In the dense jungle, silence and tranquility prevailed, occasionally broken by small beasts leaping through, startling flocks of birds perched on branches. The peaceful atmosphere did not last long, as it was shattered by a disheveled figure, scattering all the birds and beasts in an instant. Ignoring the disturbance he had caused, the somewhat disheveled shadow continued to flee, occasionally glancing fearfully behind at the dark, dense forest. The terror on his face was as if he were being pursued by a primordial beast. After running some distance, the figure, dressed in a mercenary uniform, looked up and saw light not far ahead. A look of wild joy appeared on his face. As long as he could escape this damned forest, he could call for his companions’ help, and he would no longer have to fear the reaper that chased him. With a sudden surge forward, the mercenary’s body leaped slightly, and he stomped hard on the tree trunk, launching himself towards the light. The light, now close, made the joy on the mercenary’s face even more intense. However, in the next moment, the joy suddenly froze. The mercenary was horrified to find a sudden, fierce suction force not only yanked his forward momentum but also sent him flying back. A look of horror flashed across his face, and before he could shout, a black shadow flashed past him. A powerful gust of wind, with a sound like a muffled thunder, struck his chest heavily.
*Thump!*
The heavy sound made the mercenary’s pupils contract sharply, and his chest caved in. The immense force slammed his suspended body to the ground, and amid the flying dirt, blood mixed with shattered internal organs spewed out. With wide eyes, the mercenary stared fixedly at the figure standing on the branch above him, his eyes gradually glazing over. A moment later, his breath faded…
The youth, carrying a massive black ruler, stood indifferently, watching the mercenary’s breath fade. He clenched his fist and muttered softly, “The eleventh… If you plan to take someone else’s head for money, be prepared to have yours taken first.”
The youth on the branch was none other than Xiao Yan, who had just left his training ground. After leaving the small valley, Xiao Yan encountered nearly a dozen waves of the Wolf Head Mercenary Corps searching for him in just two days. For those who planned to capture him for a reward, Xiao Yan showed no mercy. Along the way, he killed almost all the Wolf Head Mercenary Corps members below the eight-star Dou Zhe. With his current strength, even a seven-star Dou Zhe would be killed within twenty moves after he retrieved the Xuan Heavy Ruler. Of course, these seven-star Dou Zhe did not have battle skills on par with his. But such individuals were rare, even in the entire Wolf Head Mercenary Corps. The day before, Xiao Yan had obtained some information about the Wolf Head Mercenary Corps from a captured mercenary. According to him, the strongest member was the captain, Mu She, a two-star Dou Shi. Below him were a nine-star Dou Zhe and an eight-star Dou Zhe. Aside from these three, no one else in the Wolf Head Mercenary Corps could match Xiao Yan alone. Glancing once more at the lifeless corpse, Xiao Yan lightly tapped his toes on the branch and floated toward the edge of the forest, sneering softly.
“Master Muru, let’s see how many of your Wolf Head Mercenary Corps you can afford to lose. You send one, I kill one… Now, the game has just begun!”
…
“Damn it! Damn it all!” In the spacious hall, Mu She heard the news from his subordinates and, in a fit of rage, crushed the teacup in his hand, roaring furiously.
Seeing Mu She in a rage, the senior members of the Wolf Head Mercenary Corps fell silent. No one dared to provoke him at this moment.
“In just two days, we’ve lost fifteen key members. If this continues, will we have anyone left in the Wolf Head Mercenary Corps?” Mu She panted heavily, his voice hoarse.
The others exchanged glances, speechless.
“The culprit is confirmed to be Xiao Yan…” Seeing the silence in the hall, Mu Li coughed and spoke up, “Didn’t you say his strength was at most equal to yours? Then why did the three seven-star Dou Zhe we sent all die at his hands?”
Smashing his hand on the table, Mu She roared, “Three months ago, even if that guy used his hidden strength, he was still just as strong as me. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so beaten up in the cave.”
“But now, the strength he’s showing is definitely that of a seven-star Dou Zhe, maybe even an eight-star!” Mu She’s face darkened, thinking of a possible scenario. His mouth twitched, and his voice turned cold, “Could that guy have grown to this level in just a few months in the Magic Beast Mountains?”
Hearing this, Mu Li’s eyes flickered, and a look of horror passed through them. In just three months, that guy had jumped two stars? How did that bastard train so fast? It was too terrifying.
“It seems my prediction was right; that kid is not to be underestimated.” Slowly regaining his composure, Mu She sat back down, tapping his fingers on the table. After a moment’s thought, he said coldly, “For now, let our people withdraw from the Magic Beast Mountains. In two days, we’ll form teams of five and bring signal flares to enter the Magic Beast Mountains together.”
