51: Take the opportunity to go up the bridge

The Black Iron Guards were well-trained, fighting in Formations with exquisite coordination. Although slightly outnumbered, they utilized their equipment and Formation advantages to fight the more numerous and individually powerful Grassland Warriors to a standstill.

As for the Earth Fire Demon Puppet, it became the most unstable factor on the battlefield.

It attacked all nearby living beings indiscriminately; its scorching waves of lava and heavy stone fists caused considerable trouble for both sides.

"Roar—!"

The Earth Fire Demon Puppet seemed to target the more numerous Grassland Warriors, slamming a fist violently toward the densest part of the crowd.

Several Grassland Warriors failed to dodge in time and were engulfed by the lava waves, instantly turning into human torches and screaming as they were reduced to charcoal.

Gray Harrier caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye, filled with shock and rage: "Beast!"

He suddenly feinted with his blade, forcing Sikong Xuan back half a step. Retreating rapidly, he pulled a bone talisman carved with a savage wolf head from his robes, bit the tip of his tongue, and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto it!

The bone talisman instantly erupted with a ghastly green light, and a cold, violent Aura filled the air.

"Wolf God Sacrifice: Spirit Summoning!" Gray Harrier shouted fiercely, hurling the bone talisman at the Earth Fire Demon Puppet!

The bone talisman struck the demon puppet's chest, flashing green light as it actually merged into its lava body!

The Earth Fire Demon Puppet's movements suddenly halted, the crimson flames in its eye sockets flickering violently as if it were struggling.

A moment later, it let out an even more frenzied roar that seemed to lack some of its previous sentience. It actually changed direction and charged toward the Black Iron Guards' Formation!

"Heretical filth!" Sikong Xuan roared, trying to intervene, but he was held back firmly by Gray Harrier and several Grassland experts.

Empowered by the Wolf God's talisman, the Earth Fire Demon Puppet seemed even stronger, putting immense pressure on the Black Iron Guards.

"An opportunity!" A sharp glint flashed in Lin Mo's eyes.

With the Earth Fire Demon Puppet lured toward the Black Iron Guards, the pressure on the Grassland Warriors decreased significantly. Gray Harrier and the others were focusing all their efforts on besieging Sikong Xuan, causing the center of the battle to shift.

At this moment, a brief defensive vacuum appeared in the area near the broken stone bridge!

"Go!"

Lin Mo gave a low shout, and the five of them lunged out from their hiding spot like leopards. They exerted their movement techniques to the limit, using the chaotic energy and dust of the battlefield as cover to dash toward the cliff wall near the broken stone bridge at the edge of the circular depression!

Their movements were extremely fast and their objective was clear; they weren't joining the fight but were weaving through it.

However, how keen were the experts on the battlefield?

"Hm? More rats?" Gray Harrier, who was fighting Sikong Xuan, was the first to notice.

With a glance from his single eye, he saw five figures rapidly approaching the stone bridge. Although one of them only had an Aura of the Great Accomplishment of Muscle, it gave him a faint sense of danger.

He immediately shouted to Advisor Hu: "Stop them! Don't let them get near the Seal's entrance!"

Advisor Hu had been hiding on the edge of the fray. Upon hearing this, he immediately led four trusted Grassland Warriors to break away from the battle and intercept Lin Mo's group.

"Lin Mo, you brat! I didn't expect you to come here to die as well!" Advisor Hu recognized Lin Mo, his eyes flashing with spite and murderous intent. "Kill him for me!"

The four Grassland Warriors all possessed strength ranging from Minor Achievement in Tendon Transformation to Major Achievement, and they pounced forward with howling cries, their blades glinting coldly.

"Senior Brother Lei, Senior Brother Chen, block them! Senior Sister Liu, Fang Han, follow me!" Lin Mo made an instant decision.

Lei Meng roared, his thick-backed broadsword meeting a large Grassland man wielding an axe with a violent Aura.

Chen Feng's sword light was like snow, instantly encircling two warriors wielding scimitars. Liu Qingli flicked her longsword, intercepting the last person.

