Chapter 1776: Standing Shoulder to Shoulder

At that moment, the scarred leader and the sinister deputy leader led their subordinates, surrounding her once again. They all sneered, "Missy, that pretty boy abandoned you because he's a coward. Your taste in men is terrible."

Chu Chuyan spat. "Hmph! How could such a cowardly wretch be my man? If my man were here, there would be no need to flee!"

Her voice was filled with regret. If only she hadn't been discovered, she might have already found Azu.

"You certainly talk a big game, little lady," the scarred leader said, whistling suggestively. "But we men here are guaranteed to be more formidable. Care to give us a try?" The other mercenaries immediately burst into laughter.

After the recent bloody battle, it was now time for their reward. This woman was simply too beautiful; even though she had just killed many of their brothers, it was hard for anyone to bring themselves to kill her.

Seeing the looks in their eyes, Chu Chuyan's face became a mask of ice. She knew that today would not end well, and if she fell into their hands, her fate would undoubtedly be tragic.

A look of determination quickly flashed across her face. Holding her sword with both hands, her entire being subtly emanated a faint aura of an impending blizzard.

The expressions of the scarred leader and the sinister deputy leader changed. "Everyone, retreat quickly!"

Having experienced countless battles, they naturally sensed the destructive power within it.

They naturally understood that such power wouldn't appear out of thin air. It had to be some kind of forbidden art, and the price was often one's life.

This woman was clearly intending to take them all down with her.

The group looked at her beautiful face, sighing inwardly, "What a pity!"

Chu Chuyan's eyes were filled with calm. Back when her cultivation was still low, she could activate a forbidden art to defeat the remnant soul of a gigantic Kun. Now, her cultivation was immeasurably higher than before, and the power she could unleash far surpassed what she could back then.

"Farewell, Azu..."

A hint of reluctance lingered in her heart, but at this point, she had no other retreat.

Just as she was about to fully unleash this ability, an anxious, clear shout reached her ears: "Don't act rashly!"

Chu Chuyan's heart stirred. She recognized the voice. It was her!

At that very moment, a graceful figure suddenly rushed from afar. A surging wave of black flames swept across the surroundings, causing many members of the Grey Wolf Mercenary Group to scream repeatedly.

These black flames were truly bizarre. Once they touched someone, they couldn't be extinguished, as if they wouldn't stop until their souls were completely burned away.

The scarred leader and the sinister deputy leader's faces turned grim. They successively struck down several subordinates who had been touched by the black flames, ending their agony.

At this, everyone looked towards the culprit in the field. They never expected it to be a woman, and a very beautiful one at that.

Dressed in a red top and a black skirt, she was incomparably charming. Her captivating peach blossom eyes held a hint of a smile, and a seductive charm in every glance.

But what drew everyone's attention even more was her chest. As she moved and leaped, it swelled and undulated like the surging sea.

The entire mercenary group's eyes went wide. What incredible luck did they have today to encounter another stunning beauty comparable to the blue-dressed woman they'd just seen?

However, the scarred leader and the sinister deputy leader couldn't be happy. After the recent major battle and now with this black-dressed woman's sneak attack, they had already lost nearly half of their men, and the rest were all injured.

At this moment, Chu Chuyan was also somewhat dazed. Her eyes showed both surprise and joy. "Manman!"

The newcomer was naturally Pei Mianman. She had been searching for Chu Chuyan recently and never expected to meet her under such circumstances.

Pei Mianman saw that Chu Chuyan's clothes were covered in bloodstains from the recent battle, which showed how dire the situation had been. She couldn't help but sigh softly. "Silly girl, if anything happened to you, he would be heartbroken."

Chu Chuyan stared blankly at her, then suddenly let out a faint sigh. "Actually, you could have intervened a minute later. No one would have blamed you."

They had known each other for many years, and Chu Chuyan knew that Pei Mianman's inner self was not as sweet and harmless as her outer appearance suggested.

Pei Mianman naturally understood what she meant. Her eyebrows arched slightly. "If it were any other woman, I might actually have done as you said, but you are different."

"How am I different?" Chu Chuyan gazed at her quietly.

Pei Mianman's expression was complex. "I've known you far longer than I've known him. Before him, we were the best of friends."

A smile suddenly appeared on Chu Chuyan's face. Their personalities were clearly vastly different, and when they first met years ago, they both had their own ulterior motives. But it had to be said, for the past decade or so, Pei Mianman had indeed been one of her few friends, acknowledged by others as a good confidante.

Until that person appeared...

"Yes, the best of friends." The two women exchanged glances. For some reason, the previous estrangement between them vanished.

