Assault Squad and the Treasure-Seeking Rat

"Captain Xu, long time no see."

The first to speak was the team holding the crystal ball.

The three wore metal protective suits. Each stood over two meters tall, broad and powerfully built like miniature giants.

They were from Behemoth Technology, all Mythic Walkers of the Mountain Giant Manual. Their cultivation realms matched those of the Cloud Palace Squad: one Scavenger Fourth Rank and two Scavenger Third Rank members.

Xu Lan was initially taken aback, then replied with a broad smile, "So it's Captain Monta. It's only been a few months, and I never expected you to join the new region exploration as well."

As they spoke, the two squads began moving closer together, jointly turning their attention toward the third squad.

Although the Four Great Megacorporations had gained the right to explore the new region only after joining forces to pressure the Yinshan Investigation Branch for profit—

—the Four Great Megacorporations were not truly united. Especially during exploration, when competing for Mythic Materials, they ought to have been enemies.

The true reason the Behemoth Squad and Cloud Palace Squad had joined forces was the identity of the final team.

The last three-man squad wore the uniforms of the Mythology Investigation Bureau. From their appearances, it was difficult to determine which divine lineage Charts they followed.

Yet without exception, all three were Scavenger Fourth Rank powerhouses who had assimilated four Mythic Traits. Their gazes upon the other two squads brimmed with contempt.

"Though you obtained a permit from Captain Xu Yu, this is ultimately still the territory of our Yinshan Investigation Branch.

"This area belongs to us. If you know what's good for you, leave on your own."

Faced with the words of the Yinshan Investigation Branch, the two Mythic Walker squads from Cloud Palace and Behemoth gave no response.

If it had merely been an ordinary Mythic Material, offending the Yinshan Investigation Branch naturally would not have been worth it.

But everyone had practically confirmed that there was a rare Spirit-Resonance Bud here. A Mythic Material capable of being refined into pills was a treasure in any faction.

Now that they had joined the exploration team, how could they willingly hand such a treasure over on a silver platter?

The atmosphere instantly froze to its breaking point.

The members of the Cloud Palace Squad and Behemoth Squad exchanged glances, and both sides made their decision almost simultaneously.

Xu Lan drew a deep breath and raised his right hand to press against the metal sword case on his back. The case opened in an instant, and three flying swords shot out with shrill whistles.

The flying swords were roughly three feet long. Their blades glimmered with azure spiritual light as they circled through the air, each engraved with intricate runes and radiating razor-sharp killing intent.

As an elite member of the Cloud Palace Group, Xu Lan naturally had no need to rely on Rune Firearms like the lower-ranking Mythic Walkers did.

The divine lineage Charts followed by the Cloud Palace Squad were all the most widespread Sword-Controlling Charts.

This Chart was said to have been dismantled from the Mythology Investigation Bureau's Demon-Slaying Chart, reducing the Demon-Slaying Chart's restraint against heretical demons and evil paths, and designed solely in pursuit of the most extreme damage.

If three Mythic Walkers of the Sword-Controlling Chart occupied favorable terrain and formed an array, even against opponents with superior cultivation, they might not be without a chance.

"Since the Investigation Bureau wants to swallow everything for itself, don't blame us for being impolite!" Xu Lan's voice was low and resolute.

The moment his words fell, the three flying swords turned into three streaks of azure light and slashed at the three Investigation Bureau members from different angles.

Where the sword light passed, the air was torn apart with piercing shrieks. It was astonishingly fast, closing in on its targets in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, the three members of the Behemoth Squad moved as well.

The metal protective suits around them suddenly lit up as vast amounts of Mythic Factor poured from their bodies. The ground began to quake violently. Amid the rolling soil, enormous boulders rose from beneath the earth and swiftly formed three stone walls five meters high, barring the front of the battlefield.

Monta let out a low roar, and his body began to swell.

Rock-like patterns emerged across his skin, and his body shot up to over three meters tall in an instant. He slammed a fist into the ground, and a terrifying shockwave spread outward, lifting the surface soil into a surging wave of earth.

Yet the three Yinshan Investigation Branch members showed not the slightest panic in the face of the sudden assault.

The leading Mythic Walker sneered and swept his right hand. An invisible barrier of force unfolded before him.

The barrier was like a transparent wall, blocking every one of the flying swords' attacks.

The three flying swords struck the barrier with ear-piercing metallic clangs. Sword light and barrier collided fiercely, scattering dazzling sparks. Yet the barrier was sturdier than imagination; even the flying swords' full-force strikes could not break through it.

"Is that all you've got?" the Investigation Bureau leader sneered.

His hands formed seals, and hundreds of talismans spilled from his sleeves, weaving themselves into a crimson-gold chain inscribed with talismans.

The chain swam through the air like a flood dragon, then suddenly lashed toward the Cloud Palace and Behemoth Squads.

