Chapter 139: An Unexpected Attack

A hundred miles away from Red Blossom Town, deep within a forest, lay an inconspicuous area that looked as though a brutal battle had just concluded.

Dozens of massive trees, each as thick as a person’s torso, lay shattered across the ground, surrounded by rising plumes of blackened smoke.

Some of these giant trees resembled sieves, riddled with countless deep black holes—each hole long and narrow, evenly spaced. Others appeared as if vicious beasts had clawed and torn them apart, with splintered bark and fallen leaves scattered everywhere. The ground was chaotic, marked by the footprints of monstrous creatures and pits of varying depths. At the edge of this battlefield lay a colossal brown bear, as large as a small hill, lifeless and still, its blood already dried.

Swish! Swish!

The sound of fabric tearing through the air echoed continuously as several figures appeared around the battlefield’s perimeter. The first to arrive was an archer, bow drawn and arrow nocked, clad in heavy armor typical of a warrior class. His face was completely obscured by a tightly bound helmet, lending him a strange and incongruous appearance.

Silently, he stopped at the battlefield’s edge and scanned the area. Soon, four others in identical armor but wielding different weapons joined him, surrounding the archer. Among them were two swordsmen, one battle master, and one rogue.

The atmosphere was peculiar. All five wore heavy armor that entirely concealed their faces in deep shadows, giving them an eerie, almost unnatural aura.

The group settled just outside the battlefield when a massive red figure slowly appeared from the direction they had come.

A roar!

From the depths of the woods emerged a three-meter-tall tiger wreathed in scorching flames, its majestic presence commanding attention.

Ignoring the five standing silently ahead, the three-eyed fiery tiger strode forward with dignified ease, swinging its head and swishing its tail leisurely, like a noble king of beasts surveying his domain, entering the recently ended battlefield at a measured pace.

Its fierce tiger eyes swept the scene, and a thin white line above its eyes split slightly before flickering and closing again.

“Old Xie?” a voice called softly.

A shadowy figure swiftly dropped before Xu Wen.

“We seem to have arrived a moment too late. The person you mentioned has already left?” Xu Wen straddled the tiger’s back, his gaze calm as he surveyed the area before resting on Old Xie.

Old Xie stiffened and bowed respectfully.

“Not necessarily gone. Judging from the scene, the one who killed the six-star high-level beast ‘Earth-breaking Bear’ used dark battle qi and vanished from the mental detection of subordinates by employing dark magic concealment. The opponent should be a seven-star dark magic swordsman.” Over the past few days, after witnessing more and more of Xu Wen’s ‘secrets,’ Old Xie no longer dared underestimate his young master.

On the first day after leaving Red Blossom Town, Xu Wen demonstrated necromancer summoning magic right before his eyes.

Not only that, but the summoned skeletal warrior emitted no trace of undead aura… At that moment, Old Xie realized it was no coincidence Xu Wen had remained unaffected during the White Mist Forest encounter.

The next day, while mingling among six-star magical beasts, Xu Wen gave him a concealment pill, and their outward cultivation levels were masked as a false three-star and four-star.

The six-star beasts came like moths to a flame, in endless waves; meanwhile, Xu Wen began methodically replenishing his undead forces.

On the third day, several former members of the ‘Evil Owl Mercenary Group’ were effortlessly transformed by Xu Wen beneath Old Xie’s watchful eye into six-star skeletal warriors, each embedded with magical cores to maximize their former combat potential—including the youngest who had tried to flee after spreading rumors.

By the fourth day, Xu Wen’s cultivation had advanced from six-star seventh rank at departure to six-star eighth rank.

Necromancer identity!

Mysterious alchemy abilities!

Undead transformation and magical core embedding skills!

Finally, astonishing progress—each revelation and revelation sent tremors through Old Xie’s nerves, fostering ever-greater reverence.

“Dark mages indeed possess magic to suppress aura and conceal their presence. I shall find that person immediately!” Without waiting for Xu Wen’s command, Old Xie began chanting; an invisible black aura swiftly dissolved into the air, spreading in all directions—the dark detection spell:

Night Wind!

This magic probes the surroundings for concealed targets by sensing temperature, aura, heartbeat, and more.

As soon as the spell was cast, Xu Wen’s heart jumped. He suddenly looked toward the fallen giant bear and caught sight of a disappearing black streak.

A several-meter-long lance of black battle qi, sharp as a spear, thundered toward the chanting Old Xie at a terrifying speed!

Caught off guard, Old Xie had no time to react; his internal defensive shield shattered instantly. He was lifted off the ground, crashing through several giant trees before flying deep into the forest.

Xu Wen was startled at first but quickly checked the status of his soul flame within the chaotic sea of consciousness and then relaxed, coldly snorting:

“Useless!”

