While Xiao Yan and his companions were harvesting the Fire Lotus underground, a fierce conflict was erupting on the surface.
The Sand Mercenary Group returned, and this time with even more members.
The group consisted of forty people, personally led by the deputy regimental commander Sha Tie.
They surrounded Xiao Li and Lei Le, drawing their weapons and exuding murderous intent.
" Xiao Li, I gave you a chance."
Sha Tie on his Swift Claw Beast, the scars on his face looked particularly ferocious in the sunlight. His gaze was fixed on the massive, icy, dark cave on the ground, and he spoke in a cold voice:
"Hand over what you find below, then get out of this area, and I might spare your lives."
Xiao Li sneered, " Sha Tie, when did your Sand Mercenary Group become the masters of the desert? Anyone can come to this area, so why should we leave?"
"On what grounds?"
Sha Tie grinned, revealing his yellow teeth, a hint of mockery on his face:
"Just because our leader Luo Bu, is Five-Star Da Dou Shi!"
With two hundred brothers in our Sand Mercenary Group, Xiao Li, be sensible. The Desert Iron Mercenary Group can't beat us.
If you know what's good for you, hand over the stuff now, and I might put in a good word for you with the commander, making your lives a little easier."
Lei Le and four mercenaries stood back to back, their faces filled with resolute determination.
They were outnumbered, but no one showed any fear.
"The young commander is still downstairs," Lei Le whispered to Xiao Li. " Xiao Wu went to report the news but hasn't returned yet. I don't know if reinforcements will arrive in time."
Xiao Li nodded, holding his long sword horizontally in front of his chest.
He is Three-Star Dou Shi, and so is Sha Tie; the outcome of their Three-Star Dou Shi would be unpredictable.
However, the opponent has a large number of people and is powerful. Once the opponent loses patience, they will surely be defeated with just a few people.
"Looks like you're going to have to suffer the consequences instead of accepting a polite offer."
A fierce glint flashed in Sha Tie's eyes as he scanned the dark pit and said:
"Brothers, move! Guard that entrance, don't let a single person out!"
The forty mercenaries echoed in unison, their voices creating a terrifying effect.
Ten archers retreated to the rear, drawing their bows and nocking arrows; twenty shield-bearing mercenaries stepped forward, forming a shield wall; the remaining ten flanked from the sides, cutting off all of Xiao Li and his men's escape routes.
This is the encirclement formation that the Sand Mercenary Group excels at.
"Release the arrows!" Sha Tie shouted.
Dozens of arrows suddenly pierced the air, the poison coated on their arrowheads gleaming with a ghostly blue light in the sunlight.
Xiao Li brandished his longsword, unleashing his Dou Qi, which deflected several arrows aimed at him.
Lei Le and his men also used various methods to parry, but one mercenary was a little slow, and an arrow grazed his arm, leaving a bloody mark.
The wound quickly turned black, and the mercenary groaned, his face turning deathly pale.
"Poisonous!" Lei Le exclaimed.
"Hahaha!"
Sha Tie laughed wildly, sitting atop his Swift Claw Beast, looking down at the disheveled Xiao Li with mockery in his eyes, and said coldly:
"This is our specially made scorpion tail venom. There is no antidote; you will die within half an hour!"
Xiao Li, it's not too late to surrender now!
A murderous glint flashed in Xiao Li's eyes. At this moment, they only had one path: to capture the leader first!
He held back no longer, unleashing the full power of Three-Star Dou Shi, with crimson Dou Qi flames igniting on his longsword.
" Lie Yan Slash!"
With a slash of his longsword, Xiao Li's figure shot out, chasing after Sha Tie.
Sha Tie's expression changed slightly. He leaped off the Swift Claw Beast and blocked with his heavy sword.
"Clang--!"
Swords clashed, sparks flew.
Sha Tie staggered back three steps, his arm going numb.
He was shocked to discover that Xiao Li's attack was even more powerful than before.
"You broke through?" Sha Tie asked in surprise and doubt, his tone filled with both resentment and jealousy.
Xiao Li did not answer, his sword strikes flowing like a relentless tide.
At this point, unless he takes control of the Sha Tie, they will all die here.
Xiao Li felt a pang of regret; he should have brought more men with him, otherwise, they wouldn't have found themselves in such a passive position.
Unfortunately, although Xiao Li can currently suppress Sha Tie, it is still unlikely that he can take down Sha Tie in a short period of time.
Moreover, the Sand Mercenary Group has too many members.
The shield wall pressed forward relentlessly, squeezing the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's living space; the mercenaries flanking from the flanks had already begun their attack; and the archers from the rear kept firing stray arrows, keeping Xiao Li and his men busy dealing with the situation.
