19: Chapter 019: Easily Hunting the Fire Lizard, But Sooner in Crisis

On the eastern side of the Back Mountain Forest, there was a slightly hot and dry hilly area.

The air was filled with a faint smell of sulfur and a subtle hint of charring, and the ground was scattered with many dark red, rugged strange rocks.

This was the area where Molten Fire Lizards frequently appeared.

"Stay alert! Molten Fire Lizards are accustomed to lurking in rock crevices or shallow burrows, launching surprise attacks with extreme speed, and can spit scorching fire breath from their mouths!"

Chen Yaojia lowered her voice and skillfully commanded, "Two people per group, advance slowly back-to-back, and use long weapons to prod the rocks to test!"

The five Utility Disciples immediately grouped up as instructed.

Li Siwen naturally teamed up with Chen Yaojia, and the other three formed two groups.

The team cautiously explored forward.

"Hiss—hiss—"

Not long after, a dark red figure suddenly darted out from a rock crevice, as fast as lightning, pouncing directly towards a Disciple in the adjacent group!

That Disciple reacted a bit slowly, his face turning pale with fright.

In that flash of lightning, another figure moved even faster!

Li Siwen shifted his feet, his movement technique light as electricity, instantly covering several zhang. The glowing white Internal Energy condensed at his fingertips arrived first, accurately striking the Molten Fire Lizard's flat head!

"Puff!"

With a muffled thud, the Molten Fire Lizard seemed to have taken a heavy blow, its charge abruptly halted, and it tumbled to the ground, twitching twice before becoming still.

There was a clear finger-sized hole on its head, having been instantly pierced by Internal Energy!

The entire process was clean and decisive, without any hesitation.

[Shock from Utility Disciple A +22]

[Admiration from Utility Disciple B +18]

[Approval from Chen Yaojia +25]

The attacked Disciple, still shaken, quickly thanked him, "Th-thank you, Junior Sister Li!"

Li Siwen nodded slightly, his expression calm.

The condensation and control precision of Pulse Forging Perfection Internal Energy were far beyond what these Disciples in the Early and Middle Stages of Pulse Forging could compare to. Dealing with a first-tier Yao Beast was indeed effortless.

A hint of surprise flashed in Chen Yaojia's eyes, and she smiled, "Shiwen, your control over Internal Energy is almost on par with some Disciples who have just entered Aperture Opening! It seems that 'blessing in disguise' truly brought you considerable gains."

She increasingly believed Li Siwen's previous statement about being forced to consume a large amount of Medicinal Pills. However, being able to successfully refine that medicinal power indicated that 'Li Shiwen's' own talent was also extremely astonishing.

Li Siwen merely smiled and said nothing more.

The subsequent hunting process almost became Li Siwen's personal showcase.

His perception was exceptionally keen, always being the first to discover lurking Molten Fire Lizards.

His movement technique was swift and elegant; often, the battle would be over before others even reacted.

The Internal Energy at his fingertips, whether pointing or thrusting, was precise and ruthless, killing with a single strike, highly efficient.

The other few Utility Disciples almost became mere foils and assistants responsible for collecting Yao Cores and Materials.

Their gazes towards Li Siwen gradually changed from initial curiosity and politeness due to Chen Yaojia, to genuine awe and admiration.

[Adoration from Luo Chen +30]

[Admiration from Utility Disciple C +20]

Chen Yaojia was also happy to relax, mainly responsible for overall command and holding the line. She was even more satisfied with this 'newly recognized younger sister' in her heart.

In less than an hour, the ten Molten Fire Lizard Yao Cores required for the mission had been collected.

"Alright, mission accomplished! Everyone, take a break, we..." Chen Yaojia had just breathed a sigh of relief, preparing to order their return.

Suddenly, her expression shifted, and she looked towards the dense forest to her side and rear.

Li Siwen also sensed something almost simultaneously and turned his head to look.

He saw the trees swaying as several Disciples dressed in Law Enforcement Team uniforms, looking solemn and moving hastily, passed through, seemingly heading towards a deeper area.

Leading them was a capable team member under Chen Mingtao, named Zhang Yuan.

"Senior Brother Zhang!" Chen Yaojia immediately called out, "What are you doing here?"

