Chapter 96: Traces of the Heavenly Flame Discovered
The search was anything but easy.
As one of the major powers in Stone Desert City, the Mo Iron Mercenary Group attracted a lot of attention. Countless eyes observed their every move. It wasn't long after Snowlan led a large contingent out that some curious stragglers began to appear near Xiao Yan and the others, watching the mercenaries scan the terrain with puzzled expressions.
Fortunately, Xiao Ding had anticipated this. He had already mobilized enough personnel to completely lock down the area. Anyone trying to get close was ruthlessly turned away.
As the investigation continued, more onlookers gathered. Although Xiao Ding had spread word that their mobilization was simply to hunt down a third-tier magic beast, that explanation wasn't convincing enough. People were becoming increasingly curious.
With nothing else to contribute at the moment, Xiao Yuan sat cross-legged and began to study the Earth-level low-grade Earth-type cultivation method, Earthforce Scripture, that Yao Lao had gifted him.
Qinglian, meanwhile, sat quietly in a tent Xiao Yuan had specially set up for her, wide-eyed and dazedly watching him cultivate.
Xiao Yan, not wanting to be idle while his third brother trained so diligently, also entered meditation and began refining his Dou Qi.
Seeing both younger brothers so dedicated, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. To reach their current level at such a young age, it was clear that both had put in extraordinary effort.
Time passed quickly. As the blazing sun slowly descended toward the western horizon, the crowd of onlookers suddenly stirred.
A group of at least forty mercenaries split through the crowd and began striding toward the cordoned-off area without a hint of subtlety.
"That's the Sand Mercenary Group. This should be interesting..."
"Heh, that Rob finally couldn't hold back."
As the group drew near, hushed whispers spread among the spectators.
Xiao Ding shook his head, his tone mocking. "Looks like we overestimated his patience."
Xiao Li narrowed his eyes. "Let's go take a look. Rob probably won't show himself this early. The one leading that group seems to be Moxing, second only to Rob in the Sand Mercenary Group. Heh, that guy lost to me before. Can't believe he's got the nerve to show up again."
Xiao Ding nodded slightly and gave a signal. About twenty members of the Mo Iron Mercenary Group stepped out, weapons in hand, faces grim as they blocked the encroaching squad.
The air between the two groups crackled with tension. As two of Stone Desert City's dominant factions, there had been no shortage of past conflicts.
"Stop there. The Mo Iron Mercenary Group is carrying out a mission. Please don't interfere."
Xiao Ding's tone was flat, as if reciting protocol.
"Hey now, Commander Xiao Ding," Moxing sneered. "I don't recall the Mercenary Guild posting any such mission. This land belongs to the public. Isn't it a little much for you to claim it for yourself?"
His gaze swept over the terrain scouts behind the cordon, a smug smile creeping onto his face.
"Moxing," Xiao Li interjected, "if Rob hadn't bailed you out last time, you'd be crippled right now."
Moxing's eye twitched. He suppressed his fear and retorted with a forced laugh, "No need to mince words. Our leader is very interested in this place, so—"
Before he could finish, a black iron spear pierced straight through his chest.
"So you can go to hell."
The voice was calm, emotionless, and came from none other than Xiao Yuan, who had silently appeared before Moxing and impaled him.
Moxing looked down at the spear protruding from his chest. He opened his mouth to speak, but before a single sound escaped, Xiao Yuan yanked the spear free. Along with it, Moxing's last breath left him.
The crowd around them froze in place. A chill ran up their spines.
No one had seen how Xiao Yuan had moved—he was just there. As though it were the most natural thing in the world.
That meant only one thing: his strength far exceeded their imagination.
Even Rob, a Great Dou Shi, wasn't that fast.
Xiao Ding and Xiao Li hadn't expected Xiao Yuan to take such direct action, but they quickly recovered. Xiao Li roared and led the charge forward.