"What touching sisterly affection!" the scarred leader exclaimed, his face livid. "However, neither of you will leave here today." From their words, it seemed they even knew each other.

And they seemed to be vying for the same man?

Are you kidding me? Two such peerless beauties vying for the same man, and then even putting on a display of sisterly affection!

What kind of man could be so fortunate?

The thought of such a man existing caused an uncontrollable surge of dark rage within him. Why him?

The other mercenaries clearly had similar thoughts. Previously, they had been somewhat wary of casualties and losing strength, but at this point, it was a fight to the death.

"These guys bullied you. Let's kill them all together," Pei Mianman said, gazing coldly at the surrounding people. Her normally gentle peach blossom eyes were now filled with ice.

"Uh, their strength is considerable," Chu Chuyan said, unsure how to phrase it. She had seen Pei Mianman fight during the Purple Mountain Grand Competition. While her cultivation had indeed progressed rapidly, she didn't have a clear advantage over the seeded competitors from various sects. Her eventual victory in the competition was largely due to good luck and Zu An's behind-the-scenes manipulations.

Pei Mianman smiled, pressing her lips together. "Chuyan, I might not be as good as you in a one-on-one fight, but chaotic battles like this are what I excel at."

Back in the secret realm, she was Fu Hao, the goddess of war. Having experienced countless wars, she was long accustomed to melees.

No sooner had she spoken than she summoned the Fu Hao Owl Zun. Within several miles, everything was plunged into absolute darkness.

"What's going on?"

"Why did the sky suddenly turn dark?"

"Light a fire, quickly!"

...

The members of the Grey Wolf Mercenary Group were clearly thrown into disarray by this sudden turn of events.

Soon, some tried to light torches or other illuminating objects. But strangely, the light seemed to be swallowed by the surrounding darkness, unable to illuminate anything around them.

Even their divine sense was restricted to an extremely small area, making everyone feel as if they had gone blind.

Just then, those who had lit torches began to let out horrifying screams, one after another. They were clearly being attacked by something within the darkness.

The sinister deputy leader shrieked, "Everyone, calm down! Don't light fires and become live targets!"

The remaining mercenaries quickly extinguished their lights, and cautiously held their weapons, guarding their surroundings.

Their combat experience was extensive. Since it was dark, the opponent surely couldn't see either. As long as they remained silent, the enemy wouldn't be able to find them. By guarding their surroundings and attacking anything that approached them, they could remain invincible.

It was a pity they couldn't possibly imagine that in this darkness, Pei Mianman was the sovereign. She could clearly see every detail within the area.

Like a night owl, she silently reaped the lives of one mercenary after another.

Her cultivation was already very high. Fighting against those who couldn't see while she could, it was almost a one-sided slaughter.

Hearing the continuous screams around him, the scarred leader unleashed various powerful attacks towards his surroundings.

Unfortunately, such blind, needle-in-a-haystack attacks were utterly incapable of hitting the enemy.

He was furious. The opponent's cultivation was clearly not as high as his, yet now he was forced into a passive, defensive position. It was utterly frustrating.

It was a pity that the talisman master in their mercenary group had been killed by Chu Chuyan; otherwise, they wouldn't be completely helpless now.

As the familiar voices one by one fell silent, his heart sank to rock bottom. They were completely finished this time. The Grey Wolf Mercenary Group was likely facing complete annihilation.

He roared, "Deputy leader, are you dead? If not, get over here! We'll fight back-to-back!"

"Alright!" the sinister voice responded. The deputy leader clearly knew that infighting was no longer an option in this situation. Decisively setting aside their usual animosity, they quickly regrouped. Each wielded their weapons, blocking their respective halves.

This made Pei Mianman quite vexed. The two men acted as each other's strong points, guarding themselves meticulously. Any attack would immediately provoke a thunderous counterattack from the other.

Their cultivation was still above hers. If such a situation truly arose, she might suffer serious injuries.

She approached Chu Chuyan and explained the current situation. Chu Chuyan quickly transmitted her voice: "They have two people. Don't we also have two?"

Pei Mianman's eyes lit up. The two women, hand in hand, quietly leaped towards their targets.

Pei Mianman attacked first. The black flames suddenly surged.

It was blocked by the weapon wielded by the sinister deputy leader. At this, the scarred leader sneered, "Got you!"

He seized this rare opportunity and directly blasted a massive wolf head towards her, intending to bite. At this moment, he no longer cared about women or anything else; he just wanted to kill her as quickly as possible and escape this perilous situation.

Who knew that at this moment, a sword emanating a frosty aura appeared silently, striking his neck precisely.

His head flew directly into the sky. His eyes were wide with confusion and terror, unable to believe that he, who had rampaged across the world, would die so easily.