Compared to the lively and bustling Azure Mountain Town of the past, today, it was undoubtedly much more oppressive and silent. The streets within the town rarely had any human figures, and the city gates were tightly shut. On top of the towering walls built from hard granite, crowds of people with black heads faintly appeared, whispering in low voices, their murmurs echoing incessantly.
“Damn it. How did these poisons sneak into the empire’s heartland? Weren’t there the Flame Alliance and the royal family’s defenses in the front?”
“The three major empires are jointly attacking the Gama Empire. Even if the Flame Alliance is strong, they have limited manpower. How could they take care of everything? These dozen or so scoundrels must have slipped in through the gaps.”
“What should we do now? Look at the emblem on that guy’s chest in the middle; he’s a four-star Poison Master. Who could deal with such a high-level Poison Master besides a Dou Wang level expert?”
“Ai, we only have Yan Cheng, the leader of the Blood Battle Mercenary Corps, who is an eight-star Dou Ling. Most others here are either Dou Shi or Great Dou Shi. If that fourth-grade Poison Master casts a cloud of poison, many would be poisoned and fall unconscious.”
“Damn it. If it doesn’t work, let’s fight them head-on. We have more people, so why fear those few of them?”
“They would be more than happy if we opened the gates ourselves. You know how terrifying Poison Masters can be, especially when they are good at fighting many at once. Killing them without absolute power isn’t easy at all.”
In the center of the crowd, a group of stern-looking mercenaries surrounded a spot, their chests bearing the same emblem of the mercenary corps. A closer look revealed that it was the Blood Battle Mercenary Corps, which Xiao Yan once saved. At the forefront of the group was the corps’ leader, Yan Cheng, and beside him were two familiar faces, Ka Gang and Ling’er.
At this moment, everyone’s gaze was fixed on the dozen figures outside the wall, their expressions darkening.
“Second Uncle, what should we do? This endless defense can’t last. It’s said that many Poison Masters have sneaked into this magic beast mountain range. Recently, there have been constant reports of towns being massacred with ruthless methods, typical of these freaks.”
Ling’er glared furiously at the dozen figures below the wall, her voice tinged with anxiety.
“What else can we do but hold our ground? Didn’t you see that there’s a fourth-grade Poison Master among them? Even I have a slim chance of winning against such a Poison Master. If it weren’t for the lack of a true aerial expert on their side and the high walls built specifically to defend against magic beasts, they would have already forced their way in and started a massacre.”
Yan Cheng’s face was also very grim as he spoke.
“Now, we can only wait. This is inside the Gama Empire. If we can hold out for a while, perhaps strong members of the Flame Alliance will come to the rescue.”
At this, Ling’er sighed bitterly, thinking to herself, “Most of the ‘Flame Alliance’’s strong members are bogged down by the three great empires. Where would they find spare strength?”
While the group deliberated, the dozen or so gray-robed figures below the wall started to move. An old man, wearing a badge with four colorful venomous centipedes, slowly walked forward, his cold triangular eyes sweeping over the wall. A grating, unpleasant voice slowly echoed, reverberating in the ears of everyone on the wall.
“You have ten minutes to decide: open the gate yourselves or let me unleash a poisonous fog to wipe out the entire town as a sacrifice for your foolishness.”
As he spoke, the gray-robed elder closed his eyes, ignoring the commotion on the wall.
Ten minutes later, the gray-robed elder’s eyes opened. Seeing the unresponsive wall, a cruel smile formed on his shriveled face. He said coldly, “Do you really think this wall can protect you?”
With that, his face suddenly emitted a strange green light, and his sleeves fluttered, releasing a dense cloud of green poison.
“Wrap your bodies in Dou Qi! Don’t breathe!”
Seeing the green poison cloud slowly rising, Yan Cheng’s face changed drastically, and he roared harshly.
Hearing Yan Cheng’s roar, the mercenaries on the wall hurriedly activated their Dou Qi, wrapping it tightly around their bodies.
