Taking Me as Leader?

The leopard-man at the forefront only felt a mountain-crushing, tsunami-like force slam into him, leaving him dizzy and disoriented. He did not even notice his chest being torn apart by the razor-sharp blow.

"So dizzy."

That was his final thought.

His entire body split in two. As the two halves flew apart, they seemed to come to their senses under that terrifying impact. I should have shattered.

Boom!

He exploded directly into a rain of blood.

The sole survivor stared wide-eyed in terror.

At that moment.

It was as though the wind had stopped and the rain had ceased.

The sky darkened.

One strike of Cloud-Breaking Flash.

The terrifying force that spilled outward sent the two beasts at the side tumbling away. Their skin was covered in spiderweb-like cracks, their organs shattered, and they died on the spot.

The surroundings fell silent.

Wang Yunshan stood dumbfounded.

Who was this person, to be so fierce?

When had someone like this appeared in their team?

Even amid the slaughter, everyone who witnessed the scene was left staring in shock.

Even the vicious criminals fused with Evil Skin were frightened out of their wits.

"Holy shit, Zhao Hong."

"Was that Zhao Hong?"

Cries of shock suddenly erupted from the team rushing over to provide support.

Others might not recognize Zhao Hong.

But how could Liu Zheng and the Copper Bell Guards under his command fail to recognize him?

Sun Tao, Li Haogang, and the others who knew him well were even more blank-minded.

That figure, valiant as a war god, was actually Zhao Hong?

How was that possible?

Zhao Hong turned his head and saw Liu Zheng, Sun Tao, and the others. He immediately relaxed.

"Brother Liu."

With a wave of his hand, he charged back into the fight.

Liu Zheng swallowed and hurriedly joined the battle.

There was no time for shock or investigation.

As long as he was one of their own, that was enough.

More than a dozen people.

Led by Zhao Hong, they actually managed to completely suppress the group of vicious criminals in only a few moments.

Several dozen breaths later.

The battle was over.

There had been over forty beast-men, nearly ten of them at the peak of Blood Astral.

But Zhao Hong alone had killed more than half of them.

He was drenched in blood, and the murderous aura around him was nearly tangible, chilling everyone to the bone.

Even as rain washed over him, no one nearby dared meet his eyes.

He was too ferocious.

Toward the end, everyone, including Liu Zheng and Wang Yunshan, could only finish off the wounded.

"Is he one of yours?"

Wang Yunshan panted heavily, staring at Liu Zheng in disbelief.

Liu Zheng nodded dazedly.

Even now, he could not reconcile the Zhao Hong before him with the Zhao Hong under his command.

Wasn't he at the peak of inner force?

Why was his Blood Astral even more abundant than Liu Zheng's?

Even if he had broken through.

What did it mean to slaughter peak Blood Astral cultivators like chickens?

Liu Zheng also knew that Zhao Hong was only sixteen.

"Damn it, a monster like him is actually a Copper Bell Guard? Are those bastards even human?" Wang Yunshan could not help but wonder, and cursed furiously.

Liu Zheng scratched his head. Old Zhou should know, right?

"Clear the battlefield and keep watch over the surroundings."

Another Silver Bell Guard shouted in a deep voice, and several Copper Bell Guards immediately spread out.

Zhao Hong turned and walked back.

"Brother Liu."

The lingering blood-soaked killing intent on him made Liu Zheng's face turn pale, every hair on his body standing on end.

"I just broke through. I had hidden some of my strength before. Brother Zhou told me to," Zhao Hong explained briefly, trusting that Liu Zheng would not take it to heart.

Liu Zheng gave a bitter smile.

Hidden strength?

But that strength was truly terrifying.

"Brother Zhao, we have you to thank for this."

"I will never forget the debt of saving my life."

Wang Yunshan solemnly cupped his hands in salute. The many Copper Bell Guards beside him also bowed deeply, their eyes filled with awe and gratitude.

"We are colleagues. It was only right." Zhao Hong waved a hand slightly. Even hiding one's strength depended on the situation.

At the side, Sun Tao moved his lips, truly not knowing what attitude he should take toward Zhao Hong now.

So he simply said nothing.

"Old Li is dead."

The Old Li Wang Yunshan mentioned was another Silver Bell Guard who had been patrolling with him.

Of the six Silver Bell Guards, only five remained.

If Zhao Hong had not been so fierce, then even if they could have won, at least another three or four would have died. No, they would not have been able to win at all.

