Before long, the sound of a broadcast echoed through the Pioneer Base in the middle of the night.
"...Shuizhou Demon City has a secondary space fluctuation..."
"...Suspected intermediate-scale demon invasion in Demon City..."
"...All pioneer teams, please exercise caution and avoid relevant areas..."
A convoy of military vehicles and demonized helicopters roared as they departed the Pioneer Base.
At dawn, Zhou Leng opened his eyes and glanced at the time on his phone.
4:32.
Guarded last night starting at 10 pm, slept at half-past midnight, and now naturally woke up after four hours.
Slept the same four hours yesterday.
After breakfast, everyone headed back to Wolf Valley again.
As they walked, Xue Chengsong said, "With the experience from yesterday, today we'll change tactics to kill the demon wolves with full force. Killing demon wolves can lead to counterattacks, but it is the minimum goal for martial arts study, so I hope everyone is mentally prepared. Feng Wenhao, you'll join the battle today, remember to dodge more, attack less."
"Got it, I'll mainly confuse the demon wolves."
The team discussed strategies and possible scenarios as they arrived at Wolf Valley.
The squad, like a pride of lions hunting, took the initiative to attack the demon wolves, shifting from a half-encirclement to a full encirclement.
However, each demon wolf was very cunning, breaking through once at a disadvantage.
Quickly, Xue Chengsong decided to use a feigned defeat tactic.
Facing the fifth demon wolf, the seven pretended to be outmatched, retreating step by step.
Cui Mingcong and Cao Jiajia even intentionally got scratched by the claws, then used healing spray to stop bleeding, wrapping bandages to appear more vulnerable.
Demon wolves always took advantage of weaknesses, pursuing relentlessly.
After half an hour of fierce fighting, the seven-member team finally showed their true strength.
"Go!"
Cui Mingcong charged forward to fiercely attack the demon wolf head-on.
The other six converged to encircle it.
Fists, palms, and legs imbued with True Qi and power rained down on the demon wolf.
The demon wolf's stamina was greatly depleted, its movements sluggish, it lashed out wildly, but could at most only cause minor injuries to the group.
Aside from Feng Wenhao, the other six all had True Qi at Great Success, their power reaching the skin.
Every punch and palm of the six struck the demon wolf, the force penetrating its outer skin to damage the subdermal flesh.
In just three minutes, they seemed to become a pack of wolves, besieging and tearing into the demon wolf.
Ding Yan took advantage with agility, continuously attacking the demon wolf's right hind leg, successfully kicking and breaking it with a toe strike.
"Its right hind leg is broken!" Ding Yan's face was full of joy.
Xue Chengsong coldly reminded, "Do not become complacent, that's when the demon wolf will surely counterattack! Now, slow the attacks and prepare; wait until it exhausts its energy, then take advantage of its weakness!"
"Got it!"
They immediately reduced their assault.
The demon wolf's left eye was blinded by one of Cao Jiajia's strikes; its teeth had been knocked out by three from Cui Mingcong; its chest and abdomen were bloodied by Zhou Leng and the others, injuring its internal organs, and it kept coughing up blood.
Its gloomy green eyes stared intensely at them, wild and savage.
Every time Zhou Leng met its gaze, he felt a chill in his heart.
Yet Zhou Leng continually sought out opportunities to face it to strengthen himself.
"Awooh!" The demon wolf suddenly exploded in a leap, pouncing toward Feng Wenhao.
Feng Wenhao screamed and retreated, even forgetting to use his stepping technique.
Zhou Leng had been ready for a while, Qi sinking into the Dantian, power originating from the feet, Qi and strength converging, pushing forward with the right arm.
The sixteenth move "Heaven Island Falling into the Sea" of the Overlapping Waves Palm reached its zenith, with his hand like a massive island crashing into the sea, fiercely striking the airborne wolf's abdomen.
Boom!
The demon wolf shrieked as it was thrown sideways, landing on the ground, struggling to stand up.