“I’m going to set up a dragnet and see where that little bastard hides!” Clenching his fist, Mu She’s face was filled with a sinister killing intent.
“Yes!”
“By the way, where’s Hermont? Why haven’t I seen him?”
Nodding slightly, Mu She scanned the hall and then asked with a frown.
“Uh…” Hearing this, the others paused, and after a moment, one of them said with a dry smile, “I heard Deputy Captain Hermont took a few brothers to help Lady Blue from the Blueflower Tavern catch snow foxes in the Magic Beast Mountains.”
Mu She’s mouth twitched, and he cursed, “That idiot who only thinks about women! Doesn’t he know the current situation of the Wolf Head Mercenary Corps? How dare he enter the Magic Beast Mountains without permission? That damn guy will die on a woman’s belly someday!”
“Captain, Deputy Captain Hermont is an eight-star Dou Zhe. If he encounters Xiao Yan, he might be able to handle him,”
“If that idiot can come back alive, I’ll be very satisfied!” Mu She snorted coldly. He then waved his hand impatiently, feeling a sense of unease. Hermont was different from the other members; if he died at Xiao Yan’s hands, it would be a significant blow to the Wolf Head Mercenary Corps.
“Have him report to me when he returns.” Leaving this angry command, Mu She turned and left the whispering hall.
…
Under the faint moonlight, a tent camp stood in the woods, and several clusters of pale yellow campfires were visible in the night. Standing on a treetop, Xiao Yan leaned against the trunk, biting gently on a green grass root, a faint bitterness spreading in his mouth. From the treetop, shielded by the dense branches, he could clearly see the camp below. There were fifteen mercenaries in the camp, mostly around the five-star Dou Zhe level, and in the central tent was an eight-star Dou Zhe—Xiao Yan’s target, the third deputy captain of the Wolf Head Mercenary Corps. With Xiao Yan’s current strength, he could fight an eight-star Dou Zhe with a high chance of victory, but only if the opponent had no help. To kill the eight-star Dou Zhe smoothly, he needed to eliminate the other mercenaries first. Frowning at the tightly guarded camp, Xiao Yan did not act immediately but waited for the best opportunity. As the crescent moon rose higher, the earth grew quiet. After waiting for a while, a gentle breeze began to blow, rustling through the trees. Sensing the direction of the breeze, a slight smile spread across Xiao Yan’s face. He flicked his finger on his ring, and a small bag of powder appeared in his hand. This powder was a gift from Little Healer Immortal when they parted. Its effect of putting people to sleep was exactly what Xiao Yan needed. Tossing the powder, Xiao Yan smiled slightly and was about to act when he noticed two mercenary guards approaching from the camp. “Discovered?” Xiao Yan’s brows furrowed, and he shrank into the shadows, watching the two guards grow closer. At the same time, his Dou Qi began to flow. When the two mercenaries reached the tree under which Xiao Yan was hiding, they suddenly stopped. They looked around and then relieved themselves. Seeing their actions, Xiao Yan relaxed and muttered inwardly… “Damn, that woman is too slutty. Her big ass makes me want to pin her down.” One of the mercenaries grumbled as he urinated. “Keep your voice down. That woman is the third deputy captain’s forbidden fruit. If you do anything to her, he’ll feed you to the wolves,” the other mercenary warned cautiously. “Tsk, she’s just a piece of trash. I even saw her with the second deputy captain, but she didn’t dare tell the third. Heh.” “Forget it, don’t talk about it. We’ll be the ones to suffer if we get caught. Let’s go…” After tidying up, the mercenary on the left turned around, and a dark shadow flashed in front of him. Before he could react, a sharp pain pierced his throat, and his consciousness quickly blurred. “Let’s go.” The other mercenary, turning around, found the area behind him empty. Before he could speak, his throat felt a chill, and his vision went dark. Silently dragging the two corpses into the dense forest, Xiao Yan climbed back onto the treetop and scattered the powder over the camp. Under the cover of darkness, the powder drifted silently into the camp. Soon, the mercenaries around the camp began to fall one by one. In a short time, the entire camp was completely silent. Looking at the quiet camp, Xiao Yan waited for a moment, then jumped down from the tree, holding a long sword taken from a mercenary, and walked into the camp. With the sword, he smoothly passed through several empty tents and arrived at the large tent in the center of the camp. In the light of the fire inside, two intertwined bodies were moving vigorously. Listening to the heavy breathing of the man and the moans of the woman from inside the tent, a cold smile spread across Xiao Yan’s face.
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