Chapter 1: Aiding the Heroes

The night was deep, and beneath the gently swaying ancient trees of the dense forest, several youths were huddled together.

It had been three months since they left the Chaotic Country. During that time, Mels and his companions had traveled almost all over the Relkes Empire, hoping to find some clues about the destruction of the Blue Whirlwind. However, the truth remained elusive, hidden like an orchid deep in the misty mountains.

Mels and the others had initially thought that with the help of the Magic Family, they could quickly identify which groups had traveled south from the Relkes Empire during the attack on the Blue Whirlwind. But over these three months, the news they got was useless. Even the farmer originally found by Feixue Kuanglong had disappeared without a trace!

The long journey had drained the youths' energy and left them increasingly restless and irritable. Unfortunately, no matter how anxious they were, the true culprits remained hidden in the shadows.

Trudging through the vast Relkes Empire, the youths found themselves unable to appreciate either the bustling cities or the serene beauty of the sparsely populated mountains and forests. As days passed, the places they could search grew fewer, and their hopes grew dimmer.

"Boss, are you asleep?" Sol, lying to Mels's left, suddenly sat up and spoke softly.

"Not yet. I'm still thinking about where we might have missed searching," Mels replied quietly, his eyes closed.

"Sigh... Boss, do you think we'll ever find the culprits? Are those guys really from the Relkes Empire? Could they be ghosts, disappearing without a trace after killing?" Sol lay back down and spoke helplessly.

"As long as they're human, we'll find them! It's impossible for over a thousand people to just vanish without a trace!" Mels opened his eyes and roared, trying to keep his voice low.

After a while, as his emotions gradually calmed, he spoke again, "Actually, you're right. Our only clue is what Seventh Master said: 'The assassins spoke with a northern accent.' If these people aren't from the north but are just assassins with northern accents, then everything we're doing now is meaningless!"

"Hmm! The boss is right. Those guys will fall into our hands sooner or later!" Sol gritted his teeth and said.

His words weren't entirely meant to placate Mels. For him and Rek, those black-clad assassins were also responsible for the blood feud that had destroyed their families.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. We still have to travel tomorrow. This forest is huge—we've been walking for two days without seeing a single village. Who knows how many more days it'll take to get out of here?" Mels seemed deeply troubled and unwilling to continue the conversation. He turned over, preparing to sleep.

Seeing Mels's reaction, Sol also lost interest in talking. He whispered, "Night, boss," and adjusted his position to rest for a while.

"Ah... no!" Suddenly, a woman's piercing scream echoed through the night.

As the sound rang out, Mels, Sol, Rek, Akafir, and Bagina reflexively sprang to their feet, weapons already in hand.

"Boss!" Sol and Rek called out simultaneously, while Akafir pointed westward, indicating the direction of the sound.

"Akafir, lead the way. Let's go!" Mels seemed to act without hesitation, quickly dashing westward. Since Akafir had grown up in the jungle, he was intimately familiar with everything in the forest. Under his guidance, the group navigated through the thorny, dark woods at top speed, rushing toward the unknown enemy. Fortunately, the source of the woman's scream wasn't far from Mels and the others. In less than five minutes, a hollow appeared before them.

As the youths approached, Mels suddenly halted and raised his right hand, signaling the others to stop. He then leaped onto a towering ancient tree, using the dim moonlight to peer into the hollow.

Gently pushing aside the obstructing branches and leaves, Mels looked out. He saw six or seven ragged middle-aged men surrounding two young women dressed in elegant noble attire, laughing with sinister glee.

Before long, the group of men seemed to lose interest in admiring the women's terrified expressions. One of them stepped forward and said, "Heh heh, scream, scream! Let's see if any lonely ghosts in these wild mountains will come to save you!"

"You... you bandits have already killed my guards and stolen my belongings. Aren't you satisfied yet? Have you no respect for the law?" The slightly taller woman, though terrified, mustered her courage and shouted indignantly.

Her righteous rebuke not only failed to awaken the bandits' conscience but instead provoked a burst of wild laughter. After a moment, the bandit who had spoken earlier laughed loudly and said, "The law? Here, I am the law! Now, I'll show you what the law is!" With that, the bandit raised his strong arm and tore a piece of fabric from the woman's clothing.

As the woman let out another piercing scream, the bandits laughed wildly, preparing to pounce on them.

"What a bunch of scumbags! To be bandits like this and still laugh—how shameless!" Although Mels was also born among thieves, the people of the Blue Whirlwind would never do such things. Watching this ugly scene, Mels felt his anger rising and was ready to intervene at any moment.

