Recruiting the Sand Mercenary Group (Please Bookmark)

"The Sand Mercenary Group... isn't that the mercenary group Xiao Yan wiped out in the novel?"

Chen Mo's heart stirred, and he walked inside.

"Who goes there?"

The moment the two stepped through the gates, they were stopped by several burly middle-aged men with bare arms, sun-darkened skin, and bodies nearly covered in scars.

Among them was a man who appeared to be the leader, his face marked by a deep scar and his expression gloomy. His gaze openly roamed over Nalan Yanran's body as crude obscenities poured from his mouth.

"Where did such a juicy little beauty come from? That figure, that face... tsk, tsk, she's absolutely top-grade." As he spoke, he reached out to touch Nalan Yanran's face.

Then—

With a bang, a pitch-black figure was sent flying. It smashed through several tables and chairs in the courtyard before finally coming to a stop.

"Keep your hands to yourself," Nalan Yanran said coldly. The pale green Dou Qi that had erupted around her gradually receded into her body.

"Seven-star Dou Shi."

One of the men hurried inside to report the news, while the others rushed over to help the man up. "Second Commander, are you all right?"

"You've got some nerve! Do you know where this is? You dare injure me? Today, none of you are leaving here alive!"

The man called the Second Commander was helped to his feet, covered in blood. Not only was he unafraid, he began barking viciously instead.

Hearing this, Chen Mo suddenly understood why the Sand Mercenary Group had been wiped out. With such a brainless Second Commander, it would have been strange if they had survived. He smiled faintly. "I don't know whether we'll be able to leave alive, but you definitely won't get the chance."

"W-what? Ah—!" The Second Commander's pupils constricted. Amid Chen Mo's faint smile, a ball of purple flame crackling with lightning was casually thrown onto him. In the blink of an eye, it began to burn.

Feeling the terrifying heat of the flames, the men beside him retreated in panic, abandoning the Second Commander even as he caught fire.

Accompanied by miserable screams, the Second Commander flailed a few times before turning into a charred lump.

"You're a demon!"

"You killed the Second Commander! The commander won't let you off!"

The remaining men cried out in panic, their bodies continuously retreating toward the inner hall.

They could never have imagined that the harmless-looking youth would be even more terrifying than a demon once he made a move.

The two-star Dou Shi Second Commander had been caught by that flame and, after only a few struggles, had been burned into charcoal.

"100 Fortune Points. Not bad."

Chen Mo drew the Thunder Fire back into his body. Just then, the commander Shaluo emerged from the inner hall with a large saber in hand, followed by several men.

"Who's so bold as to come cause trouble at the Sand Mercenary Group? Are you tired of living?" Shaluo swept Chen Mo and Nalan Yanran with a vicious gaze before asking the man beside him, "Where's Moxing?"

"T-the Second Commander... he was burned to death by his fire," the man beside him said fearfully.

"Burned to death by a fire?" Shaluo's pupils shrank as he looked toward the especially glaring human-shaped lump of charcoal in the distance.

From the time his subordinate had gone to report the news to the time he came out, how long had it been? What kind of flame could burn a two-star Dou Shi into charcoal in such a short time?

Shaluo stared fixedly at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo, meanwhile, smiled at Shaluo.

That calm gaze kept Shaluo from immediately avenging Moxing. Instead, he said in a low voice, "My friend, I wonder how my Sand Mercenary Group offended you to make you kill him."

"His hands and feet weren't honest, his strength was nothing special, and he still dared to spout threats." Chen Mo picked at his nails and said blandly, "If I didn't kill someone like that, I wouldn't feel right."

Arrogant.

Utterly arrogant.

Chen Mo's arrogant words made Shaluo sneer repeatedly. "Good, good, good. Then let me see what you're capable of."

"Mad Blade Art!"

Shaluo shouted, stomped his foot, and shot toward Chen Mo.

The unwieldy saber whistled in Shaluo's hands as he swung it with fierce momentum, chopping toward Chen Mo's head from a tricky and vicious angle.

The aura of a Da Dou Shi was fully revealed.

Seeing Shaluo act so decisively, Nalan Yanran feared Chen Mo would be unable to block the attack. With a flip of her hand, an Azure Longsword strangely appeared in her grasp, and she prepared to intercept it for him.

"Senior Sister, there's no need for you to act. I was just wanting to see how strong a Da Dou Shi really is."

He activated Body Like a Swimming Dragon beneath his feet and easily dodged Shaluo's tricky strike.

After pulling back some distance—

Chen Mo formed the hand seal of the Thousand Thunder Art and pointed through the air at the advancing Shaluo.

"Thunder, come! Strike him!"

A thunderbolt split down from the clear sky.

Shaluo, who was in the midst of attacking, looked up and was startled. He hurriedly retreated.

The lightning struck a bluestone, instantly reducing it to dust and leaving behind only a scorched mark.

"A Lightning Technique, dual Thunder Fire attributes..." Shaluo's throat bobbed slightly. Dual-attribute talent, already possessing the cultivation of a Dou Shi at such a young age—only major factions could nurture such a Heavenly Prodigy.

The thought flashed through his mind. After weighing the pros and cons, Shaluo quickly stopped attacking and addressed Chen Mo as a friend again. "My friend, it is better to settle enmity than deepen it. Since Moxing is already dead, his death settles his debts. Can we sit down and have a proper talk?"

"Didn't hit him. What a pity." Chen Mo answered irrelevantly as he gently rubbed his fingers. He was still unfamiliar with the technique, and using the Thousand Thunder Art had made his fingers cramp.

Seeing the youth's dissatisfied expression, as well as the woman beside him gripping her sword in a battle-ready stance, Shaluo's face darkened.

"So there's no room for discussion?"

Just as he was about to attack again, an overwhelmingly powerful aura spread from outside the courtyard, darkening Shaluo's face once more.

A feeling called despair began to spread through his heart.

"A Dou Wang..." Shaluo said in shock. "As expected."

"This is..." Nalan Yanran sensed the familiar aura and said in surprise, "Sixth Elder."

The Sixth Elder did not appear. He seemed to only want to release a little of his aura as a deterrent.

Chen Mo had actually noticed the person following behind them long ago, but he did not know which elder it was, nor had he expected him to act now.

But since he had acted, Chen Mo naturally had to make good use of it.

"Wh-what? Recruit us?"

Beneath a pavilion, Shaluo was somewhat unwilling after hearing Chen Mo's words.

"You're unwilling?" Chen Mo's tone carried a trace of threat.

"Willing. I'm willing." Shaluo wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and replied halfheartedly.

"From this day forth, the Sand Mercenary Group will be renamed Lingyan Pavilion. As for you, you will become the branch master of Lingyan Pavilion stationed in Desert City." Seeing Shaluo's reluctant expression, Chen Mo added, "Of course, you won't be treated unfairly. These are some Tier 3 Pills."

With a flip of his hand, Chen Mo placed several small jade bottles before Shaluo.

I specifically checked it up. The Sand Mercenary Group's commander had two names: one was Shaluo, and the other was Luo Bu. Desert City was also called Rock Desert City. Uh, this might have been a typo by Potato.