Life and Death Are Up to Fate

Chapter 42: Life and Death, Each to Their Own Destiny

Li Dingguo held the reins gently in one hand and his spear in the other, experiencing the sensation of riding a Spirit Beast Warhorse at full gallop for the first time.

He had to admit, it felt incredible.

With a large number of regular horses following behind, the Spirit Beast Warhorse couldn't reach its true speed, leaving him feeling a bit unsatisfied.

Ever since entering the rugged mountain paths here, the horses' speed had been slowing down. As the terrain became more complex, their pace eventually became about the same as walking.

This kind of road condition wouldn't be a problem for the Spirit Beast Warhorses. Their hard hooves and agile reactions meant they wouldn't be injured by the poor road surface.

But don't forget, the vast majority of this team were ordinary horses, and they were also pulling over a dozen carriages. Naturally, they had to prioritize the horses' endurance.

Seeing the mountain range ahead already visible in the distance, it still took nearly half an hour for the team to slowly make their way to the front of a small, mound-shaped mountain.

"Whoa..."

As Zhang Xianzhong, who was at the very front, called a halt to his Spirit Beast Warhorse, the team finally stopped in an open grassy area.

"We're here!"

"Everyone dismount!"

"Logistics soldiers, immediately set up a temporary camp and arrange personnel for security!"...

Zhang Xianzhong dismounted with a leap and shouted loudly, issuing a string of commands.

The three close aides who had just jumped off their Spirit Beast Warhorses behind him immediately began to act, directing the logistics soldiers who had arrived with the carriages, splitting up to work busily.

The main task of this temporary camp was to guard various supplies and to stay here to look after the horses.

The wilderness was not peaceful. If they were unlucky, danger could occur at any time.

If they encountered those bloodthirsty Demons and Monsters, a moment of carelessness could lead to the complete annihilation of these logistics soldiers!

"Ai Nengqi, Li Dingguo, Liu Wenxiu, Zhang Huier, you four, immediately lead your respective small teams and follow me up the mountain!"

Zhang Xianzhong then shouted to these young soldiers, "Everyone needs to hurry and complete the mission. We must return to Dingbian County town by this evening."

This was because daylight hours were limited, and the danger in the wilderness at night would greatly increase.

Unless it was a large, organized army that could form a towering Blood Fiend Qi, providing sufficient deterrence against those Demons and Monsters, in this world, it was best not to stay overnight in the wilderness unless absolutely necessary.

This was a truth that the people of this world had truly understood only after paying countless costs.

And now, more than an hour had passed since they set off this morning.

So, they had to hurry and not waste time.

"Yes!"...

The young Martial Artists who had just dismounted and gathered, each shouted their acceptance of the order.

A moment later, having made their preparations, they followed behind the four captains, including Li Dingguo, forming four vertical small teams. Led by the fully armed Zhang Xianzhong, they began to ascend the mountain.

"You must remember, when surviving in the wilderness, while staying as vigilant as possible, you must not make loud noises."

"Especially in places where Demons and Monsters are entrenched, a little carelessness, or bad luck, can easily startle them."

Zhang Xianzhong explained his experience to these young people as he led the team forward, "This time, the target is only some low-level Demonic Beasts, which is a bit better."

"If there are Ghosts hidden among them, and you haven't made the necessary preparations, you won't even have time to react before you are inexplicably hit. Even for Martial Artists of the same cultivation level, the possibility of falling is over fifty percent!"

"Our best trump card against Demons and Monsters is our own Qi and Blood Power."

"The stronger the Qi and Blood Power, the greater the killing power against Demons and Monsters when using corresponding moves."

"If you become Qi Refining Realm experts in the future, circulating the True Qi within your body and merging it with your own Vitality and Blood will allow you to form Protective True Qi. Only then will you have the basic guarantee for survival in the wilderness."

"Any military formation, to exert its true power, can only fully utilize its might when a Qi Refining Realm expert or a legendary Spirit Refining Realm expert presides over the formation."

"Only by the person in charge of the formation using their entire body's energy to activate the Blood Fiend Qi of the formation can they directly confront and even kill those high-level Demons and Monsters."

