Compared to the lush, forward-looking Qingshan Town, this place today feels distinctly oppressive and quiet. Sparse figures move along the streets, the city gates remain tightly shut, and against the towering granite walls, dark clusters of heads rise and fall, their low, murmuring conversations drifting and echoing among the crowd. "For heaven's sake, how did these poison masters manage to reach the heart of the empire? There's the Flame Alliance and the royal defenses right ahead, aren't there?" "With the three empires united against the Gamma Empire, even the Flame Alliance is stretched thin—how could they possibly attend to every detail? These ten or so must have slipped in during the gaps." "Now what do we do? Look at the insignia on the one in the middle—he's a four-star poison master. Aside from the top-tier battle royals, who could possibly handle someone of that rank?" "Ah, right now in Qingshan Town, only Yan Cheng, the commander of the Blood Battle Guild, is an Eight-Star Battle Spirit. The rest are mostly Battle Masters or Grand Battle Masters. If that fourth-rank toxic specialist from their side releases a wave of poison mist, many of us will likely fall unconscious right away." "Come on, if we have to, we'll just fight them head-on. We've got numbers—how can we be afraid of just a dozen of them?" "They're hoping we'll open the city gates on our own. You know how terrifying a toxic specialist can be—especially skilled at holding off multiple opponents. Unless we have overwhelming strength, it's not easy to kill them." At the center of the dense crowd of heads, a group of serious-looking mercenary men stood gathered, all bearing the same guild emblem on their chests. Upon closer inspection, it was clear they were members of the Blood Battle Guild—the very one that Xiao Yan had saved once before. Leading them was the middle-aged man, none other than Yan Cheng, the commander of the Blood Battle Guild. Standing beside him were two faces that were particularly familiar: Kaga and Ling'er. All eyes were fixed upon the十余 figures beyond the city walls, their expressions somewhat grim. "Uncle Er, what shall we do? We can't keep holding this position forever. It's said that many poison specialists have infiltrated this mountain range secretly, and recently several towns have been wiped out entirely—only someone truly extraordinary could carry out such ruthless attacks." Ling'er stared fiercely at the group of figures below the city walls, her voice slightly anxious. "We can't afford to stay passive, can we? Haven't you noticed there's a Four-Rank Poison Specialist among them? Even I find it difficult to stand a chance against someone of that level. If it weren't for the absence of any true aerial powerhouse on the other side, and the specially constructed high walls of Qingshan Town built to defend against the魔兽 attacks, they would have already breached our lines and launched a devastating assault by now." Yan Cheng's expression was equally somber as he spoke. "Right now, we can only wait. This is within the heart of the Gama Empire. If we hold out for a while, perhaps a strong member of the 'Inferno Alliance' will come to rescue us." Hearing this, Ling'er only managed a wry smile, silently sighing in her heart: "At present, most of the 'Inferno Alliance's' elite are being held up by the warriors of the three empires—where would they possibly find the strength to spare?" While the group discussed their plans, the figures in gray robes stationed beneath the city walls also began to move. One elderly man, wearing a badge of four vividly colored venomous centipedes on his chest, stepped forward slowly. With his cold, triangular eyes scanning the walls, he emitted a sharp, unpleasant voice that gradually resonated clearly in the ears of every person on the wall. "You have ten minutes to decide—whether to open the city gates yourselves, or whether I shall deploy a toxic mist, and have every single inhabitant of this town serve as the sacrifice for your foolish decision." After speaking, the gray-robed elder slowly closed his eyes, paying no attention to the commotion his words had caused on the walls. Time passed slowly. Ten minutes later, the elderly gray-robed sage opened his eyes, gazing at the still-unresponsive city walls. A cold, cruel smile spread across his dry face as he said, "Did you really think this wall could protect you?" Suddenly, an eerie green glow surged across his face. With a sweeping motion of his sleeve, a thick, dense wave of green toxic mist erupted. As the mist rose, the ten slightly younger gray-robed figures behind him immediately raised their voices in a deep, resonant cry, their hands sweeping out, sending gusts of strong wind. Under the force of these winds, the green mist gradually spread, eventually swirling upward and encircling the city walls. "Hold your breath and encase yourself in your qi!" Seeing the mist drifting slowly toward the walls, Yan Cheng's face grew pale, and he shouted urgently. At his command, the soldiers on the walls quickly activated their internal qi, channeling it strongly to fully envelop their bodies. "Hah! With mere mercenaries like you, do you think you can stop me, the Green Serpent Poison?" Upon seeing this, the gray-robed elder sneered, then swept his sleeve. The