Li Xi took the demon's greatsword, though he didn't want the carcass. It could shatter his refined-grade saber, so this greatsword's material was better and more suited for his use.
After everything was sorted, Meng Ke treated his severed finger. Someone gave him some holy water, and as he was an intermediate mage, this minor injury was nothing.
The group approached the large rock blocking the tunnel. Li Xi looked at Meng Ke questioningly. Meng Ke quickly shook his head, indicating the boulder had nothing to do with him. Li Xi pondered that it made sense; the old man was so afraid of death, he wouldn't block his own escape route with a large rock.
Li Xi wielded Xinis's greatsword like a mole, furiously hacking at the boulder. Soon, it shattered, and the tunnel reappeared before them.
"Let's go."
The aftermath of the battle still lingered in their hearts. Xinis glanced back at the underground space before leaving. The thick, cloying scent of blood there would surely attract many beasts. He then looked at Li Xi, who was leading the way. Without him today, none of them would have survived.
It was a pity that no one would ever know of the events here, that a boy, not yet sixteen, had slain a level four succubus and a level five horned demon.
Speaking of succubi, Xinis was particularly curious how Li Xi had avoided their seduction. Men in this world who could be immune to succubi were rarer than mages.
His gossipy nature ignited, and he couldn't resist. Xinis asked in a low voice, "Brother Li Xi, I want to ask you, how did you overcome the succubus's charm?"
Although Xinis's voice was soft, it was audible to everyone in the narrow tunnel. Those who had narrowly escaped death were naturally very curious about such steamy matters. They remembered Li Xi being carried out of the secret passage by the succubus. At the time, they all believed Li Xi's fate was to be drained dry, only for Li Xi to pull off an unexpected counter-attack.
Li Xi raised an eyebrow. "After Master Meng Ke sold me to the succubus, I was just acting. The succubus's charm means nothing to me. After all, I'm a very clean person. If the succubus wants to take off my pants, it would have to be a clean succubus."
"Of course there are clean succubi. I'll undress myself without needing her to tempt me."
"Hahaha"
Li Xi's remark about a "clean succubus" sent everyone into laughter. In this world, there were only two races where finding a "clean" one was difficult: succubi from the abyss, and dark elves from underground. Their survival methods were the same: the females engaged in frenzied mating, starting even before adulthood, causing the males of both races to often die of exhaustion before reaching adulthood. Therefore, finding a clean one was more difficult than the sun rising in the west.
The others used this opportunity to build rapport with Li Xi. By the time they emerged from the tunnel and saw the daylight again, Li Xi and they were already sworn brothers. They even agreed to undertake missions together in the future, giving all the commission to Li Xi as long as he led them.
Li Xi had initially worried that future missions would primarily be for large mercenary groups, making it troublesome for him to undertake them alone. Now, it seemed doing missions with them was a good option. They had witnessed his strength, and their character within the mercenary circle was decent. Undertaking missions together would be mutually beneficial.
As the afternoon sun bathed their faces, standing at the cave entrance, not a single person felt warmth. Instead, a chilling cold permeated them.
Logically, after encountering a level five horned demon and fighting countless lesser demons, they shouldn't be reacting like this to any difficult situation. But seeing a mountain ape, twenty meters tall, blocking the foot of the mountain and staring at them with eyes larger than cartwheels, everyone momentarily believed their lives had reached their end, their legs too weak to stand straight.
This was the first time Li Xi had seen such a colossal creature, taller than ordinary trees when standing. If the horned demon's seven-meter height represented strength, then the mountain ape was the embodiment of invincibility.
Its entire body was covered in gray fur that fluttered in the wind. Its thick limbs were sturdier than ancient trees, and the energy fluctuations emanating from its body created an aura of light around it, even distorting the sunlight.
Meng Ke's voice trembled, his tongue fumbling. "This... this... how did a mountain ape get here?"
Li Xi grabbed Meng Ke by the collar and pulled him close. Facing Li Xi's predatory gaze, it was as if a death warrant had been served to Meng Ke again. Meng Ke's heart leaped from his buttocks to his throat. "I wanted to ask you the same thing. Tell me, what exactly did you take from that coffin?"
Meng Ke feigned realization. "You're saying the mountain ape was attracted by the dragon's blood?"
"Dragon's blood?"
Meng Ke nodded frantically. Since Li Xi had the item now, the trouble was his, not Meng Ke's.
Xinis's face darkened menacingly again. This old scoundrel was truly a troublemaker. So, they had come for dragon's blood. Any mission involving dragon's blood would be at least a C-rank, yet he dared claim to be searching for the Umbral Flower, forcing the mission down to D-rank. And he, like a fool, had eagerly presented himself to curry favor. What an idiot he was.
"You... you wait. Our Black Tiger Mercenary group will never accept your missions again. I will also report you to the Mercenary Guild and have you blacklisted," Xinis issued Meng Ke the most severe warning.
