Pre-Battle Declaration

Whoosh!

Before the mercenary could finish speaking, a fierce gust suddenly swept up before him, obscuring his vision.

The next moment, by the time he came to his senses, Xiao Yan had vanished.

All that remained was a scene of chaos, yellow sand swirling through the air, and a bag of gold coins that suddenly landed on the ground with a soft thud.

Seeing this, the mercenary hurriedly looked east and caught sight of Xiao Yan's retreating figure.

Then the figure flickered and disappeared.

"What on earth happened? What could have made Young Master Xiao Yan so anxious? And why did the girl he was carrying look so familiar?"

Gripping his spear tightly, the mercenary muttered to himself.

For some reason, he could not shake the feeling that the skies over Stone Desert City were about to change!

Meanwhile, at the east gate, inside the largest courtyard.

Xiao Yan quickly spotted the magical beasts lying in a circle on the street, resting, and his heart lifted.

He quickened his pace, carrying Qing Lin and the female Snake-Person over the courtyard gate. He landed steadily, smashing a deep crater into the ground, and headed straight for the room inside.

Seeing Xiao Yan return, the magical beasts rose one after another and greeted him with low growls, trying to show him they had not been slacking off.

But he ignored them, kicked the door to pieces, and strode straight into the hall.

The interior was not luxurious. Its furnishings were simple, with only a few plain tables and chairs, leaving it somewhat empty.

But what drew the eye most was the crowd gathered around a table in the center of the space on the next level, up the steps.

Indeed, ever since Xiao Yan had left, the Desert Iron Mercenary Group had never stopped recruiting outsiders.

People continued to arrive in an endless stream to sign up.

Seeing this, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li naturally welcomed the newcomers with beaming smiles.

Most were Dou Shi and high-level Dou Zhe, but there were also quite a few Da Dou Shi who had been living in hiding in the city, and even a Dou Ling.

Even the former city lord wore a stunned expression when he saw the Dou Ling with his own eyes, unable to believe that such an expert had been hiding in the territory under his jurisdiction.

It was just then that Xiao Yan walked over, interrupting everyone's astonishment.

Everyone turned to look at Xiao Yan. Their expressions varied-some were curious, some puzzled, some wary, and some contemptuous, among others-but most were filled with reverence.

Because... behind Xiao Yan stood ten Fifth-Order Magical Beasts, each comparable to a Dou Wang expert, protecting him.

The Dou Ling expert was among them. He stepped out of the crowd with a respectful expression and held out a cup of tea to the youth, saying with the utmost deference:

"Young Master Xiao Yan, thank you for your efforts on the road. Have a cup of tea to wet your throat first!"

Xiao Yan glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and gave a slight nod.

Xiao Yan put Qing Lin and the female Snake-Person down beside him, accepted the cup, and drained it in one gulp.

Now that he had reached his destination, Xiao Yan was no longer as anxious as he had been at first.

Then Xiao Yan raised his head and looked calmly at the two young men in the lead. He spread his hands, and surging soul power immediately poured out.

The milky-white wisps formed two waves, promptly pushing everyone present apart to either side.

The youth strolled up the steps and looked at them solemnly as he spoke:

"Big brother, second brother, trouble is coming!"

"At daybreak tomorrow, seventy percent of the snake-type magical beasts in the Tagor Desert will attack Stone Desert City. After that, the Snake-People Tribe will come out in full force to attack the Jia Ma Empire's border!"

The moment he said this, an uproar broke out.

Everyone looked at one another, then stared at Xiao Yan in disbelief before turning to Xiao Ding and Xiao Li.

Xiao Li's face darkened, and he shouted coldly, "Little Yanzi, this is no joking matter. Do you have proof?"

Xiao Yan beckoned, pulling the female Snake-Person to him at once. He tossed her onto the open floor ahead and sneered:

"Tell them what you said just now!"

The female Snake-Person lay in the middle of the crowd, trembling instinctively, too afraid to raise her head and meet their gazes.

But when she saw Qing Lin on the floor, her eyes suddenly dimmed and lost their light once more. Like a walking corpse, she began to mutter:

"He's right!"

"War will break out soon. Our queen will soon occupy this place and gain the endless oasis over there."

When she finished, panic and helplessness crept into their hearts, and everyone immediately crowded around her.

A burly man grabbed her by the hair and roared viciously:

"You're lying! Tell me what you said isn't true!"

The female Snake-Person struggled with her whole body, her face contorted. Her fingertips dug into the man's arm, raking bloody lines across it, but she still repeated what she had said:

"It's true! I'm not lying!"

The burly man flew into a rage and flung her aside.

Then he took a deep breath and slowly calmed himself.

After that, he hurriedly knelt before Xiao Yan and kowtowed, pleading for help:

"Young Master Xiao Yan, I beg you, please save the people of Stone Desert City!"

"My family is all in the city. I... don't want to lose them!"

Everyone watched in silence, a jumble of emotions churning in their hearts.

They too had families, friends, and companions they spent their days and nights with.

Now that disaster was upon them, they had no time left to flee.

And as mercenaries, they all had mettle.

They would never abandon the home where they had always lived or their companions just to cling to life.

At that moment, though panic still gripped them, quite a few mercenaries came before Xiao Yan and knelt to plead as well:

"Please lead us in a fight to the bitter end, Young Master Xiao Yan!"

At this critical moment, they cast aside the status they had just gained and continued to shout:

"The people of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group will never be cowards! We will never retreat, never surrender! Never..."

Their voices grew more impassioned and soon carried outside, drawing many people's attention.

Clearly, they wanted to use public opinion to force Xiao Yan to fight.

Though it was somewhat despicable, they could not afford to worry about that much if they wanted to survive.

Seeing this, Xiao Ding hurriedly sent the former city lord over to disperse the crowd. Then he looked at Xiao Yan, sighed, and asked:

"Since they've gone this far, I can't stand by and do nothing as their group leader, can I, third brother?"

Xiao Yan smiled. "Of course not..."

But as soon as he finished, he changed tack and added, "However... I rather dislike how aggressively you people are pressing me."

The youth spoke in an even tone. With a wave of his hand, he swept all the mercenaries kowtowing on the ground off their feet, then said:

"Do you know why I hit you?"

The crowd lay on the floor, looking at Xiao Yan's icy gaze. They all shook their heads without a word, indicating that they did not know why.

Xiao Yan gave a derisive laugh and continued:

"It's because you think too highly of yourselves. Don't think you can force me to do anything just because there are a lot of you!"

Then he unleashed his presence, instantly blasting the surrounding furniture to pieces, and roared:

"I'll tell you this: from now on, you are members of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group. Now that you're in trouble, I will naturally keep you safe, but I don't want my protection to be something you forced out of me."

Then Xiao Yan came to stand between Xiao Ding and Xiao Li and made a solemn promise:

"Rest assured. As long as you are still my companions, I won't stand by and do nothing. I, Xiao Yan, accept the Snake-People Tribe's challenge!"