Total annihilation!

Without that year of honing himself against the Jade Wave Turtle, Chen Cang would never have dared say such a thing, even with the strength of a nine-star Dou Shi.

But times had changed. By now, fighting magical beasts had become second nature to him.

Still, he followed his usual routine. Before making a move, Chen Cang read the memories of the two Striped Wolves.

Know yourself and your enemy, and a hundred battles would never imperil you.

If something could be settled simply, there was no reason to complicate it.

Soon, Chen Cang knew every trick the Striped Wolves possessed. Speed was their greatest asset.

Without further hesitation, Chen Cang provoked the two Striped Wolves, drawing their attention to himself. His spear moved like a dragon as he struck first.

Seeing their "prey" show such brazen disrespect, the two Striped Wolves flew into a rage. Abandoning the people slumped on the ground, they dodged the spear's edge and lunged at Chen Cang together, one ahead of the other.

Their lunges were so fast that the exhausted mercenaries could barely follow them.

Yet to Chen Cang, the two Striped Wolves seemed far too slow.

His left fist opened into a palm, and he unleashed the Dou Technique Sea-Splitting Palm, smashing one Striped Wolf backward and sending it sprawling several meters away.

At the same time, he drew back the spear in his right hand, then thrust it out as swiftly as a goddess plucking a flower.

Blood sprayed, and a wolf's howl dwindled into a whimper.

The other Striped Wolf had been skewered squarely on the spear tip.

A closer look revealed four more bloody holes in the dead Striped Wolf's body!

In the space of a moment, it had suffered five fatal strikes!

Using the Black Tier Dou Technique Starpoint against a Tier 2 Magical Beast truly was using a mighty tool for a trifling task.

Smack!

With a forceful flick, Chen Cang flung the dead Striped Wolf aside. His hand slid forward, taking a reverse grip on the middle of the shaft, and he hurled the spear. It streaked like a shooting star, pinning the other Striped Wolf just as it staggered dazedly to its feet nearby.

Clean and decisive. The battle was over.

It had not even taken three minutes.

What a thoroughly satisfying battle...

Chen Cang stepped forward, pulled out his spear, and looked at Commander Zhou Wen.

"I can sense that your Soul Perception is very strong. That gives you a tremendous advantage in battle. These Striped Wolves, for instance-you could clearly follow the speed they were so proud of. No wonder Master Mo thinks so highly of you."

"But you're still too young. You made a fatal mistake: throwing away your weapon in battle. That was far too presumptuous. If that Striped Wolf had dodged, you would have been left bare-handed, and dealing with it would have been troublesome."

Commander Zhou Wen had a discerning eye. His assessment sounded quite reasonable to the mercenaries nearby.

The youngster was still too young.

"All right, little flaws can be corrected over time. Our city lord is also skilled with a spear, so you can ask him for pointers in the future. That spear-twirling move just now really had his touch."

Chen Cang had no answer. He had long known that Ding Dian had been quite adept at showing off in his youth.

As the strongest person Chen Cang had encountered so far, Ding Dian had unwittingly influenced him.

This one was entirely the city lord's fault!

"You lot head back to the base to recuperate. I'll take this boy to check on the other teams."

After leaving those instructions, the two departed without looking back.

It was not that they cared deeply about these mercenaries' lives. They simply did not want such heavy losses on the first day that they would have no one left to use later.

Only after watching them leave did the mercenaries dare discuss it in hushed voices.

"If this boy's surname weren't Chen, I'd think he was the city lord's illegitimate son. His talent is truly astounding."

"I feel like he's no weaker than our leader. Brother Fang, what do you think?"

"No idea. All I know is that he'd probably finish me with one thrust. Enough chatter. Let's get back. The smell of blood is too strong here."

On their first day in the mountains, four of the Soul-Eating Mercenary Group's six teams sent urgent pleas for help.

Chen Cang and Zhou Wen rushed from one rescue to another like firefighters.

Even so, the Soul-Eating Mercenary Group suffered heavy losses.

By the time they gathered that evening, twelve of their sixty members were gone!

Several of the remaining forty-eight were wounded as well.

The Soul-Eating Mercenary Group had been more or less prepared for such an outcome, but facing it in reality still weighed heavily on them.

"You can rest easy tonight. This cave is well hidden, and we've scattered medicine outside. Magical beasts are unlikely to come and disturb us. We'll continue deeper at daybreak."

The next day.

Exactly fifty people advanced together for a stretch before splitting up once again to search for Azure Nether Fruit.

That day, the Soul-Eating Mercenary Group lost seven people.

As long as the mission continued, casualties were inevitable.

For the Soul-Eating Mercenary Group, that half month was like great waves sifting the sand. Their numbers dwindled steadily.

By the fifteenth day, only nineteen remained!

They could rightly be called the elite of the elite among mercenaries.

That night.

Inside a newly excavated cave high on a cliff.

Zhou Wen sighed softly. "Everyone, our half-month commission is over. Tomorrow morning, we'll return to Tianying City. The city lord will not shortchange you on the remaining payment."

In half a month, forty-one lives had been lost, yet they had not seen so much as a shadow of Azure Nether Fruit.

Never mind the mercenaries-even Chen Cang, with the entire map revealed to him, had found no trace of Azure Nether Fruit in the magical beasts' memories.

This was probably a perfect illustration of how a single word from those above sent those below running their legs off.

At Zhou Wen's announcement, the mercenaries led by Lou Baishan let out long sighs of relief.

"Fuck, it's finally over!"

"Thank goodness the commission only lasted half a month. A few more days, and we might all have died here."

Thinking of finally leaving this damned place, then returning to Tianying City to enjoy their earnings and spend lavishly, the mercenaries at last broke into smiles that had been absent for far too long.

Even Chen Cang and Zhou Wen caught their mood and relaxed considerably.

Yet the moon waxed and waned, and fortune or calamity could strike a person overnight.

Disaster loved nothing more than those who popped their champagne halfway through.

Boom!

A tremendous crash sounded overhead, startling everyone into stunned immobility.

That indescribably terrifying force made the entire cave shudder and rattle, as though it might collapse at any moment.

"A high-tier magical beast! At least Tier 5!"

Zhou Wen's expression changed drastically. He sprang to his feet, seized Chen Cang, and shot toward the cave entrance, leaving only his merciless words echoing behind him.

"Move! A Tier 5 magical beast is nearly as intelligent as a human. It's seen through the camouflage at our entrance! This cave is about to collapse. Get out first!"

Pushing his Dou Ling speed to its limits, Zhou Wen carried Chen Cang through the rocks concealing the cave entrance in almost the blink of an eye.

Only then did the members of the Soul-Eating Mercenary Group react, scrambling over one another toward the entrance.

Outside the cave entrance lay a sheer drop of twenty or thirty meters. Ordinarily, such a height meant little; even a Dou Zhe could climb it.

But in this desperate situation, that height was enough to kill.

Fortunately, Zhou Wen could fly briefly, allowing him to bring Chen Cang safely to the ground.

Both turned to look back, and their expressions changed violently.

Clinging to the formerly bare cliff was an enormous python several dozen meters long. As though possessed by a Flood Dragon, its entire body radiated a shadowy purple glow.

Its reddish-yellow eyes shone like two enormous lanterns in the darkness, striking terror into the soul.

Its gaping, blood-red maw unleashed an irresistible suction, drawing the mercenaries emerging from the cave into its belly one after another, devouring them like a self-service feast.

That night, the elite of the Soul-Eating Mercenary Group were utterly annihilated!