An Unexpected Visitor

Compared to Yao Yan, who had relied on his invincible physical strength to kill the leader with a single punch, the battle among these mercenaries of the same rank was far more brutal. Brilliant and varied Dou Skills flashed out from time to time, creating visuals no worse than a 3D movie theater experience.

It was just a pity Shennong City did not sell sunflower seeds. Otherwise, having a handful in hand to crack right now would have been perfect.

Yao Yan watched the battle leisurely, letting out occasional remarks of surprise. These mercenaries who had spent years roaming the Shennong Mountain Range were actually not weak. Their skills and movements were decent, especially their combat experience. Every one of them was a veteran accustomed to fighting for their lives. If they lived somewhere like the Black-Corner Region, they would probably do quite well.

Unfortunately, the Shennong Mountain Range was not a place one could leave whenever one wished. The two locations were separated by a Space Wormhole.

Those with insufficient strength did not even qualify to ride a Space Ship.

A place rich in resources was not necessarily easy to survive in. On the contrary, the richer the resources, the more fiercely they were monopolized by the strong, and the harder life became for those at the bottom. Especially for people with little talent, they could only rely on luck and risk their lives.

"Prairie Fire!"

The burly one-armed man erupted. With an angry roar, Dou Qi surged from his body without restraint. Like a Flame War God, he leaped into the air and smashed heavily into the ground.

"Boom!"

As the ground at the center split apart, several waves of powerful flames spread outward in rings of energy, directly forcing back the people encircling them.

Taking this opportunity.

The effeminate man gripped a Long Sword, his face pale as he unleashed his ultimate move, "Mystic Rank Middle-Grade Skill - Poison Dragon Awl." The Long Sword in his hand shot out like a phantom, wrapped in powerful Dou Qi. The instant he thrust out his sword, it transformed into several nearly solid purple giant snakes that lunged at a Two-Star Dou Spirit.

The Two-Star Dou Spirit was naturally no match for him and was forced back by a single move, opening a gap in the encirclement.

Seizing the chance, the effeminate man charged out without looking back.

As for his teammates, he naturally had no time to care about them.

Besides, they had only teamed up for profit. They were not companions who entrusted their lives to one another, much less family. There was no such thing as psychological pressure.

"Get back!"

Vulture flashed forward and blocked the effeminate man's path, then sent him flying back with a single punch. He had been on guard the entire time. He would not let a single one of these people escape. Such a good opportunity might never come again. If he was going to eat, he would eat his fill. In their current state, these people could not hold out for long.

The burly one-armed man caught the effeminate man and glared at his opponent. He growled, "Vulture, don't go too far!"

"I'm going too far precisely because it's you."

Vulture snorted coldly, utterly unconcerned with their dying struggle.

"Then before I die, I'll drag a few of you down with me!"

The burly one-armed man seemed to have been completely enraged. His eyes turned bloodshot as he took out a dark red pill from his Storage Ring and swallowed it without hesitation. Instantly, the Dou Qi throughout his body surged. His Fire Attribute Dou Qi was directly Tainted with a layer of blood-red color, while faint signs of Dou Qi Transformation Wings appeared behind him. His aura soared.

"A Grade Four Blood Burning Pill?!"

Vulture's expression changed slightly when he saw this. Then he gritted his teeth, circulated his Dou Qi to its limit, and said coldly, "Trying to break out with a pill? I'd like to see how much Blood Qi you have left to burn!"

A Grade Four Blood Burning Pill could burn the Blood Qi within one's body to enhance one's Dou Qi, causing one's strength to soar for a short period. However, the backlash was enormous. One would either die or be crippled. Even if one survived by luck, their strength would fall by an entire level, and their body would be left with hidden injuries that were difficult to heal.

This was clearly a desperate measure.

The two swiftly clashed. Relying on his uninjured condition and the strength of a Nine-Star Peak Dou Spirit, Vulture forcibly held the burly man back.

"Rock Burst!"

Vulture stomped fiercely. Two sharp rocks instantly erupted from the surrounding ground and stabbed toward the other man's waist, trying to force him back.

In response.

The burly one-armed man ignored them completely, allowing the two sharp rocks to pierce his body. He tightly grabbed Vulture's arm with one hand, revealing a cruel, crazed smile. "Die!"

"You?!"

Vulture sensed something was wrong and tried to pull away, but it was clearly too late.

The burly one-armed man's Dou Qi began to turn into blood-red flames. They spread along his arm and ignited Vulture's body. The flames instantly engulfed both men. Vulture let out a miserable scream that echoed through the sky. However, he was no weakling. He quickly circulated the Dou Qi within his body to cover himself, using it to resist the corrosion of the Blood Flame.

Yet in that brief instant, large patches of skin on his body had already been badly burned, leaving him in a miserable state.

The Blood Flame the other man had unleashed was clearly an extremely tyrannical Dou Skill.

"Damn bastard!"

Vulture cursed through clenched teeth. He then unleashed the Mystic Rank Dou Skill, Rock Burst, once more, controlling the rocks embedded in the other man's body to expand. In an instant, they pierced straight through his body. Then, with his burly, broken corpse skewered upon them, the rocks shot into the sky, allowing Vulture to finally break free from his entanglement.

Looking at the burly man he had dealt with, Vulture turned a vicious gaze toward the others and growled, "Be careful, everyone. Drag them to death!"

With the burly man slain, the outcome of this battle had already been decided.

Seeing this, Yao Yan muttered softly, "Looks like it's about to end. There really aren't many people in Shennong City who dare to ambush and kill me."

In a city with nearly a million residents, fewer than twenty people had dared to target him. He had thought the Yao Clan's name was losing its weight, but now it seemed that the Yao Clan's name was still quite intimidating. At the very least, those experts above the Dou Wang level knew better. Only mercenaries like these dared to take such risks and gamble with their lives.

The more people knew, the more cowardly they became. Those who knew little about the Yao Clan were instead boundlessly bold.

Yao Yan believed these mercenaries did not know what the Yao Clan truly represented.

Just as he was planning to clean up the aftermath, an unexpected change occurred. A figure flashed out from the distant forest, moving as quickly as if teleporting. Their attacks were exceptionally vicious, every strike fatal. In only a few breaths, everyone present was slaughtered.

Once the figure came to a stop, Yao Yan saw them clearly.

The newcomer seemed worried about being recognized and had deliberately draped themselves in a cloak that concealed both their figure and face.

Looking at the person.

Yao Yan narrowed his eyes, pondered briefly, then said, "Yao Nong, what is his strength?"

He believed Yao Nong had been by his side all along.

Almost the instant his words fell, a Familiar Voice sounded beside his ear. "Three-Star Dou Huang."

"Eep?!"

Ling Er naturally sensed Yao Nong's presence as well. She immediately lifted her head, her large ears standing high as her lively eyes searched all around, seemingly eager to know where Yao Nong was hiding.

Yao Yan stroked Ling Er's little head, took out a bottle of Flora Essence from his Storage Ring, and tucked it into her arms. He soothed her, "Don't be afraid. Be good and wait for me to come back."

After saying that, he set Ling Er on a tree branch, leaped down, and landed lightly on the ground before his figure vanished.

The next moment.

"Boom!"

The ground suddenly caved in as a shockwave-like blast of air spread outward.

Ling Er blinked. In her view, Yao Yan had already charged toward that person, and within several breaths, the two figures collided.