Dark Blood Path

The dim evening sky was stained with blood-red hues as the sun set, casting its final rays upon the edge of the forest. There, a perfectly round, fiery-red orb shone brilliantly, radiating a magnificent golden glow. Its beauty was magnificent yet subdued, not overwhelming to the senses. The half-sky lit by the setting sun contrasted vividly against the vast green expanse of the earth, creating a stunningly picturesque scene of majestic mountains and magnificent landscapes.

A newly constructed five-meter-high earthen wall surrounded the entire camp, with only one exit that was heavily guarded by many people. Seated atop the wall, Chen Feng enjoyed the cool breeze of the evening, feeling content and relaxed. As a young team leader, he now managed a team of more than twenty people. Despite his young age, he possessed the strength of a middle stage elementary warrior, and his subordinates respected him greatly due to his power.

In fact, many people did not know that just over a month ago, their captain was just a nameless figure in the camp, constantly worried and fearful for his sister’s safety. It wasn’t until that day, when that mysterious and powerful warrior appeared, that his fate began to turn. After he single-handedly killed Black Bear, one of the high-ranking and influential leaders in the camp, that man disappeared without a trace, never to be seen again.

Soon after the man’s departure, the leader of the camp had a conversation with Chenfeng, and the latter greatly admired his character, leading to his promotion. This was how Chenfeng attained his current status. He was now the captain of over twenty elite warriors in the camp, but his sister, Chenshuang, was unexpectedly discovered to possess a special talent. The leader was delighted and made an exception by enlisting her in the elite squad, where she now held a position. This made even her brother, Chenfeng, envious, as the elite squad was a place where every warrior in the camp dreamed of joining. It was led by several first-order experts, and every member was very capable.

“My sister has joined the elite squad, and I can’t lose to her,” Chenfeng clenched his fist and thought to himself, “As long as I continue to work hard, I should be qualified to join the elite squad. The next selection of members for the squad is approaching, and I must seize that opportunity!”

Chen Feng was thinking about it, when suddenly a subordinate shouted nearby, “Who are you!”

All the camp guards responsible for guarding the entrance were alarmed and gathered with weapons at the ready when a group of about 150 people emerged from the forest ahead. Each step they took was agile and nimble, and although their clothing was tattered and ragged, their eyes were particularly bright and sharp, like a leopard stalking its prey in the jungle.

Chen Feng was startled. The other party’s footsteps were well-ordered and disciplined. Though silent, they exuded an invisible aura of lethality, like a newly unsheathed knife poised to pierce through anything in its path. Such a formidable presence was something that tChen Feng had only witnessed in the camp’s elite squad, and compared to the team before them, even the elite squad seemed to pale in comparison.

Who are these people?

Chen Feng hurriedly asked someone next to him to go and report back to the camp, then stepped forward and loudly called out, “I have never seen you before. Who are you and where did you come from?”

“Zhao Changping is truly skilled. The camp is in much better condition than when I last came.” The large group then split apart, and Xiao Yu walked out with large strides, taking a few glances at Chen Feng before nodding and saying, “Long time no see, Chen Feng. You have also grown stronger.”

“Ah… it’s you!” Chen Feng was a bit uncertain. Xiao Yu’s appearance had changed somewhat, with long, unkempt hair and altered attire, making it difficult to recognize his face. However, when he met Xiao Yu’s sharp and deep gaze, he no longer had any doubts. Overwhelmed with surprise, he exclaimed, “Brother Xiao Yu! It’s really you!”

Xiao Yu nodded lightly and asked, “Where’s Zhao Changping? I want to see him!”

“Yes, yes!” Chen Feng immediately nodded and turned to his subordinates, saying, “What are you all still looking at? Put down your weapons; don’t just stand there. Quickly clear the way for Brother Xiao Yu.”

“Team leader, this is against the rules!”

“Forget about the rules!” Chen Feng immediately grew irritated. “Brother Xiao Yu needs to go in. Do you think that the few of you can stop him? Quickly move aside!”

With their team leader speaking in such a manner, the others had no choice but to move aside and let Xiao Yu and the others enter the camp. There were fewer people in the camp compared to a month ago, but many wooden houses had been built, and they could see many soldiers patrolling. All aspects of the camp were incomparable to what they had been before.

After receiving the news, Zhao Changping brought his elite squad of one hundred men and rushed over, coincidentally crossing paths with Xiao Yu.

Zhao Changping’s elite squad of one hundred men was carefully selected over the course of the past month from a group of several thousand people in and around the camp. The entire team consisted of only one hundred members, and they strictly adhered to a system of adding and subtracting members. In other words, anyone who defeated a member of the elite squad in a fair fight could join the squad. The squad was always comprised of exactly one hundred people, no more and no less, with each member being the best of the best.

However, how could the other three combat teams of Hawks, Tigers, and Bears that Xiao Yu personally led be any less exceptional?

Today, the two best teams at this stage met together.

Zhao Changping stretched out a hand, “Long time no see.”

Xiao Yu reached out and shook his hand, “Long time no see.” He glanced at Zhao Changping for two seconds, then looked at the two men next to him, a smile appearing on his lips, “Three first-order warriors, and you yourself are about to reach the midle first-order.”

“You’re already a midlle first-order warrior, and you’ve brought such an incredible team!”

