Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor-Chapter 1215: Enemies

"Brother Xingchen, Miss Xiao Lan, beyond here lies the Slaughter Spirit Battlefield!"

A few days later, when Yun Xiao and Xu Hongzhuang followed the Hawk Squad out of Yin Sha Mountain, Ruan Ying’s expression suddenly turned solemn, no longer as relaxed and carefree as before.

Over the past few days, Yun Xiao had not encountered many Vein Demons along the way, which suggested that those Vein Demons must have sensed the threat of Strange Spirits and refrained from battling human cultivators at this time.

This might also be the reason Yin Sha Mountain served as a resting place for these Slaughter Spirit Teams, yet leaving this mountain, Yun Xiao clearly felt a bloody aura rushing towards him.

Perceiving this bloody aura from afar was one thing; truly stepping into the Slaughter Spirit Battlefield was another. Even Yun Xiao felt as though there were wandering spirits howling in Lingtian above, lingering without dispersing.

"From now on, everyone must be extra cautious; every blade of grass, flower, and stone may be a Strange Spirit in disguise!"

Ruan Ying’s words were as much a warning to all the team members as they were meant for Yun Xiao and Xu Hongzhuang, the "rookies," since the original members of the Hawk Squad had been through several refining experiences in the Slaughter Spirit Battlefield.

"Hmm!"

Yun Xiao wasn’t pretentious, merely humming lightly; truth be told, in terms of understanding Strange Spirits, probably all the cultivators on the Tenglong Continent together wouldn’t surpass him much, as it was his essential role during his previous life as the Long Xiao Battle God.

"Miss Xiao Lan, you’ll stay by my side later; don’t worry, I’ll protect you!"

At some unknown time, Deputy Captain Jian Xi suddenly appeared beside Xu Hongzhuang. Upon hearing his words, she glanced sideways at Yun Xiao, seeing a hint of a faint smile in his eyes.

To cooperate with Yun Xiao, Xu Hongzhuang also suppressed her outward cultivation level to the late stage of the Seeking Origin Realm, which wasn’t the lowest in the Hawk Squad, but compared to Jian Xi’s half-step Earth Realm, it was significantly inferior.

Xu Hongzhuang was pretty and well-built, winning herself favorable popularity within a few days. Compared to Yue Sheng, who seemed like a man, the Hawk Squad members preferred being closer to her.

"Thank you very much, Deputy Captain... Watch out!"

Xu Hongzhuang calmly thanked him, then suddenly her expression changed, and her slender hand reached out to nudge Jian Xi to the left several feet.

Whoosh!

Just as Jian Xi’s expression changed slightly, a gust of wind suddenly swept past where he had stood moments ago, followed by a black mist drifting and changing in the air like a ghost, appearing extremely mystical and terrifying.

"Strange Spirit!"

Seeing this scene, all the Hawk Squad members turned serious, especially Jian Xi’s expression fluctuated between blue and red, appearing bewildered.

Although it was merely an eighth-rank middle stage foggy Strange Spirit, without Xu Hongzhuang’s timely intervention, even Jian Xi with his half-step Earth Realm cultivation might have suffered major loss.

Ironically, Jian Xi had just made bold claims of protecting Xu Hongzhuang, yet those words had barely faded before Xu Hongzhuang saved him once, leaving his face somewhat embarrassed.

An eighth-rank middle stage Strange Spirit that’s failed to ambush couldn’t possibly pose a threat to the Hawk Squad.

Not only did Yun Xiao and Xu Hongzhuang refrain from taking action, but even Captain Ruan Ying remained inactive, while the Hong brothers combined their efforts to eventually slay the Strange Spirit.

"I never expected these Strange Spirits to bypass human cities and appear near Yin Sha Mountain!"

Watching Hong Wu retrieve the Spirit Crystal from the Strange Spirit, Ruan Ying’s expression became grim, his words prompting Yun Xiao and Xu Hongzhuang to nod slowly.

Initially, Yin Sha Mountain was the resting place for numerous Slaughter Spirit Teams, yet Strange Spirits had already appeared along its edges, suggesting they might soon infiltrate the mountain, signaling that Yin Sha Mountain was no longer absolutely safe.

This also indicated that although many cultivators from human side’s Slaughter Spirit Teams were stationed in cities, they lacked adequate power to guard against the Strange Spirits outside, allowing them to breach the defenses.

"Well, well, isn’t that Captain Ruan Ying from the ’Dumb Bird Squad’? How’s it going? No more hiding like turtles?"

Amidst Ruan Ying and Yun Xiao’s conversation, a slightly grating voice suddenly reached everyone’s ears, and hearing the term "Dumb Bird Squad," the Hawk Squad members appeared furious, turning collectively to glare angrily at the source of the voice.

Unbeknownst to them, six or seven people were already standing nearby, and among them, the two in the front had similar appearances, seemingly brothers, one of whom was evidently the speaker.

