Xiao Yi Xian

The two Demonic Beasts were dealt with without even letting out a cry. The two men were experienced enough to know exactly where to strike for a killing blow.

"Young Master, they've been dealt with."

Xiao Shuang nodded and continued onward after a while.

Unfortunately, neither Demonic Beast had a magic core, and their hides were not tough enough to be worth taking. They were left where they fell.

Xiao Lei followed beside Xiao Shuang with a broadsword in hand, smiling as he said, "Young Master, your perception is truly sharp. I didn't even notice those two Demonic Beasts."

Xiao Shuang showed no sign of getting carried away by the praise.

"Uncle Xiao Lei, there's no need to be modest either. Your experience far surpasses mine. I'll still have to rely on you throughout this journey."

As they ventured deeper into the forest, the number of Demonic Beasts increased. During this time, Xiao Shuang and the others encountered a Second-Tier Demonic Beast.

With everyone's precise coordination, the not-so-intelligent Second-Tier Demonic Beast was quickly defeated.

Xiao Shuang personally dug a second-tier magic core out of the beast's head, drawing a burst of cheers from the group.

Better yet, this Second-Tier Demonic Beast was known for its defensive power, so its body was highly valuable as well.

Along the way, the mercenaries worked closely together and killed dozens of Demonic Beasts without suffering a single injury.

The main reason was that they were still on the outskirts of the Demonic Beast Mountain Range. Third-Tier Demonic Beasts rarely appeared here, and even Second-Tier Demonic Beasts were not very common.

Seeing that the mercenaries were already showing signs of fatigue, Xiao Shuang waved a hand, signaling everyone to rest where they were.

Four men were assigned to patrol the surroundings, while the rest sat down and recovered their Dou Qi.

"Young Master, our gains are already quite impressive. As expected of the Demonic Beast Mountain Range." Xiao Lei wiped the sweat from his face and spoke excitedly.

Xiao Shuang nodded. Not long after sitting down, he heard the sounds of fierce fighting.

This made all the mercenaries rise nervously with their weapons in hand. In a place like this, caution was essential.

"What's going on?" Xiao Shuang frowned. The sounds of battle were rather close.

Xiao Lei was also stunned. They had clearly scouted the area already, so where had this fighting come from? No matter what was happening, it was his failure of duty.

"I'll take a look."

After saying that, Xiao Lei took another Dou Shi and headed toward the source of the sounds.

Before long, Xiao Lei returned with news.

"Young Master, there are three Second-Tier Demonic Beasts over there, along with quite a few First-Tier Demonic Beasts. Nearly half of a fifty-man Mercenary Group has already fallen."

"They were chased here as well. They probably won't hold out much longer."

Hearing this, Xiao Shuang shook his head. "Tsk, they're really unlucky. To provoke three Second-Tier Demonic Beasts on the outskirts of the Demonic Beast Mountain Range."

"Let's go take a look. There's no need to intervene. We can just wait to clean up the battlefield."

Three Second-Tier Demonic Beasts—if they went mad, his own people would suffer injuries too. That was something he did not want to see.

When they reached the vicinity of the battlefield, Xiao Shuang found that one of the three Second-Tier Demonic Beasts had already fallen, while the remaining two had been driven into a frenzy and were attacking madly.

The First-Tier Demonic Beasts had mostly been killed, and fewer than ten mercenaries remained.

The ten survivors were covered in blood. They were a temporarily assembled Mercenary Group whose main task was to protect the herb-gathering team from the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion.

They had thought it would be a simple job, but who could have expected three Second-Tier Demonic Beasts to attack one after another? Though they had superior numbers, they could not withstand the beasts' attacks. The gap in strength was simply too great to overcome.

During the battle, many First-Tier Demonic Beasts had been drawn over as well. Quite a few people had been pounced on after exhausting their Dou Qi. Only these seven remained now.

The herb-gathering team had been scattered, leaving only Xiao Yi Xian behind. Because of her reputation, the mercenaries present were quite willing to protect her.

"Damn it, we can't escape."

"I never should have come. What rotten luck."

They were all in terrible condition, and their eyes were filled with despair.

Two Second-Tier Demonic Beasts remained. With their strength, there was no way they could win. They would likely die here today.

Xiao Yi Xian was helpless as well. Three Second-Tier Demonic Beasts appearing on the outskirts of the Demonic Beast Mountain Range? How was that possible?

Without giving them any time to react, the two Second-Tier Demonic Beasts attacked together. The remaining people no longer had the strength to resist.

"I... I don't want to die!"

A man was pounced to the ground by a Demonic Beast. Tears mixed with blood, and his wails were enough to make one's hair stand on end.

Xiao Shuang took a glance and saw that two more of the seven had fallen. He said to Xiao Lei beside him, "Go. There's a physician over there. She can refine our Blood Coagulating Grass into Healing Medicine."

He was not a good person. Saving people required a certain amount of benefit to motivate him, and a physician capable of refining Healing Medicine clearly met his requirements.

Xiao Lei nodded. Dealing with two Second-Tier Demonic Beasts would not be difficult for their side.

"I'll take the one on the left. You deal with the other one." After giving the order, a frost-white Dou Qi Gauze Robe covered his body as he charged toward one of the Second-Tier Demonic Beasts.

Xiao Lei gave the other Dou Shi a look, telling him to support Xiao Shuang. He then took another Dou Shi and prepared to ambush the other Second-Tier Demonic Beast.

"Ice Breaking Finger!"

He immediately used a Xuan-rank Dou Technique. Xiao Shuang wanted to end this quickly; if they dragged things out and drew other Demonic Beasts over, it would be troublesome.

The Demonic Beast lunged straight at Xiao Yi Xian. The remaining mercenaries were powerless to stop it and could only cry out in warning.

How could she possibly evade the attack of a Second-Tier Demonic Beast? The medicinal powder in her hand was useless as well. Xiao Yi Xian gave a bitter smile, despair rising in her heart.

Just then, a white figure shot forward and pierced straight through the Second-Tier Demonic Beast's head.

"Fall back. Leave this to me."

Xiao Shuang did not turn around. He stomped on the ground and shot toward the other Second-Tier Demonic Beast.

The Dou Shi who had come to support Xiao Shuang stood rooted to the spot in shock at that display. With his young master's strength, did he even need help?

Thinking of this, the respect in the Dou Shi's eyes deepened. Among mercenaries, the strong were the ones they truly acknowledged.

The Dou Shi looked over the group and noticed that the woman in white seemed to hold a higher status. He smiled kindly at her. "Our young master heard fighting here and specifically brought men to provide assistance. Unfortunately, we arrived a little late."

"No, thank you for helping us. Otherwise, none of us would have survived."

Xiao Yi Xian shook her head, her mood somewhat low. A fifty-man Mercenary Group had suffered such enormous losses. It was truly hard to accept.

For these mercenaries, they were already accustomed to lives spent licking blood from the edge of a blade. The five survivors all wore expressions of relief at having escaped death.

There was also one more thing: many of the mercenaries were only seriously wounded. They still had a chance of being treated.