Traces of a Heavenly Flame

The exploration work was not easy to carry out.

Moreover, as a major force in Shi Mo City, the Desert Iron Mercenary Group naturally had countless eyes watching its every move. So, not long after Xue Lan led a large group out, some stragglers began to appear in the area where Xiao Yan and his group were, looking at the Desert Iron Mercenary Group who were slowly exploring the terrain with puzzled expressions.

Fortunately, Xiao Ding had already mobilized personnel to seal off the area, so the mercenaries and other personnel who came to watch were ruthlessly blocked outside.

As the exploration continued, the number of onlookers grew. Although Xiao Ding had stated that the Desert Iron Mercenary Group was making a large-scale operation to hunt a third-tier magical beast, the crowd around them continued to increase.

Seeing that he couldn't seem to be of much help, Xiao Yuan began to study the Earth Rank Low Level earth-attribute cultivation technique, the Di Kun Sutra, which was given to him by the Yao Lao.

Qing Lian, meanwhile, was hiding in the tent that Xiao Yuan had specially set up, blinking her eyes and staring blankly at Xiao Yuan, who was cultivating.

Seeing his brother so diligent, Xiao Yan felt embarrassed to be idle and began to cultivate as well.

Seeing his two younger brothers seizing every opportunity to cultivate, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were quite moved. To have such strength at such a young age, it was clear that they had put in tremendous effort.

Time flew by, and as the blazing sun began to set, a sudden commotion erupted among the onlookers. A mercenary group of at least forty men slowly parted the crowd and swaggered toward the cordon.

"They're from the Sand Mercenary Group. This is going to be interesting..."

"Hehe, Luo Bu finally couldn't hold back anymore."

Upon seeing the mercenary group parting the crowd, whispers immediately arose among the onlookers.

"Looks like I overestimated that guy's patience..."

Looking at the approaching group, Xiao Ding shook his head and said sarcastically.

"Let's go check it out. Luo Bu won't show up until the situation is clear. The person leading the team now seems to be Mo Xing, the second-best member of the Sand Mercenary Group after Luo Bu. Heh heh, a defeated opponent still dares to come looking for trouble with us."

After gazing into the distance, Xiao Li sneered.

"Um."

Xiao Ding nodded slightly, waved his hand, and immediately more than twenty members of the Mo Tie emerged from the surrounding area. Their weapons gleamed with a cold light, and they walked out of the isolation zone with unfriendly expressions, coldly watching the mercenary squad that was approaching.

When the two teams met, the atmosphere was tense, as they had a history of conflict as the two major powers in Shi Mo City.

"Stop your steps. The Desert Iron Mercenary Group is on a mission. Please do not disturb them."

Xiao Ding raised his eyes slightly, his voice as calm and composed as if it were a routine matter.

"Hey, Commander Xiao Ding, I've never heard of the Mercenary Guild issuing this kind of mission before! Besides, the area within dozens of miles of Shi Mo City is public territory. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with me bringing people here, right?"

The leader of the Sand Mercenary Group, a man with a somewhat gloomy face, swept his gaze over the scouts in the quarantine zone and chuckled.

"Mo Xing, if it weren't for Luo Bu's intervention last time, you'd probably be a cripple by now, right?"

Xiao Li glanced at the extremely irritating man and smiled maliciously.

Upon hearing this, Mo Xing's face twitched slightly. Suppressing the fear in his eyes, he sneered coldly, his tone fierce but his voice weak. "Let's not beat around the bush. Our leader is also quite interested in this place, so..."

Before he could finish speaking, a Mystic Iron Spear pierced his heart.

"So you can go die now..."

A calm voice slowly came from Xiao Yuan, who had suddenly appeared in front of Mo Xing and pierced his heart with a spear.

Looking at the spear in his chest, Mo Xing opened his mouth slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but Xiao Yuan pulled his arm away, and the spear was pulled back from his chest, taking away his last bit of life with it.

Upon witnessing this scene, everyone present felt a chill run from the soles of their feet straight to the top of their heads.

No one noticed how Xiao Yuan appeared; in fact, they all felt that Xiao Yuan's presence there was perfectly natural and without any sense of incongruity.

