"No. I paid a high price for this information. They wouldn’t lie to me, and they wouldn’t dare to," the short-haired woman, their leader, said as she shook her head.
The short-haired woman had an oval face and an exceptional presence. Her hairstyle made her look sharp and competent. If Tang Yi were here, he would have recognized her. This woman was none other than the beautiful corps leader he had met back in the Wind Moon Forest, Liuu Tian.
And this team that had entered the Valley of Desolation was, in fact, the Mercenary Corps led by Liuu Tian: the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps.
"But how are we supposed to find it by searching so blindly? Besides... the Valley of Desolation is incredibly dangerous. If we run into any of those powerful Demon Beasts, we’re done for. I’ve heard this place is different from others. You can run into High-level Demon Beasts even in the outer regions!"
The square-faced young man said worriedly. As he finished speaking, he glanced around cautiously, as if terrified that something would jump out and eat him at any moment.
"Captain, don’t mind Wang Dali. He’s just a coward! He may look big and tough, but he’s got less nerve than I do, and I’m a woman," a female corps member jeered.
"A coward? Hey, Li Qingqing, you little wench, what do you know? If this were anywhere else, I, Wang Dali, wouldn’t breathe a word of fear. But this... this is the Valley of Desolation! How can it be the same? Forget about a small Mercenary Corps like ours; even the big ones with Battle King Warriors can get wiped out if their luck runs out!" the square-faced young man named Wang Dali retorted indignantly.
"Just keep making excuses. Anyway, I’ll go wherever the Captain goes. If she isn’t afraid, then I won’t even bat an eye!" Li Qingqing huffed, clearly looking down on Wang Dali.
"Alright, you two, stop arguing. If you attract a Demon Beast, we’ll be in real trouble."
Liuu Tian cut them off. After a moment of thought, she said, "Actually, Dali’s concerns aren’t baseless. Anyone who has spent years on adventuring teams knows that the Valley of Desolation is incredibly treacherous. One wrong move, and the entire team could be wiped out. But... we have to take this risk. You all know Xiaoxin’s condition is getting worse. She might not last much longer. I can’t just stand by and watch her die, so we have to find the Jiuli Flower as quickly as possible and bring it back to cure her. How about this? We’ll be extra careful and cautious. We’ll avoid fighting any Demon Beasts we encounter if we can. We’ll give ourselves a three-day limit. We’ll search the outer rim of the Valley of Desolation for three days. If we have nothing to show for it after three days, we’ll retreat immediately. What do you all think?"
"I have no objections!" Li Qingqing replied first.
"Alright then, we’ll follow the Captain’s orders. You can count on me, Wang Dali, to risk my life alongside you all this time," Wang Dali added with a nod.
The other corps members also trusted Liuu Tian implicitly, and one by one, they agreed to the plan. The group began to move forward slowly once more.
And at that very moment!
SWOOSH!
A black shadow shot toward the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps.
Seeing the black shadow, Liuu Tian immediately surged forward, tightening her grip on her longsword and thrusting it at the incoming shape.
SQUELCH!
The black shadow was run clean through by Liuu Tian’s blade and collapsed in a pool of blood.
However, Liuu Tian felt none of the expected joy. She frowned, her expression grave. When she saw the black shadow’s true form, her heart sank like a stone. She quickly shouted a warning, "It’s a Black Blood Wolf! Everyone, be careful! Black Blood Wolves never hunt alone. If you see one, there are bound to be more. We’re in big trouble!"
The words had barely left her mouth when dozens of black shadows emerged from the surrounding woods. Each one stared at the members of the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps with fierce, crimson eyes.
A Black Blood Wolf was only a Level 2 Demon Beast, equivalent in strength to a Battle Master. Since every member of the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps was a veteran Battle Master, dealing with them shouldn’t have been difficult. But...
Dealing with a small number of Black Blood Wolves was certainly not difficult. Ten or even twenty wouldn’t have been a problem. But facing dozens of them—a seething black mass that outnumbered the corps members several times over—was another matter entirely...
No, it wasn’t just strenuous; it was impossible!
At that moment, the expression on every member’s face of the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps was incredibly grim, tinged with a hint of despair.
Just moments ago, they had been saying that nothing would happen if they were careful, that they could head back in three days. Yet now, danger was upon them. In a situation like this, forget lasting three days; they would be incredibly fortunate if even a few of them managed to escape without being annihilated by the Black Blood Wolf Pack!
The Nine Cities Mercenary Corps was in a dire situation.
"So many Black Blood Wolves! There isn’t a Black Blood Wolf King nearby, is there?" Seeing the dozens of wolves, Wang Dali’s face fell, and his mind immediately jumped to an even worse possibility.
It had to be said, Wang Dali was a true jinx; no sooner did he say something than it happened, and no sooner did he think of something than it appeared.
AWOOOO!
Sure enough, the Black Blood Wolf Pack parted, clearing a path. An alpha wolf, even larger and more robust than the others, stepped forward. It had a mark on its forehead resembling the character for "King." A low snarl rumbled in its throat, its eyes gleaming with savage light.
"Wang Dali, you and your big mouth! Next time we’re in danger, could you do us all a favor and keep it shut?" Li Qingqing snapped.
"How is this my fault?" Wang Dali muttered, feeling wronged.
Of course, it wasn’t Wang Dali’s fault. With so many Black Blood Wolves gathered together, how could there not be an alpha to lead them?
"Everyone, on your guard! They’re about to attack! Form the defensive Grand Array, now!" Liuu Tian commanded, her voice stern.
At her command, the members of the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps swiftly closed ranks into an Array Formation. Their movements were clearly well-rehearsed; in the blink of an eye, they stood back-to-back, creating their so-called defensive Grand Array.
Although Liuu Tian appeared relatively calm, showing no outward signs of despair, no one knew that inwardly, she was more frantic and hopeless than anyone else.
The composure on her face was all an act!
’We haven’t been in the Valley of Desolation for long, and we’ve already run into a Black Blood Wolf Pack! If it were just any pack, that would be one thing; we could probably fend them off. A typical pack isn’t that large. But this isn’t just a simple Black Blood Wolf Pack—it’s one led by a Black Blood Wolf King!’
’The addition of a single Black Blood Wolf King might seem small, but it changed the very nature of the threat.’
’A pack led by a Black Blood Wolf King wasn’t just larger; the King could also direct the wolves, making their attacks far more effective.’
’One was a disorganized mob, small in number; the other was a coordinated army, vast in number. The difference in their Combat Power was astronomical.’
Seeing the Black Blood Wolf King, Liuu Tian knew they were probably doomed.
AWOOOO!
With a guttural roar, the Black Blood Wolf King gave the order to attack. The Black Blood Wolves, their crimson eyes blazing, charged toward the members of the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps.
Faced with the incoming tide of Black Blood Wolves, large beads of sweat rolled down the faces of the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps members, their expressions taut with tension.
Just as the members of the Nine Cities Mercenary Corps braced themselves, preparing for a life-or-death struggle against the Black Blood Wolf Pack, a faint sound echoed from the sky. WHIZZ! It seemed something was flying toward them...

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