The team continued to slowly move forward under Wei Silong's guidance. At this moment, all the mercenaries had a hope: land would appear not far ahead. If they could reach it, they would be safe.
The three-tailed wolf-headed snakes roamed around, baring their fangs and growling as they tried to approach. Wei Silong, Su Yuan, and Xiao Qi all watched their surroundings with full vigilance, focusing their fire on any demonic beasts that approached.
Fortunately, these three-tailed wolf-headed snakes had not yet reached the level of the Innate Realm, and they would not have much of an advantage against Innate Realm cultivators.
The demonic beasts' bloodthirstiness and ferocity made them instinctively attracted to the presence of humans. Although the three-tailed wolf-headed snakes before them had not yet begun to attack, their gradually crimson eyes indicated that they were about to lose their temper.
Sure enough, before they had traveled a few miles, the three-tailed wolf-headed snakes gathered in greater numbers, emitting piercing roars, and some even attempted to approach even closer.
"They're attacking!"
Wei Silong's heart skipped a beat as he saw the three-tailed wolf-headed snakes, ready to attack, instantly raising their heads, sharp fangs bared, their scarlet eyes gleaming with fervor.
"Don't let them get close!"
Wei Silong shouted, raising his black longsword high and slashing a ray of light at the oncoming demonic snake.
Here, Su Yuan, Xiao Qi, and all the mercenaries quickly prepared for battle.
The innate cultivators possessed magical powers that allowed them to attack from a distance, but the mercenaries, with only acquired cultivation, could only huddle together, waiting for the demonic snakes to get close before they could strike back.
When the demonic snakes truly began their frenzied attacks, the sky had already grown dim, and in the dim light, only the demonic snakes' crimson eyes stood out.
After a full hour, Wei Silong and his companions had only advanced less than two miles. Everyone was exhausted, panting and sweating profusely. Although several demonic snakes had been killed during this hour, there were still many around, at least dozens, and they were rapidly approaching in the gloom.
Swish!
The demonic snake cruising in front suddenly raised its long, narrow body high, its three tails swirling rapidly. Then, the enormous demonic snake suddenly soared into the air, charging towards Wei Silong and his companions.
With this first move, the surrounding demonic snakes immediately followed suit!
Dozens of snake shadows darted through the dim air, accompanied by sharp wind sounds and shrill roars.
The mud beneath their feet was already up to their calves. Fighting dozens of demonic snakes in such difficult conditions would be a severe test for anyone.
After a moment's contemplation, Wei Silong, seeing the demonic snake approaching, abandoned all thought. With a flicker of her finger, a strange golden light rose from her fingertips, swirling in the air until a small golden sun appeared hovering above her head.
The blade of her long sword flashed with a flash of light, and Wei Silong leaped into the air, unleashing a powerful Cross Heaven-shaking Art, releasing a vast slash of blade energy.
The dim swamp was completely illuminated by Wei Silong's golden sun. Without time for surprise or reflection, Su Yuan swiftly unleashed her fierce and murderous Western Immortal Sword Technique. She steered her flying sword like a dragon, darting through the low air, unleashing countless blasts of sword energy.
Although this was likely Xiao Qi's first time in a dangerous battle, and her technique was rather clumsy, she was, after all, a congenitally powerful warrior, and her attacks were quite powerful. At this moment, she was wielding a rather strange-looking magical weapon that continuously shot out beams of azure light. Each beam emitted a sound similar to the exploding air, and any demonic snakes that came into contact with the blue light screamed and retreated.
"Hurry and move forward!"
Seeing that Xiao Qi's mysterious magical weapon was surprisingly effective against the demonic snakes, Wei Silong immediately shouted and led the charge forward.
The others followed closely behind Wei Silong, while Su Yuan circled low on his flying sword. Seeing any demonic snakes approach, he immediately released his sword energy to repel them.
This treacherous journey continued until late at night, and Xiao Qi's energy was consumed countless times. If it weren't for the numerous life-saving pills that Elder Lin had given her beforehand, she would probably have passed out by now.
Wei Silong was also nearing his limit, and the golden sun above him began to dim. Su Yuan had already landed on the ground, his rapier tightly gripped, his eyes darting back and forth.
Many demonic snakes remained, but they were wary of Xiao Qi's blue light and dared not approach again.
"Captain, I see land!"
After walking for an unknown amount of time, a mercenary suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
Yes, they had finally, miraculously, found land, not far ahead.
Wei Silong nodded and said, "Speed up! Once we reach land, we can escape these demonic beasts."
