Chapter 18, Section 34

Not far from the camp, two pairs of eyes were quietly observing Yun Bai's every move.

"It is him." A low, hoarse voice sounded.

"No kidding! I could have figured that out!" Another low, hoarse voice replied.

The two voices sounded exactly the same. If not for the flow of the conversation, an outsider would think one person was talking to themselves.

"Yang Mo mentioned that he was also the one who fought his way out of Niwa Village."

"He was also the one who negotiated with the Family."

"Why didn't the Family make a move?"

"Heh, the Family? They're fence-sitters. If it weren't for me—"

"Enough, keep it down. You're noisy."

"..."

"Let's see how Yang Mo's side progresses. There is no need to pay attention to the Family's little schemes. Since they have boarded the ship, they won't be getting off. Let us return to Chu Prefecture City first."

"Fine."

Yun Bai finished his rest and received supplies like Medicinal Pill and Ore from Old Master Zhang.

With millions of Spirit Stone, Yun Bai knew the approximate amount after weighing them slightly with his Divine Sense.

However, Spirit Stone were not that important to him at this moment.

Suddenly, the Formation Plate at his waist vibrated violently, emitting an urgent buzzing sound.

It was not just Yun Bai; he keenly noticed that several team leaders from Xinyue Hall in the camp had also received the alert.

Yun Bai frowned, and at the same time, his Divine Sense had already probed into the messaging Formation Plate.

"Requesting reinforcements, requesting reinforcements!"

There was only one simple sentence, hurried and urgent.

Attached below was a combat video, with the specific location of the distress signal marked.

Signature: State Religion Xinyue Hall, "Squad Yi-34", Team Leader, Captain Zeng Fu.

"The team leader is in danger?!"

Seeing the signature, Yun Bai's pupils constricted. He rushed out of the camp to the open ground, summoned his Flying Sword ship, and his Flying Sword danced beside him with lightning flickering. He jumped onto the Flying Sword ship and stomped hard.

The deck let out a "thud," and the Flying Sword ship shot out like an arrow released from a bow!

"Brother Yun Bai went to rescue them?" The other team leaders had only just opened the combat video attached to the distress signal when they saw Yun Bai disappear into the horizon.

Quickly browsing through the combat footage, Cheng Jun, the team leader of "Squad Jia-275", had a serious expression.

"Report the situation to the superiors immediately, let's go!"

On the outskirts of the vast mountain range, dense fog filled the air.

Captain Zeng Fu gripped the cyan steel greatsword in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the force. He stared fixedly at the stumbling figure in front of him, his eyes almost spitting fire.

"Young Master Huang Yue!" He roared lowly, "How many times have I told you not to step on those glowing mosses!"

Young Master Huang Yue hurriedly withdrew his foot, but it was too late. The ghostly blue moss shattered under his boot, emitting an eerie fluorescent light. In an instant, the surrounding mist began to churn violently, as if countless eyes were opening in the shadows.

"It's over." Captain Zeng Fu's heart sank to the bottom. This was the Shadow Demon's favorite bait; they would follow the fluorescence. If Yun Bai were here, he would never make such a low-level mistake.

Thinking of Yun Bai, Captain Zeng Fu's heart felt a twinge of pain. Du San had retired, and Yun Bai had been urgently conscripted for an aerial mission, leaving the team shorthanded. Consequently, the higher-ups had transferred a new recruit to the team.

This Young Master Huang Yue was said to be a "Genius" with quite a reputation in the capital. But unlike Yun Bai, who came from humble roots, although Young Master Huang Yue could not be considered a good-for-nothing playboy, he had lived a life of luxury for too long. It had been nearly five days, and he still could not adapt to the perilous and unpredictable mission environment.

In this regard, compared to Yun Bai, the difference was like heaven and earth.

"Form up!" Captain Zeng Fu shouted, drawing his cyan sword, the blade glowing with a faint cyan light. The other three team members quickly gathered around, shielding Young Master Huang Yue in the center.