Despite being outnumbered two-to-one, the Mo Iron Mercenary Group's elites were significantly stronger. Combined with the psychological blow of Moxing's instant death, it took only moments for half of the enemy to fall.
The other half threw down their weapons and shouted their surrender without hesitation.
The onlookers jeered, but no one blamed the Sand Mercenary Group members. In the face of such overwhelming force, choosing to live was only rational.
"Seriously? That's it?"
Xiao Li laughed in disdain, shaking his head as he glanced at Moxing's corpse. Then he turned to Xiao Yuan, chuckling.
"Kid, your strength is getting outrageous. But now we've got a problem—Rob's a Great Dou Shi. This move has declared all-out war. He'll definitely come charging over once he hears."
Xiao Ding walked over, frowning. "Don't joke like that. Xiao Yuan's only a Dou Shi. It's far too dangerous for him to face Rob alone!"
"Cough, right, big bro—just kidding!" Xiao Li chuckled awkwardly.
Xiao Ding shot him a glare, then looked to Xiao Yuan with a gentler expression. "Don't worry. Rob's strong, but their numbers and quality are inferior to ours. After that beatdown, they've got no Dou Shis left—just some weaker Fighters. We've still got two Dou Shis on our side. If the four of us fight together, Rob won't be able to handle it. We'll crush the rest easily."
But Xiao Yuan shook his head with a smile. "Big Brother, Second Brother—Xiao Yan seems close to breaking through. You two stay and protect him. I'll handle Rob. Stone Desert City... should belong to the Xiao family."
His words were calm, but firm.
Xiao Ding's expression hardened. He and Xiao Li exchanged glances. Understanding passed silently between them.
"I'll guard Xiao Yan," Xiao Li said, turning back toward camp.
"Are you sure?" Xiao Ding asked softly. "Don't force yourself."
Xiao Yuan smiled. "I'll kill him and return."
With a wave and a cheerful grin, he mounted a camel, spurred it forward, and galloped off toward Stone Desert City.
Xiao Ding watched his figure vanish into the distance, then let out a quiet sigh.
Beneath the silver moon and scattered stars, Stone Desert City lay cloaked in silence.
In the west side of the city, lights blazed from the headquarters of the Sand Mercenary Group. Laughter echoed from inside its grand courtyard. A large flag bearing the group's name fluttered atop a tall wooden pole.
A breeze stirred, twisting the flag against its pole.
Inside a well-lit room in the center of the compound, a middle-aged man sat, his face a mask of irritation. This was Rob, the group's leader.
"That damned Moxing—what's taking him so long?"
Just then, a sharp gust sliced through the night. Rob felt a chill crawl up his spine.
Without hesitation, he summoned a suit of earthen-yellow Dou Qi armor.
Only Great Dou Shis could manifest this advanced defensive ability. It far surpassed ordinary Dou Qi armor.
As someone with earth affinity, Rob's defensive capabilities were especially potent. His armor formed just in time to block a spear thrust aimed at his back.
"Heh. Looks like even a Great Dou Shi like Commander Rob isn't so easy to sneak up on."
Xiao Yuan's voice rang out. He stepped back, pulling his spear free. The sheer force of the blow had staggered Rob, but it hadn't pierced his armor.
After all, Xiao Yuan was still only a Five-Star Dou Shi. Rob was a Four-Star Great Dou Shi.
"Who are you?" Rob demanded, glowering at the young man before him.
"Xiao Yuan. Third Commander of the Mo Iron Mercenary Group. Xiao Ding and Xiao Li are my elder brothers."
"Hah. Xiao Ding and Xiao Li must be out of their minds. You're just a Dou Shi, and you dare come to your death?"
Rob had assumed someone so young and powerful must be from some prestigious clan. Learning he was merely a younger brother of the Mo Iron commanders, he smirked in contempt.
"You've got it backwards," Xiao Yuan smiled. "You're the one who's going to die."
