"Ga..."
The Fiery Demon Eagle screeched, its voice piercing through the void. With its sharp beak, it swallowed a medicinal pill.
"Fiery Demon Eagle, go, block them," Lan Ling ordered softly. The Fiery Demon Eagle circling in the sky immediately flapped its wings and pounced towards the lean man.
As its wings vibrated, a fierce aura pierced through the void. The sound of the wind howled as its body rushed forward, its presence formidable. Many people already felt fear in their hearts. A third-tier demon beast was truly terrifying.
"Third Brother, be careful." The giant man shouted. With his experience in the Misty Mountain Range, he could tell this was a third-tier demon beast. He had been wary of the people from the Beast Sect possibly having such beasts with them, but he hadn't expected a third-tier demon beast.
As his words fell, the giant man's expression slightly sank, and then he lunged at Zhao Qing. Amidst the tremors of intense heat, his Qi surged, unleashing a fierce aura.
Zhao Qing, already in a dire state under the attack of the second leader, was retreating in disarray. Seeing the giant man's leader attack, his face paled, and he hastily retreated. On his silver-white long sword, he conjured dozens of sword beams that cut through the void, with the sound of whooshing echoing through space.
"Break." The giant man's leader did not take it lightly, though he also did not consider it a serious threat. Zhao Qing, as a martial master, was far beyond a martial fighter's comparison.
The giant man's hand formed a fiery claw seal, enveloping and dissolving the sword beams into nothingness under its fiery embrace. The last sword beam was directly caught by the flame claw seal, with a surge of dark energy piercing through.
Zhao Qing's body was instantly pushed back, his hand seals changing. He plunged his silver-white long sword into the ground, tearing a deep ravine into the hard surface.
"Ga ga..."
At this moment, the Fiery Demon Eagle spat out a small fireball, which was originally the size of half a baby's fist but expanded instantaneously in the air, becoming incredibly hot. It surged across the void and pressed down on the lean man.
The lean man's face showed shock as his Qi vibrated intensely. He danced his dual blades, creating a blade wall in front of him to block the attack. He dared not directly confront a third-tier demon beast.
"Bang..."
The fireball exploded violently, dispersing flames everywhere, filling the air with intense heat. The massive force of the explosion hit the blade wall, causing the lean man to be pushed back instantly.
At this time, everyone's attention was surprisingly focused on the third-tier demon beast, leaving no one to attack Li Lin.
Li Lin slowly retreated, thinking it best to escape first. He was not yet able to confront the Furious Wolf Mercenary Group.
"Damn it, come here."
Zhao Qing, pushed back by the giant man, paled even more. Before he could stabilize himself, the second leader's giant axe fell with a sharp whoosh, shaking the void as it cleaved down.
"I'll fight you!" Zhao Qing's face twisted fiercely. He cast a sword spell, and his long sword radiated sword beams. He stomped the ground hard and shot towards the second leader, his sword shadows breaking through the void and striking fiercely. The air seemed to be pierced by this terrifying force, producing a sharp whistling sound. Indeed, the disciples of the Beast Sect were extraordinary.
"Crack crack..."
Sword and axe collided, unleashing a wild surge of energy. The void began to crack under the pressure of these two terrifying forces, filling the space with a loud howling sound.
"Sss..."
Zhao Qing's figure was once again knocked back, a stream of fresh blood spurted from his mouth.
"Come here, boy." The voice of the giant leader sounded, who, unknown to Zhao Qing, had already reached behind him. His palm was covered in flames, which he then shaped into a claw, piercing through Zhao Qing's protective aura and grabbing onto Zhao Qing's neck.
"Stop..." At this moment, Lan Ling also issued a sharp reprimand. In the space ahead, the Fiery Demon Eagle's sharp claws were deeply embedded in the shoulders of the lean man, blood flowing freely. The lean man was under the control of the Fiery Demon Eagle.
Watching all this unfold, everyone from the Furious Wolf Mercenary Group became agitated. The giant man's face turned grim, a flash of coldness in his eyes, then his cold gaze settled on Lan Ling, demanding, "Hand over the treasure map!"
"I... really don't know what you're talking about... We... don't have any treasure... map." With his neck grasped by the giant leader, Zhao Qing's neck turned red, his breathing labored, his expression filled with terror, his life hanging by a thread in the opponent's hands.
"Nonsense. With a demon beast at your side, wasn't it you who killed our men? And still you try to argue." The giant man let out a cold snort, his left hand suddenly rising, condensing a blade of intense flames, which then mercilessly slashed across Zhao Qing's right ear.
As the blade of flame passed, a bloody ear fell to the ground. The flame cauterized the wound, preventing any blood from flowing.
"Ah..."
Zhao Qing screamed in agony, the sound woeful and mournful. The pain was heart-wrenching, his face contorting in torment. From a distance, Li Lin couldn't help but feel a chill; this giant man, accustomed to the roughness of the Misty Mountain Range, was truly ruthless.
"Hmph." At that moment, Lan Ling let out a cold snort. Her blue long sword slashed through the air, cutting off the lean man's right arm from the shoulder, blood spraying wildly.
"Ah..."
