67: A miraculous escape
Mentioning Xie Ning, at this time he was neither in Flower City nor with the examinee group, but alone, riding the Poison Flame White Wolf through the forest.
Wrapped in bursts of purple-red flames, wherever he passed, Yao Beasts turned to charcoal.
On the way, Xie Ning gave the last bottle of intermediate energy potion to the Supersonic Mantis to drink, striving to improve its strength further.
It wasn't that Xie Ning was biased, but the Poison Flame White Wolf had just undergone a transformation; without a large amount of combat, it wasn't suitable to consume drugs to level up again.
Time passed bit by bit. The Supersonic Mantis, sitting on the back of the Poison Flame White Wolf, was wrapped in strange energy. Xie Ning could vaguely hear extremely subtle 'crackling' sounds coming from inside its body, unsure of what changes were occurring.
A few minutes later, the Supersonic Mantis's energy was full, and its Aura also reached its Peak. With a 'boom', the invisible Aura knocked Xie Ning flying.
When he rubbed his butt and climbed up from the ground, he was instantly dumbfounded!
Indeed, the Poison Flame White Wolf was carrying the Supersonic Mantis and rushing toward Flower City, while their master had been left behind on the way.
"Hey! I'm still here! Didn't you notice someone was missing from your back?!"
After Xie Ning finished shouting, the Poison Flame White Wolf was already nowhere to be seen, and he couldn't help but give a bitter smile.
Just then, low growls and the sound of animals scurrying came from behind him.
Xie Ning shuddered and quickly turned around. Facing him was a Yao Beast Black Bear. That bear face gradually approached him, its mouth full of foul-smelling fangs aimed at his neck.
Just as Xie Ning felt his heart go cold, he heard a 'whoosh', followed by a loud bang.
Boom!
The Black Bear that was just approaching was instantly sent flying backward, head down, stuck in the ground like a radish, leaving half its body flailing outside.
At the critical moment, the Supersonic Mantis had arrived.
"That was close." Looking at the arriving Supersonic Mantis, Xie Ning let out a long sigh of relief.
He almost became a Demon Tamer accidentally killed by his own Demon Tamers Beast; that would be a disgrace to humanity.
"Awoo!"
The Poison Flame White Wolf also rushed back at top speed, kicking up a cloud of dust. It pounced in front of Xie Ning, letting out a few low, dejected cries. The Supersonic Mantis also lowered its head, waiting to be scolded.
"Cough, cough~ Alright, alright, I don't blame you. Let's set off quickly."
After speaking, Xie Ning and the Supersonic Mantis got back on its back. Under the lead of the Poison Flame White Wolf, they quickly rushed toward Flower City.
Xie Ning also noticed that the Supersonic Mantis, which had achieved a Breakthrough to Bronze Rank 6, was significantly faster than before. Although its appearance hadn't changed much, its overall raw strength seemed to have improved considerably.
Speeding all the way, Xie Ning soon arrived outside Flower City.
From a distance, he could see Yao Beasts, as dense as ants yet as huge as tigers, surging forward like a tide, appearing extremely frenzied.
Flower City was completely surrounded by Yao Beasts.
"Charge through!"
The Poison Flame White Wolf whipped up flames, shooting them in all directions, and charged headlong toward the Flower City walls. The Supersonic Mantis patrolled in the air, killing any fish that escaped the net.
Soon, Xie Ning squeezed into a position outside the Flower City walls. On the way in, the Supersonic Mantis killed three Silver Rank 1 and 2 Yao Beasts, along with several Bronze Advanced-rank stragglers. Combined with those killed by the Poison Flame White Wolf, he gained over 100 evolution points in a short time.
As the Poison Flame White Wolf erupted a pillar of fire to force back the Yao Beasts, Xie Ning, with the help of the Supersonic Mantis, reached the top of the city wall.
He ignored the Soldiers looking at him in surprise, nor did he wait for the approaching City Defense Bureau captain, heading into the city without stopping.
Galloping along, he discovered that some Yao Beasts had already somehow entered the city.
"Little Mantis, do as I told you, be quick! We'll meet there."
Xie Ning pointed toward a place in the distance where intense energy fluctuations were erupting. The Supersonic Mantis nodded, spread its wings, and disappeared from sight.
Then Xie Ning also utilized Elemental Sharing with the Poison Flame White Wolf to start clearing the stragglers in the city... The location Xie Ning pointed to was precisely the most critical battlefield where the experts of Flower City were located.
The situation of the Flower City experts was currently very bad.
As time passed, Lin Yangqiu, as a Gold-rank Demon Tamer who was not good at fighting, had gradually become somewhat exhausted. Even in a one-on-one fight against an enemy Gold-rank Demon Tamer, he was fighting with many close calls.
The other three Gold-rank Demon Tamers were also barely able to handle one person each. Even the powerhouse among the Gold Ranks, General Bian Hu, appeared very disheveled at this time. He was covered in blood, and relying on a Black Tiger Blade, he had successively killed two Fallen Demon Tamers, but he had also suffered significant injuries.
The remaining Fallen Demon Tamers had the Garrison Commander trapped on one side.
The Garrison Commander parried left and right, his situation precarious. Previously, he could still clash head-on with the Fallen Demon Tamers, but now he had to use clever force to deflect their blows, appearing somewhat disheveled.
Despite this, the Fallen Demon Tamers didn't dare let their guard down because a few minutes ago, due to a moment of carelessness, the Garrison Commander found an opportunity, suddenly erupted, and killed three Fallen Demon Tamers in a row, winning a bit of breathing room for Flower City.
The Demon Tamers Beasts summoned by both sides had also suffered significant casualties, with roars and growls echoing incessantly.
"Lord Garrison Commander, why have you run out of strength? This doesn't seem like you." The leader of the Black-Robed People was a Gold Late Stage powerhouse. He attacked the Garrison Commander while provoking him with words.
"Hmph!" The Garrison Commander gave a muffled grunt and ignored him.
"Haha~" The Black-Robed leader laughed arrogantly. "If I didn't have the ability to suppress your Ice Lion King, I really wouldn't dare come to Flower City to do anything. It's all thanks to Li Yongchang."
Li Yongchang, who was nearby, remained expressionless upon hearing this, but in truth, his heart was also filled with bitterness.
The Garrison Commander glanced at Li Yongchang and said indifferently, "I know better than you what kind of person he is."
These words caused Li Yongchang's stance to waver slightly.
Because of his son's death, he had impulsively agreed to an alliance with this group. Later, he wanted to regret it, but there was no turning back.
Now, stimulated by their successive words, he was even more in a dilemma.
Who would believe him if he said he had his own difficulties?
Just as the Black-Robed Person was feeling proud and the battle reached a stalemate, a voice came from a distance.
"Hey! Whose person is this? Come and claim them yourselves!"
As this young voice rang out, a sharp light flashed in the Garrison Commander's eyes. His Aura exploded, forcing back the Fallen Demon Tamers who had trapped him, and he withdrew. The others were no exception.
"Who is it!"
The Black-Robed leader barked.
"A delivery man."
As the voice fell, two figures walked out of the thick dust. One was naturally Xie Ning, who had just spoken, while the other was beyond the expectations of most people present.
"Zhi'er!"
Seeing this person, Li Yongchang's whole body shook. His eyes turned red, and his lips trembled, appearing very excited.
Indeed, this person was Li Zhi, who should have been a corpse at the bottom of the lake.
"How is that possible? Isn't he already dead?"