Chapter 13 Evil Shadow

“Let's go!” The Cross glanced over at the Thunder Team, decisively retreating, while Luan Ya and Man Gui also quickly fell back. Xu Qing squinted, watching the figure of the Thunder Team advancing towards the wolf pack, their entire body bursting with spiritual energy, creating a deterrent against the wolves. He did not move, lifting the iron spear slightly in his hand, a cold gleam flashing at its tip. “Kid, do you know why the Thunder Team is the captain?” A distant voice came from the leaping Cross. “It’s not just because Thunder Team's cultivation at the sixth level of Qi Condensation far exceeds ours, but more so because of his responsibility and judgment as captain when facing a crisis.” As Cross's voice echoed, a loud boom reverberated from where he stood. It was a large tree two hundred zhang away, which Cross had broken with his bow, crashing down to the ground. Man Gui was similar, as Luan Ya also acted, causing one tree after another to fall, creating a barrier while leaving a gap as an exit. Without pausing, Cross and Luan Ya sped off again. Man Gui, holding a shield in one hand and a wolf-tooth club in the other, remained in place, leaning against a large tree like a small mountain, guarding there. Meanwhile, the Thunder Team suddenly erupted, their hands shining with dazzling light as they charged into the wolf pack. Wherever they passed, any wolf that came into contact with them would surely be torn apart. However, there were too many wolves, and soon the figure of the Thunder Team was engulfed within. All that could be heard were the roars and howls of wolves, while Cross let out a low growl in the distance. “Kid, come and join us! It’s time for you to act!” Xu Qing realized this was the Thunder Team's battle plan, so he hurriedly dashed towards Man Gui. Man Gui grinned, pointing to the gap behind him. Xu Qing glanced at him and swiftly passed through the gap, chasing after Cross and Luan Ya into the distance. Soon, he saw a cleared area, surrounded by trees, where Luan Ya was busy. She took out various powders from her body and scattered them around, then bit her finger to draw incomprehensible patterns on the ground with her blood. Noticing Xu Qing, she had no time to speak, her eyes urging him to hurry. Xu Qing scanned his surroundings, showing no hesitation as he quickly passed through, coming to a stop two hundred zhang behind Luan Ya, where he saw Cross squatting on a tall tree. This tree was extremely high, seemingly a vantage point that overlooked the battlefield. Cross, watching Xu Qing rush closer, spoke in a deep voice, “The direction behind me, two hundred zhang away, you take charge!” Xu Qing nodded heavily, having understood the Thunder Team's battle plan. He leapt forward, and upon reaching the two hundred zhang mark, he immediately scanned the surroundings, not changing anything in the environment, but hid himself in a thicket of mud beneath some shrubs. Being still, just like hunting in a ruined city. At the moment he concealed himself, a more intense roar came from afar. The trees obscured Xu Qing's view of anything beyond eight hundred zhang, but he could sense the intensity of the battle there. Indeed, at this moment, the figure of the Thunder Team burst out from the wolf pack, and even though he was at the sixth level of Qi Condensation, he couldn't avoid looking ragged under the strain of not overexerting himself. Fortunately, he was very sensitive to his own spiritual energy control, preserving half of his state as he retreated towards Man Gui under the pursuit of the black-scaled wolves. Man Gui grinned savagely, raising his wolf-tooth club just as the Thunder Team leaped past him, smashing down onto the pursuing black-scaled wolf with great force. From the high point, Cross also focused intently, suddenly drawing his strong bow. Arrows made of spiritual energy shot forth with sharp whistling sounds, cutting through the air towards the wolf pack, assisting Man Gui. As the piercing howls echoed again, the Thunder Team had already left the vicinity of Man Gui, drawing closer to Luan Ya, while behind them, Man Gui stood alone like a mountain, blocking everything. Thus, hidden in the mud, the first returnee Xu Qing saw was the Thunder Team rushing past Luan Ya and Cross. The Thunder Team sped past Xu Qing, and with a quick glance at his hiding place, they had no time to speak, merely nodding before heading two hundred zhang away, sitting cross-legged to swallow a white pill, recovering while preparing for the next round of action. This was the Thunder Team’s retreat plan. The Thunder Team, being the strongest, blocked first; Man Gui would be the second wave of interception; when he was nearly exhausted, he would retreat, and the task of blocking the