Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor-Chapter 1214: Tragic and Fierce

Pop!

In the dense forest of the Yinsha Mountains, the crackling of the bonfire shattered the tranquility of the mountain woods. At this moment, the members of the Hawk Squad fixed their eyes on the newly joined man and woman, a trace of doubt in their gazes.

"How should I address you, young man?"

Since it was already decided that Yun Xiao and his companion would join the Hawk Squad, the captain naturally took the lead, stepping forward to ask. As soon as he spoke, the nearby team members all perked up their ears.

"Star!"

Yun Xiao lifted his head and uttered the word, then pointed to the red-skirted girl beside him and said, "This is my sister, Xiao Lan!"

Although nearly a year had passed, Yun Xiao clearly knew the commotion he caused back then was significant. The moment the name "Yun Xiao" was mentioned, the members of the Hawk Squad would no longer remain so calm.

As for Xu Hongzhuang’s name, she was now famous across the Tenglong Continent, known by the nickname "Hongzhuang Immortal Moth," and stood equally renowned alongside "The Twin Charms of Medicine and Poison" from Lianyun Mountain and the "One-shot Saint Son" from Xuanyin Hall. They were the newly emerged super talents of the Tenglong Continent.

Upon hearing Yun Xiao use the alias "Star," Xu Hongzhuang’s mind suddenly recalled a black-skirted girl holding a black umbrella and a cute child who reportedly called "daddy," causing her heart to darken slightly.

However, the next moment, hearing the alias Yun Xiao arranged for her, Xu Hongzhuang felt a warmth in her heart. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t even a pseudonym but rather Xu Hongzhuang’s pet name, used exclusively by her mother.

"Haha, so it’s Brother Star and Miss Xiao Lan!"

Unfamiliar with these two new names, the Hawk Squad captain could only cooperate with a dry laugh and clasped his hands together.

In fact, if this Hawk Squad came from the Southern Domain of the Tenglong Continent, perhaps the name Star would sound familiar. After all, a girl from the Hu Family who recently destroyed the Xiao Family was rumored to have a close relationship with the Yun Xiao, who once used the alias Star.

"My name is Ruan Ying. Thanks to the support of my brothers, I took the position of captain of this Hawk Squad. This is the deputy captain, Jian Xi, whom the brothers habitually call Second Brother!"

After Yun Xiao’s brief self-introduction, Hawk Squad Captain Ruan Ying began introducing the squad members.

He seemed quite modest, though Yun Xiao and Xu Hongzhuang both understood that sitting in the position of captain definitely required greater strength than the others.

Below Ruan Ying and Jian Xi was a fairly beautiful but rugged woman named Yue Sheng, whose arms and calves exposed outside were a healthy wheat color, giving off a sense of strength.

Next were two brothers, simply named Hong Si and Hong Wu. The burly man who first spoke to Yun Xiao outside was Hong Wu.

From Ruan Ying’s introduction, Yun Xiao learned that the Hong brothers originally numbered five and were not initially part of the Hawk Squad but had formed their own small team, charging into the Slaughter Spirit Battlefield.

However, after a fierce battle with a Strange Spirit, three of the five Hong brothers were killed. Had the Hawk Squad not risked their lives to save them, Hong Si and Hong Wu would likely have perished in that confrontation.

Nonetheless, there was no trace of sadness on the faces of the remaining Hong brothers. Yun Xiao was quite impressed by Hong Wu and felt a sigh of regret for the warriors who died on the Slaughter Spirit Battlefield. After all, on the Slaughter Spirit Battlefield, countless people like the Hong brothers fought bravely.

The last member was named Yang Xian, who looked like a frail young man, but Yun Xiao could tell that Yang Xian was not young. Due to cultivating some special techniques, he became thin as a twig.

This was the current six-member configuration of the Hawk Squad, with Captain Ruan Ying being the strongest, reaching the Early Stage of Earth Bending Realm, and seemingly on the cusp of breaking through to the Middle Stage.

Deputy Captain Jian Xi was slightly inferior, just having broken through to the Half-step Earth Realm, but his combat strength surpasses an ordinary Peak of Earth Bending Realm.

The woman, Yue Sheng’s cultivation was at the Peak of Seeking Origin Realm. Although female, her evident muscles suggested significant accomplishment in physical strength.

The remaining three were all at the Origin Seeking Realm Late Stage. With such a team configuration, Yun Xiao and Xu Hongzhuang naturally didn’t give it much regard, but they came to understand the composition of the Hawk Squad.

"Brother Star, your Poison Meridian Skill is so strong; could it be from Lianyun Mountain?"

After Ruan Ying introduced the squad, Deputy Captain Jian Xi leaned forward. However, at this moment, he shed his previous arrogance, since, on this continent, strength still commanded the most respect.

Even though that suspected severe poison merely circulated through Jian Xi’s body without causing the slightest pain, and he speculated that this teenager named Star might simply bluff, the fact that it was enough to leave someone of Jian Xi’s Half-step Earth Realm uncertain was itself a skill.

