Chapter 476: Chapter 101: Absolute Defense_4
Zong Yue nodded. He slipped a short blade from his sleeve and handed it to Blood Skull, saying, "Leaders, first take care of your appearances. You cannot be seen like this."
Blood Skull touched his hair, which was charred like charcoal, looked at Wind Skeleton beside him, and asked Zong Yue, "Old Zong, could you tell Chairman Mulat to prepare a carriage for us? Our wounds have not completely healed. We’ll probably need to spend some time in the carriage before we reach Tian Jing Mountain. Also, find us some full armors, the kind that comes with helmets."
Only then did Iron Skull realize that their hair had changed due to being struck by lightning. He coughed awkwardly after glancing at Ice Skeleton, who was wearing a helmet.
Ice Skeleton naturally understood his meaning. With a cold huff, she jerked off her helmet. "Third brother, what do you want to see? Do you want to see me make a fool of myself?" Blue Extreme Ice True Energy surged out, freezing her charred hair. She casually waved her hand, and her originally waist-length golden hair was instantly left only half length, just past her shoulders. The identity of Ice Skeleton was only known to the top tier of the Skeleton Mercenary Group. Although she was incredibly beautiful, her aloof demeanor and the chilling light in her pale blue eyes deterred anyone who may dare to approach her. The consecutive defeats had completely shattered her self-confidence. Although her body has sustained the lightest of injuries, her spirit was the most severely wounded.
Blood Skull knew his sister best. He sighed, wielding the short blade in his hand, and in an instant, had taken off all his burnt hair, beard, and eyebrows. He then threw the blade to Wind Skeleton who was standing next to him. After a while, both Wind Skeleton and Iron Skeleton also became completely bald. The three of them looked at each other and were forced to laugh at their own helpless predicament.
The caravan set out again, but this time without the leaders of the Skeleton Mercenary Group. The group felt a strange sense of unease. Although the mission had not been a failure, they all knew that the unbeatable myth about the Skeleton Mercenary Group was shattered by just two individuals.
Seven days later, the Stan Empire Alliance merchant caravan had arrived near Tian Jing Mountain, which was located at the border of the Duru Province and the Yajin Tribe of the Federation. The caravan stopped and set up camp in a forest less than 10 miles away from the mountain range. Mulat ordered the caravan members to gather all the cargo-filled carriages and had Zong Yue command the Skeleton Mercenary Corps to form a circle around them and set up tents. Approaching the mountains, Mulat had to be cautious. He personally sought Zong Yue and asked, "Deputy Commander, how are the Group Leaders of your mercenary corps now? The most dangerous part of our journey is just up ahead, will they be able to help the caravan through it?"
The four skeletons had fully recovered physically after several days of rest, but their defeat and the loss of their hair had kept them out of sight of their fellow mercenaries. Zong Yue replied, "Chairman, don’t worry. The group leaders have already recovered. The bandits of Tian Jing Mountain will not dare to act once they hear the name of our Skeleton Mercenary Group." The Skeleton Mercenary Group had dealt with these bandits two years ago and had suffered heavy losses then. But now, the strength of the Skeleton Mercenary Group was much greater than it was two years ago. Given that two even more powerful individuals were with the caravan, Zong Yue was not worried about any problems arising.
Mulat sighed and said, "Better be careful anyway. Please inform the Group Leaders that I will visit their tents tomorrow for a discussion about tomorrow’s journey."
Zong Yue replied, "Alright, the leaders have been in a bad mood these past few days, so please make sure you’re cautious with your words."
Mulat said, "I understand that. However, the biggest obstacle of this journey is just ahead of us. I hope that the Skeleton Mercenary Group and the Evil Sky Mercenary Group, who we have hired, can sit down together to calmly discuss strategies to help us surmount this challenge. For the collective good, please advise the group leaders to avoid making any rash decisions, as they would harm both the caravan and themselves."
Zong Yue sighed. He thought of Ah Dai and Xuan Yue’s immense power and felt despair in his heart. At this point, how would the four leaders dare to provoke them again? The two had completely overshadowed the Skeleton Mercenary Group’s reputation.
Half an hour later, once the camp was fully set up, Mulat invited Ah Dai and Xuan Yue to the outside of the Four Skeletons’ tent. Ah Dai and Xuan Yue did not feel any discomfort; although it was inevitably awkward to face the Four Skeletons, they both believed that after experiencing the "exchange" between each other a few days ago, the Four Skeletons would not cause them trouble again.
Mulat coughed lightly and said, "Are all the leaders here? This is Mulat, and I have brought the two leaders from the Evil Sky Mercenary Group."
The deep voice of Blood Skull arises, "President Mu and the two team leaders, please come in." His voice was very calm, showing no emotional fluctuations on the surface.
Mulat lifted up the tent flap, and with Ah Dai and Xuan Yue, they entered the tent. All the Four Skeletons were there, each of them sitting on their freshly laid beds, each wearing a full suit of armor, including helmets, completely enveloped in armor, with only their hands left outside. It was obvious that their facial hair and eyebrows were still not fit to be seen. Ah Dai clearly felt a chilling killing intent emitting from the Four Skeletons as he and Xuan Yue entered the room.
Ah Dai didn’t mind; it was inevitable that they would have hostility towards him and Xuan Yue. Over the past seven days, he and Xuan Yue rarely left the horse carriage, usually sitting in the carriage in quiet cultivation. Although a bumpy carriage is not an ideal place for practice, with their extraordinary spiritual power, they had fully absorbed and dissolved the energy they gained in Mimu City over the past seven days. The Golden Body in Ah Dai’s Dantian absorbed a small portion of the second Golden Body’s energy, and grew a bit more. His power improved slightly every day, moving forward into the unknown. Although Xuan Yue’s progress was not as apparent as Ah Dai’s, her sacred aura was becoming even more intense. Every move she made radiated a faint and gentle energy. Being around her, Ah Dai’s mood was always peaceful and serene, which was greatly beneficial for his prowess improvement.
Sensing the awkward atmosphere within the tent, Mulat coughed again and said, "Team leaders, let us no longer dwell on past misunderstandings, as we are all companions. Can we lay down the grudges for now, join forces and get through these difficulties together? Wouldn’t that be better?" Saying this, he led Ah Dai and Xuan Yue to sit down inside the tent.
Iron Skull snorted coldly and said, "Since your union hired such a powerful mercenary group as Evil Sky, what use is there for our Skeleton Mercenary Group? We better withdraw and leave it to these two to escort you to Andis City."
Mulat was startled for a moment, and then he said awkwardly, "That was not our intention, it just that the goods we transport this time are too important to us, so we have to be particularly careful."
Blood Skull glared at Iron Skull, and indifferently said, "I am sorry, President Mu, please don’t mind my brother’s temper." He looked at Ah Dai and Xuan Yue and said, "You two saved us before, Blood Skull remembers that. However, we won’t forget the insult you gave us. Given the opportunity, we will definitely look for a rematch."
Xuan Yue snorted coldly, and said, "Was the lesson we gave you not enough? Wanting revenge? We are ready at any time. However, I’m afraid you don’t have the ability."
Right as Iron Skull was about to lose his temper, he was stopped by Blood Skull. The killing intent from the Four Skeletons became even more intense, they all stayed silent, their gaze coldly fixed on Xuan Yue.
