Patrol Team

The Patrol Team had been racing through the southwestern region of the Myriad Ravine Ancient Plain for several months. That day, Golden Feather, who was scouting ahead, suddenly sent back a warning: "Three thousand li ahead, in the direction of Black Wind Valley, a large group of fierce beasts has gathered. There may be a True Immortal Level fierce beast among them."

A sharp gleam flashed in Shi Yue's eyes. "Black Wind Valley... is that Black Wind Weasel's old nest? Send the order. The entire team accelerates. We must wipe it out before it damages the Earth Veins!"

"Yes!"

The entire team instantly entered combat mode, their speed suddenly increasing. Lin Yan and the other two also sharpened their focus and closely followed the team.

Before long, they arrived above Black Wind Valley. Looking down, they saw a deep, shadowy valley where chilling winds howled, whipping pitch-black Malevolent Qi through the gorge.

At the center of the valley, a Spirit Spring was steadily pouring out pale blue Spirit Qi. However, dozens of bizarrely shaped fierce beasts had already surrounded the springhead.

A fierce beast shaped like a giant marten, with ragged flesh wings on its back and ghostly green Soul Fire flickering in its eyes, lay above the springhead. It was injecting its Fierce Sha Qi into the spring, attempting to contaminate the Earth Veins beneath the Spirit Spring.

"It really is the Black Wind Weasel! That beast is contaminating the Earth Veins." Vice Captain Yan Feng snorted coldly. "Captain, do we kill it?"

Shi Yue's expression was grim. "It dared to contaminate the Earth Veins. We cannot let it live. Yan Feng, lead the others in a frontal assault and draw the fierce beasts' attention. Golden Feather, Lei Zhen, circle around from the high air and the ground on both flanks. Cut off their escape routes. Qing Luo, set up the Wood Locking Sha Formation. Contain the spread of Malevolent Qi and stabilize the Earth Veins. Shui Ling, protect Qing Luo and be ready to support her at any time. Everyone else, attack with me."

"Understood!" everyone answered thunderously, instantly scattering.

Lin Yan's heart tightened. Shi Yue was merely the captain of a small Patrol Team, yet his commands were crisp and decisive. He was clearly battle-hardened.

It was Lin Yan's first time taking part in a group battle of this scale. He did not dare let his guard down, and together with Mo Xuan and Ao Ye, he closely followed behind Shi Yue and Yan Feng, ready to charge at any moment.

The battle erupted in an instant.

Yan Feng let out a furious roar, and his body rapidly expanded into a crimson giant tiger dozens of zhang long. Blazing Golden Flames burned across his body as he pounced at the Black Wind Weasel first. Amid his tiger roar, soundwaves and flames merged, sweeping away all the chilling wind and Malevolent Qi along his path.

Shi Yue also roared, his body instantly growing to a hundred zhang tall. His skin completely transformed into blue-gray rock. He pounded his fists against his chest, producing the sound of clashing metal. Then he strode forward, charging after Yan Feng.

Golden Feather beat his wings and transformed into a streak of golden light, sweeping over the battlefield. His razor-sharp wings sliced several flying fierce beasts attempting to take off cleanly in half. Lei Zhen bellowed, lowered his head, and charged violently. Lightning coiled around his horn as he crashed into the fierce beast group like a heavy war chariot. Wherever he passed, the fierce beasts suffered shattered tendons and broken bones.

Qing Luo formed hand seals, and countless emerald vines spread out beneath her feet. Their roots quickly plunged into the earth, forming a simple formation that covered half the valley. Green light flickered as it continuously purified the leaking Malevolent Qi. Shui Ling manifested the phantom of a massive Xuangui, firmly protecting Qing Luo at the center. No matter how the fierce beasts attacked, he remained unmoving.

The entire Patrol Team was like a precise war machine, instantly unleashing astonishing combat power. Though the fierce beast group had the advantage in numbers, it quickly collapsed beneath such efficient three-dimensional strikes.

Lin Yan and the other two were not idle either. Mo Xuan and Ao Ye had long been unable to restrain themselves. Seeing Shi Yue battling the Black Wind Weasel, they immediately rushed forward to help.

Mo Xuan used Qilin Steps on Heaven, specifically stomping on the fierce beast's joints and other vulnerable points. Ao Ye swept with his dragon tail and tore with his dragon claws. Together with Shi Yue's frontal assault, they quickly beat the Black Wind Weasel back again and again, leaving it in a miserable state.

