Amid the endless yellow sands of this borderland, the atmosphere outside the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's headquarters was taut with tension.
The Sand Mercenary Group had surrounded the place like a pack of wolves. Their clothes varied, but all were coated in dust, and the blades at their waists gleamed with a chilling light in the sun.
Hundreds of them!
The Sand Mercenary Group's leader, Luo Bu, was powerfully built, with a face full of hard muscle and a ruthless air about him.
As a Da Dou Shi, he radiated a faint but oppressive aura.
Standing beside him was Mo Cheng, sent by the Mo Clan of Salt City. He wore a black robe and looked rather lean, yet the fierce aura of a Dou Ling powerhouse was unmistakable. A shrewd, greedy glint flickered in his eyes from time to time.
"Hahahahaha! A pleasure doing business with you!"
Luo Bu threw back his head and let out a wild laugh.
In his mind, this assault on the Desert Iron Mercenary Group was all but certain to succeed.
Once the Desert Iron Mercenary Group was wiped out, no force in the area would be able to stand against the Sand Mercenary Group. Then he could rule the region and enjoy all the riches and glory he wanted.
"Mm. Just hand the girl over to me..."
Mo Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly, a trace of barely concealed greed flashing in them.
He spoke as if the matter were of little importance, but his tightly clenched fists betrayed his impatience.
He had come for one reason alone: to obtain Qing Lin, the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's maid.
Qing Lin's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils were the key to greatly advancing his secret technique.
"No problem. You can do whatever you want with her!"
Luo Bu waved a hand dismissively, as though Qing Lin were nothing more than an insignificant object.
He had no interest in probing why Mo Cheng was so fixated on Qing Lin. When profit was at stake, all he cared about was whether their partnership would succeed.
The mercenaries glared fiercely, blades in hand, sealing off every inch around the headquarters.
They knew that as soon as they took out the Desert Iron Mercenary Group and absorbed its forces, the Sand Mercenary Group would become one of the most powerful mercenary groups in the city!
The people of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group had naturally noticed the commotion outside. Standing inside the headquarters, Xiao Ding looked at their encircled position, his brow tightly furrowed and his expression grave.
"What do we do..."
His voice was solemn. As the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's leader, Xiao Ding understood just how serious this crisis was.
He had never imagined that the Sand Mercenary Group would be brazen enough to surround their headquarters in broad daylight.
"What else? Fight our way out!"
Xiao Li's eyes blazed with fury. He yanked the long spear from his waist, its tip gleaming coldly in the moonlight. His savage expression made it seem as though he wanted to tear their enemies limb from limb.
"But... that fellow Luo Bu has always been a cunning bastard."
Xiao Ding shook his head slightly, his voice filled with concern.
"He wouldn't make a move without being sure he could win..."
He knew what Luo Bu was like. With the Sand Mercenary Group's strength, they would never have acted so recklessly without a solid advantage.
In other words, the enemy's ranks included at least two Great Dou Shis.
The thought weighed heavily on Xiao Ding. They were likely doomed.
"Tsk... Big brother, I'll lead the charge in a moment. You take Xiao Fan and the others and break through."
Xiao Li rose to his feet and drove his spear into the ground beside him with a heavy thud. He stood like a single man holding a pass against ten thousand. His jaw clenched, his gaze resolute.
In his heart, protecting his brothers and the mercenary group's members was his unquestionable duty.
"What happened?"
Just then, a clear voice rang out.
Everyone turned to see Xiao Fan strolling toward them.
Dressed in white, he stood tall and walked lightly, as if he couldn't feel the murderous tension in the air around them.
"It's like this..."
Xiao Ding sighed and explained in detail the enmity between the Sand Mercenary Group and the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, as well as how they had been surrounded.
After listening, Xiao Fan looked enlightened. The corner of his mouth lifted into a mocking smile.
"I see... Then this is perfect!"
He thought to himself that besides coming here to find Qing Lin, he had intended to help the Desert Iron Mercenary Group become the dominant force in the area.
Now their enemy had delivered itself right to his doorstep. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity?
