Impressive Harvest

"The Captain is right; we really have to show off our skills today!"

"That's right! It is a blessing for the children of our town that the gentleman has come to Qinghe Town. We must catch a decent demon beast to celebrate!"

"Isn't venturing this deep a bit risky?"

"What is there to fear? With Captain Xu anchoring the formation, hunting demons this time will be in the bag!"

"We must return fully satisfied!"

The group waved their blades and spears, shouting with blood-pumping enthusiasm.

Ordinary folks were rustic and honest like this; for a drop of kindness, they would inevitably strive to repay it with all their might. Their interactions were sincere—as long as the conversation was agreeable, they were willing to give everything they had.

They might not be good at poetry or literary talent, but when it came to hunting demon beasts, they had to do a good job. No matter what, they had to let the gentleman witness the passion of Qinghe Town and their own strength.

After all, as men, who didn't care about saving face?

Seeing that everyone was full of drive, Yi Feng merely wore a calm smile on his face. He did not speak any discouraging words to dampen the mood. After happily expressing his thanks, he continued the journey with everyone, heading toward the deeper parts of the mountain.

The night grew deeper.

The squad climbed continuously along the mountain path, torches lit in their hands. The road beneath their feet became somewhat chaotic, with old tracks barely visible. Without someone to lead the way, outsiders would absolutely be unable to distinguish the path forward.

Drilling into a forest, the trees became noticeably more luxuriant. Compared to the forest avenue they had walked earlier, what lay before them was like a wild jungle. There was almost no trace of human habitation, only trees growing madly and unrestrained, with towering ancient trees visible everywhere and dense vines spreading all over.

The untamed dense forest was very quiet; even the insect chirping from before had vanished here, revealing an oppressive atmosphere that involuntarily made one nervous.

Captain Xu, who was leading the way, reached out to stop everyone, turning around to give solemn instructions.

"Everyone."

"Although we are still far from the summit, this is already the deeper part of Qingmang Mountain. We could encounter powerful demon beasts at any time. We must be ready to fight at a moment's notice!"

Everyone nodded solemnly in response, each tightly gripping the weapon in their hand.

The joyous atmosphere from before was swept away in an instant. The battle-hardened hunters were poised for action, looking experienced at a glance.

Even with the Captain anchoring the formation, they were accompanying Mr. Yi today, and they absolutely did not want any accidents to occur. They began to scan their surroundings with great vigilance.

Following Captain Xu's steps, the squad began to move forward steadily.

Restraining their auras, everyone remained on high alert!

They had advanced no more than a few dozen steps.

Sure enough!

A white tiger appeared indistinctly in the forest. Its mottled figure reflected the moonlight, looking terrifying. Even viewing it from a distance made one feel considerable pressure.

If an ordinary person saw such a massive shadow, they would likely have wet themselves in terror!

Xu Fengyue, however, remained calm, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

After sizing it up for a few moments, he instructed and deployed the team in a low voice.

"Our luck is good; we've actually encountered an Eclipse Moon Demon Tiger!"

"This demon tiger is covered in white tiger stripes. It must be a hundred years old. Although it is far from reaching adulthood, it is no lesser than a cultivator at the peak of the Martial Master realm. As today's prey, it couldn't be more suitable!"

"In a moment, everyone at the Martial Master level and above will attack with me. You guys are responsible for assisting. Niece Wei and Old Liu will stay here to protect Mr. Yi!"

"We must act according to our roles; absolutely no carelessness is allowed!"

As his deep voice fell, everyone's eyes filled with excitement.

They exchanged quiet glances, full of motivation!

"Eclipse Moon Demon Tiger, this really is a big catch!"

"Our luck is good today; we absolutely cannot let this beast escape!"

"Let's get the bastard!"

As Xu Fengyue gripped his short blade and stepped forward, the crowd quickly formed an encirclement and followed closely. They soon vanished into the distant dense forest, launching a surprise attack from several directions. The sound of killing shouts exploded, making one's blood boil!

Yi Feng watched from a distance, observing the great demon hunting battle.

Although he still had a calm expression and felt no ripples in his heart, witnessing such an interesting event in Qinghe Town felt just like a movie, which was quite amusing.

