Three Parties Join Forces

In the forest.

Barnard's iron hands weaved silver light like flowing silk, constantly intertwining to form a dense net of silver light that descended upon Luo Hao.

Within the tenfold gravity field, Luo Hao moved as swiftly as a flying bird. The broadsword in his hand carved strange arcs, tearing the incoming net of light into pieces.

Barnard's expression remained unchanged, showing no panic. He consistently maintained a distance from Luo Hao, continuously weaving the silver light together to form new nets of silver light, casting them towards Luo Hao.

The silver nets of light were unaffected by the tenfold gravity field, dancing gracefully within it. The nets torn by Luo Hao's broadsword re-entangled themselves as they flew, encircling Luo Hao.

At a glance, Luo Hao appeared to be in the center of a shattered spiderweb. As he swung his broadsword, the nets were torn but did not disappear.

Barnard maintained an appropriate distance from Luo Hao, casting more nets towards him, causing the nets around Luo Hao to become increasingly dense.

Barnard toyed with Luo Hao, handling him with ease, and even let out a cold chuckle from time to time. "Friend, why resist me? We only want two women. My men have already gone, and if nothing goes wrong, those two women should be captured by my men. You can't escape my 'Silver Silk Net' anyway. The outcome is already decided, so don't waste your strength."

"If anything happens to them, I swear I will slaughter everyone in your Tusk Mercenary Group!" Amidst the sky-filled nets of light, Luo Hao's expression turned ferocious, and he said in a deep voice, "I will dedicate the rest of my life to hunting down your Tusk Mercenary Group until I kill your very last member!"

Barnard's heart tightened. He took a deep breath and nodded, saying, "It seems I must kill you."

"Captain! Captain!" A startled cry came from afar. "Zhuo Ke is dead! He was poisoned just from a scratch on his arm!"

Barnard's face darkened, and he shouted, "Don't hold back! Kill those two quickly! Damn it! They actually used poison. After I die, dismember me and feed me to the Yao Beasts! I want them to have no intact corpse!"

Several mercenaries shouted in unison and attacked together, pursuing Zhao Xin and Hu Long through the forest.

Barnard hardened his heart and fully activated the "Silver Silk Net," enveloping Luo Hao's area, intending to fight Luo Hao to the death.

Suddenly, bolts of lightning, as thick as fingers, transformed into another large net and descended from the sky, covering Luo Hao from above.

Luo Hao's face changed drastically. As he swung his broadsword, he could not sever the new net of lightning.

There were about a dozen finger-thick bolts of lightning, flickering with a brilliant, strange light, coiling like nimble snakes.

Luo Hao was greatly alarmed. He hurriedly swung his broadsword, fully activating the Essence within his body. The broadsword suddenly shone with a brilliant white light, forming circular rings that surrounded him.

"Sizzle! Sizzle sizzle!"

The dozen or so finger-thick bolts of lightning coiled forward and collided with the white rings. Immediately, the sound of crackling electricity erupted from Luo Hao's body.

The rate at which Luo Hao's Essence was depleted suddenly increased severalfold!

Under the terrifying power of the lightning, his body's strength was rapidly being consumed, and his face slowly turned pale.

A sharp sword suddenly appeared above Luo Hao's head. The sword exuded a fierce killing intent and struck forcefully against the rings on Luo Hao's body.

"Boom!"

Luo Hao's body trembled violently. He spat out a mouthful of blood, staggered, and stumbled backward.

Barnard's "Silver Silk Net" seized the opportunity, wrapping around Luo Hao tightly, rendering him completely immobile.

"Pfft!"

The sharp sword pierced Luo Hao's body. The Nether Moon Envoy of "Dark Nether," wearing a pale mask, finally revealed himself.

Accompanying him was Mo Chao Ge of the Mo Family, who emerged from behind an ancient tree, with traces of lightning still flickering between his fingers.

"Pfft!" "Pfft!" "Pfft!"

The Nether Moon Envoy's eyes were sinister. The sword in his hand entered and exited Luo Hao's body three times in succession.

The gravity field slowly dissipated...

"Uncle Luo!"

Zhao Xin's eyes turned red as he wailed in grief.

Arrows rained down. Zhao Xin's body became a porcupine under the dense barrage of arrows, and he fell to the ground, dying unwillingly.

Arrows also flew towards Hu Long, but the aim seemed off, and they did not hit Hu Long. Instead, they blocked the members of the Tusk Mercenary Group who were pursuing him.

Hu Long seized the opportunity, his eyes bloodshot, and he fled desperately through the forest. "Uncle Luo is dead, Zhao Xin is dead. Only Miss Mu can avenge them. I must deliver the message to Miss Mu..."

"Chase!" The people from the Tusk Mercenary Group shouted, wanting to pursue, but found arrows descending from the sky, blocking their path.

The faces of the Tusk Mercenary Group members darkened. Realizing that someone did not want them to pursue Hu Long, they fiercely searched for the archers' tracks.

Figures wearing pale masks emerged from the forest. Mixed among them were some Martial Artists from the Mo Family, all holding crossbows with stern expressions.

"Why are you two helping me kill him?" Barnard frowned, looking at the Nether Star Envoy and Mo Chao Ge who had suddenly appeared. "I shouldn't know you two, should I? What do you want in exchange for helping me kill someone?"

"We are not helping you." The Nether Star Envoy stepped forward, casting a cold glance at him. "Luo Hao was already an enemy of our 'Dark Nether.' We have been hunting him. It is you who helped us."

