The Strange Flame Rekindles in Battle Through the Heavens

Chapter 84 The Three Major Mercenary Groups

As Xiao Yan stared at the corpse on the ground, his stomach began to churn, and an indescribable feeling of nausea welled up inside him.

The bright red blood gleamed unsettlingly in the sunlight, emitting a pungent, fishy odor.

The mercenaries lay dead on the ground, covered in blood and wounds. Some had lost limbs, others were covered in injuries. The corpses were scattered around, a stark testament to the brutal battle.

In the past, Xiao Yan had only killed magical beasts. This was the first time he had seen the corpse of his own kind. He couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine, and his legs went weak.

However, Xiao Yan knew he had to face these things, and it was better to face them sooner rather than later. If he suddenly became so scared that his limbs went weak when he was fighting someone, he would pay with his life. As an Earthling, although Xiao Yan had been in this world for more than ten years, there were still some flaws that he couldn't change.

After overcoming his inner obstacles, Xiao Yan slowly walked up to the mercenary and prepared to take the pill from his hand.

The burly man, his body covered in wounds, was gradually regaining his senses. However, he did not stop Xiao Yan from taking the pill from his hand; he no longer had any desire for the pill, his face filled with fear.

"You're absolutely terrifying! Are you a ghost?" The mercenary man's fear intensified after the pill was taken from his hand, and he said in a trembling voice.

"Tell me! What's your name? It seems you came here specifically for me, but I don't think I've offended you! Why are you attacking me?" Xiao Yan said calmly, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"My name is Tie Feng! Although I've accidentally fallen into your hands, you might as well kill me! I'm not a hero if I even flinch!" Tie Feng was clearly a ruthless character. Knowing he couldn't survive, he became even more defiant.

"Wow! You're pretty impressive! You probably haven't heard of the Ten Great Tortures! Let me tell you about them. The Ten Great Tortures include skinning, waist-cutting, caning, dismemberment by chariot, boiling, gutting, combing, deep-frying, branding, and slow slicing." Xiao Yan's lips curled into a wicked smile.

After hearing Xiao Yan's description of the ten most cruel tortures, Tie Feng could no longer maintain his composure. His eyes widened as he stared at Xiao Yan, his face filled with terror. He simply couldn't believe that a young man could possess so many cruel methods.

At this moment, Tie Feng was so frightened that he looked at Xiao Yan as if he were seeing a demon.

"Besides, I am an alchemist, and I have plenty of elixirs that can bring the dead back to life and heal the wounded. We'll play around with them slowly!" After saying that, Xiao Yan walked towards Tie Feng, preparing to carry out the execution.

"You...you stay away! I'll talk! I'll talk!" Tie Feng dared not be stubborn anymore and kept begging for mercy.

"Speak! Why did you attack me!" Xiao Yan roared.

"It was... our mercenary group leader who told us to find a boy carrying a black greatsword in the Monster Mountain Range. After finding him, we were to take his belongings and give them to him. When we were searching the area, we heard a commotion and came over. We found you carrying a black greatsword, and you looked very similar to the person our leader described, so we attacked you!" Tie Feng said, trembling.

"Do you know why your leader is looking for the boy carrying the black greatsword?" Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, a chill creeping into his heart.

"This..." Tie Feng hesitated again.

"If you explain yourself clearly, I'll give you a quick death. If you don't..." Xiao Yan's face turned cold.

"I...I'll tell you! It's a rumor that someone in the capital spread the word that a young man carrying a black giant sword, whose cultivation level is only Dou Zhe, has countless treasures on him. Whoever can obtain these treasures can instantly rise to power and become a force on par with the three major families in the capital." Tie Feng quickly recounted the whole story.

"I didn't expect my identity to be exposed, but I don't know how much. But it doesn't matter if it's exposed. As long as those people don't know his true identity, they will be wary and won't dare to openly deal with him. You can tell that from the fact that they only spread the news instead of taking action themselves." Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiao Yan wasn't worried about himself, but rather about the potential repercussions on his family if he were exposed.

"Do you know how many people have entered the Monster Mountain Range to deal with me?" Xiao Yan said in a deep voice.

"It's mainly the people from the three major mercenary groups on the outskirts of the capital. All other temporary mercenary groups and lone mercenaries are being blocked by the three major mercenary groups and are not allowed to enter. Of course, if people from the major powers in the capital were to enter, our mercenary groups would naturally not dare to stop them, but so far we haven't seen any major powers participate," Tie Feng said slowly.

"Sit back and watch the tigers fight?" Xiao Yan sneered inwardly.

"Introduce these three mercenaries to me!" Xiao Yan said casually.

"We are the Mad Lion Mercenary Group. Our leader is named Raman, and he is a Seven-Star Great Dou Master. We have two vice-leaders, both of whom are Great Dou Masters. Our group has over a thousand members. There is also the Azure Wolf Mercenary Group, whose leader is named Jire, and he is a Five-Star Great Dou Master. He also has two vice-leaders who are Great Dou Masters. As for the Fierce Tiger Mercenary Group, our leader is named Dali, and he is a Six-Star Great Dou Master. Among the three major mercenary groups, our Mad Lion Mercenary Group is the strongest. After hearing the news from the capital, we all want to get benefits from you. However, since we don't know if you have already left, after discussing it among ourselves, each group only sent ten small teams to scout ahead first," Tie Feng explained.

"Damn it, how are we supposed to compete? Each of these mercenary groups is no weaker than the Xiao family. The three groups together probably have more than four thousand people, including nine Great Dou Shi. Judging from the situation, there are no fewer than a hundred Dou Shi." Xiao Yan said speechlessly.

Moreover, after hearing what Tie Feng said, Xiao Yan has now been exposed. If this mercenary team doesn't return on time, wouldn't that mean Xiao Yan is in the Monster Mountain Range? At that time, they will definitely send more people to search for Xiao Yan.

"Although you used some special methods to make us kill each other, the three major mercenary groups have a total of more than four thousand people. As soon as they find out you are still here, they will immediately send more people to deal with you. Your strength is very strong, but no matter how strong you are, you can't be stronger than a Great Dou Master!" Tie Feng seemed to have seen through Xiao Yan's concerns and continued.

"Oh? Then what do you suggest we do?" Xiao Yan said with a smile.

"Why don't you come with me to our mercenary group? As long as you hand over what you have, our leader won't make things difficult for you. Moreover, with your talent and strength, and being an alchemist, you'll become our number one figure once you join our mercenary group," Tie Feng said again, trying to persuade Xiao Yan, seeing that he was somewhat tempted.

"But I have killed so many of you!" Xiao Yan said helplessly upon hearing Tie Feng's words.

"These are nothing. They're just ordinary mercenaries. With your status as an alchemist, you could easily refine a few pills to buy their lives." Tie Feng said disdainfully after hearing Xiao Yan's words. Judging from his expression, he truly didn't consider these ordinary mercenaries to be human.

(End of this chapter)