188: Chapter 188: Dispersed Operations

In the Wilderness Lands, the greyish-yellow wasteland stretched as far as the eye could see.

The group advanced majestically toward the depths, with the Monster Hunting Team in the front and the Loose Cultivators following behind.

The group of over three hundred people stretched out like a long dragon.

Xiao Ran walked at the very back, observing his surroundings as he moved.

After walking for about an hour, a patch of low stone mountains appeared on the wasteland ahead.

The stone mountains rolled and undulated like frozen waves.

Captain Zhao raised his hand, and the group came to a halt.

Mounted on his Black-Scaled Tiger, he turned to face the crowd.

“Ahead is the Grey Stone Wasteland, the first line of defense outside the Sword Qi Great Wall.”

“The Yao Beasts here are mostly between the Nascent Soul Stage and Soul Transformation Stage; occasionally, a Void Refinement Stage Yao King appears, but it's rare.”

“Our mission is to clear the Yao Beasts in this area once every three months to prevent them from gathering in numbers large enough to assault the Great Wall.”

Among the crowd, a young Loose Cultivator asked,

“Captain Zhao, how large is this Grey Stone Wasteland? And what lies further inside?”

Captain Zhao glanced at him and said indifferently,

“The Grey Stone Wasteland spans eight hundred miles deep. Beyond that is the Death Rift, the crevice that Li Qinglian cleaved open with a single sword strike.”

“Across the rift is the heart of the Yao Race territory, known as the Ten Thousand Demon Plains.”

“That is where Void Refinement Stage Yao Kings frequently roam, and there are even several Body Integration Stage Yao Emperors.”

“That is not a place for us to concern ourselves with.”

The young Loose Cultivator nodded subconsciously upon hearing this.

A Body Integration Stage expert—he hadn't seen one in his entire life.

A middle-aged Loose Cultivator nearby remarked with emotion,

“I heard that during the Great War of Humans and Yao ten thousand years ago, Li Qinglian split the earth with one sword strike, driving the Yao Race into the Ten Thousand Demon Plains. That rift became the border between the Human Race and the Yao Race.”

Another Elder nodded: “Indeed. That Sword Intent on the Sword Qi Great Wall was left behind by Li Qinglian. It has remained for ten thousand years, and the Yao Race dares not cross the border.”

Captain Zhao ignored these discussions and waved his hand.

“Next, we will move in dispersed groups. The Yao Race ahead are densely packed.”

“We have only one purpose here: to kill them all.”

Upon hearing this, a crimson killing intent flashed in everyone's eyes.

They immediately scattered, forming teams of two or three and dashing off in different directions.

They moved so quickly that in just an instant, everyone had vanished.

Xiao Ran was in no hurry to leave; he stood in place, watching the crowd disperse.

The members of the Monster Hunting Team were well-trained, with thirty people divided into six small teams of five, each searching and advancing in different directions.

The Loose Cultivators formed free combinations, some in groups of three to five, others as lone wolves.

Li Changsheng and Su Qinghan flew toward the northeast; one in white and one in green, they were exceptionally conspicuous against the greyish-yellow wasteland.

Xiao Ran took everything in, then chose an opposite direction.

Because he had something to do that could not be seen by others.

Xiao Ran sprinted all the way, his speed incredibly fast, his grey robes snapping in the wind.

After running for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, no one else was in sight.

Only then did he stop and look around; the wasteland was empty, with only a few weathered rocks scattered on the ground.

“Not enough, I need to go deeper.”

Xiao Ran murmured to himself, then continued to dash into the depths.

At the same time,

Battles were breaking out in various other directions.

To the northeast, Li Changsheng and Su Qinghan encountered a pack of Yao Wolves.

Yao Wolves were one of the most common Yao Beasts in the Grey Stone Wasteland; they lived in packs, were extremely fast, and were skilled in wind-element Spells.

There were over twenty Yao Wolves in this pack, and the alpha was an Early Stage of Spirit Severing Silver Wolf.

It stood on a hill, its golden eyes staring at them.

It looked majestic and imposing, but unfortunately, it was facing the wrong people.

Su Qinghan didn't give a damn about them; she was currently overflowing with killing intent, and the Yao Wolves had just walked right into her line of fire.

Thus, Su Qinghan took the lead, releasing the aura of her Mystic Yin Returning Essence Body without reservation.

The long sword in her hand unsheathed, its Sword Qi like frost.

With one sword strike, three Nascent Soul middle stage Wind Wolves were instantly frozen into ice sculptures and shattered with a bang.

An instant kill!