“Heh, do you insignificant mercenaries think you can stop my Green Snake Poison?”
Seeing this, the gray-robed elder sneered, waving his sleeves. The ten men behind him frantically activated their Dou Qi, creating strong winds that lifted the green poison cloud higher.
As the poison cloud rose, it eventually reached the height of the wall, enveloping the mercenaries. Upon contact, many of the weaker ones began to feel dizzy, and after a while, several fainted and fell into a coma.
Seeing this, Yan Cheng’s face grew even uglier. Gritting his teeth, he snarled, “Damn it, let’s fight these bastards to the death! Brothers, follow me!”
Hearing this, Ling’er slightly parted her lips but could only sigh. A fourth-grade Poison Master was a main force even in the frontline battlefield, and their combat power was extraordinary. With just the Blood Battle Mercenary Corps, they were likely facing certain death, but if they didn’t go, the poison cloud would soon sap their combat power, and then they would die even more miserably. The mercenaries around them, hearing Yan Cheng’s words, trembled and nodded, gripping their sharp steel knives.
The gray-robed elder below watched the commotion on the wall, his eyes becoming even more sinister. Among them, only the Dou Ling made him pay a little attention. The rest, he could kill with a wave of his hand!
With a snarl in his heart, the gray-robed elder flicked his sleeves, releasing another cloud of green poison. The mercenaries on the wall saw this and their despair deepened. This bastard was indeed planning to annihilate them.
As the second cloud of green poison rose, many mercenaries began to get desperate, preparing to charge down and fight. Despite knowing it was a death sentence, they were not afraid, for they were used to walking on the edge.
Just as everyone prepared to rush off the wall, the temperature in the sky suddenly rose, and as it did, the dense green poison cloud began to hiss, quickly dissipating like snow in boiling oil…
This sudden scene left everyone stunned, staring at each other in bewilderment.
Amidst the confusion, two blurry figures suddenly flashed from the direction of the magic beast mountain range, appearing in the air above the town in a few breaths.
“A Dou Wang?!”
No sooner had the two figures appeared than everyone saw the Dou Qi wings on their backs. They burst into shocked cries, and both sides became uneasy, fearing reinforcements.
The lead figure was entirely enveloped in emerald flames, emitting intense heat. Behind him, a little girl with a faint purple glow watched the gray-robed men below with curiosity.
The emerald flames slowly dissipated, revealing a black-robed youth.
On the wall, Yan Cheng and the others, who were anxious, were stunned to see the black-robed youth. Ling’er was similarly dumbfounded, muttering, “It’s him.”
“Chief Xiao!”
After a moment of shock, Yan Cheng reacted and jumped up, shouting excitedly.
The mercenaries around, hearing Yan Cheng’s shout, were still dazed, but from his expression, they realized these were not enemies, and they relaxed.
As Yan Cheng shouted, the gray-robed elder below instantly paled, realizing this was a Gama Empire expert. With that thought, he transformed into a green mist, bolting towards the forest, with the ten others following closely.
In the sky, Xiao Yan watched the dozen or so gray-robed figures fleeing into the forest, his fingertips rippling with invisible flames.
**Pfft! Pfft!**
As the ripples spread, the dozen or so gray-robed figures about to enter the forest shuddered, and under the shocked gazes of the people on the wall, they transformed into a pile of black ashes without even a scream.
Killing the dozen or so figures instantly, Xiao Yan moved to the wall, frowning as he looked at the unconscious mercenaries. He pulled out a few pills from his ring and tossed them into the air. Flicking his fingers, a stream of emerald flame enveloped them, and a rich medicinal aroma spread out.
As the medicinal aroma spread, the comatose mercenaries on the wall gradually woke up, coughing and looking around in confusion.
Ignoring the adoring and reverent gazes, Xiao Yan strode toward Yan Cheng and the others and asked solemnly, “What happened?”
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