The lean man screamed miserably, his face turning pale with the pain of losing an arm, which was even more excruciating than the ear.
Li Lin glanced at the severed arm on the ground. Despite being a woman, Lan Ling was merciless. Even with Zhao Qing in the enemy's hands, she showed no weakness, which is rare among women, who might otherwise hesitate for fear of making things worse. Now, as long as the giant man still cared about his third in command, there might still be a chance to escape.
This woman is no simple character, Li Lin thought to himself. Given time, Lan Ling will surely make a name for herself in the Beast Sect. Offending such a woman would undoubtedly bring trouble.
"What audacity." Looking at Lan Ling and the blood gushing from the lean man's arm, the giant man's expression darkened, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Boss, save me." The lean man was also terrified, as everyone fears death.
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"We really don't know anything about a treasure map. Release the person in your hand, or he will die just the same," Lan Ling said coldly, then turned her gaze to Li Lin in the distance, "Lin'er, come over to me."
Hearing this, Li Lin walked towards Lan Ling. The mercenaries surrounding Li Lin naturally didn't dare to stop him, as their third in command was in the enemy's hands.
"You dare threaten me?" The second in command glared at Lan Ling angrily.
"It's not a threat. Let's make a deal and release each other's captive," Lan Ling replied coldly.
"And if I refuse?" The leader's eyes shot a cold challenge.
"Then it's a fight to the death," Lan Ling said with determination, showing no sign of backing down.
The giant man's expression twitched. Ignoring his third in command could undermine his authority, yet he was loath to let the treasure map slip away right before his eyes.
"Alright, release them together," the giant man said coldly after hesitating for a while.
"I'll count to three, and we release them together. Let the two of them walk over slowly," Lan Ling said, her gaze sweeping around, her expression turning solemn.
"One, two, three."
As her words fell, the giant man released Zhao Qing, and under Lan Ling's signal, the Fiery Demon Eagle also released the lean man who was the third in command.
The two stumbled forward, cautiously wary of their surroundings, then quickly ran to their respective groups.
"Chase them, kill that bitch," the giant leader roared, his figure leaping forward first.
"Fiery Demon Eagle, block them," Lan Ling shouted at the same moment, her figure also retreating quickly.
Zhao Qing and Li Lin didn’t need to be told by Lan Ling; they instantly followed, speeding away. At this moment, Li Lin could no longer afford to conceal his strength; if he didn’t escape now, he would never be able to.
"Ga ga..."
The Fiery Demon Eagle roared, spreading its wings and spitting out a flame that covered a hundred meters in the air. The giant man, engulfed by the flames, didn’t dare to confront it directly and instantly retreated.
The third-tier demon beast's attack was something even the giant leader couldn't ignore.
"Ah..."
Instantly, several mercenaries of the Martial Practitioner level were engulfed by the Fiery Demon Eagle's flames, screaming in agony. This demonic fire, unlike ordinary flames that could be extinguished with water, could only be put out with sufficient strength and methods; otherwise, one would be burned to ashes.
"Chase," the giant man roared in fury, but with the Fiery Demon Eagle in the sky, those of lower strength didn’t dare to approach.
In that instant, Lan Ling, Zhao Qing, and Li Lin had already run far. After summoning the Fiery Demon Eagle, Lan Ling seemed to have used some secret method, causing excessive consumption. Although this consumption was not as severe as a serious injury, it was almost the same, greatly affecting her speed.
Zhao Qing was even worse off, severely injured and missing an ear, his speed significantly reduced.
"Senior brother, are you alright?" Lan Ling also wanted to know Li Lin's strength. Seeing that Zhao Qing had not gained any advantage and instead had his injuries worsened, she looked at Li Lin again with a heavy expression.
"Junior sister, we must kill this boy, or he will be trouble for us. He must have the treasure map on him; if we get it, we'll be rich," Zhao Qing said, looking at Li Lin. Though he didn’t know what treasure the Furious Wolf Mercenary Group was seeking, it must be valuable; otherwise, they wouldn’t risk offending the Beast Sect to get that treasure map.
Li Lin retreated and then focused on the Fiery Demon Eagle beside Lan Ling, which posed the greatest threat to him.
"Sixth-level martial warrior, your strength is not bad for your age, but it seems a bit low in front of me," Lan Ling said lightly to Li Lin.
"Is that so? Miss Lan Ling, you are severely injured, and your strength has been greatly reduced. It seems that summoning the Fiery Demon Eagle takes a lot out of you. I wonder if Miss Lan Ling can still summon it again?" Li Lin said lightly.
Lan Ling's expression slightly darkened. If she were at her peak, she would not fear a sixth-level martial warrior. Summoning the Fiery Demon Eagle indeed required a lot of her strength; otherwise, the eagle would not obey her, and she truly could not summon it again now.
"Is that so? But I cannot let you go," Lan Ling said coldly, her Qi trembling. With a tap of her foot, she soared into the air, her graceful body spinning rapidly. Holding her blue long sword high, she leveraged the spinning momentum to hurl it, generating a sharp whistling sound like lightning.
