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Without Wu Hao and Hu Jia organizing, the chaotic battle began.
Xiao Yan and Xun Er stood leisurely in a corner of the square, watching the melee in the arena, with no one disturbing them.
Wu Hao and Hu Jia's teams first cleared out the group of people who were originally close to Bai Shan, and then moved against those who did not group with them.
Finally, there were roughly three factions remaining in the arena.
Xun Er and Xiao Yan as one group, a group of people united around Wu Hao, and a group of people united around Hu Jia.
Wu Hao and Hu Jia began to fight, but neither of them was too serious, waiting for the final spot to be decided.
Half an hour later, the selection competition concluded.
After Vice Principal Hu Qian announced the results, Xiao Ning burst into unrestrained laughter:
"Hahahahaha… I won the bet."
It seemed that Xiao Yu found his smugness a bit embarrassing, so she quietly moved a little further away from him.
Instructor Ruo Lin, who had recruited Xiao Yan and approved such a long vacation for him, showed a relieved smile… Her professional title rating could be improved again.
The Elder, known as Old Man Huo, looked at Hu Qian, a smile on his face:
"Haha, it seems your idea didn't cause trouble for 'Young Master Xiao Yan'… Instead, it was that Bai Shan who suffered misfortune."
Hu Qian chuckled, "It wasn't specifically targeting student Xiao Yan, actually. I had a similar idea before, and he just happened to run into it."
Old Man Huo didn't believe his sophistry and just smiled.
…
A caravan traversed the vast and empty Black-Domain Great Plains.
More than twenty black-scaled horses pulled a series of carriages; except for the one in the middle used for passengers, the others were filled with goods, covered with tarpaulins, bulging like small hills, secured by several crisscrossing ropes.
A young man dressed in light yellow clothes, looking somewhat refined, followed alongside one of the carriages, constantly surveying his surroundings.
Behind him on the same side was a man with slightly dark skin, a resolute face, and an occasional glint of coldness in his eyes.
"Starting from the middle section of the Black-Domain Great Plains, we've entered the Black-Corner Region. Everyone, pay attention and stay alert," the young man in front spoke.
"Yes, Elder Brother," the man behind him nodded.
After Xiao Ding and Xiao Li accepted Yun Meng's commission, they did not mobilize the entire Mo Tie Mercenary Group for the escort. Instead, the two brothers traveled lightly, bringing along three trusted subordinates with good strength.
Although they didn't know much about the Black-Corner Region, they understood that the Mo Tie Mercenary Group's strength was simply not enough there; bringing the entire mercenary group would only lead to unnecessary casualties.
They disguised themselves as a small mercenary group, accepted a hiring from a caravan in the nearest small city, and entered the Black-Corner Region under the caravan's cover.
When they first arrived at the Black-Domain Great Plains, the unique geographical features here left the few who had never been there in awe.
However, after staring at the almost monotonous scenery for a long time, they began to feel some aesthetic fatigue.
Yun Meng also came with them; the Dou Technique scroll had always been on him and was not directly handed over to Xiao Ding and Xiao Li.
He yawned unenthusiastically, looking dispirited.
"Mister Yun Meng, have you been to the Black-Domain Great Plains before? I see you've been very calm from the start, not curious at all," Xiao Ding initiated the conversation.
"Just a pile of black dirt, there's nothing good to see," Yun Meng shook his head slightly.
"What's that?" Xiao Li pointed to a small black dot in the distance, asking in confusion.
A hint of interest appeared in Yun Meng's eyes, and he replied with a smile, "Something very interesting."
"That's… a Black Storm!" The caravan leader looked in the direction of their gaze, a trace of tension flashing in his eyes.
"Everyone, move! Hurry and run to the fissures ahead!"
The entire caravan became tense, and their go ahead speed increased significantly.
Numerous ravines were distributed across the Black-Domain Great Plains.
These ravines varied in size; the large ones could be dozens of kilometers wide and thousands of meters long, like abysses, while the small ones were only one or two kilometers wide and a dozen kilometers long.
