The Strange Flame Rekindles in Battle Through the Heavens

Chapter 86 The Mad Lion Mercenary Group

It was evening.

At the outer entrance of the Monster Mountain Range, three massive camps stood there, looking imposing and majestic.

At the center of each camp stood a large flag embroidered with the head of a monster, making it particularly eye-catching.

One of the camps had a large flag embroidered with a majestic lion, its eyes gleaming with ferocity, as if it were about to pounce and kill someone at any moment. This camp was clearly occupied by the Mad Lion Mercenary Group.

In the central tent of the camp sat a middle-aged man clad in black armor; this was Raman, the leader of the Mad Lion Mercenary Group. Raman looked at the mercenary kneeling before him, reporting the news, and asked in a deep voice, "Have all the teams that went to scout the Monster Mountain Range returned?"

"Nine out of the ten teams sent out have returned; only Tie Feng's team has not yet returned," the mercenary who was responsible for reporting the news replied respectfully.

"Hmm? Didn't I tell them to be back on time before dark? After Tie Feng's team returns, bring Tie Feng to see me. They actually disobeyed my orders, they really don't want to live!" Raman narrowed his eyes and said coldly.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" The mercenary kneeling on the ground hurriedly replied, and then carefully retreated.

Of the three major mercenary groups, the most severe leader was Raman. Raman always managed his mercenary group very strictly, and anyone who made a mistake would be severely punished.

"This captain named Tie Feng is really asking for it. Doesn't he know that the last one was beaten and bedridden for half a month just for being a little late for assembly?" the mercenary cursed inwardly.

However, it is precisely because of the strict management of the mercenary group by its leader, Raman, that the Mad Lion Mercenary Group has the strongest overall strength among the three major mercenary groups.

"Commander, has something happened? I know Tie Feng. Although he has a rough face, he is thoughtful and steady. It's unlikely that he would dare to disobey your orders," the young man next to Raman said worriedly.

"Lingyun, you're overthinking it! How could something have happened to them? And if something had happened, surely more than thirty people would have made it back! I bet they were delayed by something. We weren't the only mercenary group that entered the Monster Mountain Range this time; they probably had a quarrel with the other two mercenary groups! You know that the Azure Wolf Mercenary Group and the Fierce Tiger Mercenary Group have secretly joined forces because they're afraid of us," Raman said.

"But what if they actually make a move?" Ling Yun said, frowning.

"Probably not. If they really did make a move, they wouldn't just target Tie Feng's team. Doing so would only make us more vigilant." Raman pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

"I hope so!" Ling Yun nodded.

"There's no use in doubting now. Let's wait and see what happens after Tie Feng returns," Raman said in a deep voice.

"I always feel that the news coming from the capital is strange, and I have a bad feeling about it," Ling Yun said, frowning.

"Oh? What did you discover?" Raman looked at Ling Yun, wanting to hear his thoughts.

As the strategist of the entire mercenary group, Ling Yun was considered by everyone in the group to be the one who set the strict rules, which were actually set by the second leader, Ling Yun.

Originally, the Mad Lion Mercenary Group was the weakest of the three major mercenary groups. However, since Ling Yun arrived and established a very strict reward and punishment system, the Mad Lion Mercenary Group's strength has greatly increased. Now, the Mad Lion Mercenary Group has surpassed the other two mercenary groups and become a force to be reckoned with.

Ling Yun also had one of the mercenaries deliberately arrive late for the assembly and severely punished him. After this incident spread throughout the Mad Lion Mercenary Group, the entire group strictly adhered to the group's rules and dared not disobey them again.

"First of all, the news from the capital is that a young man named Nie Feng is exceptionally talented and is also a third-grade alchemist who can refine pills that increase lifespan. As a result, Nie Feng has obtained a great deal of treasure from other forces. Whoever can obtain these treasures can quickly become the fourth most powerful family in the capital," Ling Yun said slowly.

"That's right! Besides, that person is only at the level of a fighter. Basically, as long as we find him, we can get these treasures." Raman looked at Ling Yun with confusion.

"But if that's really the case, why aren't the major families in the capital making a move?" the second commander countered.

"This..." Raman frowned and pondered for a moment, then replied, "Could the news be false?"

"The news is probably true, but I don't think things are that simple, so I've already sent people to the capital to find out about Nie Feng," the second regimental commander said.

"But is Nie Feng still in the Monster Mountain Range? Of the ten teams we sent out, nine have already returned, and none of them have found any trace of him," Raman asked, frowning.

"We'll just have to wait for news from Tie Feng's team. The Monster Mountain Range is so vast, even if our entire group goes out, we might not be able to find that person. This is only the first day. But even if they leave, it's alright. We can just consider it an outing to hunt monsters and gather herbs," Ling Yun said with a smile.

"Well, that's all we can do for now!" Raman nodded.

However, they still hadn't seen Tie Feng's group return by late at night.

Raman's face was extremely gloomy. Tie Feng's team hadn't returned by now, so something must have happened. Even if they encountered trouble, they would have sent someone to let him know. They just disappeared inexplicably like this.

"Send twenty teams into the mountains to search. You must find Tie Feng's team. I want them alive or dead. I refuse to believe that dozens of living people have simply vanished into thin air. Even if they were eaten by monsters, some bones would still be left behind," Raman slammed his fist on the table, roaring in fury.

"It's already late at night, should we wait until daytime to go in?" the second regimental commander advised.

"Hmph! By daytime I'm afraid they'll have already erased all traces!" Raman said with a gloomy face.

"You mean the Fierce Tiger Mercenary Group and the Azure Wolf Mercenary Group were behind this?" Ling Yun's expression changed, and he asked incredulously.

"Who else could it be but them?" Raman said dismissively.

"But why only target Tie Feng's team? That doesn't make sense!" Ling Yun asked, puzzled.

"Isn't it obvious? They can wipe out an entire squad just by dealing with one team, leaving us with no evidence and forcing us to suffer in silence. But if they were to deal with multiple teams, and one of them managed to escape, wouldn't we know?" Raman said matter-of-factly.

"This..." Although Ling Yun was intelligent, he couldn't find any other explanation at this moment.

As for the claim that it was Xiao Yanqian's doing, he never even considered it. A Dou Zhe could wipe out a small team of dozens of people led by a Dou Shi? Don't be ridiculous!

Seeing that Ling Yun was no longer stopping him, Raman did not hesitate any longer and immediately sent out twenty squads to enter the Monster Mountain Range.

(End of this chapter)