All Out

"Arrogant! Utterly arrogant!"

Staring at the two lines on the letter, Lin Qi felt fury rush straight to his head!

The Dou Qi within him burst uncontrollably from his body, cracking the bluestone tiles beneath his feet with a fine web of fractures.

"Xiao Ding! Xiao Li! Those two little bastards who don't know their place!"

Lin Qi gritted his teeth, his features twisting with a terrifying ferocity.

"How dare they! How dare they actually lay a hand on Xiao Yi! They've got some damned nerve!"

This was no mere provocation—it was a blatant declaration of war!

"Godfather!" Lin Qi turned to Luo Tai, his eyes brimming with murderous intent. "I'll gather our men right now! I'll bring out every elite in the group and tear those two little beasts, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, to pieces! We'll bring Xiao Yi back!"

"Well, Xiao Ding! Excellent! Truly excellent!"

Luo Tai slowly closed his eyes. His clenched fists made a series of cracking noises as his knuckles popped!

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down somewhat. He had never expected that young brat, whom he had considered merely somewhat scheming, to act with such ruthless resolve!

"Wait!"

Luo Tai slowly opened his eyes, not a trace of emotion in his clouded old gaze. "The time agreed upon in the letter is sunset, the hour of the Rooster. Even if you and I push our Dou Qi to the limit, it will take at least an hour and a half to reach the Poplar Grove from here. There are less than two hours left until then. There is simply no time for a large force to make it there."

"Then... what should we do?" Lin Qi was frantic, his face filled with anxiety. "Are we really going to just watch Xiao Yi..."

"What are you panicking for?!" Luo Tai shouted harshly. "Go gather the captains stationed here at once. Have them make preparations immediately, then head at full speed to the outskirts of the Poplar Forest."

"You and I will go ahead. We must arrive before the hour of the Rooster. Once there, stabilize them first and ensure Yi'er's safety! When our men arrive, immediately seal off the entire Poplar Forest and wipe out Xiao Ding and his people in one stroke! Leave none alive!"

"And!" A cold glint flashed through Luo Tai's eyes. "Send a few men to keep a close watch on the Desert Iron Mercenary Group! This time, it won't just be Xiao Ding and Xiao Li. Since they founded the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, I'll make them... bury their entire household alongside him!"

"I'd like to see just where that little brat Xiao Ding got the nerve to make an enemy of me, Luo Tai!"

As his words fell, Dou Qi surged from Luo Tai's body! Like a venomous python that had lain dormant for ages, it sent chills down one's spine!

"Gather at the gate in fifteen minutes. Prepare to depart!"

"Yes, Godfather! I'll make the arrangements right away!" Lin Qi did not dare delay in the slightest and hurriedly turned to make the necessary arrangements.

Watching Lin Qi's departing back, Luo Tai subconsciously touched the Storage Ring on his right hand before returning to his courtyard.

He did not go back to his bedroom. Instead, he headed straight for the study and lightly pressed an inconspicuous relief carving on the side of a bookshelf. With a soft sound of mechanisms turning, one wall slowly slid aside, revealing a secret chamber behind it.

Several glowing stones were set into the walls of the chamber. An ebony weapon rack stood to the left, while three exquisitely carved sandalwood boxes sat in the center. Several chests were piled in the corner to the right.

Expressionless, Luo Tai walked to a long wooden box, lifted its lid, and took out a suit of soft armor.

He had spent a fortune acquiring this Blackrock Soft Armor in his early years. It was said to have been crafted by a master artificer, using the toughest belly hide of a third-tier magical beast, the Earthrock Lizard, as its main material, mixed with the rare metal sand gold and tanned through a special process. Its defensive power was extraordinary, enough to withstand a strike from a Grand Battle Master without being damaged.

He put the soft armor on beneath his clothes, and only then did his taut nerves ease slightly.

He walked over to the weapon rack, his gaze settling on a long spear. This spear was called the Jade Serpent Spear. Its shaft was made from century-old ironwood, while its tip had been ground from the fang of a third-tier venomous beast, the Jade Serpent. It carried potent poison and was vicious beyond measure.

He reached out and took it down. Its icy touch spread through his palm, and his eyes brimmed with killing intent.

Only after making all these preparations did a cold smile finally appear on Luo Tai's grim face.

Xiao Ding, since you insist on courting death, then today, this old man will send you and the entire Desert Iron Mercenary Group on your way!

Fifteen minutes later, before the gates of the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group's headquarters.

Lin Qi stood at the entrance with a silver spear in hand. Behind him, the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group had fully assembled. There were roughly twenty people, all of them Fighters or above.

At the front of the formation stood two squadron captains and five squad captains. One of the squadron captains was an Eight-Star Fighter, while the other was a Seven-Star Dou Practitioner. Even the weakest of the remaining squad captains was a Four-Star Fighter! They were the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group's most elite mercenaries.

"Move out!"

At Luo Tai's command, the group surged out of Stone Desert City in grand force!

Such a massive display quickly drew the attention of passersby. The pedestrians and merchants on the streets all paled when they saw them, hurriedly moving to either side of the road for fear of being caught in the crossfire.

"Heavens! Isn't that Captain Luo Tai of the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group? What is he going to do?"

"Look at the people behind him—they're all elites of the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group! With such a huge force, could they be going to war with another mercenary group?"

"I heard people from the Desert Iron Mercenary Group caused trouble at their gate today. Could they be going to settle the score?"

"They're the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group. Aside from the Sand Mercenary Group, they're the strongest around. How could they possibly swallow such an insult?"

"They've really kicked an iron plate this time. If you ask me, the Desert Iron Mercenary Group is truly unlucky. Of all the people they could have saved, they had to save..."

"Shh! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" The person beside him hurriedly covered his mouth. He actually dared say that in front of them—everyone knew the Poison Dragon Mercenary Group had always been tyrannical.

"Wait, they're heading out of the city... Could the Snake-People Tribe be making some major move again?"

For a time, the entire city buzzed with discussion, and all manner of speculation arose.

Once outside Stone Desert City, Luo Tai and Lin Qi no longer held anything back. The Dou Qi within them erupted!

The two transformed into streaks of light and shot wildly toward the Poplar Grove!

Neither of them spoke along the way.

Luo Tai wanted only to rescue his son. Although that son was worthless and caused trouble all day long, he was still Luo Tai's only bloodline! His untouchable reverse scale!

Xiao Ding! Xiao Li!

He chewed over those two names again and again in his heart.

Once Yi'er is rescued, I will flay these two alive and tear out their tendons, making them howl themselves to death in endless agony! And the entire Desert Iron Mercenary Group—I will leave not even chickens or dogs alive!

Time slipped away second by second. As the sun dipped westward, a sparse stretch of poplar trees appeared at the far end of the horizon.