This also means that Xiao Yuan's strength far surpasses theirs! You must know that even Luo Bu, who is a Da Dou Shi, does not have such speed!

Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were also surprised that Xiao Yuan would actually make a move and kill Mo Xing with a single shot, but they quickly reacted and shouted loudly as they led their men to charge forward.

Although it was a fight of more than 20 people against more than 40, the members of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group were generally stronger than the members of the Sand Mercenary Group.

Coupled with the intimidating power of Xiao Yuan's terrifying strength, half of the members of the Sand Mercenary Group fell in an instant.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the remaining half immediately threw down their weapons and shouted that they were surrendering.

As the members of the Sand Mercenary Group surrendered on the spot in an instant, the onlookers couldn't help but let out a unified chorus of boos.

But they felt no shame whatsoever.

If they resist any longer, they will die.

What a load of rubbish about face! Life is above all else! "Tsk, is that all?"

Xiao Li chuckled, looked at the already dead Mo Xing on the ground, shook his head, then came to Xiao Yuan's side and said with a smile, "Your strength is a bit too strong, kid! But there's another problem you need to deal with. The leader of the Sand Mercenary Group Luo Bu, is Da Dou Shi. We've completely fallen out with him this time. I estimate that after the news gets back, he'll bring his men over."

"What are you saying? Xiao Yuan is only Dou Shi. It's too dangerous for him to go to the Sand Mercenary Group!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ding walked over, frowned, and reprimanded him.

"Ahem, big brother, I was just joking with Xiao Yuan!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Li shrank back and chuckled awkwardly.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ding glared at Xiao Li again, then looked at Xiao Yuan and said softly, "Don't worry, although Luo Bu is Da Dou Shi, the number and quality of Dou Shi and Dou Zhe in their group are not as good as ours."

After that recent loss, things are even worse. There isn't a single Dou Shi left, only some Dou Zhe. But our group still has two Dou Shi. If the four of us brothers attack together, even if he's Da Dou Shi, he might not be able to handle us! The rest of us are enough to easily wipe out his lackeys!

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan shook his head and said with a smile, "Big brother, second brother, Xiao Yan seems to be showing signs of a breakthrough, so you two can stay here and guard this place. As for Luo Bu, leave him to me. Shi Mo City should belong to the Xiao family now."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ding's expression turned serious, and he looked at Xiao Li.

Xiao Li immediately understood, turned around and led his men back to protect Xiao Yan.

"Are you... really capable of doing this? Please don't push yourself!"

Xiao Ding frowned slightly, looking somewhat worried.

"Don't worry, brother, I'll leave after I kill Luo Bu!"

With a smile, Xiao Yuan nodded, waved to Xiao Ding, grabbed a camel beside him, leaped onto it, and with a light kick of his heel, galloped off towards Shi Mo City in a cloud of yellow dust.

Watching the receding figure, Xiao Ding let out a soft breath and chose to believe Xiao Yuan after all.

The moon was like a silver plate, and the stars were hidden.

The Stone Shi Mo City Shi Mo City was quite quiet in the dark of night. In the western part of the city, a huge courtyard was brightly lit, and the sounds of laughter and playfulness could be heard from it. In the middle of the courtyard, a flag was hung on a wooden pole with the five large characters "Sand Mercenary Group" painted on it.

A gentle breeze swept by, causing the flag to distort its direction.

In a room in the center of the courtyard, a dim light completely dispelled the darkness. Inside the room sat a middle-aged man with an impatient expression. He was Luo Bu, the leader of the Sand Mercenary Group.

"That Mo Xing is so slow and indecisive!"

Luo Bu frowned slightly and muttered to himself.

"Laugh!"

Just then, a whooshing sound came from outside the window, and Luo Bu felt a chill on his back. Without hesitation, he condensed an earth-yellow Douqi Armor.

Douqi Armor a technique that only Da Dou Shi can use, and its defensive power is even stronger than that of Douqi Gauze Robe.

Moreover, Luo Bu's Dou Qi attribute is earth, which is extremely good at defense. At this moment, his Douqi Armor appeared and immediately blocked the spear behind him.