Fang Han followed closely behind Lin Mo; the two of them didn't slow down, continuing their charge toward the stone bridge.

Seeing this, Advisor Hu sneered and pulled a spring-loaded crossbow from his robes. The arrowheads gleamed with a faint blue light, clearly coated in potent poison, as he aimed at Lin Mo's back!

"Watch out!" Liu Qingli caught this in her peripheral vision and cried out a warning.

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, just before the crossbow was fired, Lin Mo's footing in the Willow Catkin Following the Wind Step suddenly shifted, his body moving three feet to the side like a ghost!

"Swoosh!" The poisonous bolt grazed his sleeve and embedded itself into the rock ahead, instantly emitting white smoke.

Having missed his shot, Advisor Hu was about to fire again when Lin Mo suddenly turned around!

Their gazes collided across the distance.

Advisor Hu felt a bone-chilling murderous intent strike him like something physical, causing his heart to stop and his limbs to go cold.

That look was as if he were looking at a dead man.

In the next instant, Lin Mo's figure snapped back toward him, even faster than before!

The rusted sword had unsheathed at some point, piercing straight toward Advisor Hu's throat!

Advisor Hu was terrified. He himself only had a cultivation of Bone Forging Perfection and relied on his schemes and the power of the City Lord's Mansion to act imperiously. When had he ever faced such terrifying murderous intent and a sword's edge?

He wanted to dodge, to scream, but he felt as if his body were frozen. He could only watch helplessly as that point of cold light rapidly enlarged before his eyes!

"Puchi!"

The tip of the sword pierced his throat without resistance, penetrating the neck bone.

Advisor Hu's eyes bulged, a gurgling sound coming from his throat. The crossbow fell from his hand as he clawed fruitlessly at the blade, his eyes filled with unbelievable terror and despair.

Lin Mo flicked his wrist, and Sword Qi erupted.

Advisor Hu's head slumped to the side as his breath was instantly cut off. His body collapsed limply to the ground.

Clean and efficient, without the slightest hesitation.

This scene sent a chill through the hearts of the four Grassland Warriors fighting Lei Meng, Chen Feng, and Liu Qingli, causing their offensive to falter.

Lin Mo didn't even look at Advisor Hu's corpse, flicking the rusted sword to scatter the blood droplets.

He shouted to Fang Han: "Go!"

The two turned again, rushing toward the broken stone bridge that was now within reach.

The stone bridge extended from the cliff wall of the circular depression, breaking off about thirty zhang above the center of the lava lake.

The break was jagged, with churning lava and rising heat waves below.

The bridge was covered in blurred ancient runes, most of which were dim and lusterless. Only in a few places did a faint, extremely subtle glow flow under the reflection of the lava fire.

As Lin Mo reached the foot of the bridge, the vibration of the rusted sword reached its peak, even emitting a low hum!

The "seven stars of the mountain peak" mark on the hilt was scalding hot.

Without hesitation, he leaped onto the cracked ancient bridge surface, which was about two zhang wide.

Fang Han followed closely.

The bridge surface was unstable; some parts were brittle, and gravel fell away with every step, vaporizing instantly as it hit the lava below.

Scorching air currents surged from below, leaving them parched and rapidly depleting their protective internal qi.

Lin Mo transferred a portion of his internal qi to Fang Han to help him resist the high temperatures while he focused on sensing the guidance of the rusted sword, remaining alert for any danger from beneath the bridge or the opposite side.

The two moved quickly toward the break.

A distance of thirty zhang would normally take only a blink of an eye, but now it felt exceptionally long.

Behind them, Lei Meng, Chen Feng, and Liu Qingli had either finished or escaped their respective opponents and also leaped onto the stone bridge, following in close pursuit.

Further away, Gray Harrier discovered Advisor Hu had been killed and that Lin Mo's group was approaching the break in the stone bridge. Shocked and enraged, he wanted to pull away to stop them but was held back firmly by Sikong Xuan.

"Brat! You dare!"