Li Changsheng did the same; following beside Su Qinghan, his Innate Dao Embryo resonated with heaven and earth.

Clear Qi transformed into countless strands of Sword Qi, shooting toward the Demon Wolf pack from all directions.

The Sword Qi fell like rain, and the Yao Wolves collapsed one after another.

The remaining Yao Wolves were enraged and lunged forward madly.

The Alpha Wolf let out a low growl, its body turning into a streak of silver light as it pounced directly at Su Qinghan.

Su Qinghan did not retreat but advanced instead, her long sword held horizontally before her; cold Qi erupted instantly, transforming into a wall of ice to block her path.

The two sides then battled for about ten rounds.

Su Qinghan's sword pierced through its throat.

The battle was over.

Li Changsheng collected the Yao cores and glanced at Su Qinghan.

Her face was expressionless, but the cold light in her eyes gradually dissipated.

Li Changsheng didn't ask further, and the two continued deeper toward the northeast.

To the southeast,

Five members of the Monster Hunting Team's third squad were searching a rocky area.

The squad leader, Old Liu, was at the Nascent Soul middle stage with a burly build and a full beard; he was a veteran of the Monster Hunting Team and had been at the Sword Qi Great Wall for over thirty years.

Behind him followed four team members, all ranging from Late Nascent Soul Stage to Early Stage of Spirit Severing.

“Captain Liu, there are footprints here!”

One member crouched on the ground, pointing at the marks in the sand.

Old Liu walked over and crouched down to inspect them.

The footprints were huge, seemingly left by some large Yao Beast, and judging by the aura on them, it was at least at the Soul Transformation Stage.

“We've found a big fish.”

“Follow it.”

Old Liu said in a low voice.

The five followed the footprints, and after about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a massive cave appeared ahead.

The cave entrance was pitch black and seemingly bottomless, with a foul, stench-filled air wafting out.

Old Liu raised his hand, signaling the team to stop.

He took out a jade talisman, placed it at the cave entrance, and sent his Divine Sense inside.

A moment later,

His expression changed: “There's a Yao Beast inside at least at the late Soul Transformation Stage. Retreat!”

Just as the words left his mouth,

A low roar came from the cave.

A giant bear, entirely pitch-black, charged out of the cave. It was several zhang tall, its body covered in dark purple scales, and its eyes were blood-red, radiating a frenzied aura.

It was indeed at the late Soul Transformation Stage.

Seeing that they couldn't escape, Old Liu immediately let out a loud shout and swung his blade to meet it.

The four team members also attacked from the sides.

The five joined forces, clashing with the giant bear.

The giant bear possessed infinite strength, each claw strike carrying the power to split mountains and crack stones.

Old Liu's blade struck its body, but it only left shallow white marks on the scales.

“This beast's hide is too thick!”

One member shouted.

Old Liu gritted his teeth: “Hold it down! I'll look for an opening!”

The two sides then engaged in a tug-of-war battle.

When Soul Transformation Stage big shots fight, all sorts of forbidden techniques, Spells, and Magical Artifacts fly everywhere.

The Yao Race didn't have many Magic Treasures, so it was pinned down for a while.

The five cooperated perfectly and finally managed to slay the Yao Beast.

Old Liu stood on the ground panting heavily, then walked over to check his teammates' injuries.

“Withdraw. There might be other Yao Beasts nearby.”

He helped his teammates up, and the five quickly evacuated.

To the northwest,

A group of Loose Cultivators was engaged in a fierce battle with a swarm of Venomous Scorpions.

The Venomous Scorpions were numerous, at least over a hundred, swarming out from underground nests in a dense mass that made one's skin crawl.

The Loose Cultivators' cultivation levels were not high, and they were forced back step by step by the scorpions.

“Help! Someone come help!”

A young Loose Cultivator cried out in terror.

In the distance, a squad from the Monster Hunting Team arrived upon hearing the call.

Leading them was a female cultivator at the Early Stage of Spirit Severing. She was tall with a cold expression, holding a silver spear.

She glanced at the scorpion swarm, her brow furrowing slightly.

“Form the array!”

The five Monster Hunting Team members quickly stood in a pentagram formation, their spiritual power connecting to form a massive light shield.

The Venomous Scorpions were instantly bounced away when they hit the shield.

The female cultivator took the lead, her spear like a dragon as it pierced into the scorpion swarm.

Every thrust accurately struck the scorpions' vital points, taking them down one by one.

The other four team members cooperated seamlessly, and in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, over a hundred Venomous Scorpions were cleared away.