"Hehe, it seems that even Da Dou Shi like Commander Luo Bu is hard to take down with such a sneak attack!"

Xiao Yuan drew his spear, and the terrifying force made Luo Bu stagger, but it did not hurt Luo Bu.

After all, Xiao Yuan is only a Five Star Dou Shi, while Luo Bu is already Four-Star Dou Grandmaster.

Who are you?!

Looking at Xiao Yuan, whose face was young but whose aura was quite powerful, Luo Bu asked with a gloomy face.

"The Desert Iron Mercenary Group's third leader is Xiao Yuan. As for Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, they are my two elder brothers."

Xiao Yuan said with a faint smile.

"Heh, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li are really foolish. You're just Dou Shi, yet you dare to come to my Sand Mercenary Group to die!"

Luo Bu had assumed that Xiao Yuan's rapid rise to the Dou Shi level at such a young age meant he was likely from a powerful family or organization. Upon hearing that Xiao Yuan was Xiao Ding and Xiao Li's younger brother, he breathed a sigh of relief and said with a cold smile.

"Wait a minute, tonight, the one who's going to die will definitely be you!"

Xiao Yuan smiled slightly, took a step with his feet using the Swimming Dragon Step, and poured the Dou Qi from his Platinum Qi Gathering Palace and Crimson Fire Qi Gathering Palace into his Black Water Qi Gathering Palaces. Xiao Yuan's aura immediately surged to the Peak Dou Master.

Sensing the surge in power emanating from Xiao Yuan, Luo Bu suddenly realized that his thinking was somewhat flawed. This kind of secret technique for enhancing strength was not something that ordinary people could possess!

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Yuan shouted in a deep voice and charged towards Luo Bu.

Seeing this, Luo Bu quickly took out his twin swords from his Storage Ring and met Xiao Yuan's attack.

However, the next moment, a tremendous force struck him, sending him flying backward, crashing through the door and falling into the courtyard.

In the courtyard, some Dou Zhe mercenaries were laughing and joking when they suddenly saw their leader fly out and immediately surrounded him.

Immediately afterward, a flash of cyan light appeared, and a silent, roaring lion surged forth, crashing into Luo Bu, who had just sat up. The shockwave sent the Dou Zhe flying backward, their fates hanging in the balance.

Blood seeped from the corner of Luo Bu's mouth as he stared at Xiao Yuan with a gloomy expression.

That attack just now was definitely some kind of Mysterious Rank Dou Techniques, and it wasn't low-level either.

Fortunately, his technique was based on the earth element, which provided him with strong defense, so he only suffered some minor injuries.

"Oh, so thick-skinned?"

Xiao Yuan was also somewhat surprised. The Furious Lion's Roar was, after all, a Profound Rank High Level Dou Technique, yet it hadn't seriously injured Luo Bu. Sure enough, his strength was still too weak.

That makes sense, since I didn't unleash all my Dou Qi just now, so it's normal that the damage wasn't high enough.

"Damn brat, I'll see today whether your secret technique ends first, or my Dou Qi runs out first!"

As Luo Bu spoke, he once again activated his Dou Qi, and the Douqi Armor on his body became even more solid and bright.

Xiao Yuan was speechless when he saw Luo Bu adopting a posture as if he wanted to shrink into a tortoise shell.

It must be said that this is indeed a good choice.

The method of infusing the Five Elements Qi Palace was a considerable burden for him.

However, a Four-Star Dou Grandmaster doesn't even qualify him to pour all his Dou Qi from four Qi Mansion Qi Mansion one! Seeing this, Xiao Yuan gripped his spear, and Wind Attribute Dou Qi began to gather and condense at the spear tip.

The azure light on the spear gradually intensified, with the Yin Yang Dual Flames also mixed in. The terrifyingly high temperature caused the stone slab beneath the spear to dry out and crack.

Luo Bu's pupils contracted upon seeing this; from that terrifying blue light, he smelled the scent of death.

In a flash, Xiao Yuan's figure appeared like a flying catkin, instantly appearing in front of Luo Bu. His black spear, wielding the aura of Azure Dragon Offering Claws, thrust straight out with an intense deathly aura.

