Compared to others, Luo Xiaowei's cultivation progressed very slowly. By the time Li Qingyun had reached the late stage of Void Return, he was still only at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.
He was a full major realm behind Li Qingyun, Wang Teng, and the others.
Qin Xiaoxiao had also broken through to Void Return and was already in the middle stage of the Void Return realm, surpassing Luo Xiaowei in cultivation as well.
They had spent nearly fifty years in this world.
In those fifty years, they had experienced no less than anyone else.
They had established a mercenary group. It started with just two people, but as their reputation grew, more and more people were willing to follow them.
In this world, the front lines and the rear were two starkly different realms.
While those at the front lines were fighting furiously against the Sky-Slayer race, those in the rear lived in peace and harmony.
Despite the rules set by the great powers, which required each sect to dispatch a certain number of cultivators to fight, they secretly hid their geniuses and sent cannon fodder instead.
With their current strength, they wouldn't have achieved such a good reputation here.
However, on this battlefield, they were the most talented individuals among their peers.
The Ice Sword Mercenary Group became a force that instilled dread in the hearts of the Sky-Slayer race in the rogue cultivator war zone.
This mercenary group had also made it onto the Sky-Slayer race's kill list, especially Luo Xiaowei and Qin Xiaoxiao, whose strength was truly astonishing.
They had become prodigies capable of breaking the stalemate on the battlefield.
Over the years, the Ice Sword Mercenary Group had not only achieved great victories on the traveling battlefields but had also inflicted heavy blows on the enemy when they joined the main battlefields between humans and the Sky-Slayer race.
Even with their current configuration, they could overpower and kill a sixth-realm Sky-Slayer.
"Guild Leader, do we really have to go deep into enemy territory to fight those Sky-Slayer bastards?"
A young girl with cat ears on her head asked Luo Xiaowei with concern.
Although Qin Xiaoxiao was the main damage dealer, Luo Xiaowei was the backbone of the Ice Sword Mercenary Group.
This young girl was named Wu Xiaomi. She was a mixed-blood of human and demon, discriminated against in both demon and human societies.
That was why she came to the front lines to fight. Her talent wasn't top-tier, only comparable to Luo Xiaowei's.
However, to escape the discriminatory gazes, Wu Xiaomi came to the front lines to fight, and her cultivation had also reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.
Besides Wu Xiaomi, their team had four other members.
One was a ghost cultivator with half his face cursed, Mo Feng, who was also a peak Nascent Soul stage cultivator.
He was a ghost cultivator, but unlike Liu Chen of the [Lihuo Palace], he did not lose control. He practiced this neither-human-nor-ghost cultivation method solely for survival.
He had never killed innocent people, but even so, his identity as a ghost cultivator made him a target of public outrage.
Disappointed with the immortal cultivation world, he came to the front lines, wanting to dedicate his life honorably on the battlefield.
The other two were sinners banished by their sects, Fan Jia and Fan Yi.
Their names were also ordinary, but they were twins.
These two actually had good talent, but their meridians were crippled. Now, they cultivated a miraculous secret technique called "Shared Life," which complemented each other's talents, repairing their crippled meridians.
However, because of this, they had to break through simultaneously. Once their cultivation levels diverged too much, the secret technique between them would break, and they risked becoming cripples again at any moment.
The last one was the thirteenth prince of the Qian Yuan Dynasty, Yun Lei.
This thirteenth prince was very pure; he simply loved to fight.
He had encountered danger on this front-line battlefield and almost lost his life to the Sky-Slayer race's blades, but he was saved by Luo Xiaowei and his companions, and thus joined this peculiar mercenary group.
The members of this mercenary group were all very special: visitors from another world, a ghost cultivator hated by all, a mixed-blood of human and demon, twins sharing life, and even a prince from a top dynasty.
Originally, there were more members, but many had died at the beginning.
This caused Luo Xiaowei to fall into depression for a period, and he disbanded the group once.
Later, at the strong request of their devoted fans, their Ice Sword Mercenary Group set sail once more.
However, this time, Luo Xiaowei decided to adopt an elite route. It didn't matter if there were fewer people, as long as everyone could help each other, and as long as no one had ulterior motives, it would be a great team.
Now, these seven people formed the final lineup of the Ice Sword Mercenary Group, a lineup that had remained unchanged for ten years.
Although each person was special, they were very taciturn when fighting.
Just yesterday, they had received a mission.
The Saintess of the great sect, Floating Immortal Palace, had secretly slipped out to fight on the front lines and was trapped in a formation by the Sky-Slayer race.
The formation was set up by the Saintess herself, but it could only last for about three days. If no one rescued her during this period, she would essentially be doomed.
Upon learning this, the sect was extremely anxious to rescue the Saintess.
However, those damnable Sky-Slayer race members would attract the peak forces of the Sky-Slayer race if the powerful figures made any moves, making rescue even more impossible.
An elder from the Floating Immortal Palace found the Ice Sword Mercenary Group. Their reputation was now renowned both among humans and the Sky-Slayer race, always instilling fear in them.
This arduous mission fell upon their shoulders, with a mission reward of fifty thousand points.
This was equivalent to killing five seventh-realm Sky-Slayer race members, a vast fortune that could exchange for several Holy Medicines.
After careful consideration, Luo Xiaowei decided to accept the commission. Based on their understanding, only one sixth-realm Sky-Slayer was worth paying attention to among the enemy they were to face.
"We have to take the fifty thousand points. Besides us, no one else can do this mission."
Yun Lei crossed his arms and said impatiently, "What are we afraid of? With Sister Xiaoxiao here, all Sky-Slayers below the sixth realm are nothing but weaklings!"
Qin Xiaoxiao hit his head with her hammer, "Can't you brag about yourself?"
Fan Jia and Fan Yi remained silent. They were always taciturn, and they would follow whatever decision the team made.
The ghost cultivator Mo Feng smiled grimly and said, "We've killed sixth-realm opponents before. If this Floating Immortal Palace hasn't withheld any information, this mission should be completely fine."
Luo Xiaowei immediately ordered, "Then we'll tidy up tonight and prepare for battle tomorrow. Remember our principle: no matter how confident we are about the enemy, we must not be careless!"
"Yes!"