The squad captain saw only a flash of the blade. It was like night suddenly giving way to day; a glimmer of light flashed before his eyes, and he stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded.
Li Xingluo turned and left without sparing the squad captain another glance. Behind him came only the sound of a body hitting the ground with a thud.
Xiao Yi Xian followed the Herb Gathering Group back to Green Mountain Town. Every so often, she looked back toward the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Though they had known each other only briefly, her friends had shown her a kind of care she had never received in all these years.
"Xiao Yi Xian, hurry up!"
A member of the Herb Gathering Group waved for her to catch up.
"Mm!" With that simple reply, Xiao Yi Xian turned away reluctantly, silently praying in her heart: You have to be all right!
At the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's temporary camp in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Mu Li stared at the dozen or so corpses lying on the ground, his fury surging in an instant.
"Li Xingluo, once I catch you, I'll make you wish you were dead!"
Mu Li threw his head back and roared like a madman. The mercenaries around him hardly dared to breathe.
Mu Li grabbed the mercenary beside him, anger flooding his face.
"Pass the word down. The mercenary group is suspending all activities. You have only one task: bring me Li Xingluo at any cost, dead or alive!"
After speaking, Mu Li shoved away the messenger and turned to enter the main tent.
The Wolf Head Mercenary Group's headquarters in Green Mountain Town received a request for reinforcements from Mu Li, far away in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
After reading the plea for help, Mu She tore it to shreds. As one of Green Mountain Town's three great mercenary groups, they absolutely could not allow something like this to happen.
"Someone!"
"Captain!"
"Send word to the second and third captains at once. Have them take men and hunt down Li Xingluo."
"Yes!"
Mu She's fists clenched with a creak, as though every joint swelled with power. His eyes were full of murderous intent, as cold as the thought of tearing someone apart and sleeping on their skin.
In the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Li Xingluo had originally planned to find a way out, but he hadn't expected to find Wolf Head Mercenary Group patrols everywhere. The paths down the mountain were guarded at every turn.
After his whereabouts were discovered, Li Xingluo took out another squad. The warning flare was already rising into the sky when he turned back and saw that one of them had been playing dead.
Without a word, Li Xingluo sent him another slash. But his whereabouts had now been exposed.
Mu Li spotted the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's distinctive warning signal in the sky and was overjoyed. They hadn't seen any trace of Li Xingluo for days, but now they finally had his location.
Mu Li waved his hand, and the mercenaries beside him raced toward the warning flare.
The other patrols converged on the area at the same time.
Li Xingluo didn't dare stop. He ran as fast as he could, hoping to get away from there quickly.
He hadn't run far when the trees ahead began to sway. Someone was coming. He instinctively turned to flee in another direction, only to spot figures moving through the trees there as well.
The only direction where nothing stirred was to the right. Without a second thought, Li Xingluo ran that way.
As he ran, a sheer cliff cut off his path. By the time he turned to leave, it was already too late.
Figures shifted among the trees. Before long, dozens of people caught up from behind. Li Xingluo glanced at the cliff behind him. Clouds and mist swirled below, hiding the bottom completely.
The crowd parted of its own accord, and Mu Li slowly strode out with the air of a leader.
He held the saber hanging at his waist, an unrestrained grin creeping across his lips.
Knowing he had nowhere left to run, Li Xingluo simply stopped trying. He drew his blade, ready to fight to the death.
Mu Li wasn't in a hurry to attack. In his eyes, Li Xingluo couldn't escape today.
"Boy, my mercenary group treated you well. Why did you betray us?"
Li Xingluo remained calm and composed, not panicking just because Mu Li had brought a crowd with him.
"What betrayal? I never swore allegiance to you. And if you took someone else's money, you should have done what you were paid to do. But what did you do? You robbed and murdered people, and seized their belongings."
Mu Li burst into laughter, looking at him as if he were a blank sheet of paper, as though he knew nothing about the world.
"Boy, this world has always been the law of the jungle. Besides, they were the ones who wronged us first this time, yet you killed your companions to save them. And you still expect to walk away unscathed? You think my Wolf Head Mercenary Group is a place anyone can come and go as they please?"
Something didn't feel right. Wasn't this the pot calling the kettle black? It seemed someone had spread rumors, but Li Xingluo knew that even without anyone stirring things up, these people's greed and lack of principles wouldn't change.
"So what? You think you can catch me? Or do you think you can beat me?"
Li Xingluo looked at Mu Li with disdain. Sure enough, just one glance was enough to turn Mu Li's smugness to fury.
"Let's see if you're still not on your knees begging me in a moment."
Mu Li waved his hand. More than twenty archers drew their bows and aimed at Li Xingluo.
At Mu Li's command, arrows rained down on Li Xingluo. He swung his blade to deflect them. Many arrows fell into the cliff, while a scattering of broken shafts remained before him.
"Keep shooting!" Mu Li was furious to see Li Xingluo fend off wave after wave of arrows.
Several more volleys flew. Li Xingluo realized that if this continued, he would surely end up looking like a pincushion.
He snatched up an arrow and channeled Dou Qi into it, aiming straight at Mu Li. Mu Li saw that Li Xingluo was running out of strength and secretly rejoiced.
But an arrow suddenly shot toward him. Mu Li was startled, but reacted quickly enough to dodge sideways. It left a gash across his cheek.
Mu Li touched his face and saw the blood on his hand. He grew even angrier.
"Get him! Chop him to pieces!"
Mu Li pointed at Li Xingluo and gave the order. The mercenaries charged at Li Xingluo with their blades raised.
Li Xingluo's expression didn't change. He lightly shook his blade and met the attackers head-on.
With one downward slash, he sent the mercenary at the front screaming. The man's entire arm was severed, his twisted face terrifying to behold.
The other mercenaries didn't stop attacking when their comrade fell. Li Xingluo swung his blade again and again in the midst of the crowd.
Every block, every swing brought someone down. In just a moment, more than a dozen corpses lay on the cliff, while several others lay injured on the ground, wailing. It was a spectacular sight.
Li Xingluo was now drenched in blood. He couldn't tell whether the blood on him was his own or that of the mercenaries surrounding him.
Only his unyielding eyes remained fixed on Mu Li. Mu Li swallowed, sensing a chill in Li Xingluo's gaze.
"Shoot! Shoot him dead!"
The archers behind him drew their bows again. They had never seen anything like this before: one man standing after fighting dozens.
A faint curve touched Li Xingluo's lips. He knew he had no chance.
"Wolf Head Mercenary Group, I'll remember this. If I, Li Xingluo, survive, I'll repay this grudge a hundredfold!"
With that, Li Xingluo turned and lunged toward the cliff, leaping off without hesitation.
His words echoed through the air for a long time, refusing to fade. Mu Li hurried to the edge and peered down. The bottom was nowhere in sight, hidden by clouds and mist. Li Xingluo had already vanished into the valley.
At the sight, Mu Li couldn't help grinning. He took Li Xingluo's last words as nothing more than a final declaration before death.
Before you continue