"Talisman Master Chart!" Xu Lan's pupils abruptly constricted as he immediately recognized the technique.

It was said that the Talisman Master Chart had descended from the Celestial Master Chart, famed for its countless methods and endlessly shifting variations.

At the same time, the other two members of the Cloud Palace Squad drew their flying swords as well. Their sword cases opened, and six flying swords shot out whistling. The nine flying swords interwove in the air into a net of blades, sword light crisscrossing as it cut apart the incoming chains.

Sword light collided with the talisman flood dragons, erupting in deafening booms. Every collision produced a terrifying shockwave that sheared the surrounding trees cleanly in half.

The three members of the Behemoth Squad held the front line. They controlled earth and stone to construct even more defensive barriers, the rocks constantly reforming and shifting under their command.

Monta pressed both hands against the ground, turning the entire earth to his use. Stone pillars burst from underground one after another, attempting to trap the three Investigation Bureau members.

The other two Investigation Bureau members began to act as well. One vanished from the spot like a ghost, appearing behind the Cloud Palace Squad in the next instant.

A long blade formed of black energy condensed in his hand, and he slashed viciously toward Xu Lan's back.

Xu Lan's heart tightened. He controlled one flying sword to return to his defense in an instant. Sword light collided with the black blade, and the terrifying impact sent Xu Lan staggering several steps back, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

The other Investigation Bureau member targeted the Behemoth Squad. He spread his hands, and vast flames erupted from his palms. The flames were an eerie azure color and unimaginably hot, transforming into a wave of fire that swept toward the Behemoth Squad's stone walls.

The instant the azure flames touched the stone walls, the hard rock began to melt. The fire was hot enough to melt metal and stone, and the defenses built by the Behemoth Squad began to collapse beneath such terrifying heat.

The battle instantly reached a fever pitch.

The Cloud Palace Squad's nine flying swords continuously darted through the air, their sword light as dense as rain.

Every streak of sword light contained sharp killing intent, weaving through the sky into an enormous sword net. The net continually contracted and expanded, trying to trap the three Investigation Bureau members within.

The three members of the Behemoth Squad desperately withstood the pressure from the front. Their bodies had completely turned to stone, and the rock armor covering their skin had nearly melted away by half.

In contrast, the three from the Yinshan Investigation Branch appeared far more at ease.

Just as both sides remained deadlocked, a sudden change erupted.

One of the flying swords controlled by Xu Lan deviated from its path while dodging the Investigation Bureau's chain attack, slashing fiercely toward the fallen giant tree at the edge of the battlefield.

"Not good!" Xu Lan's expression changed drastically. He tried to call back the flying sword, but it was already too late.

The sword light struck the trunk. The hollow giant tree, already rotten, completely collapsed under that blow.

With a thunderous crash, the entire tree split apart down the middle, countless splinters and fragments scattering in every direction.

The battle stopped instantly.

Everyone's eyes focused on the fallen giant tree. Its hollow interior was fully exposed to the air, while the snakes, insects, and rats that had once nested within had long since fled without a trace.

And the Spirit-Resonance Bud everyone cared about most should have been somewhere inside the giant tree.

The nine Mythic Walkers rushed toward the tree's remains almost simultaneously. They no longer cared about continuing the battle; all they wanted was to find the Spirit-Resonance Bud first.

Xu Lan controlled his flying swords to chop apart the blocks of wood in his way, while Monta used his enormous palms to overturn the fallen trunk. The three Investigation Bureau members also accelerated, their Mythic Factors surging through the air as they tried to sense the Spirit-Resonance Bud's location.

But the result of the search left everyone stunned.

There truly were traces of a Spirit-Resonance Bud having grown inside the giant tree. At the tree heart, where vitality was most concentrated, the wood had turned emerald green—clear evidence of having been nourished by the power of life.

But at the core, it had been forcibly dug out, leaving behind only a small pit.

The Mythic Material, the Spirit-Resonance Bud, had vanished without a trace.

The expressions of the Cloud Palace and Behemoth Squads stiffened as they stared at the sight before them, while the three Yinshan Investigation Branch members widened their eyes in utter disbelief.

"The moment we entered the new region, we used a treasure to lock onto the Spirit-Resonance Bud's location. How could someone have taken it beforehand?"

But in just an instant, the Investigation Bureau leader turned toward the other two squads, his expression filled with fury.

"It must have been you Four Great Megacorporations! You must have secretly sent someone to steal the treasure!"

The battle that had only just ceased erupted once more.

And it was not only here. The same scene was playing out almost simultaneously throughout the entire region.

After enduring struggles and bloodshed, the Mythic Walker squads discovered in the end that the Mythic Materials they had locked onto had already been taken away.

On this day, furious roars echoed throughout the Yin Mountain Realm.