"Fire Shadow Finger," Li Lin said with a heavy expression, his hand seals changing. With a flick of his bent fingers, five fiery finger imprints tore through the void, consecutively striking the tip of the sword in mid-air.
"Clang clang..."
Sparks flew as the finger imprints and the sword's edge collided, emitting a clear clash sound, after which the direction of the sword's tip changed.
"A dual-system martial artist." Lan Ling exclaimed in shock, as Li Lin had just used both earth and fire martial techniques, revealing himself to be a practitioner of two systems.
Lan Ling quickly retracted her hand seal, and the blue long sword instantly returned to her hand. However, at that moment, Zhao Qing seemed to take advantage of the situation to launch an attack, sweeping up a wind-breaking sound with his palm strike towards Li Lin's side.
"Rage Flame Fist." Suddenly, a fiery fist imprint burst forth with scorching Qi, exploding from in front of Li Lin. At the same time, a layer of light yellow scale armor materialized around Li Lin, offering much more protection than a simple Qi barrier.
"Bang..."
The two forces collided, unleashing a massive power that poured over Li Lin's body. However, thanks to the Qing Ling armor, the armor flashed, dissipating much of the force.
At that moment, the energy from Li Lin's Rage Flame Fist poured over Zhao Qing's body. Under normal circumstances, Zhao Qing wouldn't have needed to worry much about Li Lin's punch, but now, already weakened, his body staggered backward.
"Fire Shadow Finger."
With his hand seals condensed, Li Lin's right palm curled, and his body suddenly rose, launching five furious finger imprints at Zhao Qing before he could stabilize himself.
The Fire Shadow Finger was already incredibly fast, and at a distance of less than five meters, Li Lin had calculated this perfectly. Using the Qing Ling armor to close the distance, he brought Zhao Qing within the optimal range for the Fire Shadow Finger, enhancing its power.
"Shoo shoo shoo..."
The five finger imprints pierced through the void, bringing with them a fierce wind-breaking sound. In the blink of an eye, they struck right in front of Zhao Qing.
Caught off guard, Zhao Qing's pupils shrank, hastily setting up a Qi barrier in panic.
"Sss sss sss..."
The five finger imprints hit, but were initially blocked by the Qi barrier. However, the true fire on the finger imprints began to burn through the Qi barrier. With another mouthful of blood from Zhao Qing, under the assault of the third finger imprint, his Qi barrier finally cracked and shattered, and the last two finger imprints shot into Zhao Qing's chest like lightning.
"Sss sss..."
Two holes burst open, bleeding profusely. Zhao Qing's face turned pale, his pupils constricted, glaring resentfully at Li Lin as he collapsed powerlessly, never expecting to die by the hand of a martial warrior.
"Senior brother..."
Lan Ling's face changed dramatically, and she rushed to Zhao Qing's side. The rapidity of the events, combined with her injuries, left her no time to intervene.
Seeing Zhao Qing now dead, Lan Ling collected the space bag from his body, her eyes showing little sorrow.
"You killed a person of my Beast Sect, I won't let you go," Lan Ling said lightly, looking at Li Lin again.
"It doesn't matter. If you want to continue fighting, I'm ready anytime," Li Lin replied.
"The Furious Wolf Mercenary Group's people are probably nearby. If we fight now, neither of us will escape," Lan Ling bit her lip lightly. The noise from their fight could have alerted others, making this place unsafe.
Li Lin frowned slightly, realizing he might also find it difficult to kill Lan Ling. If pushed too far, Lan Ling still had a third-tier demon beast at her side, which could pose a problem for him.
"Even though you killed Zhao Qing, I still have to thank you," Lan Ling said.
"That's strange," Li Lin remarked, putting away his Qing Ling armor.
"Zhao Qing was my fiancé, arranged since childhood. I had no choice. Despite being a direct disciple of the Beast Sect, I couldn't oppose the pressure from his family. He might have become a direct disciple himself after this return. You killing him... I should thank you for that. But since he was my fiancé and a member of the Beast Sect, I won't let you off if there's a chance in the future," Lan Ling said lightly.
"I see," Li Lin frowned, then looked at Lan Ling, realizing that if she had chosen to save Zhao Qing with all her might, killing him would have been very difficult. It seemed he had been used by her, her scheming mind somewhat frightening.
"I'll be going then. Feel free to seek revenge later," Li Lin said, deciding it was better to leave her presence, lest he be further manipulated.
"Do you intend to keep the treasure for yourself? My Beast Sect has lost three members because of you; you should include me in the share," Lan Ling stated.
"What treasure? I really don't know," Li Lin's expression darkened, realizing he might have unknowingly acquired a treasure map from the Furious Wolf Mercenary Group's space bag.
"If I stop you now, even with my injuries preventing me from killing you, it won't be hard to attract the Furious Wolf Mercenary Group here. Then you'll really be in trouble. We split the treasure; that's my condition. Otherwise, we can go our separate ways, and neither of us gets the treasure," Lan Ling said seriously, with no hint of jest.
Li Lin could see that Lan Ling was cunning and fiery, not someone to be trifled with. Escaping from her, especially with the Fiery Demon Eagle at her side, might not be possible.