Just as Mels was about to give the signal to Sol and the others below to attack, a flash of red suddenly caught his eye.

A middle-aged man, about forty years old, wearing silver armor and a fiery red cloak, appeared among the bandits. Without any warning or unnecessary words, the man moved like a lion, drawing his sword as he landed. After four or five flashes of silver light, the bandits were slain before they could even scream.

"So impressive!" Mels couldn't help but admire the man's clean and precise swordsmanship.

"You... you must leave!" The man who had successfully killed the bandits didn't act as Mels had imagined—with the courtesy of a knight, escorting the two women to safety. Instead, he clutched his waist with his left hand, turned around with difficulty, and said with a pained expression, "Go quickly!"

From between his fingers, Mels seemed to catch a glimpse of bright red blood.

Huh? His attack just now left the bandits completely defenseless. How could he be injured? Unless...

Before Mels could figure it out, four figures darted out from the depths of the forest. They formed a square formation, surrounding the middle-aged knight-like man.

"Xiu Lante, where do you think you're running to now?" one of the four newly arrived men shouted loudly.

"Mosde, you're despicable! After all these years of friendship, you actually poisoned my wine! If I hadn't trusted you so much, how could scum like you ever be a match for me?" The knight-like man, though severely injured, still carried an air of pride in his expression, as if it weren't him who was surrounded but the four men instead!

"Shut up! Xiu Lante, we've been friends for many years. Treating you like this is indeed unforgivable! But you willingly serve as a demon's pawn, harming countless comrades. I think you know this better than I do! I admit we're no match for you, which is why we resorted to such tactics—poisoning you first and then attacking with a hundred warriors!

Xiu Lante, I truly admire your skill. Even after being poisoned by 'Seven-Step Soul Chaser,' you still managed to kill over a hundred people and escape here. Few on this continent could achieve that!

Unfortunately, your luck ends here! Heh heh, I'm really curious—you could have escaped our pursuit, so why did you suddenly attack these little thieves? But you can save that question for when you're in hell!" After saying this, the man exchanged glances with the others, and in an instant, the five of them were locked in combat.

Watching this, Mels roughly understood that this red-cloaked man had been betrayed by a close friend, poisoned, and fought his way out with great difficulty. Even while fleeing, upon seeing the bandits' cruelty, he had disregarded his own condition, released the Qi energy suppressing his injuries, and saved the women.

Unfortunately, this delay caused his previously concentrated Qi energy to dissipate, allowing the four pursuers to catch up. Now, with the poison about to take full effect, the man could hardly hold on any longer.

The man called Xiu Lante knew he had no chance of escaping alive today. Every sword technique he used was a desperate move meant to take his enemies down with him.

However, the men surrounding him were unwilling to join this man on his journey to the afterlife. For a moment, Xiu Lante even gained the upper hand. But Mels knew it was only a fleeting resurgence. Before long, the man would surely die at the hands of those men.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before Xiu Lante's sword movements weakened, leaving a significant opening in his defense.

The men who had been waiting for this opportunity wouldn't let it slip. One of them shouted, "Die!" and kicked Xiu Lante hard in the chest, sending his body flying over twenty meters like a stone.

With a heavy thud, Xiu Lante struggled to rise, but the internal and external injuries he had sustained could no longer be suppressed. A mouthful of dark red, thick blood gushed from his lips. Whether from exhaustion or the poison taking effect, Xiu Lante swayed slightly before collapsing, unable to even grip his sword.

Seeing Xiu Lante defenseless and severely wounded on the ground, the men finally relaxed their guard and sneered as they approached him.

Even with absolute advantage, they seemed wary of Xiu Lante making a final, desperate counterattack. The four men exchanged glances, still hesitant to press too close.

After observing for about two or three minutes, the man Xiu Lante had called Mosde finally mustered his courage and strode forward. "Heh heh, Xiu Lante, if you have any last words, say them now!" Mosde said.

"Cough, cough..." After coughing up two mouthfuls of thick blood, Xiu Lante's breathing seemed to steady slightly. He looked up at the night sky and said, "Mosde, we've known each other for twenty years! In those twenty years, I've spared your life more than ten times! Cough... Do you remember what I said when you asked me why I spared you? 'Everyone has their own path'! Although we serve different masters and conflict is inevitable, I never imagined you would use such despicable means against me!

