The six of them continued forward.
The farther they went, the dimmer the light became.
The grounds had been specially arranged, with many large trees transplanted here. Their canopies joined overhead.
The air also carried the damp, earthy smell of soil.
Jiang Lan slowed his steps and briefly closed his eyes.
About forty meters ahead, there were another two Ironback Wolves.
Farther away, roughly seventy or eighty meters out, there was a second-tier beast as well.
"Two first-tier Ironback Wolves, forty meters ahead," Jiang Lan said quietly. "You guys take them. There's a second-tier one farther back. I'll handle that."
Chu Yun's eyes lit up. He lowered his body, ready to charge.
Mo Han reached out and caught him, then gestured for them to flank the wolves from both sides.
They exchanged glances before splitting into two groups, crouching as they crept forward.
Killing a first-tier Ironback Wolf alone might have taken them some effort.
But five against two was no challenge.
When they closed to within five or six meters, the two Ironback Wolves in the bushes noticed the movement and shot out.
Chu Yun reacted quickly, stepping forward and slamming his right fist squarely into the first wolf's shoulder.
Thud!
The Ironback Wolf flew sideways and rolled twice across the ground.
Bai Yu rushed after it, slashing its throat before it could regain its footing.
On the other side, Mo Han's movements were clean and decisive.
The moment the Ironback Wolf sprang out, he met it with a punch to the side of its head.
Its head twisted sideways, and it collapsed to the ground. After two twitches, it stopped breathing.
Meanwhile, Jiang Lan continued forward until he reached a pile of rubble.
Several broken walls stood before him, half-collapsed.
Seemingly alerted by the commotion, something behind the wall suddenly made a dull crashing sound.
Crash!
The wall collapsed instantly, revealing a huge Red-Scaled Lizard behind it.
Jiang Lan raised his eyebrows slightly.
He had thought it was an Ironback Wolf. He hadn't expected a Red-Scaled Lizard.
But it didn't matter.
They were all the same to him.
Though this Red-Scaled Lizard was second-tier, it was a size smaller than the one he had encountered in the wild.
Perhaps the conditions here weren't as good, and hunger had left it a little scrawny.
Opposite him, the Red-Scaled Lizard stared fixedly at Jiang Lan, its slit pupils narrowing slightly. It pushed off with all four limbs, launching itself at him with its jaws open.
Jiang Lan shifted half a step sideways, dodging its gaping jaws, and brought his right fist down onto its head.
Thud!
With a dull impact, the Red-Scaled Lizard's head was hammered straight into the rubble. Its dark red scales shattered, and blood seeped through the cracks.
It was clearly dead beyond any doubt.
Jiang Lan crouched, took out a Collection Vial, and extracted essence blood from the lizard's heart. Then he cut off its left toe and tucked it into his pocket.
After all, the thing had no ears.
Only after finishing did he stand and return to the group.
"Let's go. We'll see what's farther ahead."
The six set off again, pushing deeper into the grounds.
As they advanced, the trees grew sparser, replaced by broad stretches of ruins.
Without the trees blocking their view, though, they could see a little farther than before.
Three minutes later, Jiang Lan suddenly stopped and looked ahead.
A dark shape lay atop a broken wall up ahead, its coloring almost blending into the stone. Without a careful look, it would have been impossible to spot.
A Shadow Leopard.
And a second-tier Shadow Leopard at that.
Red-Scaled Lizards and Ironback Wolves relied mainly on brute force.
Shadow Leopards, however, excelled at speed and concealment.
If Jiang Lan's mental attribute hadn't been high enough, he might not have spotted it right away.
"Don't move," Jiang Lan said softly.
The five behind him stopped immediately.
Bai Yu was the first to notice something amiss. She followed Jiang Lan's gaze and narrowed her eyes slightly.
"A Shadow Leopard?"
"Yeah." Jiang Lan bent down and picked up a piece of rubble. "I'll flush it out. You intercept it."
Bai Yu nodded and lowered her stance slightly.
Jiang Lan flicked his fingers. The stone whistled through the air, striking precisely where the Shadow Leopard lay.
Crack!
The Shadow Leopard reacted incredibly quickly. Almost the instant the stone landed, it sprang off the wall, becoming a dark blur as it shot toward the bushes to one side.
The Shadow Leopard was certainly fast.
But Bai Yu was clearly faster.
She shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, her short silver hair flashing in the wind. A moment later, she was already in front of the Shadow Leopard's landing point, kicking straight at it.
Thud!
The kick knocked the Shadow Leopard off course, sending it tumbling once in midair. Before it could hit the ground, Jiang Lan was already there.
He raised his fist high and drove it straight into the Shadow Leopard's chest.
Boom!
With a dull impact, the Shadow Leopard's chest caved in. It slammed into the ground, blood gushing from its mouth.
"Nice." Bai Yu glanced back at Jiang Lan, offering a rare word of praise.
Jiang Lan smiled.
Chu Yun, who had watched the whole thing, smacked his lips and said:
"That teamwork-you two showing off?"
Their coordination really had been seamless, a pleasure to watch.
But that was because they had the raw ability to back it up.
Though Bai Yu was nowhere near Jiang Lan's level, her strength lay in her speed.
As usual, Chu Yun handled collecting the materials.
Only after everything had been gathered did the group continue forward.
After another ten minutes of walking, Jiang Lan stopped again and held out a hand.
"Two second-tier beasts ahead."
Jiang Lan turned back and glanced at Chu Yun and Mo Han.
"Right, you guys wait here for now."
"Heh, I'd like to try my hand at one. Can I?" Chu Yun asked, looking a little sheepish.
Before Jiang Lan could answer, Mo Han also drew his saber.
"I want to try too."
Tsk...
Jiang Lan glanced at the two of them.
"All right, you two go ahead. I'll stand by and cover you."
Among all second-tier ferocious beasts, second-tier Red-Scaled Lizards ranked toward the bottom in combat strength.
So the two of them probably wouldn't run into any serious trouble.
Even if they couldn't win, protecting themselves shouldn't be a problem.
And even if something did go wrong, wasn't he right there to bail them out?
Once Jiang Lan finished speaking, Mo Han immediately drew his saber and circled to the side.
Chu Yun was far more aggressive, kicking straight at the broken wall in front of him.
Crash!
A section of the already half-ruined wall collapsed under his kick, sending rubble flying.
Startled, the two Red-Scaled Lizards sprang up and charged at the two of them, one to the left and one to the right.
Chu Yun met the one on the right, smashing a fist into its scales.
The instant his fist struck the scales, a powerful recoil surged up his arm.
A second-tier Red-Scaled Lizard's attack and defense were both far stronger than a first-tier one's.
But after all his training, Chu Yun was no pushover either.
His punch knocked the Red-Scaled Lizard straight onto its side.
The Red-Scaled Lizard shook its head furiously in pain, then climbed back to its feet as though nothing had happened and roared at Chu Yun.
Roar!
Clearly, the human before it had already driven it into a furious rage.
"Your grandpa's right here!" Chu Yun held out a hand and curled his index finger at the Red-Scaled Lizard. "Come and get me!"