Chapter Sixty-Four: Arrival at the Foot of the Mountain, A Sudden Change

The road was crowded with humanoid sharks. Especially at the foot of the mountain, where a vast pond lay, with a narrow path crossing its center. Within the pond, humanoid sharks swarmed everywhere, making it impossible to avoid them.

By this time, a squad had already arrived at the foot of the mountain and begun clearing out the sharks, preparing to ascend. Lin Xue gritted her teeth and said, "If we charge straight up, do you think we stand a chance?" Yu Miao’er shook her head. "There are too many of them. I can’t hold them off alone!"

"And all these sharks are level twenty-three. They’re stronger than me, so my arrows might miss." When monsters exceeded Yu Miao’er’s level, her archery accuracy diminished. She had already failed several times along the way. Fortunately, everyone worked together and managed to dispatch the creatures. But now, the sheer number before them was overwhelming—a dense mass stretching as far as the eye could see.

Hearing this, Lin Xue furrowed her brow. If they tried to clear a path, it would take at least an hour or two. By then, they would be hopelessly behind the other teams. But if they charged directly ahead, the monsters’ numbers would overwhelm them. Should they fail, they’d be surrounded by humanoid sharks, and their lives would be at risk.

For a moment, Lin Xue was caught in indecision. Yang Feng stared at the road ahead, searching in his mind for the safest possible route. Suddenly, he spoke. "Let me handle this!"

Upon hearing him, Xiao Tiance sneered. "You? A rookie at level nineteen? What could you possibly do?" Throughout the journey, Yang Feng had not once taken action, merely following behind the group. Apart from Gu Panpan, no one knew Yang Feng’s true strength.

Gu Panpan snorted and snapped, "Xiao Tiance, you’d better keep your mouth shut!" Lin Xue shot Xiao Tiance a glare, warning him not to speak out of turn. She then turned to Yang Feng with curiosity. "Yang Feng, do you have a plan?"

Yang Feng replied, "I can use Crow Warrior to draw the sharks away."

At this, Lin Xue’s eyes lit up. She remembered that Yang Feng’s class was Curse Master. Although Lin Xue wasn’t clear on what abilities a Curse Master possessed, she knew that Yang Feng could summon creatures. Using summoned pets to distract the sharks was indeed a clever approach.

Lin Xue nodded. "Yang Feng, I’ll leave the sharks to you. Everyone else, get ready! Once Yang Feng lures them away, we’ll rush through!"

Without wasting words, Yang Feng summoned Crow Warrior, who soared ahead. "Such speed!" Lin Xue’s expression changed in surprise. Crow Warrior was far faster than she had expected. In the blink of an eye, it had flown over a hundred meters and appeared before a humanoid shark.

The shark let out a roar and charged at Crow Warrior with a harpoon in hand. Crow Warrior ignored it, turning and flying off. Then it swooped before another shark, repeating the maneuver. In moments, dozens of sharks were chasing after Crow Warrior, who led them farther and farther away.

Seeing the sharks drawn off, Lin Xue shouted, "Let’s go!" At her command, the group dashed forward. Crow Warrior continued to fly ahead, drawing every shark along the path after it. Thus, the squad moved swiftly and smoothly, and within ten minutes they reached the mountain’s base.

By then, more than a hundred sharks were trailing Crow Warrior. Controlled by Yang Feng, it flew even farther. Then, suddenly, Crow Warrior vanished—Yang Feng had recalled it into his pet pouch.

With the disappearance of their quarry, the sharks were left standing in confusion, unsure where to go. Lin Xue breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Yang Feng, well done!" Gu Panpan laughed. "You’re amazing, Yang Feng!" Gao Yao and Yu Miao’er smiled at Yang Feng. "Thanks to you, Yang Feng!"

Xiao Tiance grumbled, "Why didn’t you do this from the start? We could’ve been up the mountain already!" Yang Feng turned to him, regarding him as one might a fool. Xiao Tiance, a heavy swordsman, certainly looked the part.

Gu Panpan snorted. "Xiao Tiance, stop talking nonsense. If you’re so capable, why don’t you go up yourself?" Yang Feng glared coldly at Xiao Tiance. "This is the last time."

Xiao Tiance scoffed, "You think you’re so great, just relying on your pet!"

At that moment, Lin Xue interrupted him. "Xiao Tiance, enough!"

Xiao Tiance had provoked Yang Feng several times, but Yang Feng had remained silent. It was always Xiao Tiance who started trouble, and everyone could see clearly who was in the wrong.

Suddenly, a piercing scream erupted. The group looked up to see a mass of humanoid sharks charging down from the mountaintop. The teams that had already begun ascending hurriedly retreated.

Lin Xue was startled. "Quick, fall back!" The squad promptly withdrew from the mountain’s base. Over a hundred sharks barreled down from above, completely blocking the ascent.

"Someone deliberately drew the sharks here to stop us from climbing!" Yang Feng saw a figure approaching the sharks, luring them over. The person wore different attire—not a student of Qingbei University.

Lin Xue called out, "He’s from Magic City University. That must be one of their Exorcists!"

Yang Feng was puzzled; he had never heard of such a class. Gu Panpan’s expression was grim. "I’ve heard Exorcist is a mysterious profession."

Lin Xue nodded. "Indeed. Exorcists often deal with those from the Demon Realm and possess all manner of techniques."

Just then, the Exorcist pulled out two talismans and flung them forward. The talismans exploded in midair, transforming into two gigantic shadows. These shadows rushed from the mountaintop to the base, drawing the humanoid sharks after them, just as Crow Warrior had done.

The retreating students from Qingbei University were quickly surrounded by the sharks.