Waterfall mist struck their faces with familiar damp chill. Lin Yao and Cang Ye stepped from the sanctuary, the great doors silently sealing behind them, reliefs' glow completely fading as if never opened.
"Getting up won't be easy." Cang Ye eyed the nearly vertical, water-smoothed cliff face.
Lin Yao hefted the complete covenant token, checking his panel's surging attributes, grinning: "Won't be easy? I feel like I could bounce up there."
Words barely finished, his feet flashed with moonlight (**[Moon Fox Spirit]** passive), body impossibly light. Toes tapping the slick cliff in quick succession, combined with arm grabs and three-tail balance adjustments, he actually scurried up several meters like a true mountain goat!
Cang Ye refused to be outdone. Ice-blue claws bore frost—each scratch left shallow ice marks on stone, increasing friction—as he followed closely.
Their current physical capabilities and power control had transformed completely from their descent. In under a minute, they climbed from the deep pool's edge to a protruding mid-waterfall ledge.
Muffled voices drifted from above.
"Been forever—think they drowned?"
"Drowned bodies should've floated up… It's pitch black down there, and boss won't let us go down."
"So annoying, just drinking wind here. Should've followed boss to find 'Night Shadow.'"
The two left as lookouts—the hapless Lizard-kin **[Slick Hide]** and Boar-kin **[Hard Ram]**.
Lin Yao and Cang Ye exchanged glances, both sporting malicious grins.
"I'll take left, you right?" Lin Yao mouthed silently.
Cang Ye's ice-blue eyes narrowed, extending claws to signal a "3-2-1" countdown.
At one, both burst from behind the waterfall curtain flanking left and right like hunting predators!
"What the—?!" Lizard-kin **[Slick Hide]** reacted faster, sensing danger and instinctively attempting his racial **[Slippery Escape]** while thrusting his poison-tipped short spear left!
But fast as he was, Lin Yao was faster!
**[Moon Fox Spirit]**'s enhanced perception let Lin Yao "read" his muscle tension and intent beforehand. Lin Yao didn't attack from the left at all—mid-air, he performed an impossible twist, somehow flipping over the spear tip while his right hand flicked—
Not his axe, but three small stones already pinched in his fingers, infused with weak moonlight!
**[Piercing Moon Strike]**!
"Swish-swish-swish!" The stones shot at cunning angles toward the Lizard-kin's eyes, throat, and spear-wielding wrist!
The Lizard-kin panicked, ducking and blocking frantically, formation shattered.
Lin Yao landed, sliding smoothly closer with **[Claw of the Howling Wolf]** still sheathed (crude leather and all), using the leather-wrapped axe face like swatting a fly to slap the slippery lizard head solidly!
"Smack!" A crisp, resonant impact.
**[Wolf Howl]** triggered! Even without the blade, intimidation remained!
Lizard-kin **[Slick Hide]** felt his head buzz, stars exploding in his vision. He swayed twice before toppling backward with a "thud," a stun icon and small damage number floating above.
"One down." Lin Yao flexed his wrist, muttering: "That head's got good texture. Pretty firm."
Meanwhile, Boar-kin **[Hard Ram]** reacted much slower. Hearing commotion and turning, he saw a silver-white shadow carrying icy breath lunging at his face—Cang Ye!
**[Hard Ram]** squealed in panic, instinctively activating racial skill **[Brutal Charge]**, lowering his head with both tusks aimed at Cang Ye! Momentum was decent—the ground trembled slightly under his stomping.
Cang Ye's ice-blue eyes flashed with disdain. In his previous injured state, he'd have dodged the charge. But now?
He didn't dodge or even use claws. Just as the Boar-kin charged close, tusks about to connect, Cang Ye's recently healed, now more robust foreleg lifted sharply then—stomped down hard!
Right on **[Hard Ram]**'s long snout mid-full-power charge!
"SQUEEEEAL!!!" A shrill pig squeal echoed across the waterfall!
