Su Yuan quickly caught up with Ming Qi and the others.
As they walked back, Ming Qi could clearly see that Su Yuan's face was extremely pale, and he was holding a wine jug, constantly drinking.
The mysterious strong wind behind him had disappeared, indicating that Su Yuan had already sent the mysterious wind eavesdropper away. As for how Su Yuan had done it, Ming Qi naturally didn't ask.
However, although he had sent one wind eavesdropper away, it was still too late.
At noon, Ming Qi sensed a dozen powerful auras rapidly penetrating a ten-mile radius from his diffused aura.
They were not advancing very fast, and the earlier wind eavesdropper had already reported their general route. Even if Su Yuan had stopped them midway, it was already too late.
"Here they come!"
Ming Qi warned in a deep voice, tightening his grip on the Soul Stealing Sword.
Wei Silong and Mo Changli also quickly prepared themselves. They both knew that if the enemy didn't come, it would be fine. But if they did, they would be formidable. They would definitely not send even a mere post-natal cultivator.
Su Yuan, on the other hand, was still dangling his wine jug.
The little boy also possessed innate strength and considerable combat prowess. Now that someone was catching up, he naturally prepared.
The approaching force was swift, and before long, a group in the distance came into view.
The group's pace was not quite synchronized. The two at the front, piloting flying magical instruments, were significantly faster. The others then split into two groups. The six in the middle strode at a rapid pace. While not as fast as the first group, they were not much slower. As for the last group, they were, of course, post-natal cultivators, and their speed could not match the first group.
After staring at the two men in front for a moment, Su Yuan said, "They're from the Void Beyond Painting."
"Void Beyond Painting?"
"Void Beyond Painting is considered quite powerful in Killing Star City, but compared to the five major mercenary groups, it's still somewhat inferior."
Wei Silong explained to Ming Qi that, having led mercenaries in Killing Star City, she was naturally familiar with the major mercenary groups.
"The leader of the Void Beyond Painting is Hua Danqing, and the deputy leader is Wei Dong. Both possess the power of a fourth-level innate weapon control. However, Hua Danqing possesses a very strange magical weapon called the Small Five Elements Fan. It can transform the Five Elements Void, creating an environment that is extremely difficult to deal with."
As he spoke, Hua Danqing and Wei Dong had already arrived in front of the group.
Before he could retract his magic weapon, the burly Wei Dong spotted Su Yuan standing there and burst into laughter. "I didn't expect you, a drunkard, to be here too. But I don't have time to drink with you today. Come out, little brat, and let me take it and exchange it for money."
Hua Danqing and Wei Dong stopped dead in their tracks. A group of innate and acquired cultivators gradually gathered behind them, and the empty field suddenly became bustling with activity.
Hua Danqing clutched a fan. His face looked extremely pale, but his eyes were incredibly deep, like a bottomless abyss. He glanced around before finally settling on Ming Qi.
"It's you?"
"Why, do we know each other?"
Ming Qi asked curiously, seeing that Hua Danqing was clearly referring to him.
Ming Qi had never heard of Hua Danqing, and he had certainly never met him.
"Hehe."
Hua Danqing waved his folding fan and smiled, "Your Excellency's battle in Lower City that day shocked the entire city. I have great admiration for you."
"You're flattered."
Ming Qi responded calmly. The battle in Lower City that day had indeed attracted the attention of many experts and powerful figures in Killing Star City. Even the City Lord, Yu Quanzhen, personally visited Lower City. It seemed likely that ninety-nine percent of Killing Star City's experts had been drawn there.
"Although I admire you, your Excellency, today's situation can only be described as a matter of serving each other's masters. I must take this little kid with me."
"In that case, then, without further ado, you can take me with you once you've passed this test."
As he spoke, Ming Qi pointed his sword forward, a burst of sword energy emanating from it. On his left, Wei Silong held his longsword upside down. On his right, Mo Changli stood majestically, holding a golden halberd. Su Yuan, with his rapier raised, stood a step back.
A tiger roared in the distance, and Dabai immediately joined the fray.
Seeing Ming Qi's formation, Wei Dong burst into laughter again.
"The tainted leader of the Private Dragon Mercenary Group, the flying thief Su Yuan, and a demonic beast—you two are truly a bizarre combination, hahahaha!"
Wei Dong seemed to have witnessed something hilarious, grinning uncontrollably.
Hua Danqing, standing nearby, didn't dare underestimate the group before him. Even Su Yuan's strength, at the fourth level of the Xiantian Armament Control Realm, had already drawn considerable attention in the battle between these three men and the tiger in the Lower City. Even though the An brothers were only at the second level of the Xiantian Realm, Hua Danqing didn't believe he could withstand their combined magical power.
And yet, the young man before him had single-handedly broken the other's fusion magical power, the Poison Emperor's Descent. This showed that this young man's strength defied common sense.
More importantly, after just a few days, Hua Danqing sensed a significant shift in the young man's aura, becoming even more concentrated and powerful, and his realm had also risen.