He activated his Dragonstep technique, pouring Dou Qi from his white-gold and red-fire reservoirs into his blackwater core.
His aura surged to the peak of Dou Shi.
Rob's eyes narrowed. Such a method of amplifying power—no ordinary person could possess it.
Xiao Yuan charged, his spear whistling through the air.
Rob drew his twin sabers, meeting the blow head-on.
The clash hurled him backward through the door and into the courtyard.
Mercenaries nearby turned, startled by the sudden intrusion.
Then a streak of green light flashed past them. A massive roaring lion made of wind and flame slammed into Rob, sending shockwaves that blasted the mercenaries away.
Rob staggered to his feet, blood trickling from his lips.
"That was... a high-level Profound Technique?"
His earth armor had saved his life, but even so, he was injured.
Xiao Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Still alive, huh? Tough old bastard."
He hadn't gone all-out just now, so the lack of a fatal result wasn't too surprising.
Rob gritted his teeth. "Let's see if your secret technique runs out before my Dou Qi does!"
He poured more energy into his armor, making it glow with renewed brilliance.
Xiao Yuan sighed. "Turtling, huh? Boring…"
He began concentrating wind-affinity Dou Qi at his spear's tip. The green light intensified, mingling with black-and-white flame. The heat cracked the stone beneath him.
Rob's pupils contracted. From that terrifying glow, he sensed death.
In a blur, Xiao Yuan appeared in front of him. His spear shot out, cloaked in a technique called Azure Dragon's Claw.
Clang!
The spear struck Rob's armor with a ringing sound. It held.
Rob smirked. "That all you've got?"
Then a sliver of wind-attuned Dou Qi slipped through a weak point and—
Shnk.
Rob clutched his chest. Power drained from his body as black-and-white flames ignited within him.
His eyes dimmed.
Xiao Yuan withdrew his spear with a grin. "Hah. I really gotta thank Sister Yun for that one."
He plucked Rob's storage ring without hesitation.
Mercenaries nearby stood frozen.
The commander… was dead?
"Starting today, the Sand Mercenary Group is disbanded," Xiao Yuan declared. "Those who want to join Mo Iron can report tomorrow. If you don't... well, you can follow Rob into the afterlife. Any objections?"
...Hell no.
Every man there cursed silently.
No one had the guts to say no.
"Good. Smart choice."
Xiao Yuan smiled and sauntered out of the compound.
The mercenaries exchanged helpless glances, sighing one after another.
The next day, beneath a blazing sun, Mo Iron's forces continued their search.
"Big Brother, Xiao Yuan really did it," Xiao Li said, scanning the horizon.
Xiao Ding nodded. "He came back late last night. Still sleeping. I asked Qinglian to wake him."
"You think he likes her?" Xiao Li smirked. "That kid's got taste."
"I heard that!" Xiao Yuan's voice came from behind.
"Up already?" Xiao Ding asked with a smile.
"Yeah. Killing a Great Dou Shi is exhausting."
Xiao Yuan looked around. Not far away, Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on the burning sand, drenched in sweat, drawing fire-attributed energy from the air.
"Damn, he's at it again. I better train too—hey, wait, what's that?!"
A shout rang out: "Commander! Team Three found something!"
Xiao Yuan turned and saw a figure sprinting toward Xiao Ding and Xiao Li.
"A discovery?"
The brothers exchanged glances, eyes lighting up.
"Let's go!"
Xiao Yuan grabbed Xiao Yan, and together they hurried toward the source.
"Did you find a passage?"
The mercenary grinned. "Not certain yet, but it looks like it might lead underground."
They followed him north for several minutes and reached a shallow depression surrounded by bustling mercenaries.
"Make way!"
The guide cleared a path, and Xiao Yuan and his brothers entered the excavation site.
There, half-buried in sand, was a hole half a meter wide. A faint heat rose from within.
(END CHAPTER)
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