"Its intestines are probably wrecked." Cao Jiajia looked at the demon wolf, then scrutinized Zhou Leng.
"Judging by the trajectory of how the demon wolf flew, I'd need to kick with all my might to do that, but my True Qi isn't that profound and wouldn't damage too many of its organs." Cui Mingcong glanced at his robust arms, suddenly feeling they weren't much use.
Feng Wenhao, narrowly escaping death, was still shaken.
Zhou Leng explained, "This demon wolf was actually observing us the whole time, intending to use Feng Wenhao as a breaking point. I had been preparing in secret; without prior preparation, this strike wouldn't have achieved such an effect."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Feng Wenhao said, feeling wronged.
Xue Chengsong smiled, "Couldn't you tell yourself?"
Feng Wenhao gave an awkward smile, because to some extent, he could sense it and thus avoided danger.
Zhou Leng suggested, "Captain, it's your turn."
Xue Chengsong cupped his fist towards the others, "Thank you all for your help, I shall remember this assistance."
Having said that, Xue Chengsong circled behind the demon wolf, which was unable to rise, continuously attacking, and finally targeting its head, punching it until it stopped breathing.
Xue Chengsong took out a War Merit Token, marked the demon wolf's energy, sent its location, and recorded a video as evidence to prevent any mishaps.
At that time, the nearest military or pioneer team transport vehicle would come to retrieve it.
"Let's go, get out of here."
The team immediately withdrew.
"It was even smoother than expected. I thought it would take at least five days to hunt a demon wolf," Xue Chengsong smiled.
"Indeed. I didn't expect the newcomer Zhou Leng to be no worse than the veterans, even better than most of them," Cui Mingcong remarked.
"It's the result of everyone's joint efforts; a single tree doesn't make a forest," Zhou Leng said.
"Let's find a place to rest a bit and have some supplements."
Feng Wenhao asked, "How much can we sell this demon wolf for?"
Ding Yan said, "The price of a Qi Nourishing Period Demon Wolf is approximately between 50,000 to 60,000, and we can each get about 8,000."
The contract states that the hunting proceeds are distributed normally, and Xue Chengsong cannot take more.
Feng Wenhao said, "That's not bad, but it's a pity this place is too dangerous, otherwise, it would be like a treasure trove."
"A treasure trove? You're overthinking. Wolf Valley is specifically used for Martial Arts study, no experts come to snatch, so it's easy. If it were normal hunting, for us in the Qi Nourishing Period, surviving a day would be a problem."
"At least advancing to the Blood Transporting Period can allow for normal hunting, but it still requires a team, and even then, it's very dangerous. I've heard that many experts in the Qi Blood Realm, after hunting for a year, spend more than half of what they earn on healing injuries."
"Only a few top-notch experts can travel alone to Demon City."
The team stopped, taking turns to restore True Qi and keep watch.
Not far away, Guo Xiaohao and Liu Teng watched the seven people, chatting quietly.
Liu Teng said, "I didn't expect the most outstanding one would be an ordinary student, Cui Mingcong and the others are all top students from various middle schools, ranking within the top 5,000, all able to get into Martial Arts Academy."
Guo Xiaohao said, "You were also there during the spar, didn't you feel Zhou Leng was very strong?"
"He's strong, but he needs to grow, needs experience. The battles with the Demon Wolf these past two days, you saw too, just in these two days, he's shown some form."
"Yeah, this guy's progress is really fast. The first day's battle with the Demon Wolf, he was often half a beat slow, coordination was lacking, techniques deformed, apart from dodging, he wasn't outstanding. But today's last battle, his growth was rapid, in some areas, even stronger than the four top students."
"A future Innate Grandmaster."
"Who's the future Innate Grandmaster?" a sharp voice sounded behind the two.
The two were stunned for a moment, before they could react, a hand appeared on each of their shoulders.
A terrifying power erupted, instantly sealing the Qi Blood meridians in the two.
A man wearing an iron mask slowly walked in front of them.
