As the five figures appeared on the tree trunk, everyone in the clearing changed their expressions. The five people on the tree were all dressed in black, and from a distance, they looked like shadows of black ink. The moment the five of them appeared, a fierce aura permeated out from their bodies without any concealment. A pressure that made Xiao Yan and others slightly pale enveloped the entire clearing, giving them an uncomfortable feeling as if they were being watched by wild beasts in the forest.
“Sha Tie? You actually followed us here too!” After the five figures appeared, Ling Bai, who was resting against the tree to recover, slightly changed his expression. Especially when his gaze swept over the huge man in the center, he couldn’t help but call out in surprise.
“We met a few freshmen on the way and got the news.” Among the five, the tall and imposing man spoke lightly, then glanced at the injured Su Xiao and the other two, and said with a chuckle, “Tsk tsk, I didn’t expect you three to be defeated by these freshmen. I wonder how you have been cultivating in the Inner Academy.”
The words of the man called Sha Tie made Ling Bai and the other two blush slightly. After a while, Ling Bai snorted coldly and said, “This year’s freshmen are not comparable to those of the past. It’s not surprising that they lost.”
“Forget it, I won’t waste time with you. I will handle the next matter, but don’t think I’ll return the ‘Fire Energy’ to you afterward. It’s your own fault for not being able to protect it, and you can’t blame others.” Waving his hand, Sha Tie’s gaze shifted and finally rested on Xiao Yan, who was holding a heavy ruler in the middle of the field. His eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, and he said, “You must be Xiao Yan? At such a young age, you could defeat Su Xiao and the others, no wonder you managed to gather all the freshmen.”
Sha Tie’s voice was full of strength, and as he spoke, some of the freshmen involuntarily rubbed their ears.
“You must be the so-called Black Killer among the Black and White Killers, right?” Xiao Yan’s gaze met Sha Tie’s, and he said in a low voice. As he spoke, his gaze slowly swept over the five black figures, and his heart gradually sank. He found that each of the five men had strength comparable to Ling Bai. The burly man named Sha Tie was even more terrifying. If Xiao Yan’s perception was correct, this guy was probably a peak Great Warrior!
“You can call us the Black Killers. I am the captain, Sha Tie.” Sha Tie grinned, revealing his white, sharp teeth, exuding a coldness like a beast. He stared straight at Xiao Yan and said, “Let me tell you a piece of good news. The recent incidents of freshmen robbing the seniors in the forest have already spread to the Inner Academy. Although you, Xiao Yan, haven’t entered the Inner Academy yet, you’ve already gained quite a reputation. Now, outside the forest, many Inner Academy students are waiting for you to come out. If you can walk out of this forest with abundant ‘Fire Energy,’ then you and this year’s freshmen will truly become famous in the Inner Academy.”
Xiao Yan remained silent and did not respond to him.
“Of course, as the last two teams of this ‘Fire Energy Hunt,’ our task is to defeat all the rebellious freshmen. So, if you want to walk out safely, it’s fine. Hand over the fire crystal cards and promise not to use force, how about it?” Sha Tie smiled at Xiao Yan.
“No other options?” Xiao Yan slowly exhaled and said lightly.
“No, this is the only option.” Sha Tie shook his head with a smile and scanned the freshmen below, saying, “If you can still gather forty fully capable freshmen, my Black Killer team alone would find it difficult to deal with you. Unfortunately, after the earlier battle with Su Xiao, your freshman team has lost most of its threat. As long as we defeat you, this year’s ‘Fire Energy Hunt’ can be considered over.”
Xiao Yan’s eyes narrowed, and his hand gripping the Heavy Ruler slowly tightened. Beside him, Xun’er, Hu Jia, and Wu Hao also stepped forward, closely following Xiao Yan. The ten or so freshmen standing sporadically, who were a bit weak, hesitated for a moment before gritting their teeth and moved towards Xiao Yan. In this situation, they couldn’t afford to retreat. After all, they wouldn’t believe that if Xiao Yan and the others lost, this clearly unkind Sha Tie would let them go with their ‘Fire Energy.’
Since there was no avoiding it, then they would fight!
“What? Are you planning to fight back desperately?” Seeing the freshmen’s actions, Sha Tie raised his eyebrows, and a hint of cold laughter appeared on his rugged face. “It seems you still have some hope in your strength. Well, that’s good. We haven’t fought for nearly three days in this forest, and our bones are starting to itch.”
“Wait!” Just as Sha Tie was cracking his knuckles, a shout suddenly sounded. Furrowing his brows, he followed the sound and saw a handsome youth in white. Glancing at the youth, Sha Tie felt a faint sense of familiarity.
