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Chapter 142: Chapter 142: No One Left Behind
The sky was overcast with thick clouds, and a bitter wind howled through the air.
The Running Horse Plain was a desolate wasteland, devoid of human habitation, filled instead with endless barren landscapes, bloodthirsty demonic beasts, and inexplicable beastly roars echoing from time to time!
In the deathly stillness of the plain, a merchant caravan quietly pressed forward.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a chilling scream pierced through the air.
A Ling Family guard walking at the edge of the caravan was pounced on by a gray shadow, dragged into the waist-high grass, his agonizing cries echoing hauntingly across the desolate plains.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Guo Qing and Ji Rou, stationed at the front of the caravan, reacted instantly. Both leapt off their horses and hurtled toward the sea of grass!
Boom!
In mid-air, Guo Qing’s eyes gleamed sharply as he threw a powerful punch toward the ground below.
The air trembled, and the force of the punch flattened a large swath of grass in front of them.
More than a dozen gray shadows were revealed in the crowd’s sight.
"Two-star Intermediate Demon Beasts: Gray Nether Wolves!"
A gasp of alarm rose from within the caravan.
The gray shadows were the size of calves, their shaggy gray fur resembling burning gray flames, and their blood-red eyes radiated an eerie bloodlust.
The largest Gray Nether Wolf was dragging a Ling Family guard deeper into the grassland.
Whoosh!
With a tap of his toes, Guo Qing sprang directly toward the wolf.
Roar!
The eyes of two Gray Nether Wolves gleamed with cruelty as they lunged toward Guo Qing to intercept him.
The next moment.
Bam! Bam!
The massive bodies of the two Gray Nether Wolves were sent flying mid-air, shattering into pieces as blood splattered the ground!
"Kill!"
The Ling Family guards charged forth to join the fray.
Immediately, the sounds of intense combat erupted, interspersed with the terrifying roars of the beasts.
Soon, the number of beastly roars began to diminish.
The Gray Nether Wolves, being no more than Two-star Intermediate Demon Beasts with strength equivalent to Martial Artists at the third or fourth layer of the Transcendence Realm, were no match for Guo Qing and the others.
In merely a dozen breaths’ time, all the Gray Nether Wolves were slaughtered on the spot.
Ling Xuan rode up, her gaze falling on the fallen Ling Family guard.
Guo Qing inspected the guard’s injuries and shook his head:
"He’s beyond saving."
The guard’s neck had been torn apart, more than half of it gone. He had long since stopped breathing.
Hearing this, Ling Xuan furrowed her brows.
It had been three days since they entered the Running Horse Plain.
Despite everyone exercising extreme caution and sticking to the safest routes, the dangers of the plain still exceeded her expectations, with casualties occurring from time to time.
So far, three people in the caravan had perished.
Guo Qing consoled her, "Given the circumstances, this level of loss is already quite fortunate."
She spoke the truth.
The Running Horse Plain was teeming with demon beasts, the weakest among them being One-star Advanced Demon Beasts, which often appeared in packs.
Most of the caravan guards were only at the Body Tempering Realm, so losing just three people was already an optimistic outcome.
Ling Xuan nodded slightly.
"Let’s keep moving!"
After a brief rest, the caravan set off once more.
Back in the caravan, Ling Xuan turned to glance at a carriage, her slender brows knitting together.
Luo Cheng was sitting cross-legged on the carriage.
As she gazed at him, Ling Xuan couldn’t help but tighten her grip on the reins. Her bright eyes revealed a mix of frustration and disdain.
From the moment the incident started until now, Luo Cheng had only opened his eyes briefly at the beginning, before returning to his cultivation.
He acted completely indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with him.
It infuriated Ling Xuan.
If not for the face of the Xuanyuan Sect, she would have felt the urge to order him out of the caravan on the spot.
At this moment, Luo Cheng stood up, mounted his blue-maned horse, and left the caravan.
"This guy..."
Ling Xuan was stunned, her expression quickly turning into anger, her crimson lips pressing together tightly.
Since the caravan’s departure, Luo Cheng had behaved exactly like this—not only refusing to lend a hand but also wandering off on his own from time to time!
He completely disregarded her, the caravan leader!
