Ming Qi won the one-on-one duel, but facing the Private Dragon Mercenary Team's ambush, they still had no chance of escaping unscathed.
Kill Star City, renowned throughout Xilan Province and even the entire Western Regions, wielded an extraordinary deterrent power. No matter where they went, no one dared underestimate any of Kill Star City's mercenaries. Even if they consisted of only one or two men, they still held a terrifying aura.
For in the Western Regions, Kill Star City epitomized anarchy. They disregarded all rules, showed no unity, and even frequently engaged in internecine violence. Yet, precisely because of this, Kill Star City's notoriety spread far and wide.
Logically, such a presence should be unacceptable, yet in the Western Regions, this anomaly persisted.
For one reason: they valued credibility.
Even the weakest mercenaries in Killing Star City cherish their own fiercely cherished honor, preferring death to unwarranted breach of contract.
This was precisely what Ming Qi was currently worried about. Defeating the Private Dragon Mercenary Team's captain didn't mean they would give up.
"Boss, rest for a moment. We brothers will handle the rest!"
Seeing the injured captain, his face pale, the burly man with the staff glared fiercely. He once again summoned the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to envelop himself in a spiritual shield, then, armed with his long staff, strode forward.
The woman remained silent, merely staring silently at Ming Qi, sword in hand, in the distance, her eyes devoid of any emotion.
The five men coordinated seamlessly. The moment the burly man with the staff charged forward, the remaining four quickly coordinated their attacks from different angles, closing in on Ming Qi once again.
Ming Qi had experienced the encirclement and attack of five men before. Seeing these five men approaching with such force, as if they were about to skin him alive, he certainly wouldn't stand still.
Crossing his arms and holding the Nifeng sword across his chest, Ming Qi began to retreat rapidly.
The elixir Meng Ling had given him was imbued with a powerful blood energy. Despite having just performed the powerful Jade Blood Sky Slash, Ming Qi still felt the blood energy thick and strong within him. He spared no effort, unleashing the Blood Shadow Step to its highest level, his body leaving a trail of blood-red afterimages as he retreated.
"You want to escape, brat?"
The young man with the fork shouted, leveraging his momentum to leap, leaping over ten feet in the air in an instant. He raised his trident high, aimed it at Ming Qi's path, and struck him fiercely.
This man was agile and nimble. Although he had charged from behind, he had already surpassed the first man with the staff.
However, at that moment, the tall man holding the whip suddenly took a step forward, swung it violently, and unexpectedly wrapped it around the burly man with the staff, who was half a beat behind.
"Charge!"
The tall man shouted in a deep voice, and a green glow rippled from the whip in his hand. He simultaneously encircled the burly man with the staff and tossed him up!
The whip in the tall man's hand seemed to possess a mysterious power. The moment it enveloped the man, a brilliant green light shone. With the tall man's vigorous swing, the burly man was lifted into the air and flung directly towards Ming Qi.
"Hey!"
The man, thrown into the air, wasn't idle either. With a muffled groan, he raised his staff straight up and thrust it downward.
The other two, Xiao Wu, who had been keeping pace, and the other burly man with the long sickle, also quickened their pace, seizing the perfect moment to engage in the encirclement and attack.
The sickle-wielding man took a series of eerie steps, his pace noticeably increasing. He raised the long sickle in his hand, and with a click of a spring, the long sickle, once connected to the weapon, suddenly snapped apart. The detached sickle blade flew out, blocking one direction.
Xiao Wu, on his side, had already precisely aimed his crossbow in a single direction.
The moment the five men rushed out and launched their encirclement took only a moment, but Ming Qi was now clearly surrounded on all sides. If he continued forward, he would be blocked or even struck by the massive men descending from the sky.
The openings to his left and right were blocked by Xiao Wu's crossbow and the flying sickle blade, while behind him was the relentless pursuit of the trident.
Finding a breakthrough, Ming Qi instantly assessed the situation, abruptly pivoting, his longsword swung back, the tip pointing backward. He charged directly from his waist, seemingly destined to confront the pursuing trident.
As the longsword swirled, Ming Qi clenched his left hand, a red glow emanating from his fist.
From the corner of his eye, he kept a constant eye on everything around him, his footwork impeccable. If he could escape the five men's encirclement within the allotted timeframe, his chances of victory would be greatly increased.
Bang!
But Ming Qi was still a fraction slower than the burly man with the staff flying down from the sky. The sound of a heavy object crashing to the ground echoed almost simultaneously with the man's roar.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ming Qi clearly saw the man's long staff lightly poke the ground, followed by a sweeping, circular motion.
