Other countries' teams also had intelligent individuals who believed Ling Tian was not dead, but merely injured and hiding somewhere outside.
This time, the Huaxia team had almost mobilized entirely, and they speculated that the Huaxia team members might be going out to rescue Ling Tian.
In other words, by following the Huaxia team members, one might find Ling Tian and kill him.
As if on cue, as soon as Xuanyuan Tangfeng and the others arrived in the free zone, they found themselves being watched.
When they entered the forest and approached the riverside, they discovered another Huaxia team being ambushed. That team consisted of Situ Leisheng and two other members of the Huaxia team.
Seeing this, Xuanyuan Tangfeng and the others could not stand idly by. Although Huaxia people sometimes engaged in infighting, they were very united when facing external enemies.
Xuanyuan Tangfeng and the others joined the fray, and the situation quickly reversed. However, their fight also attracted many other espers.
Some of these espers joined the opposing team, while others were secretly releasing skills to launch sneak attacks.
After a fierce battle, the Huaxia team suffered three casualties. Xuanyuan Tangfeng and his group lost a companion, and Situ Leisheng's two followers were also killed.
The three of them were cornered by more than a dozen Japanese espers and a few South Korean espers by a large rock near the river.
At this point, the three of them were exhausted and all injured.
However, in the battle just now, they had also eliminated over twenty people!
The one who killed the most enemies was neither Xuanyuan Tangfeng nor Situ Leisheng, but the seemingly harmless Zhang Caifeng!
This was due to Ling Tian. Before departing, Ling Tian had directly given Zhang Caifeng a book of fire talismans.
This book contained twelve fire talismans, which Zhang Caifeng considered a generous gift. After all, the elders of Longhu Mountain would spend almost a whole month to draw such a number of fire talismans.
But for Ling Tian now, this was nothing. As long as he had the materials, Ling Tian could draw one in an hour.
It was with these fire talismans that Zhang Caifeng battered the attackers.
However, there were simply too many attackers, and the number of fire talismans was limited. Zhang Caifeng's book of fire talismans, along with the few fire talismans given to her by the elders of Longhu Mountain for self-defense before she left, had all been used up!
Xuanyuan Tangfeng and Situ Leisheng, their long swords and clothes were stained with blood, and they had many wounds on their bodies. Both of them were now at the end of their strength.
"Damn it, we underestimated them. We really looked down on people," Xuanyuan Jie sighed.
"Brother Xuanyuan, I've implicated you. I apologize," Situ Leisheng said sincerely.
Today's events moved him deeply. During the more than half a month they spent on the island, deep-seated conflicts had accumulated. The young people on the island were divided into two factions: one supported Situ Leisheng, and the other supported Xuanyuan Tangfeng.
It was only due to the suppression by Xuanyuan Jie and others that more serious conflicts had not erupted.
When they went out this time, they split into groups. Situ Leisheng had also found two people he was closest to, and the three of them formed a group.
Soon after, they encountered a group of Japanese people, and without a word, both sides began to fight!
Although the few Huaxia people were fierce, the Japanese were not to be trifled with. These Japanese espers were either samurai or ninjas, and there were even Onmyoji among them. Situ Leisheng's two companions were quickly killed.
Situ Leisheng's martial arts were far superior to those of his two companions. He fought desperately, using all his skills, and was on the verge of death.
Just then, Xuanyuan Jie and his group, who were passing by, charged into the fray, saving Situ Leisheng's life.
Xuanyuan Jie's team also lost a member, leaving only the three of them struggling to hold on.
Situ Leisheng knew clearly that Xuanyuan Jie could have simply pretended not to see him, and with the strength of the three of them, it would have been easy to escape unnoticed.
But Xuanyuan Jie and his group had charged forward without hesitation, fighting alongside him, which had led to the three of them being in a perilous situation, facing a life-threatening danger!
Situ Leisheng believed that if it were him, he might not have been able to do this!
"It's alright. We are all Huaxia people, compatriots. We couldn't just stand by and watch. It's just a pity about Sister Caifeng," Xuanyuan Jie said.
"Brother Xuanyuan, what are you saying? Although I am a woman, I am also Huaxia. We at Longhu Mountain have no cowards!" Zhang Caifeng said sternly.
Zhang Caifeng was not afraid of death; she had long accepted the possibility of dying. However, she still had a regret: not being able to see Ling Tian one last time before she died.
At this moment, facing them, besides a group of Japanese people wielding long sabers and a few South Koreans, there were also two strange existences.
The one standing at the forefront was a monster nearly 1.6 meters tall, with crimson skin, broad shoulders, and a thick waist.
Although this humanoid monster was not tall, it was extremely robust. Its waist was as thick as a sow's, and its arms were thicker than an adult's thigh.
Its palm-like hands were equipped with sharp claws, and its joints even had bone spurs protruding through the skin.
This humanoid monster, resembling a sentient water vat, wielded a thick, spiked club. However, the monster's face was obscured by a large talisman pasted on it!
Anyone familiar with Japanese history and folklore would immediately recognize this creature as one of the Shikigami from Japanese myths and legends: Amakusa Oni Aka.
Shikigami refers to spirits manipulated by Onmyoji through magic in Japan. Their power is related to the Onmyoji who controls them. Some Shikigami can even turn against their masters.
Shikigami were first created by the Onmyoji Abe no Seimei and have been passed down through the Tsuchimikado family, Abe no Seimei's direct descendants.
Some powerful Shikigami can even materialize and manifest.
However, as the spiritual energy on Earth gradually became depleted, Japanese Onmyoji found it difficult to summon and sustain those powerful Shikigami. Even the most skilled Onmyoji could only maintain the existence of a few spirits at most.
However, in recent years, with the Xiankong asteroid flying towards Earth, the spiritual energy on Earth has begun to recover. Japanese Onmyoji were delighted to find that they could once again summon powerful Shikigami.
But because they had not interacted with such powerful Shikigami for many years, many Onmyoji still died from the backlash of the Shikigami.