Lin Yan did not join the battle immediately. Instead, he first sank his consciousness into the Mini Ecology Simulator.

The simulator instantly displayed Black Wind Valley's terrain, energy flow, and distribution of Living Beings in a three-dimensional image. He keenly noticed that apart from the fierce beasts on the surface, several more were hidden deep underground within concealed passages.

"Captain Shi Yue! Underground, in the southeast and northwest directions, roughly a hundred zhang deep, there are escape tunnels or an ambush!" Lin Yan immediately transmitted his voice to Shi Yue through Divine Sense as he fought fiercely.

Hearing this, Shi Yue smashed apart a mass of Malevolent Qi with one punch and glanced at Lin Yan. A hint of surprise and doubt flashed in his eyes, but out of basic trust in someone brought by Mo Xuan, he still shouted, "Chuan Shan, go underground and take a look. Watch for an ambush."

Chuan Shan did not hesitate after receiving the order. With a whoosh, he burrowed into the ground. Lin Yan followed close behind, using the Earth Escape Technique to head toward the fierce beasts' location shown by the simulator.

A series of muffled impacts and roars soon came from underground. Sure enough, three Heavenly Immortal Level fierce beasts concealed below were preparing to launch a sneak attack on the group. Had Lin Yan not warned them in advance, an attack from underground could easily have caused unnecessary casualties.

With Chuan Shan, Lin Yan, and the others holding back the fierce beasts underground, their ambush plan was forcibly interrupted.

Above ground, the battle was also nearing its end. Under the powerful blows of Shi Yue, Mo Xuan, and Ao Ye, the True Immortal Black Wind Weasel was surrounded and killed before it even had a chance to flee. Once the Black Wind Weasel died, the remaining fierce beasts scattered like birds and beasts, only to be hunted down and exterminated by the Patrol Team.

Underground, Chuan Shan and Lin Yan worked in perfect coordination. They forced several fierce beasts up to the surface, where Shi Yue and the others quickly surrounded and beat them to death.

A splendid annihilation battle came to a successful end.

After the battle, the valley was a complete mess. Fierce beast corpses lay everywhere, while leaking Malevolent Qi drifted through the air. The ground and surrounding mountains were pockmarked by various divine abilities. The springhead, which had once continuously gushed Spirit Qi, had collapsed under the battle's aftershocks and become thick with Death Aura.

The team members began expertly cleaning up the battlefield, collecting valuable fierce beast materials such as hides, claws, and special organs. Fierce beast bodies were not entirely useless either. Some parts could be used as materials for alchemy and artifact refinement, while others served as special cultivation resources for certain races. Lin Yan also collected some and tossed them all into the Primal Chaos Plate for conversion and absorption.

Vice Captain Yan Feng looked at the fierce beast corpses covering the ground and threw back his head in laughter. "That felt good! The Black Wind Weasel had been nestled here for years, and we finally killed it today. It's just a pity that this Spirit Spring was ruined too."

Shi Yue wiped the filthy blood from his fist and gave a simple, good-natured grin. "So what if it's ruined? It's only a Spirit Spring. We cleared out the fierce beasts. The spring will regenerate someday."

The other team members nodded as well, clearly accustomed to this. In war, how could they possibly account for everything? Besides, trading a little environmental damage for the merit of eliminating fierce beasts was an extremely worthwhile deal.

Lin Yan looked at the collapsed springhead, the chaotic earth energy in the valley, and the lingering Malevolent Qi, his brows slightly furrowed. He walked to the springhead and placed his hand on the ground, sensing the faint mournful cry of the Earth Veins here.

Fierce beasts destroyed the environment by instinct, but these Spirit Beasts were sometimes no less destructive than fierce beasts. Though they would not deliberately destroy the environment, they rarely made any conscious effort to improve it either.

Lin Yan released the Primal Chaos Plate and suspended it above the ruined springhead. It began to rotate slowly, continuously absorbing the Malevolent Qi remaining in the valley.

At the same time, he mobilized the Law of Earth and the Earth Vein Resonance divine ability, beginning to regulate the Earth Veins clogged by Malevolent Qi.

Slowly, the lingering Fierce Sha Qi in the valley, especially that which had seeped underground, was drawn out strand by strand. Meanwhile, the Earth Vein Nodes below that had been broken or blocked were reconnected or cleared. The valley's life force recovered at a visible pace.