The man with the staff was now standing in front of Ming Qi, holding a significant advantage. His presence inevitably interrupted Ming Qi's advance, while the trident, following behind him, was rapidly approaching.
Hindered from both sides, Ming Qi could no longer maneuver.
Clearly gazing at the situation before him, Ming Qi decisively took a step back, thrusting his longsword with unerring accuracy onto the trident attacking from behind.
Ming Qi didn't apply much force in this strike, so he didn't completely deflect the trailing trident. However, this brief blow effectively slowed it down, slowing him down for a moment.
Bang!
At the same time, Ming Qi's left fist finally swung out.
This punch unleashed the ultimate secret of the Wolf Fist: the Wrath of the Wolf God.
This punch, imbued with the supreme majesty of the wolf, effortlessly struck the blade of the scythe flying from the left.
The enormous wolf head reappeared, this time even more terrifying, its eyes bloodshot, its fangs bared, and strings of blood dripping from its maw.
"Ah! What is that!"
Xiao Wu, the furthest from the encirclement among the five, could barely conceal his shock. Where did that giant wolf head come from? How could it possibly exist? There was clearly only the third brother's flying sickle and that kid's fist!
Seeing Ming Qi, trapped, about to break out of the area blocked by the flying sickles on the left, Xiao Wu didn't care anymore. He quickly swung the crossbow trigger and aimed it to the left. With a flick of his finger, a silver-gleaming crossbow arrow, mixed with the whistling wind, shot towards Ming Qi.
Hearing the crossbow trigger spring snap, Ming Qi didn't hesitate, nor did he hesitate to fight. He launched a punch with his left hand, but then withdrew while he saw the opportunity. At the same time, he drew back his right sword and, with all his might, swung it away from the long stick coming from the right. Then, he suddenly bent his body, rolled on the ground, and darted out directly from the right side of the four-man blockade!
Escaped from the four-man encirclement, Ming Qi didn't immediately retreat. Instead, he turned on the spot, his sword flashing, sending streams of sword energy surging in all directions.
Under the onslaught of sword energy, the four men were forced to retreat and defend, but how could Ming Qi leave them any chance?
Ming Qi would not let go of this strategically-earned advantage. If the enemy had been able to encircle them the first time, they could certainly do so a second time. The first time, he'd relied on two feints to gain an opening, but the second wouldn't be so easy.
Ming Qi's attempt to break free hadn't taken him more than five steps. The closest person to him was the burly man with the staff, a few steps away. And as he was retreating to defend, Ming Qi swung his sword. This time, no sword energy was released, but a pure thrust of the sword, striking the burly man directly.
Without the power of the taller man's whip, the burly man's speed was slow, and Ming Qi, at the peak of his Blood Shadow Step, stabbed his sword into the man's waist in a split second.
Puff!
The sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh echoed, and the massive figure of the man with the staff shuddered, a flicker of pain crossing his face. However, he stubbornly raised his staff high and smashed it against Ming Qi's head.
After a successful strike, Ming Qi knew that even if the man wasn't dead, he was already at the end of his strength, so he had no intention of engaging him further.
The sword was drawn quickly, and retracted even faster. By the time the massive staff came crashing down, Ming Qi had already dodged several steps!
The immense force of the impact left a rip in the ground.
Weakened by the blow, the man with the staff could only manage a single, barely effective strike. Seeing that his final blow still missed his opponent, he finally collapsed.
"Brother!"
The remaining four men, seeing the man severely wounded, abandoned their attacks and quickly rushed over.
The burly man with the staff who surrounded and attacked the five-man group was none other than their leader. Now that he was gravely injured, the four men instantly lost their will to fight.
"Fight!"
The fallen man saw the four men charging recklessly towards him. Anger suddenly crossed his face, twisted with pain. He struggled twice, but only managed to utter a single word with difficulty.
However, after Ming Qi severely injured one of the five men with a single blow, he ceased his attacks and stood aside.
The seven men who had been locked in a fierce battle with Tang Qi and the others found a gap, sidestepped their opponents, and charged towards them. Even so, Ming Qi could still see that as they rushed towards them, they maintained a formation ready to close in at any moment.
"Erhu, stop!"
Just then, the female captain, who had remained silent outside the battle group, stepped forward and reached out to stop the furious men.
She took a few steps forward, until she was three steps in front of Ming Qi. Her face was still pale, but a complex expression flickered in her eyes.
"I hope we'll meet in Shaxing City someday."