Chapter 11: Blood-Red Twilight

His gaze landed on the Blood Shadow Squad, who were currently besieging the Thunder Squad.

In the sky, the setting sun was slowly descending, its fading light visibly giving way to night in the distance. It seemed darkness would soon envelop the entire land. A chilling coldness gradually emerged from the encroaching darkness, spreading in all directions.

The jungle, still bathed in the lingering afterglow, resembled a struggling elder, unwilling to fade away. The setting sun's light seemed to offer little strength, weakly penetrating the dense foliage, creating only dim and sparse illumination.

But Xu Qing, hidden within the treeline, was different. He coldly observed the battlefield, every detail imprinting itself into his icy gaze.

The Blood Shadow Squad numbered five in total. Two acted as the main attackers, while the other three blocked off escape routes around them, preventing the Thunder Squad from fleeing. The latter three had cultivation levels comparable to Luan Ya's, all around the third level. They dared not get too close, circling on the periphery. However, their presence forced the Thunder Squad to divide their attention.

As for the former two, one's spiritual energy fluctuations were only slightly weaker than the Thunder Squad Leader's, clearly indicating a sixth-level Qi Condensation practitioner, and also an elder. His hair was dishevelled, his eyes fierce, and his clothes were tattered. His muscles appeared ready to burst, a clear sign of the Blood Shadow Captain, known for eating raw dog meat.

The Blood Shadow Captain licked his lips, attacking with lightning speed while coldly eyeing the Thunder Squad Leader, whose body was growing increasingly pale. “Today, the Thunder Squad will surely be erased from the camp roster. Thunder Squad Leader, you might as well commit suicide. Otherwise, like Savage Ghost who fought until he mutated, you won't even have a complete corpse after death – that would be utterly undignified. If you take your own life, I promise to take good care of your teammates.”

“Exactly, Thunder Squad Leader, rest assured,” the other man chimed in, speaking after the Blood Shadow Captain. “After your death, we'll take excellent care of the remaining Thunder Squad members when we return. I've been eager to experience Luan Ya for a long time now, and as for that child you brought back, selling him as a living treasure nurturer should fetch a decent price.”

This individual was a middle-aged man with an ugly appearance, a high, bulging back that seemed deformed, and one blind eye. His sole remaining eye now gleamed with bloodthirsty intent. Although his spiritual energy fluctuations weren't as strong as his captain's, they surpassed Shi Zi's, as Xu Qing remembered him, reaching the fifth level of Qi Condensation. However, it wasn't very stable, as if he had only recently broken through.

Facing the duo's verbal provocations, the Thunder Squad Leader remained expressionless, though a grim resignation seemed to fill his eyes as his attacks grew even more relentless. This sudden intensity caused the two Blood Shadow members, who were unwilling to sustain serious injuries just to kill the Thunder Squad Leader, to retreat slightly and begin a war of attrition. They were clearly convinced of their certain success today, intending to slowly wear down their opponent until death.

“One sixth-level, one fifth-level, three third-level!” Xu Qing's eyes sharpened with killing intent. He could, in fact, leave, but he valued kindness deeply. The Thunder Squad Leader had been consistently good to him, so Xu Qing had no intention of abandoning them. Instead, he rapidly surveyed the battlefield and its surroundings. The area wasn't open, with numerous trees, subdued light, and plenty of shadows, making it suitable for an ambush.

With a clear plan in mind, killing intent exploded in Xu Qing's eyes as he crouched in the treeline. He stomped fiercely on the treetop, using the momentum to surge forward, transforming into an arrow loosed from a bowstring as he suddenly closed the distance. The third level of the Sea Mountain Art, combined with the raw physical power granted by the purple crystal, was fully unleashed at this moment. He moved with such astonishing speed that he left a clear afterimage in the treeline. Before anyone on the battlefield could even react, Xu Qing's figure had already burst into the fray in the blink of an eye, appearing beside one of the three perimeter guards.

It was a slender young man whose narrow, triangular eyes still reflected the besieged Thunder Squad Leader. He was utterly oblivious to Xu Qing's arrival. Just as a cold gust of wind brushed his face, he paused slightly, about to turn his head, when the next moment… an iron skewer, wielding terrifying force, directly pierced his temple.

Before the corpse could fall or a scream could escape, Xu Qing's body didn't pause. He bent low, pushed off the ground with his foot to propel himself backward, then burst forward like a cheetah, instantly appearing before another individual. This second scavenger's expression changed dramatically, his pupils constricting. He was about to retreat, but Xu Qing was already upon him, his fist, imbued with the astonishing power of the third level of the Sea Mountain Art, striking in an instant.

