With a crisp *crack*, the man's neck was snapped, blood gushing instantly. The neatly lined group in purple armor couldn't stay still—they drew their long blades and aimed them at the Dark Lord.
Ye Lanshan, however, showed no panic, and Yun Di remained quite composed. But the middle-aged man was frantic; he immediately pulled out his sword to guard the Dark Lord, and his team followed suit, weapons raised to shield them.
Ye Lanshan patted the middle-aged man on the shoulder and said, "You don't have to do this. Sacrificing yourself for others isn't worth it."
"How can you say that? If it weren't for us, he wouldn't have targeted you. The man your friend killed is Chen Ye, the younger brother of Chen Yulian, deputy leader of the Blazing Dragon Mercenary Corps. He may have been useless, but his brother is not only a third-rank Xuan God General but also ruthless and cruel. Chen Yulian dotes on his little brother the most. If he finds out you killed him, he'll make you wish you were dead."
Worry flickered in the middle-aged man's eyes, and his grip on the sword tightened.
"Is that so? Then let him come find us." Ye Lanshan's tone was calm, but her words carried an undeniable arrogance.
"Courting death! Kill everyone in the Invincible Mercenary Corps, and capture those three alive to bring back. I want to see if they're still so tough in front of the deputy leader." A man in purple armor, seemingly with some authority, commanded his men to charge at the Invincible Mercenary Corps.
Though Ye Lanshan was aloof, she had no intention of dragging others into trouble. She stepped forward a few paces, shielding the middle-aged man behind her, and instantly unleashed her Xuan technique, "Flying Fire Meteor."
The group's faces changed instantly. A fourth-rank Great Xuan General—this young woman possessed such formidable strength. A true genius. If she were allowed to grow, the consequences would be unimaginable. Soon, several figures in purple armor, malice in their eyes, launched Xuan techniques at Ye Lanshan.
"Trace Chain." "Dancing Fire Dragon." "Vine Entanglement."
A barrage of varied Xuan techniques struck Ye Lanshan, but she remained unfazed. "Wings of Carnage."
A massive pair of fiery wings sprouted from her back, perfectly shielding her, while the feathers shot rapidly toward the purple-armored men.
"I refuse to believe a dignified eighth-rank Great Xuan General like me can't beat a fourth-rank one!" A man in purple armor glared viciously at Ye Lanshan, lightning crackling in his hand.
But before Ye Lanshan could respond, the Dark Lord grew impatient. With a cold snort, the pressure around him became suffocating.
"Ten Thousand Thunderbolts Descend."
With a single Xuan technique, the purple-armored men fell, their eyes wide with disbelief. This move revealed the Dark Lord's unfathomable power—his true level was impossible to gauge.
Ye Lanshan lowered her gaze, silently calculating her chances of escaping if she ever clashed with him.
"I didn't expect you to be so powerful. I was rude to block your path earlier—my apologies." The middle-aged man figured that even Chen Yulian would think twice before seeking revenge against such strength. With that thought, his lingering worry faded.
Yun Di glanced at the half-sunken sun and said to Ye Lanshan, "Tsk, it's almost dark. Let's stay here for the night and head in tomorrow morning."
"Staying here is less safe than the mountains. Let's go." Ye Lanshan shot the middle-aged man a mocking look, ignoring his words as she walked past him without a backward glance.
"How can she be like this? We helped her, after all." A woman in the group complained, her dissatisfaction with Ye Lanshan plain.
But the middle-aged man stiffened and said nothing.
"Don't complain. We were using her—it's good enough she didn't cause us trouble." The oldest member of the group had clearly seen through the middle-aged man's intentions.
"Using her? What do you mean?" The woman looked confused.
The others just sighed, offering no explanation.
Still, the mercenary corps' troubles were none of Ye Lanshan's concern. She and her companions had already entered the Sunset Mountains. As she'd seen from above, the range was beautiful, but she hadn't yet encountered the danger Guangming had mentioned.
"Didn't expect to find mushrooms here. Looks like we'll have a feast today." Spotting a pile of mushrooms under a tree, Ye Lanshan's lips curled into a pleased smile.
She picked all the non-toxic mushrooms, even the tree fungi, and Yun Di hunted a first-rank Xuan beast, a red hare. It wasn't big, but with the mushrooms, it would barely feed the three of them.
"Hey, how are there apples here?" After gathering the mushrooms and preparing to head back, Ye Lanshan noticed an apple tree standing quietly. She approached cautiously, found no Xuan beast guarding it, and the apples were even poison-free. Delighted, she happily stashed every apple into her space, leaving none behind.
The Dark Lord was tending the fire when he heard Ye Lanshan's cheerful singing from afar. Her joyful voice softened his usually icy expression, though his mask hid it from view.
"No way, Ye Lanshan, you brought a pot?" Though they'd rushed here, they'd passed through populated areas, so Yun Di had no idea she'd packed such things.
"Not just a pot—I brought all the cooking gear." She pulled out a ladle and spatula, then poured two jugs of water into the pot from her space.
"Oh, do you guys eat osmanthus cakes?" Under their astonished gazes, she produced a packet of osmanthus cakes.
"Are you here to catch a phoenix or on a vacation?" Yun Di was dumbfounded, never expecting Ye Lanshan to have such a frivolous side.
Even the Dark Lord's lips twitched at the sight of her supplies.
"Why are you staring at me like that? Think about it—when searching for a phoenix in the Sunset Mountains, you can't just eat barbecue every day. Wouldn't you get sick of grilled food after a few meals?" Ye Lanshan didn't understand their strange looks.
"You're right. We didn't think it through." Yun Di nodded repeatedly, already wondering if he should bring a pot on his next expedition.