Under normal circumstances, these ravines were obstacles for the caravan's progress. Because of them, the travel speed was greatly reduced, and to bypass them, a trip often took one-fifth longer.
However, when encountering a Black Storm, they could save lives.
Under the caravan leader's command, carriages, mercenaries, and porters quickly but orderly hid in the fissures.
"Everyone, hold onto the carts later, don't get blown away. Once caught in the storm, there's only death," the leader reminded them.
As the Black Storm approached, the black-scaled horses pulling the goods nervously pawed at the dirt; they instinctively sensed the danger.
The coachmen patted the horses' necks, alleviating their tension to prevent the black-scaled horses from losing control in fear, causing chaos, and resulting in loss of goods and personnel.
Xiao Ding suddenly noticed that Yun Meng was gone. He immediately looked around but couldn't see him.
Just as he was about to ask the people around him, a strong current of air blew from above. The dust raised by the wind blocked the light, making the entire World dark and oppressive.
Besides Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, and others, the caravan had also hired two other small mercenary groups. An experienced mercenary shouted:
"Keep your bodies low, don't stick your heads out! Rocks blown by the wind could kill you!"
…
Amidst the howling wind, Yun Meng, dressed in moon-white clothes, met another figure in a black robe, emitting a faint black mist.
"Did you get the item?" Yun Meng took out a silk cloth, removed the crystal monocle from his right eye, and asked softly.
"Here." Protector Meng, in his black robe, handed a scroll to Yun Meng.
This was the scroll for "Three Thousand Lightning Movement"!
Yun Yun had not given Xiao Yan any Dou Technique, nor had she issued any escort mission to Xiao Ding and Xiao Li. From beginning to end, it had been Yun Meng's intention; he was acting under Yun Yun's name.
However, what Yun Meng initially brought out was merely a Yellow-tier low-grade Dou Technique, meant to deceive people… At that time, he had no Earth-tier Dou Technique at all!
Using Yun Yun's name to have Xiao Ding and Xiao Li perform the escort was both to give Xiao Yan the opportunity for "Three Thousand Lightning Movement" and to help Xiao Ding and Xiao Li avoid Protector Wu.
"Then I'll leave first. I'll be active in the Black-Corner Region for a while. If you need anything, just contact me," Protector Meng said indifferently.
Yun Meng nodded, then leaped into a smaller fissure nearby.
His strength was not great, and the Black Storm was enough to pose a fatal threat to him. The reason he could converse calmly in the storm was that Protector Meng's Dou Qi shielded him from the storm's effects.
After Yun Meng hid in the fissure, Protector Meng retracted his Dou Qi, no longer maintaining the barrier. He swayed and disappeared from his original spot.
When the storm passed, the caravan orderly withdrew from the fissure, and Yun Meng also returned to the team.
"Mister Yun Meng, where did you go earlier? We were all very worried…" Xiao Ding showed a hint of anxiety on his face.
Yun Meng lightly patted his chest, looking still scared: "I was startled too; I ran into the wrong fissure and hid in another one."
"It's good that you're alright, it's good," Xiao Li breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, a white crow with a black ring around its right eye flew down from the sky.
Yun Meng extended a hand, and it accurately landed on the back of his right hand, spitting out a space ring.
He took the space ring and probed it with his spirit power; it was empty, containing only a letter.
Yun Meng's expression changed slightly after opening the letter.
He handed the letter to Xiao Ding, saying softly:
"You two read it yourselves."
Xiao Ding took the letter and, after a quick glance, was struck as if by lightning. He staggered back a few steps, an expression of disbelief on his face.
"This is impossible… The Xiao Family, how could the Xiao Family…"
"What's wrong, Elder Brother?" Xiao Li asked, confused, taking the letter from the stunned Xiao Ding's hand, and immediately showed the same expression.
He looked at Yun Meng, asking urgently, "Is this true? Can the news be confirmed?"
Yun Meng slowly nodded: "This is an emergency contact method used by our Yunlan Sect; it generally doesn't make mistakes… I'll inquire about the situation again. Please accept my condolences."
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