Rustling sounds came from the mist, as if countless fine legs were crawling. Sweat seeped from Captain Zeng Fu's forehead; he could sense that at least twenty Shadow Demons were approaching.

"I'm sorry..." Young Master Huang Yue's voice trembled.

"Tell me, what are you good for?" Fu Lianchuan had endured for days, but finally, he could take it no more. He shouted angrily, "Why did the higher-ups send a piece of trash like you to replace Yun Bai!"

Sure enough, another piece of trash from a big Family coming to the border to pad their resume!

A genuine Genius like Yun Bai was a true rarity!

"Shut up!" Captain Zeng Fu interrupted sternly, "This is not the time for this."

The first Shadow Demon lunged out of the mist, shaped like black smoke but with sharp claws and fangs. Captain Zeng Fu slashed with his sword, and the Shadow Demon let out a shrill scream, dissipating into black smoke. But immediately after, the second, the third... an endless stream of Shadow Demons poured in from all directions.

"Form the Five Elements Formation!" Captain Zeng Fu shouted. The four team members immediately changed positions, their spiritual energy weaving into a net in the air. Young Master Huang Yue scrambled to cooperate but was always a beat slow.

A flaw appeared in the formation.

A Shadow Demon seized the opportunity, slipped through the gap, and lunged at Young Master Huang Yue's face. Young Master Huang Yue was so scared he stood frozen, forgetting to use even the most basic defensive Talisman.

"Watch out!" Fu Lianchuan lunged forward and pushed Young Master Huang Yue away. The Shadow Demon's sharp claws slashed across his arm, and blood immediately gushed out.

"Fu Lianchuan!" Captain Zeng Fu and Li Ying exclaimed.

Fu Lianchuan gritted his teeth to endure the pain and backhanded his sword to kill the Shadow Demon.

"I'm fine!" He roared, turning to look at Young Master Huang Yue, "If you want to go back alive, then cooperate properly!"

Young Master Huang Yue looked at Fu Lianchuan's bleeding arm, and a strange light flashed in his eyes. He took a deep breath and pulled a stack of Talisman from his pocket. He forced his hand to stop trembling.

"Leave the Xun position to me." Young Master Huang Yue said in a low voice, his tone filled with newfound determination.

Captain Zeng Fu looked at him in surprise but quickly nodded: "Good."

"Hold on, wait for reinforcements!"

When Yun Bai arrived at the battlefield, this was the scene he saw.

The mountain hollow was filled with the scent of scorched earth, and the Talisman in Young Master Huang Yue's hand were emitting blue smoke. He was kneeling on the cracked rock, the panting of his teammates echoing in his ears. The moss he had accidentally touched was now twisting into countless snake-like black shadows in the air.

"Form the Circular Formation!" Captain Zeng Fu's roar was drowned out by the screeching of the monsters. The wound on his right shoulder was deep enough to see the bone, yet he still held the cyan steel greatsword with his left hand. The team members helped each other up, but everyone knew—this broken formation could not withstand the next wave of attacks.

"Damn it! Didn't the higher-ups say that all monsters above the First Realm Mid-stage had been cleared out? How did we encounter so many on the outskirts of the mountain range!"

"They must have been missed!"

"What are the other teams doing!" Fu Lianchuan cursed viciously.

Young Master Huang Yue bit his lower lip hard, blood seeping through his teeth.

Just as the monsters were about to pounce, a clear sword hum suddenly came from the sky.

Nine Flying Sword with lightning patterns tore through the clouds, weaving a brilliant star map in the air. Each sword was wrapped in thunder, and everything in its path was scorched black. Young Master Huang Yue looked up and saw a figure hovering in mid-air.

"Yun Bai!" Exclamations rang out one after another in the team.

Captain Zeng Fu's cyan greatsword clattered to the ground.

He stumbled forward two steps, then stopped abruptly—the young man who had rushed over had the same features, but the power of the Flying Sword around him was incomparably stronger than when they last met.

"Everyone, long time no see." Yun Bai stepped forward quickly to support the team leader.