NFBE Chapter 207 The Groundhog Clan
Chapter 207 The Groundhog Clan
Chapter 207 The Groundhog Clan
The fire slowly rose upwards, seemingly threatening to engulf the loess mountains on either side.
The entire canyon was bathed in a fiery red light, and many people and horses fainted on the ground from the intense heat.
"Miss..." Seeing this situation, Zhao Wuji couldn't help but feel worried. He frowned and called out in a low voice.
However, Guan Xun remained unmoved, simply staring quietly at the black-clad men who had been burned to ashes.
With a flick of her hand, the flames shifted from passive to active, lunging menacingly at the man in black.
In just a moment, the person who was hiding could no longer contain himself.
"Retreat!" With his command, the men in black retreated.
The flames were fierce and had no intention of letting them go. Like a tidal wave of ferocious beasts, they rushed towards the ten-mile road!
The withered trees and white bones were instantly burned to ashes, and the crackling sound echoed throughout the entire canyon.
"Damn it! What are you doing? Are you going to burn this place down?!" This behavior had enraged the person behind the scenes, and his angry roar came through the dark flames.
The other party's tone of shock clearly indicated that they had not expected her to possess such formidable skills.
"I'll let you pass, just put out the fire right now!"
"Is that so..." As Guan Xun raised his eyebrows, he had already noticed the whooshing sound coming from the top of the Loess Plateau.
With a casual glance, he saw several dark figures leaping through the mountains, most of them being among the best of the black-clad crowd.
Even so, the other party still doesn't intend to come out, but instead wants to change their plan and get rid of her?
The men in black surrounded the mountain, and before they could even settle in, they shot down with a whooshing sound.
As Guan Xun tilted her head slightly, the dart grazed past her eyes and struck a guard who was alertly watching his surroundings.
Only then did everyone notice the approaching man in black. They were immediately alarmed and gripped their magical weapons tightly, preparing to fight back.
"I think you still don't know how to feel sorry for yourself." Guan Xun sneered, then swung his spiritual energy blade. With a loud bang, several men in black above were knocked to the ground.
They were struck hard from such a height, yet there wasn't a single cry of pain; they quickly got up and attacked again.
The crowd erupted into chaos as fighting broke out again, horses broke free and ran amok, and a figure with uncanny gait bypassed the guards surrounding the carriage, stepping onto an abandoned carriage and gathering a wave of spiritual energy with his bare hands, which blasted towards Guan Xun on the roof of the carriage!
At the critical moment, Zhao Gui reacted quickly and grabbed the man in black. However, he was already seriously injured and his strength was not what it used to be. When he pulled, he didn't pull the man off, but instead tore off the black robe that the man in black was wearing.
Once the figure leaped into the air, its face was exposed without any attempt to conceal it.
His face was aged, and his beard reached his chest. This appearance made Guan Xun pause for a moment, and he asked in surprise, "It's you?"
She did have some recollection of this person...
Isn't he the former Grand Elder of the Holy Light Branch Hall in Moxi City?
This person had long been turned into a puppet by the old man of Burning Phoenix Manor. Could the person hiding behind the scenes in the Ten Mile Road be that old man?
No, that's not right.
The thought had barely crossed his mind when Guan Xun secretly shook his head in denial. No matter how he looked at it, the act of robbing someone on the road didn't seem like something that old man would do.
So how did this puppet end up in the other party's hands?
Without a second thought, she flashed behind him and slashed her spiritually-infused hand blade down hard on the elder's back. Then she landed where he had fallen, grabbed his neck, and twisted it forcefully. With a cracking sound, his neck was snapped.
After scanning the surroundings, he turned and threw it into the crowd.
"Bang bang bang!" Several more loud noises rang out, and the men in black were sent flying, embedded in the mountainside, with the yellow earth shattering and boulders rolling down.
Ignoring everything else, Guan Xun picked up the Elder's already broken body and threw him onto the Loess Plateau without hesitation.
At the same time, she leaped up as well, drew her sword, and ran swiftly toward the mountains on both sides of the ten-mile road behind the flames, her sneer growing even stronger: "If you don't want all these puppets to be destroyed, I advise you to stop now, or don't blame the flames for being merciless."
These words clearly angered the person behind the scenes. Guan Xun suddenly sensed a very strong fluctuation in aura where his divine sense was spread out.
If there are no mistakes, then the other party is hiding in that place.