The Mercenary Guild, as an important platform, naturally operated with fairness and justice. If an unpleasant incident occurred during a mission, such as bullying the employer or the employer making false representations, the Guild would investigate and impose corresponding punishments. In the most severe cases, they could dispatch their own priests to hunt down both parties.
Don't think being blacklisted is a minor issue. The Mercenary Guild's reputation was built on a foundation of bloody corpses. Anyone who crossed the line would face endless pursuit.
Although loopholes existed, they were rare, perhaps encountered less than twice a year. After all, the Mercenary Guild couldn't be all-seeing and probe into every heart.
Li Xi threw Meng Ke aside and looked at the mountain ape on the mountain, preparing to ascend. "No wonder they said the outer reaches of the Forest of Forgetfulness were not the territory of mountain apes. Was something attracting it here? So, it was the dragon's blood."
Li Xi glanced at the surrounding mercenaries. Every one of them had a face as pale as if they had just attended a costume party, utterly devoid of fighting spirit.
"The dragon's blood is with me now. We'll split up. The mountain ape should only pursue me. With your current skills, without the mountain ape, returning to Cado City should be no problem."
Xinis looked at Li Xi, feeling conflicted. He knew Li Xi was suggesting the best possible outcome, but Li Xi facing the mountain ape alone, his life or death uncertain.
Li Xi understood their feelings. "Hurry up and leave. If we dawdle any longer, the mountain ape will be here. If we start fighting, I won't be able to worry about you. Don't worry, if I can't beat it, I can still run."
"Alright, Brother Li Xi, you are the eternal friend of our Black Tiger Mercenary group." Xinis led the mercenaries to leave, and Meng Ke quietly followed.
Li Xi grabbed Meng Ke again. "If you want to leave, give me the mission completion certificate. If you die on the way, I don't want to have to do two extra missions for nothing."
Meng Ke's small eyes darted around. No one spoke up for him. After hesitating, he took a piece of paper from his clothes and handed it to Li Xi. Li Xi looked at it; it was the mission completion certificate.
"You can go. As long as you behave yourself on the road, I believe Captain Xinis will escort you safely back to Cado City."
Meng Ke looked pleadingly at Xinis. Xinis sighed helplessly. "For the honor of mercenaries, we will escort you safely back to Cado City. But if you cause any trouble on the way, we will not save you, even if it means failing the mission."
Meng Ke quickly bowed his head. "I'll be good. I'll be good."
To give Xinis and the others more time to leave, Li Xi, with his back to Xinis and the others, led the mountain ape in circles. Unfortunately, a twenty-meter tall mountain ape had legs twelve to thirteen meters long, making it faster than Li Xi's instant movement technique when it ran.
Just as Xinis and the others reached the foot of the mountain, they heard the furious roar of the mountain ape from above. The powerful sound was so intense it shattered the rain clouds above the mountain.
Feeling the earthquake-like tremors from the mountain, countless small stones began to roll down. Xinis and the others knew Li Xi and the mountain ape had engaged.
"We should leave quickly, or we won't be able to withstand the aftermath of their battle."
As if to prove Xinis's words, a few minutes later, countless large rocks tumbled down the mountain, and a small, perpetually damp hillside experienced a landslide. Tens of thousands of tons of soil poured down, altering the terrain in a small area, crushing countless large trees. The number of animals, beasts, and demonic beasts caught in the cascade and killed was immeasurable.
In the dead of night, Li Xi, carrying half of the horned demon's greatsword, came to a stream to bathe. He submerged his entire body in the water, and large patches of blood-red immediately spread across the surface.
When Li Xi emerged from the water, all the blood had been washed off his body. He casually discarded the torn leather armor and took out a new set from his spatial ring.
Meng Ke's spatial ring contained many treasures, including over a dozen pieces of high-quality equipment like this. This was already the fourth set Li Xi had changed into today.
The first three sets had been torn to shreds during his fight with the mountain ape. Even the horned demon's four-meter greatsword was now only half its original length, about two meters.
He popped five rations into his mouth, and his weakened body immediately felt revitalized.
Unfortunately, before Li Xi could rest, the sound of countless trees snapping echoed from the forest behind him, accompanied by heavy footsteps. All signs indicated the mountain ape was pursuing him again.
"Is this ever going to end? Is this dragon's blood so good that it's chasing me relentlessly?"
Li Xi was tired of running. He picked up the half-greatsword from the ground and charged towards the mountain ape.
With a few instant movements, he appeared before the mountain ape. The mountain ape was covered in large and small wounds, some so deep they exposed bone. Its two massive legs, capable of supporting a temple, were particularly scarred. Li Xi had focused his attacks on its legs to reduce its speed, resulting in the mountain ape's entire body being covered in blood, as if it had just emerged from a pool of gore.
Li Xi pointed the long sword at the mountain ape. "I know you can understand me. If you chase me again, I will kill you."
"Roar"
The mountain ape frantically beat its chest with its arms, reopening the wounds that were beginning to heal. Blood gushed out. Feeling the pain, the mountain ape's eyes were bloodshot, and the hot air snorting from its nostrils could blow away the leaves on the ground.
"I refuse to believe I can't kill you."