wolves would be continued by Luan Ya, followed by Cross. This cycle would allow them to each have time to rest. This was the most suitable method for cooperative combat in a zone rich in heterogeneity. And among them, the most exhausted were Thunder Team and Cross. The former blocked the longest, killing the most wolves, buying a lot of time for their teammates. As for the latter, besides having to be a part of the interception of the wolf pack, he also had to ensure safety for his teammates during their retreat from the high ground. It could be said that everyone’s arrangement was very important, and the most crucial was their mutual understanding and trust! “This is the Scavenger Team…” Xu Qing's eyes revealed determination, remaining still as time passed. Soon, he saw the panting figure of Man Gui approaching. A moment later, he caught sight of Luan Ya, clutching her chest, her complexion pale. Finally, the last one to rush past him was Cross. His expression was stern, seemingly unaffected, but Xu Qing could still sense the nearly exhausted fluctuations of spiritual energy from him, with the wolf pack howling and pursuing closely behind. As he passed Xu Qing, Cross seemed to hesitate for a moment. “I can handle it,” Xu Qing discerned the unspoken intent and spoke in a deep voice. Cross said nothing, swiftly moving on, and in an instant, the wolf pack came howling in. The wind stirred up by their charge brushed against Xu Qing's face, carrying a foul scent, especially from the first dozen wolves, all pitch black with red eyes, exuding ferocity and madness. Clearly, the Thunder Team's first round of battle arrangements had inflicted significant casualties, causing these black-scaled wolves to become incredibly frenzied under the bloodshed. At this moment, they seemed not to notice Xu Qing hiding, intent on pursuing Cross. But just as they approached, a dagger suddenly flew out, whizzing through the air, directly piercing the forehead of the foremost black-scaled wolf. The force was so great that it penetrated instantly. The black-scaled wolf let out a piercing cry, dying abruptly, its body crashing to the ground due to inertia, while Xu Qing's figure transformed into a wisp, dashing out like thunder. The black iron spear in his hand gleamed coldly as he thrust it violently into a black-scaled wolf's eye, penetrating its head. After a slight shift, he clenched his left fist and struck forcefully at the third wolf that attempted to ambush him from behind. The wolf's head shattered instantly, blood splattering all over Xu Qing. In a moment, he had killed three wolves, and his figure flickered again. His speed was perfectly revealed at this moment. He moved with incredible agility, like a killing demon, weaving through the wolf pack with cold eyes and decisive strikes. With the edge of the black iron spear, the howls of black-scaled wolves dying rang out far and wide. The blood of the wolves continued to cover him, his hands stained bright red. Though sticky, the iron spear remained firmly in his grasp, its color now turned crimson. However, due to the distribution of the wolf pack, some wolves still leaped past him. Some of their claws left wounds on him. But at Xu Qing's speed, the former was barely brushed aside, while for the latter… his terrifying recovery ability from the purple crystal displayed remarkable effectiveness in this battle. All surface wounds healed rapidly within a few breaths, even severe injuries ceased to bleed. This scene, obscured by the blood of the wolves covering him, was not clear to outsiders. Compared to the healing of his injuries, his recovery of stamina was even more terrifying, with his continuous combat power achieving an astonishing extension. Gradually, as the ground became littered with wolf corpses, the coldness in his eyes intensified, and he held out longer than anyone else, causing some of the surrounding wolf pack to show signs of being intimidated. From a distance, sunlight penetrated through the dense leaves, scattering down upon him, and the refracted light amidst the blood covering him made him appear like a blood streak. This scene was also witnessed by the Thunder Team two hundred zhang behind him and Cross at a further vantage point. Both felt a stir of emotions, clearly shaken by Xu Qing's ruthlessness and tenacity. “Kid, retreat!” Thunder Team suddenly called out. Xu Qing still had strength left, but he also felt a severe depletion of spiritual energy. While the purple crystal could restore stamina and injuries, it could not replenish spiritual energy. Fortunately, he was a body refinisher and unlike Luan Ya, who could not act without spiritual energy. However, it still had some effect, making him have to absorb the mixed and rich spiritual energy from around