Mosde, don't gloat. I'm not saying this to beg for my life! I just want to tell you that the greatest regret of my life, Xiu Lante, is knowing you! But all of this is my own fault—it has nothing to do with you!" After saying this, Xiu Lante slowly raised his blood-stained right hand and took out a gold medal from his chest. On it were inscribed the words "Strength to Shatter Metal and Stone."

Though utterly weakened, Xiu Lante held the medal up to his eyes, cherishing it one last time, then threw it far to Mosde's feet. "This is the gift you gave me. For its sake, even in death, I would never summon the Firebird against my own brother! Take it and get lost. From today on, Xiu Lante has forgotten he ever had a brother!"

Looking at the familiar object, Mosde seemed to have a momentary pang of conscience. The steel sword in his hand slowly lowered. However, his hesitation lasted only an instant. When his eyes left the blood-stained gold medal, what flickered in them was unmistakably a "cruel light"!

"Don't blame me! Blame yourself for being too foolish! Prepare to die!" With these final words, Mosde leaped into the air, swinging his steel sword with the force of splitting Mount Hua, aiming straight for Xiu Lante's head.

Just as Xiu Lante's death seemed certain and blood was about to spray, the sound of clashing metal rang out. What flew into the air wasn't blood but sparks from the impact of metal!

"You brat, who sent you?" Mosde, forced back by the sword strike, saw a youth appear in front of Xiu Lante, saving him at the most critical moment. Furious and anxious, he immediately began cursing.

"Sorry, I sent myself! This Young Master was sleeping peacefully under the tree, but you guys were too noisy, so I got up to see who was disturbing my sleep! Who knew that looking would be such a shock—it turned out to be one man fighting four dogs!" The person who saved Xiu Lante was none other than Mels.

"You... bastard, do you know who I am? How dare you meddle! What do you mean 'one man and dogs'?" Provoked by Mels's rapid and sharp words, Mosde didn't seem to grasp the insult.

"Haha, what a strange year this is! Such a stupid dog actually has followers! You big dumb dog, my boss is saying that a guy who would harm his own brother of twenty years isn't even human—he's just a dog!" Just as Mosde finished speaking, Sol and the others emerged from their hiding spots. The lively Sol wouldn't miss such a perfect opportunity to mock someone and immediately clarified Mels's words.

"You... you brats! Do you even know who he is..." Mosde stammered angrily.

"Shut up!" Before Mosde could finish, Mels shouted, "I don't care who he is! The fact that he still helped the weak while fleeing proves that you're the one in the wrong!

Besides, no matter the reason, killing a brother you've fought alongside for years is the act of a beast! And with beasts, there's nothing to discuss!" "Big brother, why waste words on them? They're just a bunch of ignorant brats. Killing them is enough!" one of the three men beside Mosde suddenly spoke up.

It wasn't that Mosde didn't want to kill Xiu Lante right then and there. However, his years of combat experience told him that while they had been entirely focused on Xiu Lante earlier, it was no accident that Mels and the others had been lurking around without getting spotted!

Moreover, judging by the cocky tone of these youths, they likely hadn't been out in the world for long, and there might be other powerful figures hiding in the vicinity. It was precisely these concerns that made Mosde reluctant to engage Mels and his companions head-on! Unfortunately, while he wanted to avoid a fight with them, the youths seemed determined to save Xiu Lante.

After weighing the pros and cons, Mosde made up his mind and said fiercely, "We'll give you one last chance. If you don't back off now, don't blame us for picking on kids!"

Seeing Mosde's arrogant demeanor, Mels, already seething with anger over his inability to find his father's killer, flew into a rage. Just as he was about to shout back, Xiu Lante, who was lying on the ground, suddenly grabbed Mels's pant leg and said, "Young... young man, I appreciate your kindness. They... they are not opponents you can handle. You should... you should leave this place quickly!"

"Hah... Don't worry, uncle. Although we aren't masters who roam the continent, dealing with a few ungrateful wild dogs is well within our capabilities. Your poison has already taken effect, so don't speak anymore. Use your Qi energy to suppress the poison in your body. As for these guys, leave them to us!"

After hearing Xiu Lante's words, Mels smiled slightly, then turned to face Sol and the others. "Dealing with them doesn't require me, your boss, to step in, right? Let them know we aren't the type to bully the weak!"

As soon as Mels finished speaking, Rek, Akafir, and Bagina each drew their weapons. Sol leisurely took three steps back, then took the rosewood staff from his back and said to the group, "Akafir and Bagina will lead the attack, Rek will guard the flanks. Everyone, move out!"