Xiao Fan's lips curled into a cold smile as he took a step forward. In an instant, invisible formation patterns surged from his body. Black mud seemed to pour down from the sky like a waterfall, enveloping everything within a hundred meters of the headquarters.
The mud looked thick and sticky, yet it emanated a strange power. Ordinary people couldn't see anything inside it.
This was a formation Xiao Fan had recently created, meant to conceal everything that happened during a fight so that no one outside would notice a thing.
"Come on, little girl. I'll show you what the world is like."
Xiao Fan bent down slightly and gently patted Qing Lin's head, a warm smile on his face. Then he led the way forward.
After spending some time with Xiao Fan, Qing Lin already trusted him completely.
At his words, she nodded without hesitation and answered in her sweet, clear voice, "Yes, young master!"
Her lively eyes sparkled with excitement and anticipation as she hurried after him.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
Seeing this, Xiao Ding hurriedly reached out to stop them.
In his eyes, Xiao Fan and Qing Lin were just children. How could he let them face such a dangerous situation?
But Qing Lin turned back, her eyes full of trust in Xiao Fan, and reassured him, "Leader, young master is very strong. Don't worry!"
Qing Lin's words left Xiao Ding at a loss.
He had no choice but to lead the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's people closely after Xiao Fan and Qing Lin.
Meanwhile, outside the headquarters,
Luo Bu and the others were waiting impatiently. When they suddenly saw people coming out, they laughed triumphantly.
"Hahahahaha! Kneel down and kowtow to your grandpa now, and maybe I'll spare your lives!"
Luo Bu shouted at the top of his lungs, his arrogant laughter echoing through the air.
"Oh?"
Xiao Fan's cool voice held a trace of disdain and contempt.
Luo Bu and the others looked closely and saw a handsome young master dressed in white, his bearing utterly extraordinary.
A sweet, obedient maid followed behind him as they slowly emerged.
At the sight, they burst into laughter.
"Has the Desert Iron Mercenary Group run out of people?"
one member of the Sand Mercenary Group jeered.
"They sent two brats out!"
Xiao Fan acted as if he hadn't heard them. He turned to Qing Lin and said earnestly, "Qing Lin, let me teach you something. Villains die from talking too much..." He paused slightly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"So if you can hit them, don't waste your breath..."
"Mm! Qing Lin will remember!"
Qing Lin nodded hard, engraving Xiao Fan's words in her heart.
Seeing the two ignore him and chatter among themselves, Luo Bu's expression darkened at once.
A nameless fury surged through him, and he was about to lash out.
Just then, Xiao Fan casually swept a hand toward the enemy. The movement seemed effortless, yet it held a terrifying power.
In an instant, the air seemed to churn beneath an invisible giant hand. A powerful surge of Dou Qi gathered, forming an enormous palm seal several yards across.
The seal was pale gold, mysterious runes flowing across its surface. As they flickered, they gave off a heart-stopping aura.
The air around the seal seemed to boil, twisting and roiling violently with a sizzling sound.
Then the enormous Dou Qi palm crashed down upon the Sand Mercenary Group like an avalanche.
Where it passed, it plowed a deep trench through the ground. Dust billowed, and sand and stones flew everywhere.
The Sand Mercenary Group members at the front didn't even have time to scream before the terrifying force swallowed them whole.
The tremendous impact smashed their bodies into clouds of blood!
In an instant, the Sand Mercenary Group's formation fell into chaos. Screams and cries of alarm mingled together.
With a single strike, he had slapped more than half of the Sand Mercenary Group to death!
"..."
The survivors were completely dumbstruck by what they had seen. They stood there like wooden chickens, terror still etched on every face.
Their legs trembled uncontrollably, and their weapons slipped from their hands as fear overwhelmed them.
Luo Bu had barely survived. His eyes were wide with shock, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
He could hardly believe that this seemingly frail youth possessed such terrifying strength.
Mo Cheng, who had been hiding in the shadows, couldn't help emerging now. He stared at everything before him, stunned.
Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, who had just come out of the headquarters, happened to witness the scene as well.
"Wait... is that really my clansman?"