"These damned lizards, this heroine will exterminate you!"
Seeing her team members fall one by one, Dugu Ling's expression grew increasingly grim.
She had once boasted that she would lead the weak on missions and ensure their safe completion.
Yet, after only seven hours in the forest, two had died and over a dozen were injured. To her, this was a blatant slap in the face, and she couldn't bear it.
With that, Dugu Ling charged forward.
"Cang Lang, are you going to help, or deal with the tree demon?" Ye Cangtian asked Cang Lang playfully, watching Dugu Ling charge.
Although Ye Cangtian was wary of Cang Lang, he believed Cang Lang wouldn't dare to act rashly.
After all, assassinating Dugu Ling would offend both the Dugu family and the Hidden Organization, making it difficult for him to find a place to stay in the future.
Furthermore, Dugu Ling was not weak. If his attack failed, Cang Lang would be exposed and have no further opportunities. Therefore, if Cang Lang harbored murderous intent, he would most likely act in secret.
This was why Ye Cangtian dared to briefly leave Dugu Ling's sight. He also wanted to test Cang Lang and see if the man would fall into his trap.
Hmph!
Upon hearing this, Cang Lang glared at Ye Cangtian and let out a cold snort. Then, with a flash, he circumvented the giant lizards from the side.
Clearly, he had chosen the tree demon.
Hmm?
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian became suspicious.
Did Cang Lang have no intention to kill Dugu Ling, or had he seen through his plan?
Thinking this, Ye Cangtian shook his head helplessly. Now was not the time to ponder such matters.
He scanned Dugu Ling and observed the battle.
Dugu Ling was incredibly agile, wielding twin swords and weaving through the giant lizards like a dancing fairy, making for a spectacular display with immensely powerful moves.
Her long swords, capable of slicing through metal, made the lizards' tough scales as fragile as tofu before them.
Since she joined the fray, the tide of battle had clearly turned.
The giant lizards sustained more and more wounds, their blood gushing out, eliciting piteous roars.
Within minutes, two giant lizards had fallen.
This sight energized all the struggling team members.
They had thought they were doomed, but Dugu Ling's appearance offered them a glimmer of hope.
"Coward! What are you still standing there for? Come help!"
Just then, an indignant voice rang out, and Ye Cangtian revealed a wry smile.
He hadn't expected Dugu Ling, engrossed in the fierce battle, to notice him. It seemed Dugu Ling wasn't even using her full strength.
With that thought, Ye Cangtian drew his skull dagger and joined the battle.
After all, they were teammates. Though each had their own agenda, he couldn't simply stand by and watch more casualties occur.
Ye Cangtian did not display excessive strength upon joining, nor did he focus on offense.
His primary task was to rescue, saving those who couldn't defend themselves and blocking the giant lizards' attacks.
Of course, he had another objective: to conceal his strength as much as possible.
He had already become a known entity, so he needed to find a way to hide his power, feigning weakness to lull potential enemies into a false sense of security.
Besides this, he was also silently keeping track of time.
He hadn't yet seen Cang Lang in action. By observing the time it took Cang Lang to eliminate the tree demon, he could roughly gauge Cang Lang's strength and be better prepared.
In less than ten minutes, the tree demon's attacks ceased.
Indeed, he was no ordinary person.
Ye Cangtian muttered to himself. To eliminate the tree demon so quickly, his strength was at least above the Xuan level, which aligned well with his previous estimations.
Meanwhile, under Dugu Ling's dual-sword onslaught, the giant lizards were continuously slain.
As the last giant lizard fell, many team members collapsed to the ground, exhausted.
They gasped for breath, their eyes filled with intense apprehension and a hint of relief at having survived.
These individuals were not new to missions, but encountering such terrifying giant lizards in the forest was a relatively rare occurrence.
This also filled them with trepidation for the missions ahead. They had only been in the forest for over seven hours, and they were still in the outer regions.
If the outer regions were this perilous, how much more terrifying must the central areas of the forest be?
"Thank you for saving my life, Mr. Ye!"
"Mr. Ye is truly worthy of being from the Hidden Organization, possessing a heart that saves the dying and heals the injured. It is our honor to travel with you..."
Those rescued by Ye Cangtian came before him, bowing in gratitude.
More than the slaughter of the giant lizards, they cared about their own lives.
Had it not been for Ye Cangtian's intervention, they would likely have died under the giant lizards' attacks. At the very least, even if they survived, they would have been severely wounded.
Now that they were unharmed, it was all thanks to Ye Cangtian, and they naturally expressed their gratitude.
In response, Ye Cangtian waved his hand and said, "We are all teammates. We should help each other. Go rest, and take care of processing the giant lizards' corpses."
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, a few people nodded. Their gazes fell upon the giant lizards, and they couldn't help but lick their lips.
While the giant lizards were ferocious, they were also treasures from head to toe. Collecting them could yield a significant amount of crystal stones.
"..."
On the other side, seeing many people thanking Ye Cangtian.
Dugu Ling gnashed her teeth. These people were too inconsiderate.
Even if Ye Cangtian had saved their lives, they shouldn't just thank him alone!
After all, she had also contributed significantly!
It could be said that she had slain over a dozen giant lizards, yet no one came to thank her?
This made Dugu Ling feel somewhat resentful, but she couldn't say anything about it!
Did she have to force them to thank her?
She couldn't bring herself to do such a thing!
Thinking this, she approached Ye Cangtian, saying indignantly, "Coward, why are you so timid? You're clearly skilled, why didn't you help share the burden a bit? You almost tired this heroine to death!"
"With the Spirit Heroine handling these small crawlers, my intervention would seem redundant. So, I wisely chose to do what I could within my capabilities."
"Besides, isn't this what you wanted?"
"You're responsible for eliminating the powerful enemies, and I'm here to protect the teammates and ensure the squad members complete the mission safely..."
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly, speaking the latter part of his sentence quite loudly, as if all his achievements were due to Dugu Ling's commands.
In an instant, all eyes turned to Dugu Ling, filled with endless admiration.
This coward!
Dugu Ling's face turned completely red. While this was the outcome she wanted,
The problem was that these people weren't genuinely appreciative, but rather influenced by Ye Cangtian's words. It was for this reason that she felt undeserving of their gratitude.
"Coward, you are a scoundrel, stay away from me in the future!"
Dugu Ling whispered fiercely.
From Ye Cangtian's words, she could tell that he was a master of human psychology and knew how to please others, making him the epitome of a cunning and wicked person.
She was no match for Ye Cangtian in this regard. To avoid being exploited by him, she decided to keep her distance.
Uh...
Hearing this, coupled with Dugu Ling's disdainful look, Ye Cangtian was instantly speechless. This young lady was too difficult to please.
He had tried to appease her repeatedly, but it had no effect, only making her dislike him more intensely.
Thinking this, Ye Cangtian gave a wry smile and turned away, ignoring her.
After resting for half an hour and processing the giant lizards' corpses, the mission squad resumed their exploration.
...