Following Sol's command, the four immediately formed a formation. Akafir and Bagina advanced side by side at the front, Sol took up the rear, and Rek stood at the center of the formation.

Sol could command effectively because over the past two years, the Seven Immortals of Myriad Changes had prioritized team combat in their training. They believed that if Mels, as the strongest, were to act as the central point, he might be pinned down by the enemy's top fighters. Therefore, the task of organizing the formation was given to Sol, the clever mage who wasn't suited for the initial wave of attacks!

As soon as Sol and the others took their positions, Mosde immediately realized these youths were no ordinary opponents. He quietly warned his companions to be careful and quickly took the high ground, seemingly planning to use the terrain to gain the upper hand. Unfortunately, while Mosde's plan was sound, he underestimated Akafir's judgment! Long before the battle began, Akafir, eager to showcase the martial skills he had honed over the years, had already identified Mosde as the strongest among the group and thus marked him as his target from the outset! Now, seeing the enemy taking action, how could he possibly yield the best position to them?

Silver light suddenly flashed across the field. Before anyone could react, Akafir, charging ahead like lightning, lunged at Mosde with incredible speed.

In essence, Akafir's swordsmanship was about speed, precision, and ruthlessness! Having fought like a beast in the mountains for years, he showed no mercy once he entered the battlefield. His techniques were even more vicious than those of a professional assassin.

Although Mosde had estimated the youths' skills to be considerable, he never expected that this handsome youth would attack with a textbook mid-level thrust aimed directly at his throat!

First, he was mentally unprepared, and now he faced Akafir's lightning-fast assault. This series of disadvantages immediately caught the experienced Mosde off guard, forcing him to retreat frantically over five meters. Yet, the glint of the sword remained fixed before his eyes like a clinging parasite; no matter how he dodged, he couldn't create distance.

Mosde's perilous situation was naturally seen by the other three burly men. At this moment, they still didn't realize that Sol and the others possessed extraordinary combat abilities. In their shock, they still wanted to draw their swords and surround Akafir to help Mosde escape.

"Your opponent is me! That brat took the strongest one, so I'll have to make do with you scraps to play with!" Just as the three men were about to encircle Akafir, Bagina, wielding a slender, ink-black whip, suddenly appeared before them. Blocking their path, she taunted them, not taking her opponents seriously in the slightest. Mels, observing from the side, suddenly realized that these three men were indeed not comparable to ordinary bandits! Just from the way they remained unfazed by a young girl's provocation and steadily formed a triangular formation, it was clear they were also seasoned battlefield experts! Thinking this, Mels couldn't help but start worrying for Bagina.

Indeed, things unfolded as Mels had anticipated. The three men—two wielding sabers and one using a sword—advanced and retreated with the swordsman at the center, showing no signs of underestimating their opponent or acting recklessly. Their sword and saber techniques were steady and powerful, putting Bagina at a temporary disadvantage.

Although the three men's offense and defense were exceptionally steady, they posed no significant immediate threat to Bagina! Using her whip as a weapon and relying on her petite frame and agile footwork, Bagina merely used her long whip to block the enemy's attacks while occasionally striking at their weak points from a distance. She seemed in no hurry to decide the outcome.

Bagina's delaying tactics precisely targeted the three men's weakness! The reason they disregarded their pride to gang up on Bagina was precisely to quickly subdue or drive her away, giving them time to assist Mosde, who was already cornered by Akafir.

However, Bagina's unhurried pace completely thwarted their plan, allowing Sol and Rek, who were watching intently from the side, to prepare fully, ready to deliver a fatal blow with their strongest power at any moment.

On the other hand, Akafir continued to relentlessly pursue Mosde. Although Mosde was no weakling, facing Akafir's preemptive strike and rapid swordsmanship, he still couldn't turn the unfavorable situation around.

The sword technique Akafir was using now was the true inheritance of the Cloud-reaching Sword God. Perhaps for most people, they wouldn't use their strongest techniques at the beginning, but Akafir defied convention. Once he identified an enemy, regardless of gender or age, he would exert his full effort, adopting his strongest stance to defeat the enemy in the shortest time possible!

During his exchange with Akafir, Mosde realized that his opponent's use of Qi energy was even less proficient than a child's, yet he couldn't handle the youth's swift attacks.

Several times, Mosde tried to use his deep, cultivated Qi energy to repel his opponent. However, when he channeled his Qi, he was shocked to discover that once his Qi energy entered Akafir's arm, it vanished without a trace, producing no reaction whatsoever.