ten men behind him immediately rushed to channel their ki, generating strong gusts of wind that surged upward, pushing the green mist skyward. As the mist rose, it gradually reached the height of the city walls, enveloping numerous mercenaries. As soon as it made contact, many of the less experienced soldiers began to feel dizziness, and after a while, they collapsed to the ground, falling unconscious. Seeing this, Yan Cheng's face grew increasingly grim. He gritted his teeth and shouted fiercely, "Damn it! I'm going to fight this stubborn old man to the end! Brothers, let's go together!" "Heard this, Ling'er slightly opened her mouth, but could only sigh in resignation. A fourth-rank poison master, even placed among the frontline forces, would be considered a core combat unit with exceptional strength. Simply relying on the mercenaries who have been fighting valiantly against the enemy corps—those troops would likely perish if sent out. Yet if they stayed, the toxic mist would inevitably erode their combat capabilities, leaving them to die in a more humiliating fashion. The members of the blood-swept mercenary corps, listening to Yan Cheng's words, visibly stiffened, then firmly nodded, gripping their sharp steel swords with determination. Below, the gray-robed elder, observing the commotion on the city walls, grew even more resolute in his demeanor. Among all of them, only a single Douling-level master held any significance for him—anyone else could be easily eliminated with a simple wave of his hand." With a cold, mocking laugh, the gray-robed elder flicked his sleeve, and another surge of green toxic mist erupted. The people on the city walls, witnessing this, felt their sense of despair deepen—this old fool truly intended to eliminate them all. As the second wave of jade-green toxic mist slowly rose, several mercenaries grew resolute, determined to charge down and fight to the death. Though they knew they were courting certain doom, they faced it without fear—after all, it was all just a matter of time before they perished. Just as everyone was preparing to leap down from the walls, the temperature in the sky suddenly rose sharply. With this warming, the dense green mist began to emit hissing sounds, then rapidly dissipated—like snow melting into boiling oil. This sudden development left everyone on both sides stunned, gazing at one another in quiet bewilderment. As everyone stood in stunned silence, two faint figures suddenly flashed into view, appearing out of nowhere within just a few breaths, directly above the town. "Battle King-level strength?! " As soon as the two figures materialized, the crowd was immediately struck by the dual wings of aura energy flowing behind them, erupting into waves of astonishment. Yet, both parties grew uneasy, fearing that this might be the other side's reinforcements. The two figures who appeared—first, one whose entire body was enveloped in a gentle, emerald flame, radiating a warm, intense heat—was followed by a young girl, softly glowing with a faint purple light, gazing curiously down at the gray-robed figure below. The emerald flame gently swayed and gradually faded, revealing a young man in a black robe. Among the officials on the city walls, who had been anxiously waiting, the sight of the now-visible black-robed young man caused all of them to freeze in surprise. Even Ling'er, standing beside them, stared in open amazement, murmuring, "It's him!" "Xiao Lord!" After a brief moment of realization, Yan Cheng suddenly snapped to attention, rising to his feet with great excitement and shouting aloud. The mercenaries around him initially remained stunned by Yan Cheng's outburst, but upon observing his expression—clearly indicating that the visitor was not an enemy—they all exhaled in relief. As Yan Cheng called out these words, the gray-robed elder at the foot of the group suddenly grew pale, recognizing the visitor as a powerful figure from the Gamma Empire. With that, the elder surged forward, transforming into a shimmering green mist and darting off into the forest, followed swiftly by the ten gray-robed attendants. In the sky, Xiao Yan observed the fleeing figures with a calm, composed gaze, his fingers gently pulsing with an undulating, invisible flame. Pfft! Pfft! At the very moment the news spread, the dozen gray-robed figures rushing toward the forest suddenly stiffened, then, without uttering a single cry of pain, were instantly reduced to blackened ashes under the astonished gazes of the city's defenders. As he swiftly dispatched these ten or so figures with decisive action, Xiao Yan moved with fluid grace and materialized directly upon the city wall, frowning slightly at the unconscious mercenaries. From his storage seal, he retrieved several pills, tossed them into the air, and with a flick of his fingers, a ribbon of emerald flame surged upward to encircle them, releasing a rich, fragrant aroma. As the fragrance spread, the mercenary troops who had been poisoned and unconscious began to stir, coughing softly and gradually regaining consciousness, blinking in bewilderment around them. Ignoring the reverent, glowing stares from all around, Xiao Yan strode steadily toward where Yan Cheng and the others were gathered, and upon reaching them, said firmly, "What has happened?"