The mask was covered with holes, rusted all over.
An "T" shaped dark red carving was on the mask's forehead.
He wore a black priest's robe, spreading his arms, hands rusted like the iron mask, but they were flesh and blood.
On closer inspection, the iron rust mask seemed like skin, not a pure metal mask.
The instant the two saw the iron-masked man, their eyes filled with extreme despair.
Demon Worship Sect, Rusted Priest.
The Demon Worship Sect is a collective term for forces that allied with the Alien Race Demons, divided into many factions.
The Rusted Sanctuary is one of them.
The Rusted Priests are the backbone of the Rusted Sanctuary.
Every Rusted Priest is a top-notch Qi Blood Realm cultivator, at least equivalent to a Vitality Stage Martial Artist.
Every Rusted Priest possesses strange powers, almost crushing martial artists of the same realm.
"I heard the rust from your heartbeat. You can become a follower of rust, or die."
Guo Xiaohao smiled, blinked, indicating acceptance, then mouthed some words.
"Okay." The Rusted Priest's voice sounded like iron scraping, pointing at Guo Xiaohao, releasing part of the seal.
"Run..." Guo Xiaohao used his limited strength to shout loudly.
"Disgusting courage..." The Rusted Priest aimed at Guo Xiaohao's heart and grabbed, the sharp rusted fingers pierced through the chest, pulling out the blood-pumping heart.
The iron mask suddenly cracked open vertically, both sides filled with densely packed serrated teeth.
The Rusted Priest swallowed the heart in one gulp, then looked back at the squad where Zhou Leng was.
The moment they heard Guo Xiaohao's shout, everyone in the squad got up and ran.
Xue Chengsong shouted, "Quick, run with all your might, drop the backpacks, preserving life is more important!"
"It's the Rusted Priest." Zhou Leng recognized the enemy at a glance, a look of undisguised disgust flashing in his eyes.
At the mention of this name, everyone's legs went weak, clenching their teeth to flee.
"Oh, a group of children. That person said not to kill children... but he didn't see..." The Rusted Priest muttered while digging out Liu Teng's heart.
"It's been a long time since I saw such lively children..." The Rusted Priest turned into an afterimage, rapidly chasing the crowd.
Xue Chengsong looked back, gritting his teeth, "Scatter, gamble on luck! Otherwise, no one can escape."
The seven immediately ran in different directions.
After only three steps, a piercing sound rang out, everyone felt their heart clutched, Qi Blood suddenly halted, bodies stiffened, falling to the ground.
Zhou Leng turned to look, the Rusted Priest had already stopped in front of everyone, fingertips rubbing together, making a teeth-gritting sound.
Blood flowed from his fingertips to his wrists, dripping off.
Everyone seemed trapped in a quagmire, unable to move.
"Do you, want or not... no no no, you all shall receive My God's favor, immersed in decay and deep rust, chanting God's name. Who should we start with?"
The Rusted Priest's vertical face slit closed, slowly walking around the seven.
He stopped in front of Zhou Leng.
"From you, I sense an unusual aura, you shall receive God's favor, basking in divine grace with us."
The Rusted Priest extended his left hand, grabbing Zhou Leng's neck, gently lifting him.
Zhou Leng was powerless, struggling to breathe.
Zhou Leng's eyes stared straight at the Rusted Priest, no fear, only hatred.
"Those eyes, what a good child. I'm going to take you back to the Holy Hall, Lord Bishop will be very happy. As for you all..."
The Rusted Priest glanced at the remaining six, the mask's slit opening wide, reaching for Feng Wenhao.
"Hmm?" a low voice sounded from behind.
The Rusted Priest's body trembled, releasing Zhou Leng.
"Cough, cough..." Zhou Leng fell to the ground, gasping for air.
"Respected Lord Tong Tianxia, hello." The Rusted Priest turned, bowing to the newcomer.
Zhou Leng looked over, a look of astonishment flashing across his face.