"The stronger the Blood Fiend Qi unleashed by the military formation, the greater the killing power against Demons and Monsters, and it can even allow you to kill enemies of a higher level!"

Zhang Xianzhong continued, "Among you, whoever has cultivated those two unconventional military scout essential techniques: Stealth Technique and Breath Concealment Technique, it is best to activate them to reduce your presence in the wilderness. This can deceive the keen senses of Demons and Monsters."

"Especially when assassinating Demons and Monsters alone, they will play a significant role."

As his voice fell, the faces of all sixteen genius Martial Artist youths, including Li Dingguo and Ai Nengqi, changed. They quickly activated one or both of these two unconventional techniques they had cultivated, fully concealing their aura.

It seemed that these sixteen genius youths, without exception, had already gotten started with these two techniques, and had even achieved some level of cultivation.

They were not foolish; on the contrary, each one was very intelligent.

After Zhang Xianzhong's specific instructions, and becoming Martial Artists, they naturally went to cultivate these two life-saving techniques without needing to be urged.

The world is vast, but life is the most important thing.

"In this dirt mound, lives a group of Level 1 Demonic Beasts: Iron Tusk Pigs."

Zhang Xianzhong continued to explain, "Unlike ordinary wild boars, Iron Tusk Pigs are not only thick-skinned and tough, with extremely strong physical defense, but they also have a mouth full of sharp teeth, even sharper than those of an ordinary tiger."

"Once they bite down with their large mouths, not only will your current bodies be unable to withstand it, but even ordinary weapons can be bitten through in one go!"

"Coupled with the thick pigskin on the surface of their bodies, which is as tough as iron armor and provides strong defense, ordinary arrows can't even penetrate it!"

"In combat, Martial Artists of the same level can only cause damage to them by infusing their Qi and Blood Power into the sharp weapons in their hands!"

"Of course, Spirit Weapons are an exception. Even a Low-Grade Spirit Weapon can bypass the defenses of these low-level Demonic Beasts."

"If you use a Spirit Weapon and channel your Qi and Blood Power into it, finding the right opportunity, you can completely kill them in one blow."

"Even Level 1 Demonic Beasts have varying strengths."

"For example, if you encounter a peak Level 1 Iron Tusk Pig, with your current cultivation and without having trained in skilled battle formations, it's best to just run for your life."

"Among Demonic Beasts of the same level, each small increase in level doubles their physique and Vitality and Blood, making them ridiculously stronger than even the most talented human Martial Artists."

"Therefore, in a one-on-one fight, it's difficult for an ordinary Martial Artist to be a match for a Demonic Beast of the same realm."

"According to my initial scouting, there are over twenty Iron Tusk Pigs living here."

"Among them, there is one late Level 1 Demonic Beast leader, four mid Level 1 Demonic Beasts, and the rest are all early Level 1 Demonic Beasts."

"Your practical training mission this time is to kill all of them, no matter what methods you use!"

"You can have half of the spoils!"

Zhang Xianzhong chuckled slightly as he said this, "I'm sure you haven't eaten Demonic Beast meat before, right?"

"To be honest with you little guys, Demonic Beast meat is not only delicious, much tastier than ordinary wild animal meat of the same kind, but its auxiliary effect on a Martial Artist's cultivation can be compared to Spirit Rice Meals of the same level!"

"Alright, if you want to eat meat today, then go engage in a real life-and-death struggle!"

"If you win, you get to eat Demonic Beast meat. If you lose, you get eaten by the Demonic Beasts. You have no other choice!"

Having said that, he immediately stopped and moved aside, clearing the path up the mountain. "This is your battle, little guys. I won't participate. Even if you face a life-or-death crisis, I won't intervene!"

"If you can survive, you will be a true member of our Rebel Army!"

"If you die, you just die in vain!"

He waved his hand. "From now on, it's up to yourselves. No one can help you. You can only rely on yourselves. Life and death are determined by fate!"

Li Dingguo and the others felt their hearts tighten upon hearing this. They quickly composed themselves and raised their guard.

Then, led by the four squad leaders, and with each squad ready for battle, under Zhang Xianzhong's watchful eyes, they quickly disappeared into the messy trees and weeds