Dawn broke in the east.
Wei Silong and his group finally reached land. They quickly gathered themselves, using the slightly clearer waters of a nearby pond to clean the mud from their clothes.
After nearly a day and a night of life-and-death struggle in the swamp, the fewer than ten remaining men looked like effigies, smeared with the swamp's black mud and sewage, their pungent odor making them nauseous.
Having previously been in danger, they hadn't found the odor so unpleasant. Now that they were out of danger, the girls suddenly felt an intense aversion to the smell.
The three of them took turns standing guard, cleansing themselves briefly and changing into clean clothes. The mercenaries simply discarded their mud-soaked clothing and rinsed it briefly in the pool. Those who had brought clothes changed into them, while those who didn't simply put them back on.
After traversing this swampy, almost life-or-death swamp, the mercenary team, which originally numbered over ten, was reduced to just six.
They rested around the fire for a while, then set out again at daybreak.
After crossing the swamp, they had truly entered the Western Wasteland. Their destination, the Imperial Mountains, were not far away. Wei Silong estimated that they could reach the area in less than a day.
Su Yuan was perhaps even more familiar with the Western Wasteland than Wei Silong, so finding the Imperial Mountains wouldn't be a problem. After leaving the swamp, the threat became much smaller. The occasional demonic beasts that appeared nearby were mostly acquired cultivation, so their combined strength was sufficient to deter them.
In fact, Su Yuan believed that the Western Wilds were quite safe, save for some restricted areas inhabited by powerful demonic beasts. As long as they stayed within these restricted areas, their lives would be safe. Another important point was to avoid conflicts with the alien races.
Most alien races resolved their conflicts through force. If a conflict arose, they would either annihilate an entire tribe or die at their hands.
"From here to the Imperial Mountains, we can avoid the alien settlements along the way. Let's avoid them."
After carefully confirming the location, Su Yuan offered a plan.
"Then you will lead the way. We'll reach the rendezvous point as quickly as possible."
Wei Silong knew he was unfamiliar with the Western Wilds, so he directly assigned the task of leading the way to Su Yuan.
The team suffered heavy losses, which left Wei Silong somewhat disappointed.
Unable to escape unscathed from facing several demonic beasts, she feared she would never achieve what she desired, or even see the slightest hope.
Xiao Qi finally experienced the dangers of mercenary service, and after that battle, she seemed to have matured significantly.
Led by Su Yuan, the group easily circumvented several nearby alien gathering places and, at nightfall, finally arrived at their previously scheduled destination, the foot of the Imperial Mountains.
"Be careful! As we approach the Imperial Mountains, we're very likely to encounter other mercenaries. We must be cautious."
Wei Silong knew there were more than just one mercenary group coming to the Imperial Mountains this time, and that Blood Sword's intentions were quite secretive, making them very likely to know something. Therefore, caution was crucial, and avoiding all other mercenary groups was the best option.
After reaching the designated area, Wei Silong and the others found a quiet, secluded spot to rest while they dispatched personnel to search for Ming Qi's whereabouts. If Ming Qi and his group had already arrived, they would likely leave clues, as this was all arranged in advance.
During the break, no fire was lit. Wei Silong took out some liquor and shared it with everyone.
Just as everyone had finished their rations and replenished their energy, and just as the mercenaries who had gone out for reconnaissance had returned, a white figure appeared.
"You've finally arrived."
It was Dabai, who sent a direct message to Wei Silong.
"Hmm, where are Mingqi and the others?"
Wei Silong asked.
"Well, follow me."
Wei Silong and his few men followed Dabai through the dense jungle several times before arriving at a well-hidden cave.
They immediately spotted two mercenaries guarding the cave entrance, a faint flicker of fire visible from the entrance.
"How long have you been here?"
Seeing it was the captain, the mercenaries guarding the cave entrance were extremely respectful. One of them replied, "We've been here a day, haven't we? Captain, are you running into any trouble?"
These mercenaries weren't fools. Seeing only a handful of people following Wei Silong, their hearts skipped a beat. Theoretically, there should be around twenty or so, but there couldn't be more than two dozen right now.
"Yes."
Wei Silong clearly didn't want to elaborate. He gave a brief answer and led the way into the cave.
The cave was large and quite deep. Entering, they immediately caught the scent of roasting wild animals.
After walking a few hundred meters, the area ahead opened up. Wei Silong spotted Ming Qi and Mo Changli sitting on a large rock nearby, studying a map.