Barren Iron Mercenary Group

Under the scorching sun, Mo Tang walked for almost two hours.

As the blazing sun that had been overhead began to set, Mo Tang tugged at his cloak, preparing to find a place nearby to spend the night.

It wasn't that he was deliberately trying to torture himself, but rather that acting in such a harsh environment was also a form of spiritual practice.

Once the daytime heat dissipates, the temperature in the desert drops rapidly.

Don't be fooled by the fact that during the day, the entire desert, apart from the endless expanse of yellow sand, becomes a true forbidden zone for life...

But at night, countless Demonic Beast beasts and poisonous insects living in the shadows will appear and devour passersby.

Most mercenaries who live in the desert will not easily spend the night in the desert unless they are with experienced mercenary teams.

Crackle, crackle.

The dry firewood crackled and popped in the flames.

Mo Tang was dressed in a black robe, even concealing his entire face in the shadows.

Once they reach the Dou Spirit level, the external temperature changes have little effect on them. However, given the ubiquitous yellow sand in the desert, it's best to wrap themselves up tightly to avoid getting covered in sand.

Rustling...

The faint sound reached Mo Tang's ears.

Turning my head slightly, I saw a black scorpion, about the size of a palm, rapidly crawling from the darkness toward the firelight, its tail raised.

"Desert Black Scorpion, Tier 1 Demonic Beast, Highly Venomous!"

In an instant, Mo Tang recognized the true nature of the black scorpion.

This is considered the smallest scorpion-type Demonic Beast in the desert. Even ordinary Demonic Beast, even those at the first rank, are the size of an adult.

But don't be fooled by their small size; they pose the greatest threat!

These creatures love to ambush mercenary squads camped in the desert under the cover of night...

Because of its small size, it is not easy to spot and it is very easy to evade the watchman's gaze. Therefore, every year many mercenaries are poisoned to death in their sleep by the deadly venom of this little thing. It is the true Grim Reaper of the Desert!

Unfortunately, this time the Desert Black Scorpion chose Mo Tang as its target...

With a flick of his finger, a blade of wind flew swiftly from Mo Tang's fingertip, instantly severing the black scorpion's raised tail...

The Desert Black Scorpion, suddenly attacked, let out a painful hiss, and then its eight legs quickly dug through the surrounding yellow sand, preparing to dig a hole and escape.

Before it could completely bury its body in the sand, a second wind blade arrived, severing the scorpion's head...

The cut was perfectly smooth, and not even a drop of green blood came out.

After dealing with the sneaky Desert Black Scorpion, Mo Tang directly removed its most precious stinger and venom glands.

The Magic Core inside this Desert Black Scorpion is only the size of a grain of rice and is practically worthless. The most valuable parts are its stinger and venom glands.

"Although the Desert Black Scorpion is only a first-tier Demonic Beast, it is extremely venomous. If we gave its venom glands to Xiao Yi Xian, that girl would probably be very happy..."

Thinking of Xiao Yi Xian, Mo Tang couldn't help but sigh.

By now, that girl should have already left Qingshan Town...

Although she has only just broken through to the Dou Shi, she has a flying magical pet, the Blue Eagle, and she herself has already refined the Flight Battle Skill, Eagle Wings. So even if there is danger, she should be able to escape easily, and there is no need to worry too much about her safety.

Leaning against the sandstone behind him, Mo Tang looked up at the twinkling stars in the sky...

Xiao Yi Xian... Yun Yun... Nalan Yanran... Mo Linglin

Different faces flashed through his mind, then disappeared...

And so, without realizing it, I fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Mo Tang woke up just as dawn was breaking and continued on his journey.

When the sun was high in the sky, the outline of a huge city appeared before Mo Tang's eyes.

Upon entering the city, based on his memory, Mo Tang went directly to the south of the city to find the Barren Iron Mercenary Group.

After turning a few streets, a courtyard that was almost as large as the manor where he lived in Black Rock City came into Mo Tang's view.

Above the courtyard, a flag fluttered in the wind. The words "Barren Iron Mercenary Group" were painted on it, subtly revealing an aura of iron-blooded fortitude.

At the entrance of the compound, several burly men stood upright, weapons in hand, their sharp eyes scanning the passersby.

Judging from the faint smell of blood emanating from their bodies, these were truly hardened men who had fought their way through the battlefield, and their combat strength far surpassed that of novices at the same level.

Standing at the entrance, Mo Tang said directly to the mercenaries guarding the gate, "Tell your leader that we have business coming in..."

Upon hearing Mo Tang's words, the previously wary burly man's expression instantly changed, and he immediately said respectfully, "Please wait a moment!"

As mercenaries, we naturally have to treat our guests with respect.

Less than five minutes later, the burly man who had just left hurriedly returned...

"Distinguished guest, please follow me. The commander is already waiting in the lobby!"

Upon entering the hall, Mo Tang saw two young men sitting at the head of the table who bore a striking resemblance to each other. Moreover, they also bore a resemblance to Xiao Yan ...

They really are brothers!

"Hehe, I am Xiao Ding, the leader of the Barren Iron Mercenary Group, and this is Xiao Li, the Second Leader. Please have a seat, guests!"

The older young man, with a gentle smile on his face, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to Mo Tang.

However, compared to the gentle and polite Xiao Ding, the Second Leader Xiao Li seemed somewhat indifferent, merely nodding slightly before falling silent.

After instructing the maid to serve tea, Xiao Ding asked with a smile, "I wonder what mission our guest has come to my Barren Iron Mercenary Group?"

"Our Barren Iron Mercenary Group is among the top three mercenary groups in the entire Stone Desert City. We offer fair prices and treat people with sincerity, which is universally acknowledged throughout Stone Desert City."

Mo Tang said calmly, "I've come here to ask you to search for something for me in the desert..."

What is it?

"Sand Mandala!"

Upon hearing this name, Xiao Ding's heart skipped a beat, and the smile on his face slowly turned serious.

"Sand Mandala?"

"Do you know, guest, that this Sand Mandala only grows deep in the Tagor Desert, which is the territory of the Snake People Tribe!"

Mo Tang chuckled and said, "Of course I know that this Sand Mandala grows deep in the desert. Just answer me whether your Mo Tie dares to take on this mission."

Upon hearing Mo Tang's words, the Xiao Brothers immediately frowned.

Given Mo Tie's current strength, such a mission is still extremely dangerous.

However, since they have entered this line of work, which is inherently a business of licking blood off the blade, if they back down when faced with danger, they might as well go home and inherit the family business, and not be mercenaries at all!