Lei Le was already wounded, with an arrow in his left shoulder. Although he managed to pull the arrow out in time, the poison had already begun to spread.
The other four mercenaries were also wounded and no longer had the strength to resist.
"The second regimental commander... can't hold on any longer..."
A mercenary gasped for breath; his thigh was pierced by a spear, and blood was gushing out.
Xiao Li gritted his teeth and looked at the cave entrance.
Just as the members of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group were completely surrounded by the Sand Mercenary Group and their defenses collapsed, a strange noise suddenly came from the cave entrance.
"Splash--"
A figure shot into the sky from the cave, Purple Cloud Wings unfurling behind him—it was Xiao Huohuo! He held Qing Lin in his left arm and landed steadily on the ground.
Then another flash of white energy appeared in the cave, and Xiao Yan stepped on the Xuanbing formed by the Bone Spirit Cold Flame and roared out.
Looks like I made it in time.
Xiao Yan glanced at the situation in the field. They had heard the shouts of battle from underground, which was why they rushed out.
Sha Tie's pupils contracted as he looked at the Purple Cloud Wings on Xiao Huohuo's back. " Flying Dou Technique?!"
The entire Sand Mercenary Group was in an uproar.
Flying Dou Technique are extremely rare; no one in the entire Stone Desert City possesses one. Just who is this young man?
As soon as Xiao Huohuo landed, he looked towards the battlefield.
Lei Le was injured, the mercenaries were covered in wounds, and although Xiao Li could still fight, he had reached his limit.
Meanwhile, the Sand Mercenary Group was surrounding them, their eyes fixed on them.
"Second Brother, are you alright?" Xiao Huohuo asked.
"They're not dead yet." Xiao Li grinned, but the smile seemed forced. "Did you find what you were looking for? Did you find it?"
Xiao Huohuo's eyes darkened, and he said with some regret, "Found it, but it's been taken away."
Xiao Li was taken aback, then realized. "Someone beat us to it?"
"Hmm." Xiao Huohuo nodded, then looked at Sha Tie and said coldly:
"I already gave you one chance when you blocked the way."
Xiao Huohuo's gaze swept over the wounded mercenary, finally settling on the arrow wound in Lei Le's shoulder.
The area around the arrow wound had turned black, and the poison was spreading.
His gaze turned cold.
Sha Tie felt uneasy under Xiao Huohuo, but remembering that his side had superior numbers, he mustered his courage:
"Kid, hand over what you found down there, and I might..."
"Antidote."
Xiao Huohuo interrupted him, her voice eerily calm, "Hand over the antidote, then take your people and get out of here. I can pretend today never happened."
Although Xiao Huohuo was furious, she still wanted to detoxify the mercenaries first.
After all, they were besieged by the Sand Mercenary Group entirely because of themselves.
Sha Tie was taken aback, then burst into wild laughter. "Who do you think you are? You think you can threaten me with just a few of you?"
Sha Tie looked at Xiao Huohuo as if he were looking at an idiot.
He had sensed that Xiao Huohuo was quite strong, but as fellow Dou Shi, even if Xiao Huohuo was at the Peak Dou Master, he still had forty helpers on his side.
They could wear down Xiao Huohuo simply by sheer numbers.
Xiao Huohuo stopped wasting words.
He took a step forward, and the moment he did, his entire demeanor changed.
He was no longer that sunny young man, but a god of death who had emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
The Heavy Xuan Ruler was taken down from behind, the cloth strips tearing apart inch by inch, revealing the pitch-black ruler body.
Azure flames surged from Xiao Huohuo's body, enveloping his entire being, and his aura rose steadily.
Peak Nine-Star Dou Shi!
Sha Tie's expression changed drastically. Was this young man really Nine-Star Dou Shi? How could that be?!
"One last time, the antidote," Xiao Huohuo said.
Sha Tie gritted his teeth. "Charge! He's all alone, kill them all!"
Forty mercenaries swarmed forward, advancing in a shield wall, thrusting out spears, and raining down arrows, closing in on Xiao Huohuo.
So what if Xiao Huohuo is Peak Nine-Star Dou Shi?
Without reaching the Da Dou Shi, even releasing Dou Qi is difficult; relying on numbers, they can wear him down.
A knowing, calculating expression returned to Sha Tie's face.
Xiao Huohuo stopped talking and instead chose to make Sha Tie regret his actions.
The Heavy Xuan Ruler swept across, and the azure flames transformed into a ring of fire that spread outwards.
The five shield bearers at the forefront paled in shock; their iron shields began to melt the moment they came into contact with the flames!
"Retreat!" someone shouted in alarm.
Such terrifying flames were something they had never heard of before.
But it was too late.
The moment the flames spread, Xiao Huohuo's figure appeared behind them like Gui Mei, striking repeatedly with his foot.