"Miss Ling, you don’t need to mind Luo Cheng. Talents often act in unconventional ways. When the time comes for him to step in, he will act."
Guo Qing rode up beside her.
"A talent?"
Ling Xuan’s lips curled into a trace of sarcasm.
As far as she was concerned, Luo Cheng was far from deserving such a title.
She couldn’t understand what tricks Luo Cheng had used to fool her father and Guo Qing and the others.
"Let’s hope so."
Though Ling Xuan held disdain in her heart, she did not argue with Guo Qing.
A short while later, Luo Cheng returned to the caravan and climbed back onto the carriage, beginning to refine the Gray Nether Wolf Beast Souls he had just absorbed.
The packs of demon beasts that frequently appeared on the Running Horse Plain were nothing but good news for Luo Cheng.
In just three short days, he had absorbed the Beast Souls of more than a hundred Two-star Demon Beasts!
After refining the Beast Souls of over a dozen Gray Nether Wolves, Luo Cheng’s strength had already neared ninety-eight thousand pounds!
"Impressive! If this pace continues, by the time we leave the Running Horse Plain, my strength might reach a full hundred thousand pounds, allowing me to directly break through to the Golden Body Realm!"
Luo Cheng was filled with anticipation as he quickly immersed himself in cultivation once more.
Several more days passed in this way.
By noon on this particular day, the caravan had reached the central northwestern region of the Running Horse Plain.
As far as the eye could see, the barren plains stretched to meet the horizon, boundless and vast.
Sitting cross-legged on the carriage, Luo Cheng’s ears suddenly twitched. He opened his eyes and looked toward the southwest.
Soon, Guo Qing, riding at the front of the caravan, also reined in her horse and said in a low voice:
"Something’s approaching!"
Ling Xuan froze briefly, then immediately grew alert and commanded, "Prepare for battle!"
Neigh!
The seasoned Ling Family guards quickly formed the carriages into a defensive formation, linking them from the front to the rear.
Da-da-da-da-da...
The chaotic clattering of hooves rapidly drew closer.
At the edge of the world, a large swarm of black dots surged forward—a band of forty to fifty mounted bandits.
Luo Cheng squinted his eyes, then relaxed slightly.
Despite their numbers, this gang of bandits hardly posed a threat. Among them, only about a dozen were Transcendence Realm Martial Artists, and just four were at the sixth layer, their auras weak and unremarkable.
The bandits quickly closed in, stopping thirty paces in front of the caravan.
Ling Xuan called out, her voice clear and commanding, "I am Ling Xuan, second young lady of the Ling Family from Wushi City. What business do you have with us?"
The bandit leader was an ugly, bald brute with a portion of his skull seemingly sheared off. His eyes roved licentiously over Ling Xuan’s figure as he chuckled menacingly:
"The Ling Family of Wushi City? Never heard of it. It’s simple—my brothers are a bit strapped for cash lately..."
Guo Qing snorted coldly, "Scram!"
The ugly brute’s face darkened. Noticing the insignia of the Luoxia Sect on Guo Qing’s person, he sneered:
"Ah, a disciple of the Luoxia Sect. No wonder you’re so arrogant. But here on the Running Horse Plain, I don’t care who you are! Out here, dragon or tiger, you’ll bow before me!"
A bandit next to the bald man leered at Guo Qing, licking his lips:
"Boss, I’ve heard that female disciples of the Luoxia Sect are all top-notch. I must have a taste today!"
"Is that so!"
Guo Qing’s gaze turned icy. With a sharp cry, she shot forward like an arrow.
Boom!
This time, Guo Qing was truly enraged. Unleashing her full strength, her delicate fist struck with the force of a meteor, obliterating both horse and rider in one blow.
"Aurora Burst!"
After annihilating one, Guo Qing unleashed another punch, aiming directly at the ugly bandit leader.
"Damn it!"
The bald brute roared in fury, swinging an iron club as thick as a baby’s forearm to meet her blow.
Bang!
With a dull crash, the brute was sent flying off his horse, spitting blood mid-air.
"This damned woman is tough! Take her down together—leave no one alive!"
The bald brute’s face twisted viciously as he and three other sixth-layer Transcendence Realm bandits surrounded Guo Qing, closing in!
