Beyond the Alliance's territory lay a vast plain. Not a blade of grass grew on its reddish-brown soil, and the lingering stench of blood filled the air.
All four felt their spirits grow heavy. The smell of blood was overwhelming. This was the battlefield where humans and demons slaughtered one another, the ground soaked with the blood of both.
Beyond the plain stretched an endless range of mountains. Those belonged to the demons' territory.
"I'm the strongest, so you'll follow my orders for now. Any objections?" Jiang Feng looked at Yang Zhan and Wang Zhen.
He did not even consider asking Jiang Xinran's opinion. Whenever the two of them teamed up with Wang Da and Wang Er for missions, Jiang Feng had always been the leader.
"No objections. We'll follow your lead," Yang Zhan and Wang Zhen said.
"Good. Our objective is to kill fifteen demon soldiers. Their main camp lies beyond those mountains ahead. We don't need to attack the camp. We just need to find demon patrols in the mountains, strike, and withdraw."
Jiang Feng continued, "From here on, I'll take the lead. Xinran will stay behind me, and you two will stay on either side of her. Make sure you protect yourselves."
"Got it."
With their plan settled, Jiang Feng and the others slipped toward the mountains.
They had left all their horses at the Alliance Garrison, fearing that a larger group would expose them too soon. As a result, it took them more than two hours to cross the plain.
It was deep into the night, and dark clouds obscured the moon, severely limiting their visibility.
Jiang Xinran raised her staff. Three transparent, bird-shaped forms of light immediately spread their wings and soared into the sky, flying left, right, and straight ahead.
This was the Eagle Eye Technique, a spell every mage had to learn. It offered a bird's-eye view of the ground, making it ideal for scouting enemy forces.
What surprised Jiang Feng, however, was that Jiang Xinran could conjure three eagle eyes at once.
Looks like I'm not the only talented one!
The four were crouching in a mountain hollow, surrounded by enormous, decaying trees. Their ghostly silhouettes inspired an inexplicable sense of dread.
Still, all four were leading figures among Starjoy City's younger generation and possessed considerable strength. Though a little nervous, they were far from losing their composure.
The blonde woman remained out of sight, but Jiang Feng could sense that she was surely nearby, watching over them.
Could she be a mage?
Jiang Feng was puzzled. Like assassins, mages had skills that could conceal their presence.
Before long, Jiang Xinran spoke. "There's a patrol of seventeen demon soldiers five li ahead. They're coming toward us."
Yang Zhan and Wang Zhen brightened at her words. It seemed they would encounter demon soldiers without having to venture too deep.
"What race are they?" Yang Zhan asked quickly.
"They should be Twin-Blade Demons of the Zelin Race," Jiang Xinran said.
Their expressions grew even more delighted.
Twin-Blade Demons were among the most basic types of demon soldiers, generally at the early second tier.
A squad like that would practically be handing them kills.
Yang Zhan was about to say something else when Jiang Feng suddenly warned in a low voice, "Watch out! Enemies!"
At the same time, brilliant golden light erupted from Jiang Feng's body. A golden barrier instantly expanded around all four, protecting them within it. This was the fourth-tier knight Protection skill: Holy Light Barrier.
A second later, the golden light beneath their feet shook violently. The attack was coming from underground.
Jiang Xinran reacted at once, chanting rapidly as she lightly tapped the ground with her slender staff.
An icy blue glow spread swiftly outward, and the ground beneath their feet froze at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Once the freezing was complete, the attacks beneath their feet paused briefly.
Then the earth churned around the Holy Light Barrier, and dark figures burrowed out.
Jiang Feng and the others finally saw what their enemies looked like.
There were ten demon soldiers in all, most standing around 1.7 meters tall. Their bodies resembled those of humans, except that they had four arms, each ending in a sharp spike rather than a hand.
Those spikes could pierce the ground with ease and reap lives like blades.
They looked hideous, with bare upper bodies, fine scales covering their lower halves, and three eyes on their heads.
So fucking ugly!
Jiang Feng and the others immediately recognized them as members of the Luke Race. They specialized in burrowing and frequently ambushed humans from underground.
For human professionals who lacked strong mental power or quick reflexes, the Luke Race was particularly troublesome.
Now that they had revealed themselves, however, their threat was greatly diminished.
Jiang Feng dispersed his Holy Light Barrier. Yang Zhan and Wang Zhen charged forward with their heavy paired axes and clashed with the demon soldiers.
Jiang Xinran joined the attack. She raised her staff, and a chill radiated from her body. Guided by her staff, four sharp ice spears rapidly formed in the air and shot toward the demon soldiers like arrows.
This was the third-tier spell: Ice Spear Technique.
Jiang Feng did not attack. Instead, he stood beside Jiang Xinran and kept a careful watch. Mages were physically fragile, and plenty of demon races possessed invisibility abilities, such as the Di Ke Clan.
With Jiang Xinran's strength, she had nothing to fear in ranged combat. But if an invisible member of the Di Ke Clan got close, she would be a lamb to the slaughter, unable to resist and killed in an instant.
The ten members of the Luke Race were no match for Jiang Xinran and the other two. Before long, they were all dead.
With the battle over, all four let out small sighs of relief. The fight had ended quickly, but everyone felt the thrill of combat and the excitement of killing demon soldiers.
"The demon patrol is less than a kilometer away," Jiang Xinran reminded them.
"Get ready," Jiang Feng said quietly. "Once they get close, we'll attack together. We've already killed ten demon soldiers, so we only need another five for the three of you to pass the entry qualification test. But since they're only weak Twin-Blade Demons, there's no harm in killing a few more."
"Once we finish off this squad of Twin-Blade Demons, we'll head back to the Alliance Garrison."
Jiang Xinran and the other two nodded.
Jiang Feng concealed himself behind a tree as best he could and waited tensely for the demon patrol to arrive.
At last, faint footsteps sounded in the distance. Jiang Feng and the others remained still.
Only when the footsteps drew close did Jiang Feng signal the attack.
In an instant, Jiang Xinran unleashed countless Ice Blades, blanketing the patrol ahead.
"Roar!"
The demon soldiers roared one after another. Ice Blade was only a second-tier spell, but it was more than enough to deal with these low-tier Twin-Blade Demons.
After one volley of Ice Blades, Yang Zhan and Wang Zhen charged into the enemy ranks, swinging their paired axes. Each blow could kill a Twin-Blade Demon.
Jiang Feng held his sword in both hands and cut down a Twin-Blade Demon from time to time, though his attention remained on keeping watch.
Suddenly, Jiang Xinran cried out.
"Jiang Feng, two more Twin-Blade Demons are coming!"
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