"Woo-ao!"
The Netherworld Wolf that had been severely injured by a heavy landing still had a trace of fighting strength, waving its claws and scratching at Brother Flathead's body, but only managing to remove some fur.
Although Brother Flathead wasn't injured, he was now enraged.
"Wah-ho!"
Brother Flathead stood erect and, with a wave of his claws, tore the mid-rank Demon Soldier Level Netherworld Wolf to shreds in a matter of moments.
This scene scared the onlookers half to death.
They had thought the Netherworld Wolf was tough enough, but now a more terrifying big brother had dropped from the sky.
Was this the end?
The faces of the merchant caravan were ashen.
"Woo-ao!"
The lead wolf, seeing its underling killed, was filled with resentment. However, upon getting a clear view of Brother Flathead's appearance, it was terrified to the point of flattening its tail against the ground, crawling backwards in a retreat that was exceptionally comical.
The other Netherworld Wolves also retreated promptly.
Brother Flathead couldn't be bothered with those Netherworld Wolves, who were once defeated by him, instead glaring at the people from the merchant caravan with hatred.
In his view, these people looked too similar to Ye Feng, who had roughed him up, and must, therefore, be his accomplices.
Consequently, he stood upright and pounced at them.
"Run for your lives!"
The people didn't have the courage to fight.
This was a High-rank Demon Soldier Level Demon Beast in its prime. Though it looked unfamiliar, its combat prowess was terrifying, enough to sweep through their entire merchant caravan.
"You demon, cease your rampage!"
At this moment, a booming voice came from the sky.
Whoosh!
A longsword carrying two figures descended rapidly.
One of them leapt off, delivering a flying kick in mid-air. The previously fierce Brother Flathead was kicked and sent flying, crashing through several trees before being buried under the collapsing timber.
Ye Feng landed on the ground, creating two deep footprints.
"Sect Master, the demon beast is attacking again."
Mo Ying, standing on the Breeze-riding Sword, pointed to the distance and reminded him.
Brother Flathead emerged, pushing aside the trees that covered him, charging furiously back into the fray.
Ye Feng, not the least bit intimidated, approached and beat Brother Flathead until he was dizzy, then threw him into a nearby river, letting him float downstream.
"Hiss!"
The people of the merchant caravan who had witnessed the entire process were already dumbstruck.
Creak!
The sound of the carriage door opening rang out, and three people hastily jumped out, kneeling before Ye Feng and speaking in unison:
"Thank you for saving our lives, kind stranger!"
Ye Feng turned to look and saw a middle-aged man with a goatee, accompanied by two children around the age of twelve, a boy and a girl, looking very much alike, like a pair of dragon-phoenix twins.
"We thank the elder for saving our lives!"
The guards also knelt on one knee, paying their respects.
If it weren't for this young man's intervention, they all feared they would have perished right there.
"Please stand, everyone. There's no need for formalities. Let's speak on our feet."
Ye Feng couldn't be certain of the origins of these people, but having "Crisis Awareness," he didn't detect any immediate danger to his sect, so he assumed these people wouldn't pose a threat to himself or his sect, and his demeanor softened considerably.
"We are a merchant caravan from Beacon Fire City, on our way to seek refuge in Whitefloat City, but we encountered Netherworld Wolves encircling us on the road. If not for the kind stranger's help, our Ouyang Family would have faced extinction," said the goateed middle-aged merchant, still visibly shaken.
Mo Ying landed on the ground, retracting the Breeze-riding Sword, and asked with a strange expression, "The Beacon Fire City 200 li from here?"
"Indeed!"
The goateed merchant nodded, still looking frightened, "Beacon Fire City has been unsettled lately. For the safety of these two children, we had no choice but to move our entire family, but who knew the road would be just as perilous."
Out of curiosity, Ye Feng asked, "What happened in Beacon Fire City?"
He had heard of the place, a regular city with about a hundred thousand people.
"Naturally, it's the work of demons causing trouble."
The middle-aged merchant sighed and began to recount the tale.