The punch struck his chest with a thud, his flesh caving in instantly like mud, and blood burst from his back. Amidst the cracking of bones, Xu Qing swung his left hand, launching a dagger with terrifying force. It streaked through the air, leaving a long trail as it hurtled towards the third individual with extreme speed.

As the second individual's sternum shattered, heart collapsed, and back burst open, the third scavenger on the periphery finally became fully alert. In his horror, he was just about to react, but as his vision blurred and a swift gust of wind hit his face, his body instantly stiffened. His eyes widened, and with a primal instinct, he managed to raise his hand with his last ounce of strength, touching the cold dagger that had pierced his forehead. Such was the dagger's force that it caused the edge of his brow to indent, shattering bone and cracking his skull!

All of this happened in a flash. Xu Qing's speed was astounding, and his actions were decisively swift. As the first and third bodies fell, the individual before him, whose sternum had shattered and heart collapsed, also toppled, revealing the boy's figure. The boy stood hunched, his long black hair obscuring the upper half of his face, yet it couldn't conceal the wolf-like, cold, and sharp gaze that pierced through his strands.

He now lifted his head, his gaze locking with the Thunder Squad Leader and the two Blood Shadow members, all of whom were visibly shaken by his sudden intervention. The very wind around them seemed to freeze in that moment.

The Thunder Squad Leader's eyes, previously filled with grim resignation, now stirred. He looked deeply at Xu Qing, then suddenly let out a low cry. “Kid, run!”

Xu Qing did not heed the Thunder Squad Leader's demand. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, fixating on the Blood Shadow Squad Captain. The Blood Shadow Squad Captain also took a proper look at Xu Qing for the first time. As his gaze swept over the three corpses beside Xu Qing, his face twitched subtly. He had to admit that his assessment of the Thunder Squad had been flawed. Savage Ghost's fearless defiance was one factor; this unexpected child was the second.

“Kill him!” the Blood Shadow Captain snorted coldly, deciding he would no longer prolong the fight merely to avoid injury. As he spoke, his aura erupted with a roar, and he launched a punch towards the Thunder Squad Leader, instantly engaging him in fierce combat.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man beside him, a fifth-level Qi Condensation practitioner, let out a sneer and turned directly to confront Xu Qing. As he advanced, spiritual energy radiated from his body. He cracked his knuckles as he walked, a cruel glint in his eyes. Even though the boy's speed was astonishing, and he had instantly killed three people with his first move, the man remained confident that, with his newly acquired fifth-level cultivation, dispatching his opponent would be effortless.

Within Xu Qing's narrowed eyes, the cold glint intensified. Based on his assessment of previous engagements, he believed he could defeat a fourth-level Qi Condensation practitioner. As for a fifth-level... he hadn't fought one before and was unsure.

In a flash, Xu Qing suddenly burst forth, his speed exploding as he charged directly at the middle-aged man. He closed the distance in an instant, and his fist descended. A sneer played on the middle-aged cultivator's lips. Almost the instant Xu Qing arrived, the spiritual energy radiating from the middle-aged cultivator's body transformed into an invisible barrier, meeting Xu Qing's fist. With a deafening crash, cracks appeared in the barrier, yet it didn't shatter. Instead, a powerful counter-shock reverberated outwards, causing Xu Qing's wrist, which had connected with it, to emit a cracking sound and dislocate instantly.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. As his body swiftly repositioned itself, he forcefully swung his right hand, snapping the dislocated wrist back into place. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes; he didn't retreat, but instead delivered another full-force punch. With a tremendous crash, the cracked barrier finally shattered completely this time. But the moment it shattered into pieces, a violent shockwave abruptly spread outwards. Kicking up dirt, this impact instantly enveloped Xu Qing's entire body. Especially the invisible fragments created by the barrier's collapse, like unseen sharp blades, swiftly carved numerous bloody lacerations across Xu Qing's body, a truly shocking sight.

Xu Qing's entire body reeled. His slender body was repeatedly thrown back by the impact. Wounds on multiple areas of his body bled profusely, and his recently reset wrist dislocated once more, hanging unnaturally by his side.

“Foolishness!” the middle-aged cultivator scoffed as the disturbed earth settled, his disdain deepening. “A mere body refiner is inherently unworthy of battling a spell cultivator, let alone someone at the third level presumptuously challenging my fifth.” Yet, deep down, he was also surprised, as he hadn't expected his spiritual energy barrier to collapse under the opponent's second punch. Fortunately, he had recently broken through to the fifth level, which allowed his spiritual energy barrier to erupt with a shockwave upon shattering. Otherwise, he might have found himself in disarray just now.