Zhang Yuan stopped when he saw Chen Yaojia, his face anxious and grave: "Senior Sister Chen? How did you get here? This place is already close to the depths, it's not very safe!"

"We came to complete a Molten Fire Lizard hunting mission, and we just finished." Chen Yaojia explained, then casually asked, "Is there any news about Yu Qing?"

Zhang Yuan nodded heavily, then shook his head: "We found some traces. Near his assessment area, we discovered signs of a struggle, and... a small amount of blood and torn clothing fragments."

"Based on the traces, he might have been attacked and, being no match, was forced to flee towards the deeper 'Black Wind Ravine' direction."

Black Wind Ravine!

Hearing this name, Chen Yaojia and the several Utility Disciples' expressions all changed.

That was a famous dangerous place in the Back Mountain, with deep ravines and dense forests, where second-tier and even third-tier Yao Beasts frequently appeared. Even ordinary Outer Sect Disciples dared not venture deep easily.

"Who did it?" Chen Yaojia pressed, though she already had someone in mind.

Zhang Yuan lowered his voice: "Liu Feng confessed, it was Zhao Lei! Instigated by Chu Youcai! Senior Brother Chen has already reported it to the Elder and personally led another team to apprehend Zhao Lei and Chu Youcai."

"Our teams have been ordered to urgently enter the mountain, expand the search area, and must find Yu Qing, alive or... sigh!"

He sighed: "Black Wind Ravine is too dangerous; we must hurry over and cannot delay any longer! Senior Sister Chen, since your mission is complete, please return to the Sect as soon as possible!"

After speaking, Zhang Yuan clasped his fists and, with several Law Enforcement Team members, hastily disappeared back into the depths of the dense forest.

The atmosphere suddenly became oppressive.

Traces were found, but they pointed towards an even more dangerous dead end!

Yu Qing's hope of survival seemed even more slim.

Li Siwen's heart also sank.

He glanced in the direction of Black Wind Ravine, his brows tightly furrowed.

Chen Yaojia was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and said to everyone, "The mission is complete, we..."

Before she could finish, boom! Rumble, rumble, rumble—

The ground suddenly shook violently!

From the depths of the distant dense forest, several extremely violent beast roars echoed, the sound waves rolling, shaking the leaves to fall rustling!

"What's going on?!" Chen Yaojia's face instantly changed. She immediately shielded Li Siwen behind her, held her short sword across her chest, and vigilantly looked in the direction of the vibrations.

The few Utility Disciples were even more terrified, their faces pale, huddling together in panic.

"Is the earth... shaking?"

"No! It's Yao Beasts! So many powerful Yao Beast auras!"

The next moment, the rock wall in front and to the side of them suddenly exploded!

Amidst flying debris, three gigantic lizards, several times larger than the Molten Fire Lizards they had hunted earlier, with dark red scales shimmering all over their bodies and spitting scorching flames from their mouths, burst out ferociously!

Their eyes were blood-red, filled with tyrannical and frenzied auras!

"Second-tier Molten Fire Lizards! And three of them! Be careful!"

Chen Yaojia exclaimed, her tone filled with unprecedented gravity.

Ordinary second-tier Molten Fire Lizards were already troublesome Yao Beasts that only Aperture Opening Early Stage Cultivators could handle alone. Now, three appeared at once, and their state was clearly abnormally violent.

For their team, which was mainly composed of Utility Disciples, it was simply a catastrophic disaster!

"Roar!"

One of the Molten Fire Lizards attacked first, unleashing a scorching pillar of fire from its mouth, sweeping towards everyone like an enraged Dragon!

"Scatter! Dodge quickly!" Chen Yaojia shouted sharply, simultaneously pushing Li Siwen away from her side.

She herself swung her short sword, unleashing a fierce Sword Qi that barely offset part of the flames, but she was also shaken back two steps, her arm slightly numb.

The other two Utility Disciples failed to dodge in time and were grazed by the scorching fire wave. Their protective gear instantly turned charred black, and they screamed as they tumbled to the ground, the smell of burnt flesh emanating from them.

The scene instantly plunged into extreme chaos!

In the haste, Li Siwen seemed to see a dark shadow flash past under the dappled tree shadows not far away.