"No!"

Yun Xiao naturally had to vehemently deny it. The reputation of Lianyun Mountain was too great, and bringing up such a background was no different from directly saying he was Yun Xiao, which wouldn’t be beneficial for gathering information.

"Captain, could you tell me about the situation on the Slaughter Spirit Battlefield?"

To avoid Jian Xi probing into his background through indirect questions, Yun Xiao directly changed the topic, leading it to the Slaughter Spirit Battlefield. As soon as he spoke, everyone’s faces in the squad took on a solemn and grave expression.

"The Slaughter Spirit Battlefield, huh? It can only be described with two words: brutal!"

The Hawk Squad had returned to the Yin Sha Mountains for respite and had indeed experienced the harshness of the Slaughter Spirit Battlefield. Whether it was the Hong brothers or the original Slaughter Spirit Team, several lives had been lost there.

But Ruan Ying knew that the life and death of people like them was just a minor skirmish. Events like this happened countless times every day.

The entire Slaughter Spirit Battlefield was like a meat grinder aimed at humans. Although many Strange Spirits were killed, they continued to emerge endlessly and were impossible to fully eradicate.

"Squads like ours can only engage in guerrilla warfare on the outskirts. The truly brutal battles occur in the major cities, with the tug-of-war over these cities claiming hundreds or even thousands of human cultivator lives each time. That’s the true brutality!"

Ruan Ying spoke in a deep voice, forming a bloody curtain in the minds of Yun Xiao and Xu Hongzhuang, giving them a vivid understanding of the Slaughter Spirit Battlefield.

To the east of the Yin Sha Mountains had entirely fallen to the Slaughter Spirit Battlefield, and the Strange Spirits held an absolute advantage. In nearly a year, they had ravaged almost a hundred miles east of the Yin Sha Mountains.

However, the human side wasn’t entirely without resistance. In the absence of Heavenly Rank experts, those at the Peak of Earth Bending Realm naturally became leaders.

These leaders from first-class and even top-tier forces would occasionally gather a group of Earth Bending Realm experts to attack cities occupied by Strange Spirits. Caught off guard, the human side managed to reclaim dozens of cities.

Once the Strange Spirits realized this, Ninth Rank Strange Spirits began to increase. These Ninth Rank Strange Spirits seemed to have some sort of tacit understanding, not wantonly massacring on the Slaughter Spirit Battlefield, but instead participating in the battles for the major cities.

Under such ferocious attacks, nearly half of the cities fell back into Strange Spirit hands. In this tug-of-war, even Experts of the Earth Bending Realm were unable to protect themselves, falling in countless numbers, including some at the Peak of the Earth Bending Realm.

Even when facing such life and death struggles, though at an extreme disadvantage, the human side fought tenaciously without retreat. In recent times, while the Strange Spirits pressed their attacks, the number of cities they occupied grew fewer and fewer.

This was because human cultivators gradually mastered the Strange Spirits’ combat styles, with human reinforcements constantly joining the battle.

According to Ruan Ying, almost all the four top-tier forces on the Tenglong Continent, along with eleven first-class forces (Xiao Family and Impermanence Island had already fallen), had sent in those below the Heavenly Rank Third Realm to the Slaughter Spirit Battlefield, barely stabilizing the situation.

Yet despite this, various Strange Spirit armies continued to pour in endlessly, and the human side could only guard their cities with all their might, barely holding the defense line at the Yin Sha Mountains.

For once the defense line at the Yin Sha Mountains was breached, the Strange Spirits could advance straight into the human heartland, leading to unimaginable devastation, a veritable line of life and death.

"Captain Ruan Ying, what are our squad’s plans next?"

Having obtained the information he wanted, Yun Xiao didn’t decide to leave the Hawk Squad immediately, but instead asked, causing Ruan Ying and the others to glance at each other.

"We had already decided to take a look at Gushan City!"

Apparently ready for this, Ruan Ying didn’t hesitate much and, after speaking, looked at Yun Xiao and Xu Hongzhuang, continuing, "Gushan City is under fierce attack from the Strange Spirits. Although our abilities are limited, we wish to do our bit. Brother Xingchen, if you have concerns, we won’t insist!"

As Ruan Ying said, they used to engage in guerrilla warfare on the outskirts, killing isolated Strange Spirits, which was already extremely dangerous. Now going to Gushan City might be a journey of almost certain death, and the Hawk Squad didn’t know how many would survive.

In Ruan Ying’s view, the Xingchen siblings joined the Hawk Squad presumably to engage in some guerrilla warfare on the outskirts. Hearing about going to aid the city, they’d probably back out immediately, right?

"Haha, since we’re here, we should naturally go to the city. What’s the point of picking up scraps on the outskirts?"

To Ruan Ying’s surprise, the words had barely left his mouth when he saw the raggedly dressed young man across from him grin broadly, revealing a set of white teeth. The words he spoke made Ruan Ying look at the young pair with newfound respect. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

No matter their strength, at least their courage was no less than that of other members of the Hawk Squad.