Chapter 258: The Giant Fish That Got Away

Chapter 258: Chapter 258: The Giant Fish That Got Away

"Ninth Team, move out!"

After a brief explanation, Yi Xiaoyao shouted the order.

The Nascent Soul Realm experts of the Ninth Team all soared into the air, following closely behind Yi Xiaoyao.

Half a day later, a massive number of experts had gathered in the skies above the Cold Blood Alliance. Overwhelming momentum emanated from three directions, enveloping the entire territory of the Cold Blood Alliance.

These three directions belonged to the Primordial Evil Alliance, the Jade Cauldron Alliance, and the Feiyan Alliance, with each of the three major alliances occupying one front.

At this moment, Yuan Chou, the Alliance Leader of the Primordial Evil Alliance, was positioned at the very front of his forces.

Beside Yuan Chou, in addition to two mid-stage Nascent Soul Transformation Realm experts, Yuan Lie was also surprisingly at his side.

Aside from Yi Xiaoyao, who had just joined the Primordial Evil Alliance, almost everyone knew that Yuan Lie was Yuan Chou’s son—and the Young Alliance Leader of the Primordial Evil Alliance.

"My son, the Primordial Evil Alliance will be in your hands sooner or later. Today’s battle isn’t particularly dangerous, so I’ll leave the command to you," Yuan Chou said to Yuan Lie.

Yuan Lie’s face lit up with joy upon hearing this, and he quickly accepted.

Just then, the Feiyan Alliance and the Jade Cauldron Alliance began their assault on the Cold Blood Alliance from their respective positions.

Having been granted command, Yuan Lie’s sharp gaze swept over the great army of experts behind him.

"All units, listen up!"

"My father and the two Protectors will attack the Cold Blood Alliance’s Main Pillar. The rest of the Sub-Pillars will form groups of three to assault one enemy pillar each. Captain Leng Yan, you’re with me!"

Leng Yan’s brow furrowed when she heard Yuan Lie’s last sentence.

Although she knew Yuan Lie was abusing his authority for personal reasons, Leng Yan couldn’t object. She had no choice but to lead the teams behind her and follow him downward.

Just as they were about to descend upon a Sub-Pillar of the Cold Blood Alliance below, Yuan Lie suddenly raised a hand to halt the group.

Then, Yuan Lie’s gaze swept over the people behind him before finally locking onto Yi Xiaoyao, who was following behind Leng Yan.

"Hmph!" Yuan Lie snorted lightly and said, "The Ninth Team will guard the exit of this Cold Blood Alliance Sub-Pillar. Prevent any remnants from escaping."

"Everyone else, follow me and Captain Leng Yan! We’re charging in!"

With a wave of his hand, Yuan Lie led the others as they all shot down into the Cold Blood Alliance Sub-Pillar below.

Leng Yan glanced back at Yi Xiaoyao, her brow furrowed, before following them down.

Meanwhile, Yi Xiaoyao and the Ninth Team he led were left standing there, looking at each other in dismay, their faces filled with indignation.

A moment later, the sounds of fierce fighting and the roar of battle erupted from all over the Cold Blood Alliance. The great war had truly begun.

Immediately after, the explosive sounds of clashing energies began to ring out from the Cold Blood Alliance Sub-Pillar below Yi Xiaoyao.

But Yi Xiaoyao and the others from the Ninth Team could only stand quietly in the air, watching the intense battle unfold within the city, their expressions all incredibly grim.

"Dammit! I thought we’d earn a ton of Battle Merits this time, but we ended up with guard duty!"

"On what grounds?! They’re down there racking up kills and raking in Battle Merits, while we’re stuck up here guarding and won’t even get the scraps!"

"There’s nothing we can do. The Alliance Leader already gave command to Yuan Lie. We can’t disobey his orders."

The team members complained resentfully, every one of them feeling utterly unwilling to accept it.

Battle Merits, after all, could be exchanged for Cultivation Resources. They had originally planned to earn a large amount this time, then go back and trade them for resources to improve themselves.

Among them, Yi Xiaoyao was no different. He was even hoping to gain enough Battle Merits to become a Squad Leader, but who would have thought this would be the outcome?

Of course, Yi Xiaoyao knew this was Yuan Lie using his public office to settle a private grudge.

He just felt quite guilty for dragging the members of the Ninth Team into it.