The attacker’s successful strike exposed his hiding place. Before Xu Wen could counterattack, a giant tree was uprooted with a crash and shattered midair into countless wood chips, shooting toward Xu Wen.

His heart tightened.

A formidable expert had arrived!

Not only was the attacker powerful, but his experience fighting in the forest was extensive, cleverly attempting to offset their numerical advantage in this way.

Unfortunately… he had met Xu Wen.

The five ‘people’ beside Xu Wen were not ordinary humans at all; they acted solely on Xu Wen’s will.

Just as the attacker leapt with astounding speed above Xu Wen’s head, the black battle qi sweeping to strike down the second mage in the group, several warriors suddenly turned simultaneously. Without even glancing, they unleashed their six-star battle qi techniques in unison toward the attacker.

A surprised “Eh?” sounded from the air. The attacker’s relatively young face flickered with shock and caution.

What unsettled Xu Wen most was that the attacker did not retreat but instead flared the dark battle qi armor on his body, bracing to withstand the five-person assault, and without hesitation, swept his battle qi spear toward Xu Wen.

“Get lost!!”

At this critical moment, Xu Wen roared like thunder.

The purple flame robe around him burst into a fiery red glow as scorching waves of fire surged outward like a tidal ring—an anti-fire ring!

The seven-star dark magic swordsman had not expected such composure from a five-star beast tamer youth and was caught off guard, causing his attack to veer slightly.

Moreover, as his attack brushed past Xu Wen, it encountered three successive resistances. Wave upon wave crushed his battle qi, rapidly weakening it.

He had never intended to use his full seven-star strength against a mere five-star tamer youth. After two unexpected setbacks, his attack lost its lethal edge.

At that moment, the little fiery tiger nimbly shifted aside.

The attack missed, striking the ground beside Xu Wen.

The attacker’s body trembled repeatedly in midair, his battle qi armor flickering as he staggered back more than ten meters and steadied himself, revealing a relatively decent young face.

Just as he prepared to recover and press the attack, an overwhelming and terrifying aura suddenly rose nearby, sending chills down the spine!

Roar!!

“Damn it!”

His face changed. Before he understood what was happening, a massive black shadow shot out from where Old Xie had disappeared, carrying a formidable dark aura, and instantly slammed into the attacker.

Seeing the demonic, violent visage before him, the attacker’s pupils dilated. He drew back, swinging his wooden spear like a spinning wheel, layers upon layers forming a massive circular shield, as solid as a rock.

Alas!

The ambushed Old Xie, feeling utterly humiliated in Xu Wen’s presence, immediately triggered his demon transformation, elevating his power to its peak.

He knew full well the combat prowess of the dark faction.

Bang!!!

With a single punch, the demonically transformed Old Xie shattered the attacker’s defensive technique, scattering wood chips everywhere.

The speed of an eight-star powerhouse was beyond the reach of a seven-star novice dark swordsman.

Bang! Bang!

Two more punches, and the attacker’s battle qi armor collapsed completely. Blood seeped from his mouth, his eyes filled with regret and unwillingness. He had never imagined there would be an ‘enchanted monster’ with eight-star strength within this strange group. Had he known, he would have fought to the death rather than stop and ambush.

Old Xie’s fury peaked. He weaved through the air, flying low back and forth, landing blow after blow, beating the attacker half to death.

Still unsatisfied, he battered relentlessly, as if determined to shatter his foe utterly to atone for the offense!

“Enough! I have questions for him!” Xu Wen sat calmly on the tiger’s back, watching Old Xie’s display, finally calling a halt before the attacker’s imminent demise.

That scene had been truly perilous.

Xu Wen had not expected Old Xie to fall into such a trap so decisively, nor had he imagined the attacker’s audacity alone. Fortunately, he had prepared thoroughly and remained unflustered; otherwise, the consequences would have been dire.

Old Xie did not slacken. With a strong grip, he seized the attacker’s arm, lifting him off the ground, halting the assault.

Despite the brutal beating, the attacker remained conscious—somewhat surprising to Xu Wen. He scrutinized the man, his gaze lingering on a fierce mark on the attacker’s forehead beneath disheveled strands of hair.

It appeared to be branded with a specific metal frame—a symbol burned onto a slave!

A slave?

Xu Wen paused, calming his anger before speaking:

“Who are you? Why did you ambush me?” Reflecting, the defensive technique the man used seemed familiar.

The attacker, battered and bleeding, looked up with bitter helplessness.

“You… aren’t here to capture me and take me away?”

The words dripped with sorrow and resignation.

“Heh, that’s strange. You don’t look like a marauder. More like a runaway ‘slave warrior.’” Xu Wen vaguely understood why the man had ambushed his group, wielding a wooden spear. Yet he wondered: Who nowadays would torment a seven-star slave warrior this way? And allow such a slave to escape into the heart of a monster-infested forest?

(To be continued)