him, the pain from the points of mutation in his arm growing stronger. Thus, upon hearing Thunder Team's words, Xu Qing did not hesitate and immediately retreated. But just as he withdrew, a black-scaled wolf with one eye not fully red, but black instead, leaped up and pounced at Xu Qing. Xu Qing's eyes gleamed coldly, and the iron spear in his hand transformed into a bloody streak, suddenly penetrating its skull. Just as he was about to continue his retreat, at that moment… Under the mottled sunlight, he couldn't tell if it was an illusion, but the fallen black-scaled wolf's corpse seemed to twist, rapidly spreading its shadow towards Xu Qing. The sunlight here was merely scattered, not dense, making it impossible for him to determine immediately. In the next instant, that shadow collided with his body. Xu Qing's body jolted suddenly. A feeling of indescribable evil threatened to invade him instantly. But at that moment, the purple crystal embedded in his chest, which had shown no movement other than recovery capability, suddenly vibrated, unleashing a cold current from within. With this outbreak, the sensation of being assaulted by evil vanished in an instant. And this cold current came swiftly, disappearing just as quickly, vanishing without a trace. The purple crystal returned to normal, remaining as still as before. Xu Qing was taken aback, but there was no time to think further. After his body recovered, he dashed back, and the previous scene had unfolded in an instant, so neither Thunder Team nor Cross at a distance noticed anything amiss. At this moment, as Xu Qing retreated, Thunder Team stepped forward, the residual waves of emotions still in his eyes. “You did well, go rest at the back.” “The black-scaled wolves living deep in the forbidden zone prefer places rich in heterogeneity, and the outer areas are relatively less dense, so no matter why they appear, they don't like this place. As long as we cannot break through, they will eventually leave on their own.” After speaking, Thunder Team unleashed all his spiritual energy and took large strides, charging towards the black-scaled wolves pursuing Xu Qing from behind. Man Gui's figure also rushed over quickly, clearly having waited a long time at the back, anxious from the prolonged wait. Now seeing Xu Qing covered in blood and the countless wolf corpses not far away, he took a deep breath, stepping forward to support Xu Qing. “It's fine.” Xu Qing did not allow the other to help, glancing back at Thunder Team, ultimately walking quickly away under Man Gui's admiring gaze. Passing by Luan Ya, she seemed to have received the news. Upon seeing Xu Qing, her expression showed shock. After thinking for a moment, she took out a leather pouch and threw it to him. Xu Qing caught it, feeling the shape of pills inside, already knowing what it was. He thanked Luan Ya, and under her gaze, swiftly departed until he saw Cross. Cross stood silently atop the treetops, nodding at Xu Qing, his approval evident in his eyes. Xu Qing also said nothing, lightly nodding in acknowledgment. When he reached the back, he found a spot to sit down, exhaling a breath of turbid air, and took out three white pills to swallow. As the pills melted, he began to absorb the spiritual energy surrounding him to recover. Time passed, and half an hour later, Xu Qing opened his eyes. The fatigue of his spirit was alleviated, but a hint of confusion appeared in his gaze as he discovered that the heterogeneity within him seemed… not very much. So he rolled up the sleeve of his left arm to take a look, the confusion in his eyes suddenly turning to astonishment. One of the mutation points on his arm was actually… gone! But his cultivation was still at the second level of body refinement, and after experiencing the previous battle, instead of weakening, it seemed to have improved with his recovery. Especially since he remembered clearly that during the battle, due to passive absorption of spiritual energy, both mutation points in his arm had felt intense pain. As for the white pills, Xu Qing had eaten them before, and their effects would not be that astonishing, but there seemed to be no other explanation at this moment. Except for… the cold current that erupted from the purple crystal. “Shadow, evil intent, crystal explosion of cold current…” Xu Qing squinted, recalling the strange scene from before. He was certain that what he saw with the shadow touching him was not an illusion, nor was it a trick of the scattered sunlight. Thus, he carefully recalled the moment of the crystal's cold current explosion. It seemed that in that instant, the evil intent that had assaulted him was swept away by the cold current and absorbed into the crystal. “Did it eat it?” Xu Qing speculated with some surprise.