Liu Zheng and the others who came to reinforce them would all have died as well.

"Many of these bastards were familiar faces, remnants from the previous purge. They suddenly appeared on the trade route."

Wang Yunshan still felt lingering fear.

Everyone looked at the gruesome scene covering the ground, then all glanced at Zhao Hong.

They all understood clearly that Zhao Hong had saved everyone.

"Where's the boss?"

Wang Yunshan suddenly asked.

Liu Zheng's face turned ashen. "We couldn't find him."

"What?"

Wang Yunshan stood frozen, but when he saw the ugly expressions on the other four Silver Bell Guards' faces, his heart sank.

"Could it be..."

"Probably not. The boss wasn't here yesterday either." One person wiped the rain from his face and gave a bitter smile.

In an incident this serious, the only Golden Bell Guard here could not be found.

It was simply unbelievable.

If something had delayed him, that would be fine.

But if he had been ambushed and killed...

Even Zhao Hong could not help frowning as he warily scanned the surroundings.

There was not a single Profound Embryo cultivator among this group.

It was no secret that a Golden Bell Guard was stationed here.

If he truly had been ambushed and killed, that meant there was a Profound Embryo cultivator lurking in the shadows.

"Let's prepare for the worst."

Wang Yunshan gritted his teeth. "What do we do now?"

Their gazes met, then all of them turned in unison toward Zhao Hong.

"Why are you looking at me?"

Zhao Hong froze, then suddenly realized what they meant. Stunned, he said, "I'm only a Copper Bell Guard. My lords should decide."

"Strength commands respect."

"If there truly is a Profound Embryo cultivator, even if all of us join forces, we may not be a match. Perhaps if we risk our lives, we can create a sliver of opportunity for you."

The two Silver Bell Guards spoke one after another, their words extremely decisive.

Everyone had witnessed the strength Zhao Hong had displayed just now.

The shock he gave them was almost no weaker than that of a Profound Embryo cultivator.

Zhao Hong's eyes flickered, and he did not stand on ceremony.

"So many came here. Over at the garrison..."

The moment he said it, everyone's expressions changed drastically.

"They wouldn't be that insane, would they?" Even Liu Zheng's voice trembled, though he himself did not believe it. The strongest person here was only one Golden Bell Guard. With such a huge commotion involving over forty people, how could they possibly be targeting only them?

"Brother Zhou and I killed an Evil Skin Cult monster on the way here. Before he died, he revealed that they might move against us soon."

"Now it seems that this is probably it."

"After Brother Zhou returned, he reported it to those above."

"Even if they dare attack the garrison, I think there should be preparations there."

"That's right. Better to believe it exists than risk believing it doesn't." One person nodded heavily, fully agreeing with Zhao Hong.

Zhao Hong glanced toward the mountain wilderness above them. "Perhaps Lord Li Tai was summoned to the garrison."

Li Tai was a Golden Bell Guard.

If the garrison had made preparations, it would certainly gather its fighting strength.

And if the enemy intended to attack, the garrison would naturally yield the greatest results.

"Go directly to the garrison."

Zhao Hong made the decision.

"I agree."

"We have no other choice now."

"Then it's settled."

The five Silver Bell Guards exchanged looks and agreed without hesitation.

"Move out."

Zhao Hong waved a hand and took the lead.

By then, the heavy rain had eased, though the wind still howled wildly.

The sky, which had been dark as night, had also returned to something close to dusk.

A shadow suddenly emerged beside an ancient tree ahead, making no attempt to conceal itself.

"Watch out."

Following a cry of alarm from behind.

Everyone immediately faced the enemy as though confronting a great foe.

Zhao Hong halted and coldly stared at the figure that had appeared.

He wore a black robe and had a lean build, with sinister eyes.

A layer of crimson ripples swirled around him, keeping the rain from touching his body.

Their eyes met.

It sent a chill down everyone's spine.

A genuine Profound Embryo cultivation, not someone who had forcefully reached it by unleashing Jade Hide.

"I didn't expect the information to leak."

"I couldn't find Li Tai, that Golden Bell Guard. Even if a Golden Bell Guard left, he would not be gone for so long, nor would he fail to appear during such a huge commotion."

"It seems he was obviously summoned to the garrison."

"You have all been completely abandoned."

"Tsk, tsk. Is serving such a court really worth it?"