She stood atop the high mountain, surveying the situation below. Once she locked onto the location, she immediately swung her longsword, unleashing a barrage of blades towards that spot.
One blow after another, giving the opponent no chance to breathe. The deafening roar echoed throughout the canyon, and the surroundings trembled violently. Even the dark flames swayed from side to side, just like a hurricane.
As the attack landed, the atmosphere there changed, becoming extremely tense.
Meanwhile, deep underground, within a vast and magnificent underground palace, unlike the outside world, the place was bustling with activity. Fine food and wine filled the tables, and beautiful women danced in unison, creating a truly enchanting scene.
Numerous strange-looking figures with long ears and tails gathered here, their laughter echoing within the underground palace.
They are all from the family of ground squirrels.
On the luxurious throne sat a short but muscular old man with a wrinkled and rather unsightly face. His brows revealed an undisguised coldness, and his eyes flashed with a sharp light, making one's heart tremble.
Several voluptuous women stood on either side of him, peeling fruit and pouring drinks for him, even massaging his shoulders with careful movements and timid expressions.
It's obvious that they were forced into this situation.
Suddenly, the underground palace began to shake violently, and everyone stopped what they were doing, at a loss for what to do.
"What's going on!" The old man's slightly narrowed eyes suddenly snapped open, and he shouted sharply.
Before anyone could reply, a panicked voice came from outside the palace.
"Urgent! Urgent! Boss, something terrible has happened!"
The newcomer was also short and oddly shaped, but appeared to be a middle-aged man. He hurriedly knelt on the ground and said, "There's a beauty in the caravan we encountered today!"
"Hmm? A beauty?" The leader frowned. "Continue!"
Ever since word got out that they would abduct women passing by, no women have appeared in any of the passing caravans. It's lucky that we've run into one now, but something is clearly not right.
"The women in that caravan are incredibly powerful; they destroyed most of the puppets under the third leader's command! We've really messed up..."
"What?!" The leader suddenly stood up, his face extremely cold.
Their puppets are impervious to swords and spears; even with broken limbs, they can still fight. How could anything possibly destroy them?
"Tell me how she ruined it?"
"It's fire! A very strange fire." The middle-aged man gestured with his hands, looking at the falling rubble in front of him, and said, "That person seems to have discovered our underground palace, and is currently smashing the entrance! All this commotion is thanks to her!"
"How is this possible!" The leader's face turned ashen. He quickly glanced at the several figures below him who also had solemn expressions. "Let's go and find out who this person is."
……
"Old man, are you still going to hide and not come out? I already know where you're hiding," Guan Xun laughed.
She still didn't hear a reply, but instead a piercing sound of wind breaking came from the direction of the bombardment. Immediately afterward, a spiritual energy attack, like a sharp arrow, hurtled towards her!
The raging dark flames swirled rapidly a few times, transforming into a giant fire python. Guan Xun flashed off the ground and landed on the fire python's head, only to have the spot where he had just stood instantly blasted to pieces.
She wasn't annoyed; the bombing attacks on the entrance became more frequent and intense.
Still hiding? Then we'll bomb him until he comes out!
Soon, under several powerful attacks, a figure flashed out from the bombardment site. It was short and fat, round like a ball.
The "ball shadow" darted out from below and landed on a yellow earthen rock that was opposite her but much lower.
The firelight illuminated his face clearly, revealing short ears, a long tail, and a thick, white beard that covered his entire mouth.
Guan Xun was surprised; indeed, he had the exact same appearance as the old man from Burning Phoenix Manor.
So, do they belong to the same ethnic group?
It's a pity I didn't ask the old man's name back then, otherwise I could ask him directly now.
"You damned woman!" The third leader gritted his teeth, surveying the devastation around him, his murderous aura surging. "I think you're courting death!"
"Finally couldn't hold it in any longer and came out? If you had listened to me and come out earlier, things wouldn't have come to this, would they?" Guan Xun chuckled a few times, his scrutinizing gaze sweeping over him.
His strength was a few levels lower than hers, which was still decent, but...
A hint of suspicion flashed in her eyes. It was impossible for him to create so many puppets on his own; there must be someone more powerful than him behind him.
Where is it?
Guan Xun surveyed the surroundings but found nothing amiss.
Well, she composed herself and was just about to say something when she saw the third leader's face darken, and he stomped his foot heavily, swinging his wolf-tooth iron hammer at her.
