolf paw, using Gouge to stab straight at Shi Feng's heart, preparing to take him down in one fell swoop.

"Guild Leader!"

Everyone was alarmed.

But there was nothing they could do. The Crimson Shadow Dire Wolf's speed was too fast, the fastest they had ever seen since entering God's Domain.

However, when the pitch-black serrated dagger stabbed at Shi Feng's heart, it suddenly produced a grating screech, like the sound of two metals rubbing together.

The Crimson Shadow Dire Wolf was surprised to hear this sound. Taking a closer look, the sneer on its wolf face vanished, replaced by a solemn expression. It bared its snow-white fangs and let out a low growl.