Following a wry smile, Zhao Changping swept his gaze over Han Kexin and the other three elites. He didn’t have Xiao Yu’s eyes of insight, but his intuition told him that these four people were extremely strong, and even if compared to himself, they were not much weaker, probably all at the low stage of first-order. In addition, the strength of the other people also amazed him. Except for the little girl among them, anyone else had the qualifications to join his elite team.

Damn, what kind of team is this?

Located near the edge of the forest, Zhao Changping had to deal with a lot of powerful monsters and their gathering spots, which allowed him to cultivate and train the most cutting-edge team of this stage. On the other hand, Xiao Yu led over a hundred people across thousands of miles of forest, encountering constant danger and battles along the way, finally honing his team to their current level. With constant guidance and training, each member had excellent combat skills, and Xiao Yu was confident that he could pull out any one of the three teams to compete with the entire hundred-man elite team of Zhao Changping.

“You must be tired after traveling so far. I’ll arrange some accommodation and some clean water. You can rest after washing up.”

Xiao Yu nodded lightly, and suddenly asked, “It seems that this place has become much more deserted.”

Zhao Changping looked somewhat solemn and said, “Yes, the monsters outside have become increasingly active recently. In the past month, the camp has been attacked more than a dozen times, with some of the attacks being particularly brutal. One of them resulted in many casualties when the monsters broke into the camp. Those who are still alive are mostly warriors.”

Xiao Yu was a little surprised, “There is actually such a thing?”

Zhao Changping seemed somewhat worried and said, “It’s been seven days since the last attack, and I’m afraid that the next one will be even more intense. It’s really not the best timing for you to arrive, but with your help, we shouldn’t fear the monsters anymore.”

Xiao Yu didn’t worry too much. After all, in a camp with only a few thousand people, there were eight first-order warriors and three to four hundred elementary-level warriors. Safety was definitely not a problem. The most pressing task was to absorb the inheritance crystal as soon as possible, master the “Instant Disintegration” ability, and then plan to break out of the forest.

Zhao Changping arranged a quiet place for him.

After cleaning up and resting for half a day, Xiao Yu finally took out the green crystal of inheritance and began to receive the skill. In his sea of consciousness, the Instant Disintegration skill appeared as a gray air current that was enveloped by a shining green inheritance seed. Following the old method, Xiao Yu first absorbed the inheritance seed and then absorbed the curse’s origins’ power. The entire process took about four to five hours. The inheritance seed was completely absorbed, and a part of the origins’ power dissipated, with an absorption rate of around 65%, which was already very good.

This “Instant Disintegration” skill was an incomplete inheritance. The real “Instant Disintegration” skill was a third-rank magic that was effective against monsters below the fourth order. However, this one was only effective against creatures below the third order.

The success rate was also much lower. Even if the crystal was completely absorbed, the success rate of cursing an opponent with comparable strength was only about 60 percent. However, since Xiao Yu did not fully absorb the entirety of the origins’ power, this success rate was further reduced to only about 40 percent. And the success rate of cursing an opponent whose strength was higher than his own was even more negligible.

Regardless, the “Instant Disintegration ” skill was a powerful magic ability. It had its own advantages, even if the inherited information was incomplete. Furthermore, if it were third-rank magic, with Xiao Yu’s current power, he would definitely not be able to master it. However, second-rank magic consumed relatively less spiritual power, so Xiao Yu could barely use it with his first-order power.

After the inheritance was completed, Xiao Yu fell into a deep sleep phase.

When inheriting the “Flame Missile” skill, he slept for a whole day. Flame Missle was a first-rank ability. Hence, this time, the duration of his sleep should be even longer.

For two days, Han Kexin and others took turns guarding his residence.

Zhao Changping warmly welcomed the others and, at the same time, recalled the elite troops that were sent out in order to rest and prepare for Xiao Yu’s awakening. He was only waiting for that moment so that he could launch his army and advance northward to jointly attack the edge of the forest!

Two whole days and nights have passed, but Xiao Yu was still in a state of deep sleep and has yet to awaken.

At this time, Wang Chao and Jin Shi were wandering around the campsite.

Suddenly, various kinds of roars and howls echoed from the surrounding forests, and heavy footsteps were approaching the campsite.

The people in the campsite realized what was happening and shouted in horror, “The monsters are attacking, the monsters are attacking!”

Wang Chao and Jin Shi looked at each other in shock, not expecting the monsters to attack the camp at this moment. They quickly gathered the members of their respective teams, organized their equipment, and prepared for battle. At this time, shouts and sounds of fighting echoed from all sides of the walls, indicating that the monsters were already engaged in battle with the people.

Zhao Changping sensed the severity of the situation and immediately led his elite troops to join the fight. The monsters attacked in the dead of night with such grand momentum. The scale of the attack was probably greater than all previous ones!

“The boss is still sleeping; we must defend the camp.” Wang Chao raised his wolf-toothed mace and shouted to the members of the Tiger Team, “Everyone, grab your weapons; we are going out to fight!”

Jin Shi also shouted, “Kill!”

Zhao Changping led his elite team to the north gate, where the camp entrance was located. Wang Chao and his team rushed towards the southern wall, while Jin Shi was in charge of defending the western wall. As they climbed up the wall, everyone gasped in shock.

Thousand of monsters of different shapes and colors charged out from the forests in all directions, their numbers beyond imagination. Among them, one or two first-order monsters were even mixed in!

If it weren’t for the sudden addition of Xiao Yu’s team, the camp would have been lost for sure.

An unimaginable battle was about to start!