Xu Qing's brow furrowed. Seemingly oblivious to the intense pain throbbing through his body and arm, he stared at the middle-aged man, then braced his right hand against the ground and forcefully snapped his dislocated wrist back into place. The middle-aged cultivator, who had been advancing towards Xu Qing, witnessed this brutal self-treatment. His steps faltered involuntarily, his eyes narrowing slightly as he swiftly raised his hands, forming a hand seal and pointing a finger at Xu Qing. Immediately, spiritual energy once again gathered around his body, coalescing into a head-sized fireball that whistled directly towards Xu Qing.

The fireball's power was astonishing; as it approached, the air around it visibly shimmered and distorted, indicating its extremely high temperature. The instant it closed in, Xu Qing's body flickered, dodging the attack, but the fireball continued its relentless pursuit. The middle-aged man's eyes now gleamed with killing intent. Maintaining the barrier around his body, he simultaneously conjured a second and third fireball with his hand seals, both of which also pursued Xu Qing.

Seeing the three fireballs rapidly closing in and blocking his escape routes, Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. He rolled to the side of one of the corpses he had killed, then hoisted the body and violently hurled it at a fireball. With a loud impact, the fireball collided with the corpse. Instantly, the body ignited, incinerating into ash in less than three breaths. This sight gave Xu Qing a clear understanding of the fireball's destructive power.

Residual heat washed over him, instantly turning his entire body crimson. He swayed, preparing to dodge, but the second and third fireballs were already closing in. Driven by the cunning gleam in the middle-aged man's eyes, the fireballs offered Xu Qing no chance to dodge, exploding violently the instant they drew near.

Boom!

The flames spread widely, their high-temperature destructive power astonishing. Xu Qing found it almost impossible to fully evade within this area. Though he managed to avoid most of it through sheer speed, his entire body was instantly covered in thick blisters, and with the evaporation of water, his internal organs felt as if they were ablaze.

“Fire Crow, hurry up!” the Blood Shadow Captain, currently engaged with the Thunder Squad Leader in the distance, let out a low roar.

“Understood, Captain,” the man called Fire Crow replied with a laugh. “This little wolf cub can withstand at most two more of my fireballs before he's nothing but a dried husk!” His gaze on Xu Qing sharpened with even greater cruelty. He raised his right hand, and two more fiercely burning fireballs materialized around him, which he sent hurtling rapidly towards Xu Qing with a wave. Fearing Xu Qing would dodge, he employed the same tactic, controlling these two fireballs to violently detonate the instant they neared, blanketing the area and sealing off every possible escape route for Xu Qing.

Intense heat permeated the air, flames scorched the ground, and trees instantly turned to ash. The resulting openness in the canopy allowed the lingering twilight to merge with the firelight, creating a blinding glare that momentarily obscured Fire Crow's vision. But he was supremely confident that his fifth-level fireballs would have no trouble incinerating a third-level practitioner. So he wiped his hands, slightly winded but with a contemptuous expression, and turned to walk towards the ongoing battle between the Thunder Squad Leader and the Blood Shadow Captain.

“Thunder Squad Leader, your subordinate isn't holding up.” As he strode forward, Fire Crow sneered. But he didn't see despair in the Thunder Squad Leader's eyes; instead, he noticed a change in the Blood Shadow Captain's expression. Fire Crow reacted swiftly, his body abruptly veering to the side. But it was too late. A slender figure shot out from behind him, delivering two consecutive punches directly onto the spiritual energy barrier surrounding him. The barrier shook violently, instantly shattering. Though the slender figure was forced to recoil from the explosive impact, a dagger and an iron skewer, whistling through the air, were flung out fiercely, launching a counter-attack.

However, the shockwave from the barrier's collapse created a degree of resistance, causing the dagger to slow slightly as it neared Fire Crow, granting him a precious moment to dodge. His body rapidly shifted, yet the dagger still grazed one ear, tearing it away amidst a spray of blood. The iron skewer, too, pierced his chest, causing him to cough up blood, but it was not a vital blow and thus not fatal.

The searing pain turned Fire Crow's eyes bloodshot, and he roared. After clumsily dodging the attack, he sharply looked behind him. His gaze fell upon the boy's figure, like a wolf, poised in a half-crouch on the ground, having retreated seven or eight zhang away and now treading on the gradually extinguishing flames. He was clearly poised to strike. Still covered in blisters, his entire body crimson, the lingering twilight now reflected in the boy's eyes, revealing... an icy glare, and killing intent that hadn't diminished in the slightest!