“Big Brother Sha Tie, do you remember me? Last time, when you went out with my cousin Baifeng during the holiday, we met,” Bai Shan held his spear, bowed to Sha Tie, and smiled.
“Baifeng? You… are Bai Shan?” Hearing the name Baifeng, Sha Tie was taken aback, a hint of apprehension flickering in his eyes. Then, looking at Bai Shan’s face, he finally remembered, and said with a bit of realization.
“Hehe, exactly.” Seeing Sha Tie recall his name, Bai Shan breathed a sigh of relief and replied with a smile.
“You’re one of this year’s freshmen too?” Glancing at Bai Shan, Sha Tie seemed to understand something, and said with a meaningful tone.
“Yes.” Bai Shan smiled awkwardly and nodded, then said, “Big Brother Sha Tie, can you see it for my cousin’s sake…”
“Seeing the face of Baifeng, of course, you can leave. I have some friendship with him, so naturally, I won’t take action against you.” Before Bai Shan could finish his sentence, Sha Tie waved his hand and laughed.
“Uh…” Interrupted by Sha Tie, Bai Shan paused slightly, and hearing the rest of his words, he hesitated. Glancing at Xiao Yan and the others, he wanted to say something but noticed the hint of coldness in Sha Tie’s eyes and felt a chill in his heart.
“Bai Shan, take care of yourself. Although I am the captain of the Black Killers, I still need to be responsible for my companions. Letting you go is already showing great respect for Baifeng, so you should restrain yourself,” Sha Tie said slowly, with a strong warning in his words.
Hearing this, Bai Shan’s face changed slightly, but he quickly recovered and nodded.
“Alright, leave quickly, and don’t worry about anything else,” Sha Tie said, waving at Bai Shan.
Bai Shan hesitated slightly upon hearing this.
“Bai Shan, do you want to escape at the last minute?” Seeing Bai Shan’s hesitation, Hu Jia, who had been watching coldly, raised her eyebrows and shouted coldly.
“Not fighting with you isn’t escaping? Do you really think we are a team? This is just a transaction based on mutual benefit. And the biggest winner of this transaction is Xiao Yan. We’ve been risking our lives for him, but all the good things go to him,” Bai Shan was furious, unable to suppress his resentment and jealousy, and yelled.
“You…” Hu Jia, rebutted by Bai Shan, was also angry, “Without Xiao Yan’s leadership, could you have come this far? Alone, any senior team could defeat you. How could you possibly obtain nearly a hundred ‘Fire Energy’?”
“Enough, if he wants to leave, let him go. This team was formed temporarily, with no binding force. Without him, we might not necessarily lose,” Xiao Yan, pulling Hu Jia aside, said calmly. He had long known that Bai Shan was very dissatisfied with him. Keeping him in the team would only be a future trouble. If he left now, it would save Xiao Yan the trouble of being wary of him.
“Hmph.” Snorting, Hu Jia gave Bai Shan a cold look, feeling a bit disgusted. How had she not seen what kind of person he was before? She despised those who abandoned their companions when faced with a powerful enemy. Compared to Bai Shan, Hu Jia suddenly found Xiao Yan much more pleasing. At least, he wouldn’t abandon his companions in a crisis.
Wu Hao slightly raised his head, and a hint of disdain appeared in his eyes as he looked at Bai Shan.
“Fine, follow him if you want, I won’t join you,” Bai Shan’s face twitched at the disdainful looks from the freshmen, and he glared at Xiao Yan, then waved his hand, leaped onto the tree branch, and disappeared into the forest.
Watching Bai Shan disappear into the trees, Xiao Yan raised his head indifferently and looked directly at Sha Tie. Although Bai Shan’s departure had weakened their combat power, handing over the ‘Fire Energy’ was not an option.
“I told you before, that companion of yours wasn’t reliable,” Ling Bai’s voice, filled with a hint of disdain, slowly rose.
Xiao Yan shrugged, not offering any comment.
“Give up. Sha Tie and his team are not comparable to us, and now your companion has left. Your chances of winning, which were already low, have greatly diminished,” Ling Bai sighed.
Though Xiao Yan knew what Ling Bai said was true, he didn’t waver. Smiling, he looked directly at Sha Tie, and after a while, his calm voice filled the hearts of the freshmen with renewed heat and fighting spirit.
“Since I gathered them, I naturally have to lead them out successfully. No matter how strong the opponent is, I, Xiao Yan, will not retreat. So…”
“Let’s fight!”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage