Douluo Continent: Dragon Shadow Rebirth

The black wolf soul beast fluttered around violently, black flames gushing out of its mouth, burning the surrounding trees. Zhang Meng dodged the flames flexibly and shouted, "Hurry up! This guy's frequency of spitting fire is getting higher and higher, I don't want to be roasted!"

Ye Li stood on the top of a tree, aiming at the hind legs of the black wolf soul beast with a serious look. "Mengzi, keep restraining it! I found its weakness!"

"Don't worry! I'm a professional!" Zhang Meng raised his giant axe and swung it in front of the black wolf to attract its attention. The black wolf roared and pounced on Zhang Meng, continuing to spit flames from its mouth. Zhang Meng quickly rolled over and narrowly avoided the fatal attack.

At the same time, Ye Li's arrow shot out like a meteor, hitting the black wolf's hind legs. With a shrill howl, the black wolf fell to the ground, limping and moving slowly.

"Good archery skills!" Chu Tian exclaimed, then drew his sword and rushed forward, seizing the opportunity to chop at the black wolf's front legs, trying to completely restrict its movement.

Zhang Meng was not to be outdone, and took the opportunity to swing his giant axe and hit the black wolf's shoulder hard, sparks flying. This time, the black wolf finally couldn't bear it, and let out a heavy wail. His huge body staggered and finally fell to the ground, no longer struggling.

“Done!” Zhang Meng panted heavily, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and raised the giant axe to celebrate, “This guy is really tough!”

Ye Li gently jumped down from the tree and walked to the side of the black wolf soul beast. Looking at its gradually dimming eyes, she felt a little complicated: "What a poor soul beast. It shouldn't have been controlled by this dark power."

"Don't be soft-hearted." Zhang Meng patted Ye Li's shoulder, "If this kind of soul beast continues to live, it will become a greater threat sooner or later."

Chu Tian came over, checked the black wolf's injuries, nodded and said, "It has been completely defeated. The question is... why would the Dark Cult control this kind of soul beast? Moreover, does this ability mean that their power is increasing?"

"The Dark Cult is gradually expanding their sphere of influence," Ye Li pondered, "Not only can they control humans, they can also corrupt soul beasts. We must inform Qin Feng and Li Xiao as soon as possible. The threat of the Dark Cult is much greater than we expected."

As Zhang Meng packed up his axe, he muttered, "Notification is fine, but before that, we should take a good rest, right? I haven't had a good meal on the way here!"

"You only know how to eat." Ye Li shook her head helplessly, but there was also a hint of smile on her face, "But you performed well this time, so I think you deserve credit."

"That's right!" Zhang Meng patted his belly proudly, "To deal with soul beasts, I, Zhang Meng, have to take action!"

Just as they were about to take a break, they heard a slight sound of footsteps in the distance. Ye Li instantly became alert, pulled the bowstring, and looked in the direction of the sound: "Someone!"

“Could it be someone from the Dark Sect again?” Zhang Meng immediately stood up and assumed a fighting stance, his eyes fixed on the fog ahead.

The footsteps were getting closer and closer, and a figure gradually emerged from the fog. It was a tall and thin man wearing a cloak and a disdainful smile on his face. Zhang Meng's eyes widened and he clenched his axe nervously: "Another one? It's endless!"

"Wait a minute," Ye Li reminded softly, "He doesn't seem to be a member of the Dark Cult."

The man took a few steps closer and stood in front of them. He looked at Zhang Meng and Chu Tian and sneered, "Humph, if the people of the Dark Sect were so weak, they would have been cleaned up by you rookies long ago."

"Who are you?" Chu Tian asked vigilantly, without relaxing the sword in his hand at all.

"It doesn't matter who I am." The man shrugged and said calmly, "What's important is that you seem to be helping me clear up some minor troubles."

"Clean up the little trouble?" Zhang Meng frowned, "What do you mean?"

The man did not answer directly, but looked at the black wolf soul beast on the ground and shook his head: "This soul beast should not have fallen to this level. It was contaminated by the power of darkness. You can kill it, which can be regarded as solving a hidden danger."

"It sounds like you know a lot about the Dark Cult." Ye Li's eyes were sharp as she continued to ask, "What is your relationship with them?"

The man smiled slightly and crossed his arms, "I have nothing to do with the Dark Cult, but I do know something about their whereabouts."

"Since you knew their situation, why didn't you take action earlier?" Chu Tian questioned, "You watched us fight the soul beasts desperately, but you didn't help?"

"Help?" The man smiled with some contempt, "This soul beast is just a small character, not worth wasting my time. Besides, it's quite interesting to watch you fight, there's no need to disturb your 'performance'."

“You!” Zhang Meng was so angry that he clenched his axe and pointed at the man, saying, “You are too arrogant! If it weren’t for the fact that we just dealt with the black wolf, I would let you know what ‘wasting time’ means right now!”

The man smiled nonchalantly: "Don't get excited, Mengzi. Although I am happy to fight with you for a few moves, I am not here to fight with you today."

"How do you know my name is Mengzi?" Zhang Meng was stunned, then looked at the man suspiciously, "Who are you?"

"I told you, it doesn't matter who I am." The man waved his hand gently, then changed his tone, "But I can tell you one thing. The Dark Cult is planning a big move. They are preparing a large-scale sacrificial ceremony, and the location is in the ruins of the ancient castle not far away."

"Ruins of the ancient castle?" Ye Li frowned. "We are planning to go there. Do you know more details?"

The man nodded, his expression becoming serious. “You must act quickly. If the Dark Cult’s ritual succeeds, not only will it revive the powerful dark forces, but more soul beasts and humans will also be controlled by them.”

"That doesn't sound good." Zhang Meng muttered, "We don't want to encounter more monsters."

“So, I suggest you don’t waste any more time.” The man’s voice was a little hurried. “If you can stop them before the ritual is completed, there might still be a chance of survival.”

"Why are you telling us this?" Chu Tian still asked worriedly, "Since you don't belong to the Dark Sect, why are you helping us?"

The man smiled faintly: "Help you? Or rather, I don't want to see the power of the Dark Cult continue to expand. As for the rest, let's talk about it after you successfully stop the ritual."

As soon as he finished speaking, the man turned around and disappeared into the thick fog without saying anything else.

"Where on earth did this guy come from?" Zhang Meng looked at the direction where the man disappeared with a confused look on his face. "He's so mysterious."

Ye Li shook her head: "No matter who he is, what he said is at least worthy of our vigilance. Since the Dark Cult is performing a sacrificial ceremony, we must rush to the ruins of the castle as soon as possible."

"It seems that our battle is far from over." Chu Tian sighed and tightened the sword in his hand.

"What are you waiting for?" Zhang Meng picked up the giant axe, a hint of impatience on his face, "Let's go! I don't want to be involved in any weird conspiracy again."

Ye Li smiled and patted Zhang Meng on the shoulder: "Don't worry, Mengzi, there will be barbecue after we stop the Dark Cult."

"Oh, don't even mention barbecue. I'm starving!" Zhang Meng said helplessly, touching his stomach.

Without further delay, they quickly packed their luggage and ran towards the ruins of the castle.