Such a terrifying cultivation speed was unbelievable even to him.
"Don't underestimate the enemy!"
After hearing Wei Dong's laughter, Hua Danqing said this, then gently waved his folding fan, and the spiritual energy of the surrounding heaven and earth began to fluctuate uneasily.
"Dabai, go and disrupt those innate cultivators in the rear."
"Silong, immediately go and disrupt their sight. A few breaths will be enough."
"Changli, merge your magical powers and take them down in one fell swoop. We don't have much time."
"Su Yuan, just follow Silong's attack."
Ming Qi transmitted a series of messages, swiftly arranging the tasks for each member. Then, he stepped forward, spread his ten fingers, and with a flick of his finger, he unleashed a fire thunder.
The fire thunder roared, accompanied by countless wind sounds.
Dabai roared, slashing directly into the center. The six Xiantian cultivators standing in the middle clearly hadn't anticipated such a bold attack, and they hurriedly activated their magical weapons to unleash their powers.
"You and I will just focus on controlling that little kid. Ignore everything else!"
At the same time, Hua Danqing communicated with Wei Dong through voice transmission. Their purpose for this visit was clear: to capture the escaping kid and bring him back to his employer. It was a simple matter of capturing him and collecting the money. Whether or not they could defeat their opponent was secondary.
Dabai charged forward, and Wei Silong's left-handed longsword danced through the air. A flash of blade energy flashed before him, and he suddenly assumed a majestic air as he strode towards Hua Danqing and Wei Dong.
Su Yuan followed closely behind, his slender sword wielding like a dragon. He unleashed his Western Immortal Sword Technique, sending streams of sword energy swirling and dancing.
As for the post-natal cultivators at the back, they were blatantly ignored. With the presence of experts, they were left with two options: cannon fodder or spectators.
The gap between post-natal and innate realms is enormous, and post-natal cultivators are essentially powerless to intervene in a battle between innate realms.
Ming Qi's battle strategy also showed that he hadn't considered those post-natal cultivators at all.
Boom!
After launching a finger-flicking fire thunder, Ming Qi quickly unleashed his Vermillion Bird Divine Wings, enveloping his entire body in a blanket of golden flames. Nearly simultaneously, Mo Changli, standing beside him, activated his golden halberd, and a small golden sun flickered above his head.
The flames blazed fiercely, obscuring the sky and instantly engulfing Ming Qi and Mo Changli.
Amidst the flames, Ming Qi reached out without hesitation and embraced Mo Changli. Having learned from his previous experience, Mo Changli offered no resistance this time, falling seamlessly into Ming Qi's arms amidst the enveloping sea of flames.
The Supreme Diagram was shrouded in a gray mist, ripples emanating from the two of them.
As their bodies embraced, their Yuan Energy merged. The golden halberd Mo Changli had thrown forth instantly shone with brilliant golden light, a small golden sun melting into pure power and merging into the halberd.
The Vermillion Bird wings on Ming Qi's back instantly transformed, each feather clearly visible. Dazzling flames, carrying an all-consuming power, quickly enveloped Mo Changli's golden halberd.
At that moment, the golden flames and the halberd merged completely.
Amidst the raging golden flames, Ming Qi and Mo Changli embraced, their faces devoid of any trace of affection.
This was a battle, a confrontation, and both men understood it clearly.
Mystical powers merged, Phoenix Domination!
Ming Qi's most powerful magical power, Phoenix Dances in the Nine Heavens, merged with Mo Changli's Domination of the World from the Heavenly Domination Technique. A supreme majesty, as if descended from the heavens, was born.
A small boy, not far behind them, watched this scene with his mouth wide open in astonishment, staring in amazement at the dazzling flames before him.
In an instant, the dazzling, immense flames transformed into a swift sword, hurtling towards Hua Danqing and Wei Dong, who were engaged in combat with Wei Silong and Su Yuan.
Hua Danqing waved the small Five Elements fan in his hand frequently, each time emitting a beam of light of varying colors. These rays of light instantly transformed into a massive portal, from which a steady stream of elemental spirits representing the five elements burst forth.
"Power of the Five Elements, gates of the Five Elements spirits, open for me!"
Hua Danqing, who had originally planned to immediately seize the child with Wei Dong and flee, was completely unprepared for the two opposing forces to completely hinder their plans. Furthermore, two others were still hesitant to act, leaving Hua Danqing deeply concerned.
Beside him, Wei Dong manipulated a large seal, moving and wielding it like the wind. The gray seal took on the pale yellow of the earth element.
As the four of them met, they unleashed their magical powers without reservation. Within moments, the surroundings were filled with surging and clashing elemental energy, even affecting the several innate and acquired cultivators who attempted to charge forward.
Hua Danqing shouted coldly, and massive portals materialized from thin air, sending countless spirits of the Five Elements hurtling towards him.
At that moment, he felt an immense burning sensation.
Looking up, Hua Danqing gasped. A massive flaming sword, hundreds of meters long, burst through the air before him!