174: Zhang's team status, Sword Master mission

Outside Yumen Pass in the Northern Desert Region, the sounds of battle echoed through the heavens and earth, as endless demon beasts surged from all directions.

Above Yumen Pass, Human Clan powerhouses and powerful demon beasts were engaged in fierce close combat, with terrifying attacks scattering and falling.

Below, the army of Yumen Pass, like a sharp blade, cut through the momentum of the beast tide and began to fight with the demon beasts.

Among them, one small team was like tigers entering a flock of sheep; with just seven people, they managed to prevent the demon beasts from advancing even an inch, and even showed signs of suppressing them.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

Sounds of arrows cutting through the air rang out, and almost transparent arrows directly pierced the brows of several demon beasts with lightning speed.

The one who shot was Liu Ruyan, wearing a tight-fitting combat suit, which showcased her curves even more prominently.

But her eyes were exceptionally steady, constantly drawing her bow and shooting arrows, harvesting the lives of the surrounding demon beasts.

Around her, Zhao Qianjun, Qin Tian, Ye Wuji, and the brothers Shao Long and Shao Hu, the five of them guarded Liu Ruyan's side, providing her with an excellent environment for attack.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, a giant wolf nearly three meters tall in the distance noticed them, let out a howl, and quickly rushed over.

Its bloodthirsty eyes sent chills down one's spine, but Liu Ruyan drew her bow and shot without the slightest panic.

In just a single breath, eight or nine arrows shot out at extreme speed, accompanied by the faint roar of a sonic boom.

The two were about to collide in an instant, but the giant wolf suddenly raised a paw and knocked all the arrows away.

"It's a Martial General Realm demon beast, everyone be careful!"

Ye Wuji's expression was solemn upon seeing this scene, but he resolutely stood in front of everyone.

A majestic fist force suddenly erupted, giving him the heroic spirit of one man holding off ten thousand.

Qin Tian and Zhao Qianjun stood to Ye Wuji's left and right, respectively, their sharp sword force and saber force also erupting without 遜色.

Liu Ruyan quickly retreated to create distance, the arrows in her hand shooting out faster and faster, while Shao Long and Shao Hu guarded her sides, preventing surrounding demon beasts from getting close.

They didn't exchange any words, everything was done with such perfect coordination.

Just a few breaths later, the giant wolf rushed in front of everyone in the blink of an eye, the powerful and fierce might of a Martial General Realm demon beast assailing them.

Just as Ye Wuji and the other two were ready for battle, a streak of cold light cut across the sky and shot directly into the giant wolf's head.

"Boom!"

With a loud bang, the giant wolf was instantly pinned in place, its head pierced by a long spear, with only the end of the spear shaft still exposed.

"Is everyone alright?"

A low voice with a hint of magnetism sounded, and when the few people looked up, they all showed expressions of joy.

"Brother Xuan!"

"Captain!"

Above the giant wolf's head, a handsome young man had appeared at some point; this person was naturally Li Mingxuan.

His face was now resolute, having shed its immaturity, and his body exuded a hint of iron and blood and killing intent, inspiring a sense of awe in others.

Li Mingxuan stood steadily atop the giant wolf's head, his gaze like a torch, scanning the surroundings. After confirming there was no danger, a faint smile curled up at the corner of his mouth.

He slowly pulled the long spear out of the giant wolf's head, his movements fluid and powerful, then he lightly leaped, gracefully landing from the giant wolf's head.

"Brother Xuan, your strength has improved a lot! That spear strike was simply too cool!"

Zhao Qianjun took a few steps forward, patted Li Mingxuan's shoulder, and then looked at the giant wolf, which was now lifeless, his eyes full of pleasant surprise.

"Captain!"

At this moment, Liu Ruyan and the other two also came closer. Seeing Li Mingxuan, they all relaxed, as if they had found their true anchor.

Seeing that everyone was fine, Li Mingxuan also breathed a sigh of relief. "There were too many demon beasts ahead, I didn't expect one to slip through, but the beast tide is already showing signs of collapse. Everyone, just hold on a little longer."

"Yes!"

Immediately, the seven of them, led by Li Mingxuan, charged towards the surrounding demon beasts again, like killing machines, constantly harvesting the lives of the demon beasts.

In the front, Li Mingxuan and the other four massacred, in the middle, Liu Ruyan remained vigilant of the surroundings and attacked continuously, and in the back, Shao Long and Shao Hu watched out for any stragglers, simultaneously collecting the demon beasts they killed with storage rings.

These were their spoils of war. After the beast tide ended, they could exchange these for military merit and various cultivation resources.

The battle continued until sunset. The lingering sunlight on the horizon shone upon the battlefield, adding a touch of desolation invisibly.

Only soldiers remained on the battlefield, cleaning up the aftermath, some giving finishing blows to check if any uncollected demon beasts were playing dead.

Most were collecting the bodies of the soldiers. Casualties were unavoidable in a war, and Li Mingxuan and the others quietly watched this scene.

Since they won the National College Competition championship, they were allowed by the academy to enter the battlefield for training ahead of time.

So after that, the members of the Netherworld Team came to Yumen Pass. After nearly four months of tempering, they had completely transformed.

"Xiao Long, how much military merit did we earn today?"

Li Mingxuan turned to look at Shao Long, and Shao Long immediately provided the details.

"Martial General Realm demon beasts are worth 10,000 military merit points. Captain, you alone killed seven, three Martial General Realm First Level, and four Martial General Realm Second Level, totaling 110,000 military merit points."

Shao Long first mentioned the Martial General Realm demon beasts killed by Li Mingxuan; this part belonged to him and was not included in the team's distribution. Then he introduced the remaining situation.

"In this battle, we killed over 130 Martial Master Realm demon beasts, totaling 120,000 military merit points.

Over 5,000 Martial Warrior Realm demon beasts, totaling approximately 140,000 military merit points. The team's total points earned are 260,000 military merit points."

Listening to Shao Long's statistics, everyone was excited. Such a harvest was the largest they had achieved since coming to Yumen Pass.

Normally, they would have to travel to other areas in the Northern Desert Region to encounter beast tides, which was not only troublesome back and forth but also yielded little.

After all, besides them, the Military Department and the Martial Artists in the city were not to be trifled with either. The reason they had such a harvest now was because they were from the academy, which allowed them to not only follow the army but also have a certain degree of freedom of action.

"This time, Captain can get about 74,000 military merit points, and the rest of us can get about 37,000 military merit points each."

Shao Long added, and the others did not object, as this had been agreed upon beforehand.

The Captain would take an extra share of the team's total income. Originally, Li Mingxuan said he wanted to split it evenly, but everyone except him disagreed, saying that even this way, they were still getting a good deal.

After all, even among the teams of second-year students from the academy here, the best one only got a little over 10,000 per person, and this was all thanks to Li Mingxuan.

So another rule was added: for example, currently, everyone except Li Mingxuan is still in the Martial Master Realm, so the military merit from Martial General Realm demon beasts all goes to Li Mingxuan. As for the future, that's another matter.

After the distribution, Li Mingxuan was about to lead his team back to Yumen Pass when, at that moment, the space in front of them rippled, and a figure appeared before them.

The few people quickly saluted, "Greetings, Lord Wu Di!"

They knew the identity of the person before them: a Martial Lord powerhouse of Yumen Pass, one of Blade Lord's confidants—Wu Di, one of the Nine Lords.

"Lord Blade Lord has a mission order for you!"