Perhaps because he was watching a bit intently, Wei Xiaowei beside him noticed his expression and thought Yi Feng was somewhat afraid. She smiled and spoke to comfort him, casually explaining the battle situation.

"Mr. Yi, you don't need to be too nervous."

"Actually, that demon tiger looks big and formidable, but there will absolutely be no danger. Captain Xu is a Grand Martial Master powerhouse, a full realm higher than that demon tiger. With him taking action, there will definitely be no problem!"

Hearing her nervous words, Yi Feng looked back with a smile.

He saw the young girl tightly gripping the short blade in her hand. Although she spoke lightly, her body was tense, clearly betraying the turmoil in her heart.

Presumably, this little girl was also seeing such a formidable demon beast for the first time. A demon creature at the Martial Master level was indeed too terrifying for a small-town girl.

That she could retain a degree of composure at this moment was already commendable; she had likely encountered quite a few dangers in the past to possess today's steadiness.

It wasn't easy.

Feeling quite emotional at a glance, Yi Feng smiled and took up the conversation, casually shifting her attention to soothe her nervous state of mind.

"Is Captain Xu really that amazing?"

Hearing this, Wei Xiaowei was stunned for a moment, then began to explain.

"Mr. Yi, you are underestimating Captain Xu."

"Captain Xu is a Grand Martial Master powerhouse, only slightly inferior to the Old Patriarch. He is absolutely the strongest here. Let alone this demon tiger, even... even if it were a slightly stronger demon beast, it would be a Grand Martial Master at most, so it would certainly be no problem!"

"You don't know, but Captain Xu's blade technique is very powerful. Even people from the great families in Ye City once had their eyes on him and wanted to hire him as a guard!"

By the end, the young girl's eyes clearly held more awe, looking very much like the way students looked at Yi Feng. Her previous nervousness had also dissipated considerably.

Yi Feng nodded with a smile, revealing a look of sudden realization.

"Hmm, so Captain Xu is this amazing..."

Coming from a poor small town and relying solely on bitter cultivation to reach such a realm, and even being valued by a great clan in the city, was indeed very rare. Among ordinary people, he was absolutely considered outstanding.

It was no wonder the young girl was so convinced when speaking of Captain Xu.

Seeing that Yi Feng finally "understood" the Captain's formidability, Wei Xiaowei spoke with increasing vigor. She pointed at the battle in the distant forest and began to narrate, her delicate face revealing a sense of glory belonging to Qinghe Town.

"Sir, you certainly haven't come in vain today. With Captain Xu personally taking action, you will definitely be able to feast your eyes."

"Quick, look!"

"The Captain has already used his famous blade technique. It is said to be a secret manual treasured by the Old Patriarch, very powerful! This move is the legendary Sweep of a Thousand Armies!"

Yi Feng raised his eyes slightly; everything was seen through by his star-like eyes.

In the forest, Xu Fengyue held a short blade, charging straight toward the fierce tiger with indomitable spirit!

Holding the blade with both hands, he swept it across with the force of a thousand pounds!

As the blade swept out, the blade's glow was enshrouded in faint spiritual energy; it seemed to have already entered the Small Success realm. Even the fierce tiger realized the crisis and ignored the others to counterattack.

The blade glow and tiger claws collided, actually causing sparks to fly!

In just a few short breaths.

One man and one tiger fought to the death, while the others actually had no chance to intervene and could only helplessly surround the battle to assist from the side. The scene was tense to the extreme.

Until several breaths later.

With her cultivation base being slightly superior, Xu Fengyue finally managed to slay the fierce tiger. However, she was drenched in sweat, clearly having expended a significant amount of energy. The tyrannical physical toughness of a Demon Beast was evident; they were far superior to human cultivators of the same rank. Had Captain Xu's cultivation not been slightly stronger, she likely would have suffered a disastrous defeat today.

The others, failing to perceive the nuances of the dangerous encounter, simply gazed at the tiger's corpse and erupted into continuous cheers!

Seeing everyone step forward to offer their joyful congratulations, Xu Fengyue let out a hearty, unburdened laugh. As the squad immersed themselves in the delight of victory, Wei Xiaowei excitedly dragged Yi Feng closer to inspect the beast.