"Don’t worry. In a little while, when the Cold Blood Alliance’s people can’t hold on any longer, they’ll naturally try to flee for their lives. We might be able to pick off some stragglers then," Yi Xiaoyao said, comforting the Ninth Team.

"Captain, don’t try to comfort us. They have several Sub-Pillars attacking a single one. How could anyone from the Cold Blood Alliance possibly escape? Guarding here, we probably won’t even get to touch a single straggler," the members of the Ninth Team sighed.

Yi Xiaoyao gave a wry smile and shook his head.

But after the battle in the Sub-Pillar below had raged for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, an astonishing explosive storm suddenly erupted.

Immediately after, a blood-red shadow shot out.

Within the blood-red shadow was a man who bore some resemblance to Han Yuan. He was holding a stick of incense that emitted a bloody smoke, and he was blasting off in the direction the smoke drifted.

"Captain! Look, a straggler is actually heading our way!" a member of the Ninth Team said in pleasant surprise.

Yi Xiaoyao looked up and saw that, indeed, the blood-red shadow from below was heading right for them.

But in the next moment, the expressions of the Ninth Team members changed drastically.

"That’s Han Sheng, the eldest son of the Cold Blood Alliance’s Leader! He’s the Squad Leader of this Sub-Pillar!"

The faces of the Ninth Team members turned ashen. They thought they had caught a stray fish, but they never expected this fish to be big enough to swallow them all in one bite.

But when Yi Xiaoyao heard this, his eyebrow twitched slightly.

’Han Sheng, ranked 398th on the Chaos Alliance List. Cultivation at the Second Realm of Nascent Soul Transformation.’

After recalling this information, the corners of Yi Xiaoyao’s mouth curved up slightly.

At the same time, the members of the Ninth Team asked anxiously, "Captain, should we run?"

Faced with an expert at the Squad Leader level, a small team was no match at all. Naturally, no one wanted to throw their lives away for nothing.

"Run? There’s no escape for you!"

A bone-chilling voice called out, and in the next instant, the blood-red shadow had already shot before the Ninth Team.

The blood-red shadow dissipated, revealing a pale-faced man standing there. The bloody smoke from the incense in his hand drifted toward Yi Xiaoyao.

"Why did Han Sheng escape, but our two Squad Leaders haven’t arrived yet?" someone in the Ninth Team asked anxiously.

A cold smirk appeared on Han Sheng’s pale face. "With just those two at the First Realm of Nascent Soul Transformation? You think they could stop me? I’ve already injured and trapped them. I’m afraid you won’t be seeing them!"

Just then, a flash of sword light, as swift as a gale, appeared in an instant before Han Sheng.

Han Sheng’s expression changed slightly. With a flicker of his body, he easily dodged the sword light, but because it was so fast, it still managed to slice off a corner of his sleeve.

"Hm? Courting death!"

Han Sheng snorted coldly and waved his hand, sending a blast of Spiritual Power toward the spot where the sword light had originated.

That last slash had come from Wind Discipline. Seeing that his own swordsmanship was fast enough to clip the sleeve of a Second Realm Nascent Soul Transformation expert, his face lit up with ecstatic joy.

But in the next moment, when Wind Discipline saw the astonishing Spiritual Power attack hurtling back at him, his face instantly turned pale.

"Wind Discipline, look out!"

Everyone in the Ninth Team cried out in alarm, but the attack was already right in front of Wind Discipline.

In the next moment, BOOM! A sword light of astonishing power flashed out, forcefully intercepting the attack in front of Wind Discipline. It was Yi Xiaoyao, who had acted just in time to block the blow.

But as he blocked the attack, Yi Xiaoyao’s body was sent flying by the staggering force.

"Captain!"

The rest of the Ninth Team cried out and worked together to catch Yi Xiaoyao.

Wind Discipline’s face was filled with gratitude. If Yi Xiaoyao hadn’t intervened, he would have been severely injured, if not killed.

"I’m fine," Yi Xiaoyao said with a smile to the others behind him, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.

Immediately after, a powerful fighting spirit surged in his eyes as he stared intently at Han Sheng.

"Let me ask you, if I kill this guy, will I have enough Battle Merits to be promoted to Squad Leader?"

Yi Xiaoyao’s faintly excited voice drifted out.

...