Since the two soul figures of the Ice Sword Mercenary Group, Luo Xiaowei and Qin Xiaoxiao, went missing together, the remaining members of the mercenary group have not been doing well.
Although they have not disbanded, they no longer possess the terrifying aura they once commanded.
In the past, one only needed to see the Ice Phoenix to know that the Ice Sword Mercenary Group had arrived. This symbolic divine beast had once become an important label for their mercenary group.
Now, not only are their leader and main damage dealers gone, but even their most important symbol has vanished.
Currently, their acting leader is Wu Xiaomi.
Despite being much diminished compared to their former glory, they have no intention of disbanding. They believe that their leader and others will return one day.
"Is our mission this time to eliminate the Xitian race who have crossed the Shiyue Mountain?"
"Yes, but it is estimated that the other party may have more than a dozen sixth-realm Xitian race members."
"It's a bit dangerous, but worth the risk."
"I'm afraid of ambushes; this isn't the first time we've encountered such ambushes."
"Let's just go and take a look first. If it's too much, we'll run."
"......"
The five of them flew towards Shiyue Mountain together.
Shiyue Mountain is a dividing line on the battlefield between the Human race and the Xitian race. However, this is not the main battlefield, but rather other guerrilla battlefields, areas where various mercenary groups and rogue cultivators operate.
When the Ice Sword Mercenary Group was renowned, these battlefields were their home ground. They often crossed the front lines to charge into Xitian race camps and return unharmed.
However, ten years have passed since Luo Xiaowei and his companions left. Ten years are enough for many things to happen.
With the Ice Sword's reputation gone, the enemy dares to cross the defense line and act arrogantly in Human territory.
What makes Wu Xiaomi and the others most upset is that many sect geniuses keep their Holy Sons and Holy Daughters hidden away.
Fighting against the Xitian race should be the responsibility of all Human cultivators in the immortal cultivation world. Yet, these major sects treat this life-and-death racial war as a field for their disciples to gain experience.
Sometimes, they send these exceptionally talented individuals to forcefully command an assured victory, and after the victory, they boast extensively about how heroic they were on the battlefield and how powerful their contributions were.
Then, they return to engage in internal struggles with other geniuses.
They simply cannot understand why they can treat this war so casually.
Every day, countless cultivators fighting the Xitian race die here.
And they, the mercenaries, suffer heavy casualties daily. Regardless of their motivations, they die fighting the Xitian race and should be considered heroes of the Human race.
But no one remembers them. Despite their previous prowess, the Ice Sword Mercenary Group was merely a laughingstock to those in the safe zones.
Sometimes, they wonder if their desperate struggle is worth it.
However, every time they see someone sacrifice their life in the battle against the Xitian race, they feel they cannot give up like those people. Whether it is to realize their own value or for the sake of the Human race, they must continue to fight.
Given the current state of Human cultivators, Wu Xiaomi and the others estimate that once the Xitian race receives large reinforcements, this battlefield will instantly collapse. Yet, the geniuses protected by them show no sense of crisis.
"Did you see clearly? How many are there?"
Mo Feng channeled wisps of black smoke that diffused outside Shiyue Mountain.
After a while, he looked at his companions and said, "It's exactly as our intelligence indicated, but we're not sure if there are other Xitian race members in ambush. What do you think? It's difficult but not impossible for us to take this battle by force, but I'm afraid of ambushes."
Wu Xiaomi pondered for a moment and said, "Don't rush. We must be cautious and observe from the shadows first."
As a result, they saw these Xitian race members setting up some strange formations on the ground.
The Xitian race formations are a bit different from theirs, so they couldn't understand them.
"What are they doing?"
"I don't know, but I have a bad feeling that if they complete this formation, something bad might happen."
"I have the same feeling, and the fact that they are risking crossing Shiyue Mountain to set up this formation is very suspicious!"
"Let's go, Sister Xiaomi!"
Wu Xiaomi pondered for a moment, then said, "What you're saying makes sense. We can't let them complete this formation. Go! Attack with me!"
The five of them charged towards the group of Xitian race members.
The sharp whistling sound of breaking wind startled these Xitian race members.
Upon seeing who had arrived, someone shouted in panic, "Ah! It's the Ice Sword Mercenary Group!"
"What are you yapping about? The Ice Sword Mercenary Group is nothing now, remember?"
"Haha, without Luo Xiaowei and Qin Xiaoxiao, they're nothing! Get them!"
"......"
This change in attitude clearly indicates how much the deterrence of the Ice Sword Mercenary Group has diminished.
These Xitian race members drew their weapons, their faces contorted in ferocity, and charged towards the mercenaries, showing no fear.
"Don't split up! Fight together!"
The battle was imminent, and both sides began a fierce barrage.
Although Wu Xiaomi and the others were people who were looked down upon by humans and demons for various reasons, they were all geniuses!
If not for those prejudices, they would have been contenders for Holy Son positions in their respective sects.
It is precisely because of this that, despite being only at the peak of the Void Return realm, they could handle sixth-realm Xitian race members relatively easily. However, facing peak sixth-realm individuals would be much tougher.
Fortunately, there were no peak sixth-realm Xitian race members here.
Various spells interwove, and no battle was without casualties.
The Xitian race members then realized that these individuals were not as easy to deal with as they had imagined, and they had excellent coordination, making it impossible to pick them off one by one.
A Xitian race member shouted in their own language, "These guys are tough! We might not win!"
"Prepare for the Heavenly Sacrifice! We must complete our formation!"
Mo Feng and the others also noticed something was wrong; the determination of these Xitian race members seemed exceptionally strong.
After realizing they couldn't win, they actually activated the [Demonic Body Heavenly Sacrifice], their strength surging, putting immense pressure on the mercenaries.
Moreover, they were burning their life force to continue completing this unknown formation.
As bursts of black light flashed, a terrifying aura emanated, making the mercenaries feel as if their blood had stopped flowing.
"Sister Xiaomi! Should we retreat?"
Wu Xiaomi's face was somewhat pale. The more terrifying the aura of this formation, the more they couldn't let it be completed!
"Do you want to continue fighting? If even one of you doesn't want to, we leave immediately!"
"Run my ass! If our leader and Sister Xiaoxiao were here, they wouldn't run! Get them!"