Five muffled thuds sounded almost simultaneously, and five shield bearers coughed up blood and flew out, crashing into the sand and never getting up again.
With a single move, five Dou Zhe lost their fighting ability.
The entire room fell silent.
Sha Tie's face twitched.
He believed he could defeat those five, but it would be far from easy.
This boy's strength is terrifying.
"Form ranks! Suffocate him!" Sha Tie roared the order.
If a fellow Dou Shi of the same rank were to back down in front of so many subordinates, he would have no chance of surviving in Stone Desert City.
The remaining mercenaries changed tactics, abandoning direct attacks and focusing on hit-and-run maneuvers.
They circled around Xiao Huohuo, launching constant harassing attacks in an attempt to deplete his Dou Qi.
This is a common tactic for dealing with stronger opponents—using numerical superiority to wear them down.
But Xiao Huohuo is no ordinary Nine-Star Dou Shi.
His internal Dou Qi surged like a mighty river.
Each swing of the Heavy Xuan Ruler carries terrifying force and scorching heat. Any mercenary caught in its winds will find their weapons and armor rendered useless under the immense pressure of the Heavy Xuan Ruler.
In just two minutes, eight more mercenaries fell.
Sha Tie's face grew increasingly grim.
He realized he had met his match today.
"Archer! Aim at that girl!" Sha Tie suddenly pointed in the direction of Qing Lin, a sinister glint in his eyes.
Since I can't beat you, I'll attack your weaknesses!
Dozens of arrows changed direction and all shot towards Qing Lin.
Xiao Li and Lei Le remained calm. After all, Xiao Yan Qing Lin was right beside Xiao Yan, and he could easily protect Qing Lin. They had witnessed Xiao Yan's strength before, so they had no worries whatsoever.
"Ding ding ding ding..."
Just as the arrows were about to strike Qing Lin, a cold white flame suddenly roared out, forming a wall of ice in front of Qing Lin, blocking all the arrows.
Cold sweat beaded on Sha Tie's forehead. He finally understood why Xiao Li dared to bring such a small group of people to this area.
These two teenagers are monsters!
"The antidote." Xiao Huohuo said for the third time, his voice now filled with murderous intent, because he saw that one of the mercenaries was about to give up.
Having witnessed the strength of Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo, the members of the Sand Mercenary Group dared not make a move and all stood still.
The meaning is quite clear.
Sha Tie cursed these cowardly fools inwardly, his hands trembling as he pulled a small bottle from his pocket and threw it over.
Xiao Huohuo caught it, examined it, and tossed it to Lei Le: "Apply externally, quickly."
Lei Le quickly did as instructed, sprinkling the powder onto the wounds. The blackness rapidly faded, and the mercenaries' pale faces began to recover.
"Now, take your men and get out."
Xiao Huohuo looked at Sha Tie,
"Go back and tell your leader that the Desert Iron Mercenary Group wants this area. If he disagrees, I don't mind going to the Sand Mercenary Group's headquarters to talk to him."
Sha Tie was extremely ashamed and indignant. He hurriedly ordered his men to carry the wounded and flee in a sorry state.
They arrived with forty men full of bravado, but left with only twenty still able to move. Apart from initially attacking Xiao Li and his group, they were directly defeated by Xiao Huohuo alone. Such a crushing defeat was unbelievable.
After watching the Sand Mercenary Group disappear into the sand dunes, Xiao Li breathed a sigh of relief, but then frowned again:
"Third brother, you've revealed your strength today. Luo Bu won't let this go easily. After all, he's Five-Star Da Dou Shi..."
"It's nothing, just a mere Da Dou Shi."
These experiences broadened Xiao Huohuo's horizons beyond those of a mere Dou Zhe Dou Shi.
Hai Bodong, whom they had just met Queen Medusa they were about to meet, were both Dou Huang expert.
Having already witnessed the strength of others, Xiao Huohuo firmly believed that he too would become one of them.
Xiao Huohuo put away the Heavy Xuan Ruler and said, "Second Brother, let's go back first."
Xiao Li nodded and said:
"You all go back to the city first. I'll leave a few men here to guard the cave entrance, in case the Sand Mercenary Group launches a counterattack."
"No need to guard it anymore." Xiao Yan shook his head and said to Xiao Li, "There's nothing left to guard in this place."
Xiao Yan stretched out his palm, and the sand that had been frozen into ice began to melt. A moment later, a tremor came from the ground, and the sand around the cave entrance began to collapse, completely burying the entrance.
From the outside, it looks like an ordinary sandy area, with nothing unusual about it.
"Let's go." Xiao Yan turned around. "Let's go back to Stone Desert City first."
P. S. It's the last day of 2025. Happy New Year to all my readers!