**[Hard Ram]** felt his nose hammered and frozen simultaneously—pain, numbness, sourness flooding his senses. Tears and snot sprayed everywhere! Charge momentum stopped dead as his massive body pitched forward from inertia, landing in a perfect face-plant with both tusks buried deep in the muddy ground, momentarily stuck with only his rear and short tail wiggling helplessly outside.
Cang Ye landed steadily, ice claw planted on the upturned pig rump, looking down at the ridiculous posture before glancing at Lin Yao, deadpan: "That snout's pretty solid."
Lin Yao looked at one stunned like a dead fish and one rump-up unable to extract his tusks, nearly laughing. He walked over, toe-nudging the Lizard-kin: "Hey, wake up. Got questions."
**[Slick Hide]** groggily came to, shaking his still-buzzing head. Seeing the imposingly strong silver fox and wolf looming over him, he panicked: "Don't—don't kill me! I'll talk! Everything!"
"Where'd Mountain Tyrant and 'Night Shadow' go? What's the specific plan?" Lin Yao asked directly, **[Moon Fox Spirit]**'s invisible pressure preventing any thought of lying.
"Boss—boss took people to meet Shadow Society's 'Night Shadow' at the 'Hunter's Cabin' ruins near downstream 'Shadowveil Forest' entrance! They're plotting joint ruin exploration—said there's gotta be treasure down there… Told us to watch here, signal if anything moves…" **[Slick Hide]** spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube, even pointing at a nearby oddly-marked stone—their agreed simple signal marker.
"Oh? Joint exploration?" Lin Yao stroked his chin, looking at Cang Ye. "Sounds lively. Want to deliver them a 'surprise'?"
Cang Ye's claw lifted from the pig rump, crushing the signal stone. Ice-blue eyes glinted coldly: "Perfect timing to test new power."
"What about these two?" Lin Yao indicated the captives.
Cang Ye considered, walking to the still-struggling **[Hard Ram]**, extending ice claws to leisurely carve characters into that thick pig rump with claw tips.
"Ow! Stop! What're you doing?!" **[Hard Ram]** wailed.
"Hold still. Leaving you a souvenir." Cang Ye's tone was flat, as if butchering pork.
Finished, he admiringly examined his "artwork"—left cheek read "Trash," right cheek read "Pig," together forming "Trash Pig."
Lin Yao leaned over, mouth twitching: "…Your calligraphy's pretty neat."
Cang Ye looked matter-of-fact: "Clan taught me."
Lin Yao turned to Lizard-kin **[Slick Hide]**. The lizard recoiled in terror: "I—I'll do it myself!"
He grabbed a sharp stone, tearfully carving "I'm Garbage" crookedly on his slippery tail.
"Alright, scram." Lin Yao waved dismissively. "Tell Mountain Tyrant and Night Shadow their 'surprise package' is en route—have them wash their necks… er, or fur clean and wait."
The two wretches—one clutching his carved rump, one dragging his carved tail—rolled and crawled away downstream into the woods, probably too traumatized to look in mirrors (or at their own rumps) for ages.
Shooing away the minions, Lin Yao and Cang Ye stood side by side at the waterfall's edge, gazing at downstream's hazy night and forest silhouettes.
"Hunter's Cabin ruins… Shadowveil Forest entrance…" Lin Yao rolled his wrist. **[Claw of the Howling Wolf]** hummed softly with battle-lust. "Level 6 versus 5, two against… at least seven or eight of them? Plus Shadow Society people. Sounds kinda challenging."
Cang Ye licked his sharp ice claws: "Covenant's first battle—let's win spectacularly."
"Naturally." Lin Yao grinned, fox eyes gleaming with cunning and battle spirit. "Come on. Let's add some… spice to their 'joint exploration conference.' Like… turning their meeting site into a train wreck."
They shared a knowing look before simultaneously leaping from the ledge. Like two shadows melting into night, they streaked silently and swiftly toward downstream's "Hunter's Cabin ruins."
Post-power surge, their first proactive strike—objective: topple Warcry Regiment and Shadow Society's temporary stronghold!
The game was only now getting truly interesting.
**(End of Chapter 07)**