Target Appears

"Boss, why haven't we found the target yet?"

Half an hour later, the rather carefree Tang Guangqiang walked up to Li Dingguo in frustration and complained, "We've searched the entire area below the mountainside throughout this range. Aside from all kinds of large and small wild animals, there hasn't been even a trace of the target!"

"Could they have already left this mountain range?"

It was not that Tang Guangqiang lacked patience; he was mainly just anxious.

"Aqiang, don't speak!"

Having just led everyone out of a dense forest, Li Dingguo seemed to have detected some movement. He hurriedly waved him silent.

"Stay here and await orders. Wait for me—I'll be right back!"

After waving to the people behind him and giving them instructions, Li Dingguo gripped his spirit weapon spear in one hand, bent low, and slipped around a patch of short brush ahead. Without a sound, he vanished from everyone's sight.

The moment he had fully rounded that sizable thicket, his view opened up, revealing a fairly flat little basin before him.

The little basin was overgrown with weeds and littered with jagged rocks of all sizes. It was enclosed on three sides, with only one exit—and that exit lay directly before Li Dingguo.

A narrow, clear stream also wound out from the depths of the basin and disappeared into the low ground beyond the exit.

There had to be a spring somewhere within this small basin, which measured roughly twenty to thirty zhang across.

Li Dingguo concentrated and listened. Faint, continuous snorting and squealing drifted out from within.

Li Dingguo's eyes lit up at the sound, and a guess formed in his mind. He continued forward in a silent crouch, skirted two large boulders blocking his view, lowered himself as much as possible, and cautiously poked his head out from beside another rock.

"Good heavens!"

"This herd of Iron Tusk Pigs really does live here!"

Before his eyes was the target of this training battle.

About ten zhang away lay a sizable pool formed by a spring. More than a dozen adult black pigs rested lazily along its edge, each weighing at least five or six hundred jin.

Another dozen or so half-grown little black pigs were frolicking and playing on the other side of the spring.

Apart from being nearly twice the size of ordinary wild boars, the most distinctive feature of these black pigs was their tails—thick and long, nothing like pig tails at all, but somewhat resembling dogs' tails.

Even more striking were the gleaming sharp teeth revealed whenever they opened their mouths!

Those teeth were also vastly different from those of ordinary wild boars. Their protruding tusks were not particularly long, but the rest of their teeth resembled a wolf's!

The largest black pig among them weighed at least eight or nine hundred jin!

The fierce Baleful Intent emanating from its entire body could be felt even by Li Dingguo from this far away.

Although not every Demon Beast possessed an innate skill, Li Dingguo was certain that this Iron Tusk Pig leader was one of those that had awakened one.

Otherwise, his mind would not have felt such immense pressure.

Li Dingguo had already guessed that although this Iron Tusk Pig leader was still a late-stage Level One Demon Beast, just as Zhang Xianzhong had said, it had likely reached the peak of late-stage Level One.

This huge fellow had already surpassed Ai Nengqi in cultivation and was at the same realm as Li Dingguo.

No wonder Zhang Xianzhong had mobilized the entire Beggar Camp and made such a grand show of coming to deal with this Iron Tusk Pig herd.

If Li Dingguo had been at the same cultivation realm as Ai Nengqi, it truly would have been difficult to deal with them.

Of course, when humans fought Demon Beasts, they mainly relied on intelligence.

As long as the soldiers of this newly formed Beggar Camp worked together as one, they still had plenty of ways to deal with this herd of Iron Tusk Pigs.

Worried that the young Martial Artists in the squads waiting for his news behind him might come over and alert the enemy, Li Dingguo quietly withdrew from the little basin and turned back.

"Boss, how was it?"

Seeing Li Dingguo return, Tang Guangqiang hurriedly stepped forward and asked.

"Shh..."

Li Dingguo promptly stopped him and told him to keep quiet. Then he beckoned to Ai Nengqi, Liu Wenxiu, and Zhang Huier, who were already gathering in this direction, signaling for them to come over quickly.

Once the Demon Beasts not far ahead discovered danger approaching and became alert and prepared, their side would undoubtedly lose the advantage of launching a sudden attack.

If a surprise assault turned into a frontal encounter, then with little difference in strength between the two sides, the price they would have to pay would surely be far greater!

"That herd of Iron Tusk Pigs is in a little basin not far ahead."

Li Dingguo quickly explained in a low voice, "They are unguarded right now. This is the perfect time for us to launch a surprise attack."

"I observed the terrain of that basin. There is only one exit. We only need to form up and block it, then quietly launch one round of ambush attacks. While gaining some results, we can anger them enough that those Iron Tusk Pigs should take the initiative to charge us."

"Low-level pig Demon Beasts should be the reckless and overbearing type. It won't be too difficult to deal with this herd of Iron Tusk Pigs, whose strength is roughly equal to ours."

"Before engaging them in frontal combat, it would be best to first use bows and arrows to launch a round of surprise attacks."

"Even these thick-skinned, tough-fleshed Iron Tusk Pigs have vulnerable weak points, such as their eyes and the holes in the centers of their ears."

"This is what I'm thinking: Ai Nengqi, Liu Wenxiu, Zhang Huier, and I will strike quietly first, specifically targeting those largest adult boars for our ambush."

"With the spirit weapons in the hands of the four of us, we can easily break through their defenses and inflict effective damage."

"All right, does anyone have any different opinions? If not, immediately form up and prepare for battle!"

They were now not far from the target and could be noticed by the Iron Tusk Pig Demon Beasts at any moment, so this battle had to be settled swiftly.

Every moment of delay could trigger unnecessary changes and increase the difficulty of winning this battle.

"Captain, I have no objections!"

"Neither do I!"

"Let's move quickly. I can't wait to eat Demon Beast meat—I've never had it before!"...

Under these circumstances, Li Dingguo's arrangements were clearly very reasonable.

As long as Ai Nengqi, Liu Wenxiu, and Zhang Huier were not fools, they would have no objections.

The four discussed matters urgently for a moment, then decided that Li Dingguo, the best archer among them, would use his spirit weapon bow to launch the ambush against the Pig King.

Ai Nengqi and the other two would each deal with one of the other three prime Iron Tusk Pigs. When the time came, they would each select a target and launch their ambush simultaneously with Li Dingguo.

If they could succeed in a single strike, then this practical combat and slaughter training operation would basically be victory already in hand, with no suspense left in the outcome.

Once the discussion was settled, they immediately ordered their respective squads to maintain their battle formations. With Li Dingguo, Ai Nengqi, Liu Wenxiu, and Zhang Huier leading the way, everyone quietly crept toward the little basin where the target lay ahead...

Everyone softened their footsteps as much as possible and restrained their breathing, striving to make the ambush succeed in one stroke and complete this practical training mission with zero casualties on their side.