"Commander Li, what's wrong?"
Seeing Qiu Jiuqian and Gong Hanfeng supporting Li Xuan, Wen Qing and the others rushed forward to inquire.
"It's nothing, just a bit too drained. Alright, the mission is complete, let's head out first," Li Xuan waved his hand, then walked towards the cave entrance with the support of Qiu Jiuqian and Gong Hanfeng.
The group exchanged glances before quickly following Li Xuan and the two others.
Outside Blood Ravine Cave, Li Xuan sat cross-legged and briefly explained how the three of them had jointly killed one Blood Demon and repelled another.
Regarding the Soul Flame, Li Xuan and the other two had a tacit understanding and did not mention it. After all, it was Li Xuan's technique, and a trump card. The more people knew, the easier it would be for outsiders to find out.
"Commander Li, you actually killed a Blood Demon!"
"That was a being at the early stage of Divine Transformation, and you killed it! Commander Li, you are too formidable!"
"I knew it, it's good we didn't go down to help. Commander Li and the others are already so exhausted, which shows how terrifying the Blood Demon is. Otherwise, Commander Li would have had to spare some attention to look after us. It might even have affected Commander Li's performance and led to terrible consequences."
"..."
Although Li Xuan did not go into detail about the process, the group was once again shocked to hear that a Blood Demon had been killed. Everyone looked at Li Xuan and the other two with renewed awe.
"Brother Qiu and I merely managed to tie down one Blood Demon. Commander Li single-handedly killed the other. Furthermore, if Commander Li hadn't killed that Blood Demon, Brother Qiu and I wouldn't have lasted much longer," Gong Hanfeng said with a wry smile, seeing their gazes.
"If it weren't for you two tying down that Blood Demon, I wouldn't have been able to handle two Blood Demons alone. Fortunately, the mission was a complete success, and it was not in vain," Li Xuan said with a smile.
"We didn't contribute much to this mission, and we feel ashamed. Commander Li, please recuperate first, and we will guard you," one of the team members said.
"Alright," Li Xuan nodded, and then he, Qiu Jiuqian, and Gong Hanfeng closed their eyes to rest and recover. Wen Qing and the others stood a short distance away, waiting.
...
"To have emerged completely unharmed is rather unexpected. However, since the young master has given the order, I can't be blamed."
While Li Xuan, Qiu Jiuqian, and Gong Hanfeng were recuperating, an old man stood up on a cliff a hundred miles away from the Blood Luo Mountain Range and murmured.
The next moment, the old man pointed into the void, and a circular formation appeared in mid-air. He then touched the center of the formation, and it disappeared into the void.
Beneath the third level of Blood Ravine Cave, the formation that had disappeared before the old man suddenly materialized and rapidly expanded. In less than ten breaths, it had spread to ten feet.
"Bang!"
As if he could see it, the old man flicked his finger and pressed down into the void. The formation beneath the third level of Blood Ravine Cave flashed and exploded with a boom.
"Careful!"
Li Xuan, who was recuperating, suddenly felt a strong sense of danger. The moment he opened his eyes, he felt the ground shaking from deep within. His expression changed drastically.
After shouting a warning, he grabbed Qiu Jiuqian and Gong Hanfeng and hurled them into the distance.
Boom!
A terrifying shockwave ravaged the area, instantly reducing Blood Ravine Cave to rubble. A storm swept across the ground. Wen Qing and the others, alerted by Li Xuan's warning, also sensed something was wrong. With the violent tremors from below, they quickly channeled their spiritual energy and shot towards the distance.
"Ah!" Although they reacted quickly, one man was still caught by the storm and sent flying.
"Liu Guang!" Wen Qing cried out urgently and then moved to rush towards Liu Guang's direction.
Boom!
As the storm receded, a rumbling sound came from below the location of Blood Ravine Cave. The next moment, a terrifying suction force suddenly emerged. A team member closest to Blood Ravine Cave had no time to react before being caught by the immense suction and rapidly pulled underground.
"Bai Xinghan!"
Qiu Jiuqian and Gong Hanfeng, who had woken up, shouted in alarm. However, before their voices faded, Bai Xinghan's figure had disappeared underground.
"Damn it!" Li Xuan frowned deeply upon seeing this.
"All of you, retreat and stay alert. Brother Qiu, crush the Wood Spirit Talisman to notify Wood Pavilion. Bai Xinghan, I'll go save him!" Li Xuan's eyes narrowed, and after speaking, he leaped into the sinkhole that had swallowed Bai Xinghan.
"Commander Li!"
Qiu Jiuqian and the others shouted in alarm. However, Li Xuan's figure had already disappeared underground. After sensing, there were no longer any traces of Li Xuan or Bai Xinghan.
"Brother Qiu, hurry and crush the Wood Spirit Talisman!" Gong Hanfeng turned and said urgently.
"Alright!" Qiu Jiuqian dared not delay. With a wave of his hand, a spiritual talisman exuding a clear aura appeared. He gripped it tightly, and a wisp of invisible energy vanished into the void.
"Wood Spirit Talisman? It seems I can't linger," the old man a hundred miles away murmured and then stepped into the void, disappearing.
"Hmm? A disciple actually used the Wood Spirit Talisman?" In Wood Pavilion, Elder Geng Tian, who was sitting in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with confusion.
However, Elder Geng Tian knew that using the Wood Spirit Talisman meant that a disciple of Wood Pavilion was in a life-or-death situation. Without delay, he stepped into the air and departed.
"What happened?"
Elder Geng Tian appeared directly before Qiu Jiuqian and the others. Seeing the ruins before him, he couldn't help but frown.
"We pay our respects to Elder Geng Tian. Elder Geng Tian, please save Commander Li and Bai Xinghan quickly," Qiu Jiuqian and the others bowed to Elder Geng Tian and said.
"Li Xuan? Where did he go?" Elder Geng Tian felt a vague sense of foreboding. Upon his arrival, he had noticed Li Xuan was not among them, and now, hearing Gong Hanfeng's words, he suspected this matter involved Li Xuan.
"Reporting to Elder Geng Tian, it's like this..." Qiu Jiuqian interrupted the others' rapid explanations and briefly recounted the sequence of events.
"Li Xuan jumped into the ground beneath Blood Ravine Cave?" Elder Geng Tian's expression changed after hearing Qiu Jiuqian's account.
"Reporting to Elder Geng Tian, Commander Li jumped down to save Bai Xinghan. We couldn't sense Commander Li, so we crushed the Wood Spirit Talisman," Gong Hanfeng nodded.
Elder Geng Tian looked at the sinkhole, dozens of feet wide, and sighed helplessly, "I'm afraid that even I cannot intervene in this matter."