Meanwhile, the youth, intent on killing him, seemed completely unaffected, continuing to attack his vital points with extreme speed!

Faced with this situation, Mosde was both shocked and furious, even suspecting that Akafir not only possessed profound sword techniques but also boasted deep Qi energy that could look down upon the world. At this moment, Akafir wasn't using Qi energy to fight him merely to toy with him! Once this terrifying thought took hold, Mosde's already lacking fighting spirit dissipated entirely, and even the defensive blade curtain he had managed to maintain began to show signs of loosening.

To others, Mosde's subtle psychological shift might not have been clear, but for Akafir, he would never let such a good opportunity slip! Seeing flaws appear in the enemy's moves, Akafir intensified his frenzied assault. Before long, the gleaming silver sword finally broke through the layers of the blade curtain, thrusting directly toward Mosde's throat.

The sword technique Akafir used was both simple and practical, and his assault speed could only be described as lightning-fast. When the flash of sword light before Mosde's eyes warned him of impending defeat, he knew he could no longer dodge. He could only struggle to move a fraction to the right, letting his left arm take the injury in exchange for a chance to escape this fatal disaster.

Akafir, who seemed like a youth who only knew how to fight desperately, actually had extensive experience battling beasts and magical creatures. When he broke through Mosde's defense, he knew the enemy would sacrifice an arm to avoid death. Therefore, before Mosde could evade the attack, he had already planned how to maximize his victory.

Akafir, who had lunged forward with his right arm and body almost forming a straight line in mid-air, suddenly changed the direction of his sword thrust at the moment it was about to pierce Mosde's left arm, switching from a direct thrust to a diagonal slash! Although this move was slightly slower in terms of speed and timing, he had already anticipated Mosde's most vulnerable point!

Mosde, fighting Akafir, saw the youth suddenly change his sword technique just as he was about to succeed. Faced with such an "advantageous" situation, he initially felt a surge of joy, thinking he could avoid this calamity. However, before the joy could spread in his heart, a feeling of terror shot up from his right foot to his brain!

It turned out that during the previous attack, to dodge Akafir's swift thrust at his throat, Mosde had to exert maximum force to move to the right. The human body's load-bearing capacity is always limited. During that movement, his right foot had borne the weight of his entire body. Now, although Akafir's diagonal slash was a step slower than a direct thrust, Mosde's right foot, already stretched to its limit, couldn't execute another dodge in time!

Watching helplessly as the final glint of cold light flashed from the youth's silver sword, the serpent-like blade slashed into his left arm. Blood gushed forth, and his left arm, which had accompanied him for over forty years, flew off his body amidst excruciating pain.

"Ah!" Mosde screamed wildly, nearly fainting from the immense pain. He immediately dropped his long saber, clutching his severed arm and shouting.

However, Akafir, who showed no mercy, seemed to have anticipated the enemy's plight and reaction. Simultaneous with Mosde's scream, his long sword thrust forward once more. This time, he was almost certain that a fatal hole would appear in the enemy's throat the next second.

"Stop!" A loud shout caused Akafir's sword to pause momentarily. Akafir hurriedly retracted his stance and looked back in confusion, only to see Xiu Lante struggling to his feet, gazing at Akafir with pleading eyes.

"Akafir, spare him for now." After seeing the questioning look in Akafir's eyes, Mels glanced back at Xiu Lante and then agreed with his opinion, instructing Akafir to temporarily spare Mosde.

As if to thank Mels, Xiu Lante gave a slight nod toward him before turning to face Mosde. He struggled to take two steps forward and said, "Mosde, fate is truly peculiar. Earlier, I thought I would surely die by your hand, but now the tables have turned, and you are completely defeated! At this moment, I could laugh and watch you die under this youth's sword, but I still cannot bear to see you die!

Don't glare at me with rage, and I won't take the opportunity to mock your defeat. Just as you said before, in this world, only the victors are kings, and only circumstances create heroes. The appearance of these youths today only proves your luck was bad. And today, I ask them not to kill you, only to let you know that this is the last gift I give to my best friend.

Mosde, don't think about using a Summoned Beast. If I guess correctly, no matter which youth you face, the Summoned Beast you possess will not be their match! You have been completely defeated; don't add meaningless casualties! Tell your men to stop. Just look at that young mage who has already gathered magical energy, and you should know what you will gain if you continue fighting!

Mosde, leave this place quickly. Take your men and go before I change my mind. As long as Xiu Lante lives in this world for one more day, you have a chance to kill me! Leave with your hope!"