Mountainfire Exotic Beast

That group of wanderers.

Sat on the other side, eating the canned food they had brought with them. These cans were Western imports, able to preserve meat. Though they could not compare to freshly slaughtered and cooked food, out here in the wilderness, they were countless times better than tough, hard-to-chew salted jerky.

Among them was a Marrow Tempering Martial Master, Huo Qi of the Firewind Saber. He ate casually, but his gaze remained fixed on the people from the Tongda Escort Agency.

"Brother Huo, among these people from the Tongda Escort Agency, there's only one ordinary Blood Tempering Stage Martial Master and one half-grown kid who hasn't even broken through to Martial Master. Is there really any need for this?"

Tang Shiming leaned over. Seeing Huo Qi's solemn expression, he could not help but laugh lightly.

Before Butler Wei had left, he had already explained the strength of those escorts to them.

A Marrow Tempering Stage Martial Master.

Could crush a Blood Tempering Martial Master in actual combat, but there was no way to know an opponent's exact strength without making contact.

Only truly great experts of the Inner Qi Realm.

Could unleash their inner qi beyond their bodies, making it as fine as cotton needles or as heavy as boulders, forming the martial "momentum" that allowed them to judge another person's blood and qi level and realm from afar.

Of course, such judgments were not perfectly accurate, but they were right seven or eight times out of ten.

Huo Qi, known in the martial world as the "Firewind Saber," shook his head. "Since this is the task Butler Wei gave me, I have to carry it out with meticulous care. If I can't even handle such a small matter, how could I still have the face to remain in the Tao Family?"

Young Master Tao Yanchen.

Had recognized his talent and given him an opportunity.

Huo Qi had been neither born into poverty nor a child of a wealthy household. He had merely been a fisherman who lived at heaven's mercy. Because he could not afford the protection fee, he had nearly been beaten alive by gang thugs. If Young Master Tao had not happened to pass by, saved him, and brought him into a martial academy to learn martial arts—

He would have died on that rainy night long ago.

How could he have become the somewhat renowned expert he was now?

Thus, Huo Qi was willing to give his life in service to Young Master Tao Yanchen. Naturally, he would not loaf around or cut corners on what Butler Wei had entrusted to him.

What if, through a moment of carelessness, a few of those escorts got away?

"Relax. Besides us, the Black Flood Dragon Army is keeping watch nearby! And at the critical moment, Butler Wei is here too."

Tang Shiming waved a hand dismissively. "Those escorts can't turn the heavens upside down. They can only obediently become Sixth Young Master's new toys."

Though those weaklings probably would not last long in Sixth Young Master's hands.

Still, they had practiced martial arts, after all. Their bodies were far stronger than ordinary people's.

At the very least, they would last longer than those wretched villagers from before.

They remained near Hongfeng Village until around eight in the evening.

Only then did Tao Yanchen arrive belatedly. Besides Butler Wei, a black-clad woman wearing a veil followed behind him.

He checked the pocket watch in his hand. When the hands aligned with a certain mark, he glanced at the Black Flood Dragon Army, already prepared to depart, and the wanderers waiting nearby, then swept out his hand. "Brothers, follow me into the mountain!"

Afterward.

Torches lit one after another in the night. More than a hundred soldiers of the Black Flood Dragon Army, like a black giant python, slipped through the dense forest.

Their destination.

Was Hongfeng Mountain, beyond this stretch of forest, five li in a straight line from Hongfeng Village.

Though they traveled on foot rather than horseback.

This rapid march was not slow.

"According to the divination, in an hour and a half, Bi Fang's Fire will appear at the eastern foot of Hongfeng Mountain—the place we are heading to now."

In the middle of the procession, Tao Yanchen spoke quietly to the two people beside him. "I hope that this time, we can catch sight of this Demon Wraith and seize the core inside it."

Axu still wore that cold expression and did not respond.

Butler Wei sighed. "Sixth Young Master, all that you have done for the master will surely bring you great rewards in the future."

"I seek no reward. I simply wish to offer Father a measure of filial devotion."

"If Father obtains the core of Bi Fang's Fire, he can immediately conduct the sacrificial ritual and complete his advancement. Only then can our Tao Family's Black Flood Dragon Army further expand its influence in the south."

Tao Yanchen shook his head, looking every inch the dutiful son.

"Yes."

Butler Wei nodded repeatedly.

As for Axu beside them, her beautiful eyes flickered. A trace of subtle emotion appeared within her indifferent gaze.

Just as everyone was about to leave the forest and reach the foot of Hongfeng Mountain.

A pillar of flame shot into the sky.

It began burning at the end of the forest. Firelight flared everywhere, and the temperature instantly soared.

Aside from the surging flames, the nearby rocks and mountains also began to tremble without cease.

Rumble!

Rumble!

Amid the earth-shaking tremors, a massive flaming pit was directly exposed at the edge of the forest.

Twenty or thirty soldiers of the Black Flood Dragon Army at the front had no time to react before they were hurled straight into the pit. Flames instantly engulfed them, and agonized wails rang out.

The air filled with the scorched stench of roasting flesh.

Whether soldiers behind them or wanderers, many were knocked to the ground by the impact of the tremors.

Jiang Jingnian had been running with the rapid march, secretly watching for an opportunity to escape. Caught off guard, he too stumbled and fell onto the ground.

There really are monsters in this world!

But... what a perfect opportunity!

Joy surged in his heart. He was about to roll toward the other side and take the chance to slip into the forest and escape.

Yet just as he was about to move, the hairs on his body suddenly rose. A sense of danger spread through his entire body.

Jiang Jingnian's body instantly froze. By the light of the towering flames, he swept his eyes across the surroundings and discovered a round-faced man carrying a broadsword, one hand braced against a nearby tree, staring without blinking at him, Wei Yu, and the others.

At some point, the man's saber had already left its sheath. It seemed that the moment Jiang Jingnian and the others made any move to flee, he would immediately leap over and chop down with all his strength.

...This man had been watching us all along.

Jiang Jingnian thought helplessly, But now that something like this has happened—an earthquake and a mountain fire—he's still keeping his eyes on us? Shouldn't he be worrying about his master's safety?

He immediately abandoned his plan to escape.

He merely pretended to topple carelessly to the side.

That "Firewind Saber," Huo Qi, was a Marrow Tempering Martial Master. In a direct confrontation, Jiang Jingnian would definitely be no match for him.

Even if he launched a surprise attack with Psychic Whip, he might not be able to kill the man instantly. And as long as Huo Qi could hold him off for a few breaths, that unfathomable Butler Wei might immediately come over.

No.

I still have to wait. This isn't the most chaotic moment yet!

Jiang Jingnian glanced around. Everyone's faces flickered between light and shadow under the glow of the flames.

Sounds of battle swiftly came from the front of the formation.

Those soldiers of the Black Flood Dragon Army who had stabilized their formation were already firing their guns toward the center of the flames.

Roar!

At that moment, a three-armed monster roughly seven or eight meters tall, its entire body blazing with fire and formed from countless black stones, charged out from that sea of flames.