From his introduction, Ye Feng and Mo Ying learned that the bearded merchant was named "Ouyang Hao," who had previously conducted business in Beacon Fire City, with a son and a daughter named "Ouyang Feng" and "Ouyang Yu" respectively.
At first, Beacon Fire City had been quite safe.
But recently, there had been frequent monster disturbances within the city, causing panic among its residents, with almost everyone who could moving away.
Ouyang Hao's wife's family was conveniently located in Whitefloat City, and as she was residing there at the time, Ouyang Hao decided to bring his entire family over to seek refuge.
On the journey thus far, relying on the protection of the guard squad leader "Wang Dachui," an Eighth Layer of Qi Refinement cultivator, and his dozen or so guards, they had managed without incident.
However, Ouyang Hao had not expected that they would be ambushed by a Netherworld Wolf just a dozen miles away from Whitefloat City.
Upon understanding the whole story, Ye Feng had an epiphany.
"May I know the name of my benefactor, and from which sect you hail?" asked Ouyang Hao.
"Ye Feng, Sect Leader of Misty Sect."
Ye Feng casually stood with his hands clasped behind his back, doing his best to appear like a senior expert.
Misty Sect?
Never heard of it!
Still, this seemingly mortal benefactor had the strength to defeat a High-rank Demon Soldier Level Demon Beast, which meant his sect must be formidable.
Ouyang Hao thought of many things, hurriedly pushing his two children in front of him and pleading, "Sect Master Ye, these two are my only children, both quite clever and sensible, and they have both been found to have Lower Grade root bones. Might they have the honor of joining your sect?"
At these words, Ye Feng's eyes widened in shock.
He had been so focused on rescuing them that he had almost forgotten about the discipleship request task that was yet to be completed, and he just needed two more people.
If he accepted Ouyang Feng and Ouyang Yu, he would have the ten disciples needed.
The newbie gift pack was also soon to be his!
With this thought, Ye Feng happily agreed, "It's possible."
"Hurry and pay your respects to the Sect Leader."
Upon hearing Ye Feng's consent, Ouyang Hao quickly urged his children.
"We've seen the Sect Leader," said Ouyang Feng and Ouyang Yu, who were even younger than Long Tianxing, appearing quite well-behaved.
"Sect Leader, someone is coming."
Mo Ying suddenly pointed in the direction of Whitefloat City and spoke up.
On the stone-paved road, two figures were approaching on horseback.
One of them sported a shining bald head—it was none other than Steward Zhou Jiaqian.
The other was Deputy Commander Zhou Jiacai.
"Brother-in-law, you've finally arrived. Was the road safe?" Zhou Jiaqian called out before he had even arrived.
Afterward, he noticed Ye Feng and Mo Ying and could not help but be taken aback.
Approaching, Zhou Jiaqian and Zhou Jiacai saw the tattered remains of the Netherworld Wolf on the ground, their eyes widening as they asked in concern, "Brother-in-law, did you face danger?"
Ouyang Hao, seeing the Zhou Family Brothers, finally let out a sigh of relief and said,
"Haha! Yes, we did run into danger earlier, but fortunately, Sect Master Yu of Misty Sect stepped in and repelled the monster, otherwise, you might not have seen me."
"Repelled the monster? Sect Master Ye?"
Upon hearing this, the Zhou Family Brothers exchanged looks, both feeling incredulous.
Ye Feng stood to the side, his expression somewhat peculiar.
It was only now that he realized Ouyang Hao's wife was the sister of the Zhou Family Brothers.
"Roar!"
Just at that moment, a familiar roar echoed.
"No good, it's that demon beast!"
The Zhou Family Brothers' faces suddenly changed, bracing themselves as if facing a great enemy.
They knew that voice all too well.
Just two nights ago, even with the brothers combining forces, they were no match for that demon beast.
However, Ouyang Hao, standing nearby, was not the least bit frightened, confidently stating,
"Don't worry, my two brothers-in-law, it's only that High-rank Demon Soldier Level beast from earlier. With Sect Master Ye here, it will certainly be defeated."
Hearing this, the Zhou Family Brothers suddenly felt as if their minds were having trouble keeping up.