Mo Chao Ge stood to the side, not rushing forward, but frowning and asking, "Envoy, you said this guy was the strongest Martial Artist protecting that kid. Since he's dead now, do we still need to waste our time?"

"Mm." The Nether Star Envoy nodded. "Don't rush. I've left 'Dark Moon Incense' on Hu Long. I intentionally let my men let him go because I want him to lead us. We will follow the 'Dark Moon Incense' later, and we will surely find the person we need."

"Good." Mo Chao Ge smiled slightly. "We are not far from our Merchant Alliance. After we finish our business, would you be interested in visiting our Mo Family? We can discuss the details of our cooperation."

"No problem." The Nether Moon Envoy nodded.

In just a few days, this Nether Moon Envoy of "Dark Nether" and Mo Chao Ge had actually colluded and secretly reached a secret agreement.

"Why did you kill this person?" Barnard beckoned, and the members of the Tusk Mercenary Group gathered around him.

"For a young girl and a very skinny kid." Mo Chao Ge smiled. "I've heard of the Tusk Mercenary Group's great reputation. Seeing you today, you truly live up to your name. I am Mo Chao Ge of the Mo Family of the Merchant Alliance. I wonder if the Captain is interested in doing some business with our Mo Family?"

"What kind of business?" Barnard frowned.

"Of course, it's a profitable business! Heh heh, if you're interested, we can discuss it in detail. I guarantee you'll be satisfied," Mo Chao Ge chuckled.

"Let's not talk about that for now," Barnard mused for a moment. "If nothing unexpected happened, my men should have captured the people you want. You want that girl and the kid, and we can't be working for nothing. That hot-bodied female mercenary goes to our Tusk Mercenary Group, how about it?"

Barnard could tell the other party was no saint. Both "Dark Nether" and the Mo Family of the Merchant Alliance were powerful entities.

The Nether Moon Envoy and Mo Chao Ge leading this operation were both at the Hundred Tribulations realm, their cultivation not below his. They had also reached a private understanding. After weighing the situation, Barnard knew his own strength was no match for the combined forces of these two parties, so he had to compromise.

Mo Chao Ge didn't reply, instead looking towards the Nether Moon Envoy of "Dark Nether."

A flicker flashed in the Nether Moon Envoy's cold eyes, and he slowly nodded, "No problem."

"Alright then, let's go retrieve the people." Seeing his agreement, Barnard breathed a sigh of relief. He had just witnessed the ruthlessness of these two and didn't want to risk his life against them.

Mu Yu Die squatted down, carefully bandaging Shi Yan's wound.

With a grim expression, Shi Yan sat cross-legged on the ground without a word, meticulously examining the changes in the wound on his shoulder and the purification of Tu Mu's essence within his acupoints. He was completely focused, not even glancing at Mu Yu Die.

This guy is sometimes incredibly lecherous, and other times more upright than a gentleman. He's such a strange person...

Mu Yu Die secretly wondered. Usually, when Shi Yan looked at her, his gaze was unrestrained and completely unconcealed.

Now, she was so close to him that they could smell each other's scents, yet Shi Yan's eyes were fixed straight ahead, not showing the slightest hint of impropriety. This perplexed her.

Mu Yu Die felt confused, unable to quite figure out what kind of person Shi Yan truly was.

Shi Yan squinted slightly, his mind immersed in his internal body.

The cells around his shoulder wound were extremely active. Even without him doing anything, he could feel the wound slowly recovering under the effect of his Undying Martial Soul.

The essence from Tu Mu was being purified within his acupoints, and strange negative emotions were secretly brewing...

After using Berserk, his limbs felt weak and incredibly sore. His strength seemed unable to be summoned for a short period. This familiar after-effect made him feel uncomfortable all over, yet he was helpless.

Not far away, Di Ya Lan, after resting for a while and recovering her senses, began searching Tu Mu's body.

A minute later, Di Ya Lan walked over to Mu Yu Die and Shi Yan, holding a small bag. "This guy had some food on him, some materials from Yao Beasts, and three 'Star Thunders.' We can't use the Yao Beast materials, but these 'Star Thunders' are extremely vicious."

"Star Thunders?" Shi Yan's eyes suddenly regained their luster. He stared at the fist-sized, greenish iron lump and asked with interest, "What are they used for?"

"As long as this thing is shaken, it will suddenly explode, scattering star-like fragments in all directions. Those fragments are incredibly sharp and possess immense impact force. They can even pierce the essence shield summoned by a Human Position realm Martial Artist. It's a very vicious secret treasure. These things are quite valuable; just these three are worth at least four to five thousand black crystal coins!" Di Ya Lan explained.

"Indeed, vicious enough! Give them to me." Shi Yan reached out, naturally demanding them from Di Ya Lan.

Thump! Thump-thump! Heavy footsteps suddenly echoed.

Di Ya Lan's expression changed, and she held her short sword vigilantly.

Shi Yan roughly pushed Mu Yu Die aside, let out a cold snort, and also stood up abruptly, holding his dagger, his expression chillingly fixed in the direction of the approaching footsteps.

Hu Long, his chest bleeding profusely, his eyes bloodshot, stumbled forward.

Upon seeing Di Ya Lan, Hu Long suddenly burst into tears, choking out, "Uncle Luo and Zhao Xin are dead! Miss Mu, they died horribly! You must avenge them!"