The Mist Shadow Dragon had destroyed several groups of fleeing Highlanders but still hadn’t found He Yan; by now, He Yan had escaped far beyond the range of the Dragon’s breath. It circled twice in the sky before it gave up the pursuit of these fleeing soldiers and set its sights on another group of Highlander stragglers, disappearing into the horizon.
Ji Xinghuo watched the direction in which the Mist Shadow Dragon disappeared, feeling a sigh of relief in his heart.
Had the Mist Shadow Dragon found He Yan and undertaken action at this moment, with so many strong individuals nearby, his chances of reaping the benefits as a third party were extremely low, virtually zero.
It would be best to eliminate He Yan in a place free from interference.
The electromagnetic induction kept the target locked on.
Ji Xinghuo commanded Qing Hong to change direction, trailing far behind He Yan while maintaining a distance to avoid detection.
They tracked for several hours.
The three had already strayed far from the Red River Giant Peak, heading eastward, covering over two hundred kilometers.
This was the direction back to the Blood Fury Tribe, but it wasn’t the route they had taken before. Dodging the Biao Clan settlements and other highlander stragglers along the way, they occasionally passed through valleys between mountains, encountering fewer and fewer people, eventually entering a wasteland.
Many times, Xia Qingyu and Misha suspected Ji Xinghuo might have lost the trail.
They had never seen anyone ahead of them.
However, every time they had their doubts, soon after, they would find traces of someone having passed by.
"There are others." Ji Xinghuo suddenly said.
"Really?" Xia Qingyu exclaimed in surprise, "We have chased so far, yet others are able to keep up?"
Ji Xinghuo replied, "They can fly."
He was actually quite astonished.
They were five people and all were acquaintances; it was Huangyan Lan and her four teammates. They had somehow acquired a Blood Demon Bat and were using superpower equipment similar to the "Phantom Pearl" to conceal their presence, rapidly catching up from behind.
With the Dragon’s vision, Huangyan Lan, from beyond the radius of the electromagnetic induction, spotted the trio of Ji Xinghuo.
Ji Xinghuo stood in place, waiting.
In a gust of fierce wind, the Blood Demon Bat appeared mid-air and descended.
"It’s you!" Huangyan Lan, looking down from her vantage point, wore an expression of surprise on her face and asked sternly, "What are you doing here?"
Ji Xinghuo directly countered, "Are you chasing He Yan?"
He guessed that Huangyan Lan had tracked them probably by scent, but was uncertain whether it was her skill or the ability of one of her teammates.
At the mention of He Yan, the faces of the five on the Blood Demon Bat changed. Huangyan Lan’s four teammates already had their weapons in hand, their faces filled with wariness and even a hint of hostility. Although Ji Xinghuo had saved two of them before, at this moment, such a favor was insignificant.
The atmosphere became suddenly tense between both parties.
Huangyan Lan fixed her gaze on Ji Xinghuo and suddenly proposed, "Let’s form an alliance between our two teams; after the success, we’ll split the spoils evenly."
Ji Xinghuo’s gaze swept over her teammates.
Huangyan Lan was quite capable, but the other four were far too inferior to stand a chance against He Yan. She was clearly aware of this as well and must have used some means to persuade them to undertake this risk.
"Every man for himself."
Ji Xinghuo firmly rejected the offer to cooperate.
"Hmph." Huangyan Lan wanted to get angry, but seeing that Ji Xinghuo already had the Invisible Stab in hand, and remembering his formidable Archery Skill and strength, not forgetting that they were more than a hundred meters apart—she might not even reach Ji Xinghuo before her teammates got killed—so she suppressed her anger.
"So it’s every man for himself then. Let’s hope we don’t become enemies," she said, having the Blood Demon Bat take flight and vanish as they flew towards He Yan.
Xia Qingyu asked, "Wouldn’t cooperating be better? With more people, we’re more likely to succeed."
"They’re not worthy." Ji Xinghuo replied.
Unless Huangyan Lan had another powerful trick up her sleeve, it was akin to a death sentence to attempt to kill He Yan with just her and her four teammates.
Xia Qingyu and Misha were speechless, as in their eyes, Huangyan Lan, being a Dragon Warrior, was already very powerful.
But in Ji Xinghuo’s eyes, she didn’t even qualify for cooperation.
Ji Xinghuo urged Qing Hong to run faster; Huangyan Lan had taken the lead, which might spook the prey.
Even if he wanted to take advantage as the third party, he’d need to arrive on time.
Afterward, Ji Xinghuo tracked two targets simultaneously, one being He Yan and the more than twenty Highlanders ahead, and the other being Huangyan Lan in the sky, who was very cautious, keeping a safe distance from He Yan and hiding her presence.
He could sense that Huangyan Lan was also keeping an eye on his trio’s movements.
Ji Xinghuo’s expression subtly changed as he commanded Qing Hong to sprint at full speed, saying, "He Yan has made a move."
"What do you mean?" Xia Qingyu didn’t immediately understand.
"He’s about to silence them."
Ahead, as Ji Xinghuo and the others rounded a mountain ridge, they came upon a lake nestled among the mountains. The lakeside was a vast expanse of grassland, a scenic grandeur with lush vegetation, where a gruesome slaughter was taking place. He Yan, wielding a War Axe and blade, had unexpectedly attacked the tribe members who were drinking water.
Over twenty Highlanders were now mostly dead, with the few survivors fleeing in different directions.
He Yan easily caught up and killed them, one by one.
The last Highlander’s scream abruptly cut off as He Yan, holding his blood-dripping War Axe, turned to face the sky and spoke loudly, "I know you have been following behind, wanting the Red Emperor Blood Crystal. If so, come out and show me if you have the skills to take it."
He took out a leather pouch from his waist, grabbed a handful of Blood Crystals in his palm, and the bright red light reflected off them in the sunlight.