"You filthy mutts! Wolfhead Mercenaries, you dare trap me like this?"
Before Mu Chengfeng's curses had even fully left his mouth, the bloodthirsty mercenaries of the Wolfhead Group were already charging at the cart. From atop it, a flash of killing intent erupted.
The first few mercenaries to reach the cart were met with Mu Chengfeng's fists and kicks. In a blur of motion, he knocked them to the ground where they didn't rise again.
Without wasting a breath, Mu Chengfeng grabbed Xiao Yixian's hand and sprinted into the forest, his clenched fist dripping red with fresh blood.
"You think you can run? Fire the arrows!" Mu She barked from behind, eyes flashing with cruelty.
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.
At the command, the Wolfhead mercenaries loosed a volley of arrows that tore through the air toward the fleeing pair.
Mu Chengfeng's heart clenched at the sound behind him. His Dou Qi surged. With a roar, he launched a high-tier Yellow Rank technique, Exploding Flame Fist, into the sky. The fiery shockwave detonated the arrows mid-flight, scattering them like broken twigs.
He exhaled, relieved, then crouched and lifted Xiao Yixian onto his back before dashing deeper into the dense jungle of the Magic Beast Mountains.
At his current level, the peak of Nine-Star Dou Qi, he hadn't even reached the rank of Dou Practitioner. While defeating low-level mercenaries was within his means, someone like Mu She, a genuine two-star Dou Master, would crush him without effort. Escape was their only option.
As he darted through the forest, Mu Chengfeng twisted his wrist and summoned Dou Qi into his palm, chopping down thick trees along their path to block the pursuing forces.
All around them, the sea of green stretched endlessly. The wind passed lightly through the trees, setting waves of leaves rippling toward the horizon.
Near the edge of a cliff, two figures crouched behind layers of dense foliage. Their eyes watched the search teams pushing through the jungle. Both frowned deeply.
They had shaken off their immediate pursuers. But now, there was nowhere left to run. Before them stood a cliff so steep it seemed to descend into the abyss. They had reached the end of the road.
"This looks bad. There's no path forward," Mu Chengfeng murmured from the shadows.
"They're closing in from all sides. If this keeps up, we'll be trapped like birds in a cage," Xiao Yixian whispered, lips pressed tight in worry.
Just as Mu Chengfeng opened his mouth to respond, a sharp whistle split the air. An arrow sliced toward them from the darkness. Mu Chengfeng shoved Xiao Yixian aside, and the arrow skimmed past, embedding itself into the bark of a nearby tree.
Not far off, Mu She stood with a massive bow in hand, a twisted grin on his face. He had found them.
Mu Chengfeng rose slowly. His expression was grim. He glanced at Xiao Yixian, then looked Mu She directly in the eyes.
"Commander Mu She, we bear you no grudge. Why must you go this far?"
"You must be joking. The Qingshan and Wolfhead Mercenaries have never been on good terms," Mu She said, shrugging with a sneer.
"If someone like you is allowed to grow, what place will there be for us in Qingshan Town? If you don't die, I won't sleep easy."
"In that case, let Xiao Yixian go. This has nothing to do with her. Let her leave in peace, and I'll surrender myself."
Mu She didn't answer. Instead, Mu Li stepped forward, eyes full of twisted lust.
"And if I let her go, who guarantees she won't rat us out to Qingshan? But... if she were to serve me tonight, maybe I'd reconsider."
"You filthy swine!" Xiao Yixian's eyes flared with rage.
"Serve a beast like you? Sure... if you're man enough to handle it," she snapped, her tone sharp with scorn.
The sudden shift in her demeanor sent chills down the spines of the mercenaries. Something about her defiance felt... off.
Only Mu Chengfeng understood. Xiao Yixian possessed the Doom Venom Body, a physique that absorbed poison to strengthen itself. Anyone who tried to violate her would meet a swift and gruesome end.
Mu Li, ignorant of this, smirked and licked his lips.
"I'll kill the brat first. Then I'll take my time with you."
Mu Chengfeng's dark eyes narrowed. He was thinking fast.
Then, he felt something small and round slip into his palm. He glanced sideways at Xiao Yixian. Her lips moved without a sound.
"This is a sleeping powder I always carry. For perverts like him."
Mu Chengfeng gave a faint nod. His eyes swept over the cliff. Vines. Plenty of them.
"Stay close to me. Don't let go," he said quietly, voice tight with urgency.
Xiao Yixian nodded without hesitation. Her trust was absolute.
"Kill him. Don't hurt Xiao Yixian. She's your future commander's wife," Mu Li ordered with a wave.
"Yes, sir!"
More than ten mercenaries broke away from the group and rushed toward the cliff where the pair stood.
Mu Chengfeng's eyes scanned the terrain. Retreat was cut off. They were surrounded.
Boom.
He threw the small pouch into the air. With a flick of Dou Qi, the powder burst midair, releasing a thick cloud that filled the area.
"Hold your breath. Don't move. Block the exit," Mu She commanded sharply, noticing the strange substance in the air.
His Dou Qi surged as he leapt toward Mu Chengfeng.
"Heart-Shattering Palm!"
A high-tier Yellow Rank technique.
Mu Chengfeng stepped back swiftly, seized Xiao Yixian, and hurled both of them off the edge of the cliff.
The wind howled around them, plastering Xiao Yixian's clothes to her figure and outlining her curves. Her body pressed tightly against Mu Chengfeng's chest as they plummeted.
He reached out and grabbed hold of a thick vine clinging to the cliff wall.
"Hold on!" he shouted through gritted teeth.
The vine trembled violently under their weight, but it held. Slowly, the two began to slide downward, descending the cliffside.
All around them, jagged rocks jutted from the wall. Gnarled branches twisted in unnatural shapes. Even broken bones lay wedged in crevices, silent reminders of past falls.
Mu Chengfeng's sharp eyes scanned the wall as they descended. Then he stopped.
His gaze locked on a small section of stone hidden behind a crooked tree trunk. It looked unnatural, like a place someone had tried to hide.