"Bite!"

The spear tip struck the Douqi Armor, producing a clear, melodious sound.

Luo Bu was stunned as he stared at the completely undamaged Douqi Armor.

That's it?

However, just as the thought arose in his mind, the Wind Attribute Dou Qi, which had been condensed into a deep blue color, shot out as a thin line.

Whoosh! Luo Bu felt a sharp pain in his chest, and then his power dissipated like a tide. Black and white flames raged inside his body, and soon, the light in his eyes disappeared.

"Wow, this is so useful! I love Sister Yun to death!"

Xiao Yuan looked at Luo Bu, who had withdrawn his spear, and then at Luo Bu lying on the ground, and chuckled.

Then, he easily removed Luo Bu's Storage Ring.

The numerous members of the Sand Mercenary Group who had rushed over to inquire about the situation stared blankly at Luo Bu, who had died under Xiao Yuan's spear.

The commander is dead?

"Starting today, the Sand Mercenary Group is disbanded. Those of you who wish to join my Desert Iron Mercenary Group, please report to the Desert Iron Mercenary Group tomorrow. Those who do not wish to join can keep Luo Bu company. I don't think anyone would object, right?"

Seeing this, Xiao Yuan smiled and said.

"Damn it!" Upon hearing this, the surrounding mercenaries cursed inwardly.

Since you've said that, who would dare disagree?

"Very good, you made the right choice."

Xiao Yuan smiled, then shouldered his spear and swaggered out of the Sand Mercenary Group's encampment.

The crowd looked at each other, and after a moment, a chorus of helpless sighs rose and fell.

The next day.

Shi Mo City, under the blazing sun, the members of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group continued their meticulous and thorough search.

"Brother, Xiao Yuan really did kill Luo Bu."

Standing on a sand dune, Xiao Li glanced around before turning to Xiao Ding beside him.

A smile flickered in Xiao Ding's eyes as he said, "He didn't get back until late last night and is still sleeping in his tent. I've already sent Qing Lian to wake him up."

"I think Xiao Yuan treats Qing Lian well. What do you think of this kid?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Li's eyes darted around, and he smiled meaningfully.

"Second brother, as soon as I got out of bed, I heard you talking badly about me!"

Xiao Yuan's helpless voice rang out behind Xiao Ding and Xiao Li.

"Hehe, you're awake?"

Xiao Ding smiled gently and asked.

"Yeah, taking down a Da Dou Shi is still quite tiring."

Xiao Yuan nodded upon hearing this, then glanced around and immediately spotted Xiao Yan not far away, sitting cross-legged on the scorching sand under the blazing sun, slowly absorbing the rich Fire Attribute Energy of the surrounding world, letting sweat stream down his forehead like water, soaking his clothes.

"Tsk, is Xiao Yan cultivating again? I'll go cultivate for a while too. I'll leave things here to my eldest and second brothers!"

Seeing this, Xiao Yuan quickly went over and sat down, ready to cultivate, when he heard an excited shout, "Commander! The third squad seems to have discovered some traces of a passage!"

Xiao Yuan turned his head and saw a figure running quickly towards Xiao Ding and Xiao Li in the distance.

"You found it?"

Upon hearing the voice, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were both startled, then their faces lit up with joy. They exchanged a glance, then turned their gaze to the sand dune, where they saw Xiao Yan had also opened his eyes, his face showing surprise and delight.

"Let's go take a look!"

Xiao Yuan stood up, pulled Xiao Yan over, and asked the approaching figure, "Have you found the passage?"

"Hehe, it seems we've found a trace. Based on our experience, there's a high probability that it's a passage leading underground."

The mercenary who ran over grinned sheepishly.

"Good!"

Xiao Yan clapped his hands together and urged impatiently, "Come on, take me to see this!"

"Okay."

After jogging a few minutes to the north with the mercenaries, we saw a large crowd gathered in a slightly sunken sandy area, whispering among themselves.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

The mercenary leading the way shouted loudly to clear a path, and Xiao Yuan and his companions followed. A quick glance revealed to them a pleasant surprise: the mercenaries had dug out a hole about half a meter wide in the depression, from which faint steam rose.