"How dare you destroy my puppet! I think you're quite attractive, and you've never crafted a beautiful female puppet before. It would be quite interesting to craft one!"
"Tsk..." She narrowed her eyes slightly, without making any move, and the dark flame immediately split into two small fire snakes, baring their fangs and rushing forward.
The energy coiled around him, following the spiritual power around him, and burned into a huge ring of fire high in the sky, completely surrounding him.
"What..." The third leader's eyes widened suddenly, and a hint of fear showed in his angry eyes. These flames were so strange... they actually burned away his spiritual power!
A surge of horror welled up in his heart, and he hurriedly retreated, his grip on the wolf-tooth hammer tightening. Even though he wanted to torture and kill this person on the spot, he dared not make any further rash moves.
Gazing at the fiercely burning dark flames, a hint of inquiry and greed flashed in his eyes. This fire was strange and powerful; if he could use it, the puppets he created would surely be extraordinary.
Thinking this, he flicked his two fingers and unleashed another spiritual attack at Guan Xun, which was burned away by the dark flames before it even got close.
"This flame..."
The other party made no attempt to conceal his intentions, so how could Guan Xun not see through them? She ignored him, reached out and pulled the Great Elder, who had been thrown onto the Loess Plateau and was now falling apart, into her hand and casually held him in her hand.
He stretched his arm forward, gesturing for the other person to see.
"I'd like to ask where you got this?"
"Naturally, it was refined..." The third leader's face turned sinister, and he chuckled wickedly, a lewd glint in his eyes. "What? Is this old man the one you've been thinking about day and night, the one you share your bed with?"
Upon hearing this, Guan Xun let out a cold laugh, which vanished in an instant. The dark flames instantly split into small fire snakes, which rapidly darted downwards.
"Old man, you need to wake up when you're all talkative."
As the dark flames drew near, and the other party showed no sign of joking, the third leader's pupils dilated suddenly. He waved his hands, unleashing incredibly powerful spiritual energy attacks, yet he still couldn't withstand the scorching heat of the dark flames.
His eyes widened, his heart pounding in his chest, and he instinctively turned and fled.
How could these flames be so powerful?! His spiritual power was completely useless. If he didn't run away soon, he would surely be burned to ashes like those puppets.
Despite his plump build, he was surprisingly agile, always managing to leap to another spot just as the dark flames were about to fall, and after several rounds, only the hem of his clothes was burned.
Seeing the disheveled state of the people below, Guan Xun scoffed, pointed a finger, and stopped teasing them.
As she moved, the dark flames chasing the Third Master paused for a moment, then suddenly surged, their color deepening and their intensity increasing.
The fiery snakes worked together, rushing in from all directions to completely surround the man, blocking all his escape routes.
The flames were extremely hot, blurring the surrounding scenery. The third leader staggered, almost falling to the ground. His head was heavy, and he could only hear his own chaotic heartbeat and rapid breathing.
"Wait...wait!" At this moment, he finally became anxious and hurriedly stretched out his hand and called out.
However, now that things had come to this, Guan Xun had no intention of listening to what the other person was saying. She and the old man from Burning Phoenix Manor were just strangers who had met by chance, and she had only been a little curious just now.
Her eyes silently and coldly observed the situation below and their panicked movements. Suddenly, her expression froze, and a look of surprise flashed through her mind.
Someone is approaching, and judging from their aura, there's more than one person; they must be a group.
Sure enough, just as the fiery serpents opened their mouths wide, surging and converging from all sides, intending to devour the figure in the middle, a furious roar suddenly rang out.
"stop!"
Guan Xun's eyes darkened as his already extended divine sense detected a sinister gaze, like a venomous snake crawling in the mud, carrying a chilling, unsettling aura.
That gaze was able to lock onto her consciousness directly, and her heart tightened instantly, her brows furrowing involuntarily.
The newcomer... is very strong, probably even stronger than her.
However... those she wants to eliminate have no reason to live!
Guan Xun sneered inwardly, then waved his large hand forward. The dark flames beneath him merged together and suddenly exploded into a dazzling spark, before mercilessly rushing towards the figure that had fallen to the ground.
"what!!!"
Several screams immediately rang out, sending chills down one's spine and making one's hair stand on end.
"The third one!"
The screams and wails abruptly ceased amidst the leaping, excited flames. Sensing the life force fading away, a furious roar instantly echoed throughout the canyon: "Bastard!!!"