The night was as black as ink, with not a single star visible in the sky. Two groups, one in pursuit of the other, arrived at the Wind Moon Forest.
The one in the lead was a bearded man in his thirties or forties with a square face. A five-centimeter-long scar ran across one of his eyes, giving him a savage look. He exuded a terrifying killing intent, as if he had slain many men, leaving an impression of extreme ferocity and horror.
The man’s clothes were splattered with blood that had yet to dry. Despite fleeing, he remained remarkably calm, as if he held his pursuers in complete contempt.
With a sinister smirk, the bearded man’s figure flickered, and he vanished into the Wind Moon Forest.
His pursuers were a group of six young Martial Artists—five men and one woman. They all wore identical white Martial Artist Robes and a small Silver Badge on their chests, on which were inscribed the words "Nine Cities."
Every one of them wore an expression of sheer fury. They chased the bearded man with desperate abandon, as if he were their sworn enemy. Yet, despite pursuing him all the way to the Wind Moon Forest, they still hadn’t caught him.
"What do we do, Leader? Li Kuang has entered the Wind Moon Forest!"
The six of them stopped as they watched the bearded man disappear into the Wind Moon Forest. Their faces were grim. One of them turned to the only woman in the group and asked the question.
The woman they called Leader was named Liuu Tian. She had delicate features, an oval face, and short black hair that made her look sharp and capable. This, combined with her pristine white Martial Artist Robe, gave her a captivating, strong-woman charisma.
The other five were her subordinates. Their team was a Mercenary Corps known as the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps.
"When we took this mission, I never thought Li Kuang would be this powerful. It’s all my fault. I got Fang Ming and the others killed." Liuu Tian’s expression was pained, and she was wracked with guilt.
Their team had once numbered ten, but now only six remained. The other four had been killed by the bearded man they were chasing—Li Kuang.
"It’s not your fault, Leader. We all knew what we were signing up for. People die in this line of work."
"That’s right. We chose to follow you, and we’ve never been afraid to die. I’m sure Fang Ming and the others felt the same."
"Leader Liuu, let’s go avenge our brothers!"
Her subordinates all chimed in.
"But the Wind Moon Forest is incredibly dangerous, especially at night. We have no idea what we might run into," Liuu Tian said, her voice laced with despair. "If we go in, we’ll be exposed while Li Kuang will be in the shadows. We... we have no chance of winning." Her face was a mask of bitter frustration.
Hearing this, the others realized she was right and fell silent.
"I, for one, have decided to go," Liuu Tian said after a moment, her tone serious. "I have to avenge them, even if it costs me my life. But I want to hear what you think. If you choose to back out now, I won’t hold it against you. Life is precious, and if we go in there... we might not make it back."
"Leader, we’ll do whatever you decide. We’d follow you through hell and back!" one of the members declared.
"That’s right! Even if we have to die, we’ll take that bastard Li Kuang down with us! He killed four of our friends!" another member added venomously.
"Leader, I’m with you!"
"Anyone who runs is a coward!"
One by one, they voiced their resolve. Not a single one of the five backed down, a testament to the powerful bond they shared.
"Alright," Liuu Tian declared. "If that’s how it is, then we’ll settle the score with Li Kuang once and for all. It’s either him or us! We’ll fight to the last man if we have to, but we will bring his head back to Celestial Extinction City!"
"Bring his head back to Celestial Extinction City!" the five members roared in unison. Then, led by Liuu Tian, they plunged into the Wind Moon Forest in pursuit of Li Kuang.
Tang Yi had reaped a bountiful harvest from his last battle. After finishing off the monsters that survived his Mountain Shattering Earth Splitting Slash, he had advanced to the Level of a Six-star Battle Grandmaster. His strength had taken another leap forward, and he could feel Power coursing through his entire body.
He still had 30 Battle God Value points remaining. That meant he could use Mountain Shattering Earth Splitting Slash two more times and still keep 10 points in reserve for emergencies.
Since his own strength had increased, the might of his Finishing Move, Mountain Shattering Earth Splitting Slash, had also naturally grown. ’This time, I’ll lure in even stronger monsters!’
Tang Yi was brimming with confidence, more motivated than ever to level up.
But just as he was about to leave and repeat his monster-luring tactic, a sound came from the distance. It sounded like someone was running quickly in his direction.
Judging by the sound, it was more than one person.
As his strength had grown, Tang Yi’s hearing had become much more acute. He could now pick up even the faintest sounds from a great distance.
Before long, the sounds grew closer, and figures appeared in his line of sight.
It was a bearded man, and chasing him were several people in matching Martial Artist Robes.
’That big man has a vicious look in his eyes; he can’t be up to any good. The people chasing him look furious, though. They must have some kind of blood feud. Better for me to stay out of it.’
Tang Yi frowned slightly. He had no intention of getting involved in someone else’s mess. Leveling up was more important. He decided to wait for them to pass before heading off in a different direction.
But things rarely go according to plan.
Tang Yi didn’t want trouble, but trouble had a way of finding him.
The bearded man suddenly charged straight toward him, a vicious look in his eyes. It was clear he meant trouble.
"Heh heh."
Just as Tang Yi laid eyes on Li Kuang, Li Kuang spotted him too. He found it strange. ’The Wind Moon Forest is crawling with Demon Beasts, especially at night when it’s even more terrifying. A powerful Demon Beast could leap out and take your life at any second. So how did a brat who looks sixteen or seventeen end up here?’
’And the spot where the kid is standing...’
’It’s a total wreck, still smoking, and littered with the corpses of countless Demon Beasts. This is beyond strange.’
But he didn’t dwell on it. ’After all, what kind of power could a boy of sixteen or seventeen possibly have?’
’There’s no way he could have caused all this.’
’Some expert must have had a major battle here during the day, leaving this scene behind. The kid probably just got lost and wandered in by accident.’
With this in mind, Li Kuang sped up, rushing toward Tang Yi.
He was charging at Tang Yi to take him hostage and buy time against those fledglings from the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps. He had a few allies nearby and had just sent a signal. They would be arriving shortly. Once his allies were here, he could do whatever he wanted with these rookies from the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps. He could kill them whenever and however he pleased.

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