"It’s those guys from the ’Lonely Wolf Team’!"

In the Hawk Squad, the first to speak wasn’t Ruan Ying, who was called out by name earlier, but Hong Wu, one of the Hong brothers. His tone was filled with extreme venom, as if he couldn’t hold back the urge to strike at any moment.

To be honest, during the days Yun Xiao spent with the Hawk Squad, the one he found most agreeable wasn’t Captain Ruan Ying, nor the woman Yue Sheng, but Hong Wu, who was straightforward and without ulterior motives.

Though Hong Wu’s cultivation wasn’t remarkable, he was warm-hearted and kind, so seeing the usually friendly Hong Wu wear such a venomous expression made Yun Xiao aware of some unknown animosity between the Hawk Squad and the Lone Wolf Squad.

"Mu Lang, I haven’t sought you out, yet here you are presenting yourself. What, looking to pick a fight?"

Ruan Ying was calmer than Hong Wu. After taking a few deep breaths, he responded in a steady tone, while a faint trace of Meridian Qi emerged from him, indicating early-stage Earth Bending Realm cultivation, with a subtle oppressive aura.

"Hmph, just your useless stupid bird squad, still unqualified to be an opponent for my Lone Wolf Squad!"

However, Mu Lang, the captain of the Lone Wolf Squad, merely snorted coldly. As his snort fell, a surge of Meridian Qi appeared from him, not much weaker than Ruan Ying’s, clearly another early-stage Earth Bending Realm expert.

Boom!

A mere early-stage Earth Bending Realm Mu Lang wasn’t much of a worry for Ruan Ying, but the next moment, he sensed another overwhelming force approaching, making his face change drastically.

"Mu Xiao, you’ve broken through to early-stage Earth Bending Realm too?!"

Sensing the aura from the one beside Mu Lang, Jian Xi couldn’t help but exclaim, his face turning dark with a hint of resentment.

Just half a month ago, Jian Xi had sensed clearly that the deputy captain of the Lone Wolf Squad, Mu Xiao, was of the same cultivation as himself, only at the half-step Earth Realm level.

However, within these mere ten days, the opponent had advanced ahead of him, making Jian Xi’s proud heart burn with jealousy.

Today, the Lone Wolf Squad was clearly prepared, intending to suppress the Hawk Squad with two early-stage Earth Bending Realm experts.

An early-stage Earth Bending Realm expert isn’t something that can be overcome merely by numbers, moreover, the Lone Wolf Squad has seven members, with three cultivators at the peak of Seeking Origin Realm, though they lack in numbers, their quality is immensely superior to the Hawk Squad.

"Ruan Ying, what about my earlier proposal? You’d better not refuse a toast and drink a forfeit!"

With Mu Xiao’s aura intimidating the Hawk Squad, Mu Lang shifted the conversation slightly, his words leaving Yun Xiao puzzled, but realizing soon it might be about some proposal from their last encounter.

"Apologies, my Hawk Squad would never associate with despicable people!"

Despite the smug look on Mu Lang’s face, Ruan Ying rejected outright without even a shred of consideration, revealing to Yun Xiao their intent to recruit the Hawk Squad.

"Since you’re so stubborn, don’t blame me then!"

Getting the answer he wanted, Mu Lang showed a sinister smile, and as his words fell, his aura became even more intense, filled with a dangerous threat.

"What? Human cultivators in the Slaughter Spirit Battlefield would still kill each other?"

Hearing Mu Lang’s words, Yun Xiao frowned and asked, making both squads look at each other with strange expressions.

"Tsk tsk, Ruan Ying, I wasn’t wrong earlier, your Hawk Squad is becoming more unfit, accepting any random folks. Aren’t you afraid these ants will drag you down?"

At this moment, Mu Lang finally noticed two unfamiliar faces in the Hawk Squad, ridicule in his voice, but when his gaze landed on Xu Hongzhuang, his eyes lit up.

"Top Grade, truly top grade!"

Mu Lang’s gaze sparkled with lewd brightness, making Xu Hongzhuang feel extremely uncomfortable and sparking an intense killing intent in Yun Xiao’s heart.

The Mu brothers have long been tyrants in the Eastern Domain of the Tenglong Continent, with countless cultivators’ blood on their hands. Both Impermanence Island and the Xiao Zhao families have tried to capture them with experts but failed.

Now, with the Strange Spirit threat rising, the Mu brothers have gathered a gang of low-life bandits, claiming to slaughter Strange Spirits in the battlefield but mainly targeting Slaughter Spirit Teams, killing and robbing.

The squad that Hong Si and Hong Wu once belonged to was almost wiped out due to the Lone Wolf Squad’s scheming.

And it’s worth noting, Mu Lang is a recklessly lustful individual. He has ravaged countless decent women before, and in the Slaughter Spirit Battlefield, he is even more unrestrained. Who would dare intervene now?