madnovel Chapter 140 Choice
Chapter 140 Choice
Chapter 140 Choice
This ambush, meticulously planned by Monkey, resulted in extremely heavy losses for the entire 13th Squad.
Li Youan—collected all the spirit stones in the team and set up that earth-shattering formation. He stayed behind alone to face countless demonic beasts led by Hou Da and Ying Xiang.
Everyone knew that Li Youan's chances of survival were extremely slim, unless some miracle occurred.
"No—no way—that's not how it is—he won't die—"
Dongfang Jinghong covered her face with her hands, gently shaking her head. Tears streamed through her fingers as she murmured softly, but her movements grew smaller and smaller, leaving only an endless emptiness and sorrowful sound.
Seeing her heartbroken expression, He Xiaoluo felt equally sad, but she knew that what the captain had just said was correct.
She held Dongfang Jinghong tightly in her arms and whispered comfortingly, "Jinghong, junior brother Li Youan, he is a hero. He saved all of us with his life. We must live better to repay his sacrifice and cultivate to become stronger so that we can avenge him in the future!"
"revenge----"
"Yes, I want revenge!"
These two words, like a firefly in a dark world, illuminated Dongfang Jinghong's heart, which was filled with pain.
She slowly raised her head, tears still streaming from her eyes, but that deep despair and madness were gradually replaced by a colder, more chilling killing intent.
Although Dongfang Jinghong's body was still trembling slightly, she had stopped struggling violently.
After a couple of swaying motions, Dongfang Jinghong broke free from He Xiaoluo's embrace. She looked up at the eagles that occasionally darted out from the crevice in the rock.
Then he turned his head to look in the northwest direction, which was the location of Ghost Howling Ravine and the lair of the monkey demon.
"Eagle Soars—Monkey Big—"
She murmured the two names softly, as if she wanted to memorize every syllable and every word.
"Captain, what's the situation outside?"
After a moment's pause, Dongfang Jinghong asked Luo Jingshan.
At this time, Luo Jingshan had recovered somewhat under the care of the elixirs, and his complexion was no longer as pale as before.
He calmed his mind and focused his spirit outward, perceiving everything with all his might. After a while, he spoke in a low voice.
"There are quite a few monsters outside. Led by Eagle Soar, all the eagle monsters are circling and scouting high in the sky. The Golden Armored Unicorn Lizard and the remaining Shadow Leopards are scattered, blocking the cave entrance and above, following us the whole time."
"They are waiting, both for us to give up and show ourselves, and for more demonic beast reinforcements that may be coming," Luo Jingshan said to the crowd after a moment of silence.
"Captain, we can't stay here forever," Qi Xuan said in a low voice.
"It's not just that those few who are seriously injured and unconscious can't wait, but we also can't predict what these monsters will do next."
Luo Jingshan was of course going to wait there, considering all sorts of possible outcomes, so he was also quickly thinking of various countermeasures.
Dongfang Jinghong overheard their conversation, struggled to her feet, and swayed as she walked toward them. Luo Jingshan also noticed Dongfang Jinghong's movements and became somewhat curious.
"Captain, I have three jade pendants here, specially designed to conceal one's aura and make it difficult for cultivators to detect. As long as one is below the Spirit Sea Realm, as long as one is careful to conceal their form when moving, they will not be detected by their divine sense."
As Dongfang Jinghong spoke, he flipped his right hand, revealing three jade pendants.
Looking at the jade pendant in Dongfang Jinghong's hand, Luo Jingshan made arrangements immediately without any hesitation. He turned to look at Qi Xuan beside him.
"Qi Xuan, you, He Xiaoluo, and Kang Ping, the three of you are not only in the best condition, but also very fast. You are the strongest in the team besides me, and the most suitable for this kind of stealth mission."
Taking a breath, Luo Jingshan continued speaking quickly.
"Wei Xiao, Zheng Xuan, Luo Yao, Luo Hui, and I will stay here, relying on the advantageous terrain to hold our ground and await reinforcements, while also taking care of these seriously wounded and unconscious team members. The three of you will quietly slip out, do not linger in battle, and do not take any other actions. Return to the outpost as quickly as possible to request reinforcements."
This is the most feasible and suitable plan that Luo Jingshan has come up with so far.
The strongest among them stayed behind to protect the seriously wounded team members while they waited for reinforcements, allowing the most suitable person to break out and find help.
This is much better than everyone risking their lives to break through and being relentlessly hunted by these monsters; the chances of survival are also much greater.
Upon hearing Luo Jingshan's arrangement, Qi Xuan glanced at Dongfang Jinghong, who was holding a jade pendant beside him, and then looked around at the scene, taking in his injured teammates. He then nodded seriously.
"Yes, Captain. You must hold on. We will set off immediately and return as quickly as possible with reinforcements. We will definitely complete the mission."
At this moment, He Xiaoluo and Kang Ping also stood on either side of Qi Xuan. Without replying, they nodded vigorously together.
"You must be careful of Eagle Soaring on the road. Although he is covered in injuries, he is still a flying demon beast at the eighth level of the True Spirit Realm. He should not be underestimated. If you are careless, you may lose your life."
As Luo Jingshan spoke, he took the three jade pendants from Dongfang Jinghong, examined them carefully for a moment, and then handed them to Qi Xuan and the other two.
The three of them took the jade pendants one by one, and without looking at them for long, they placed them in front of their chests and quickly made some preparations. Having just taken the pills, the three of them had recovered to about 70-80% of their original condition, and there was nothing else that needed to be prepared.
After handing over the jade pendant, Dongfang Jinghong found a wall, leaned against it, and slowly sat down. He took out a pill, swallowed it, and began to recover from his injuries.
"Everyone, please wait patiently. We will definitely bring back reinforcements, even if it costs me my life."
Dongfang Jinghong didn't look at them. He was completely immersed in his own world. After taking the pill, he just stared blankly at the top of the crevice, at the tiny sky above. His eyes had lost all color and looked extremely empty, as if his soul had disappeared.
Seeing Dongfang Jinghong in this state, Qi Xuan could only sigh inwardly and didn't say anything more to provoke her. After exchanging a glance with He Xiaoluo and Kang Ping beside him, the three of them nodded at the same time. They then concealed their auras and, like shadows, used the shadows created by the jagged protrusions in the crevice and their own cover to quickly and quietly sneak towards another exit that was completely opposite to where Ying Xiang was.
Seeing the three figures gradually disappear into the distance, in order to cover their actions, Luo Jingshan also raised the machete in his hand and rushed quickly towards the top of the crevice.
The group of demonic beasts above, led by Ying Xiang, did not expect Luo Jingshan to rush out at this time. In a short time, three demonic beasts were killed by Luo Jingshan's machete before they could react and hurriedly organized a defense.
After blocking Luo Jingshan's attacks several times, the monsters launched a rapid counterattack.
The sharpness of blades and the roars of demonic beasts, along with the metallic clanging, resonated rapidly above the crack, like a chaotic symphony playing at a fast pace.
Not long after, after killing another demonic beast, Luo Jingshan was also struck by the combined attack of Eagle Soar and Shadow Leopard, and was knocked into a crevice.
"Ha, hoo—"
"Ha, hoo-yi"
"Ha, hoo—"
'
Luo Jingshan's chest heaved rapidly. The intense battle had reopened many of his wounds, and his clothes were stained red with blood. He could only relieve the pain in his heart by breathing heavily.
Within this crevice in the rock, an extremely silent and oppressive stillness once again descended.
Dongfang Jinghong and the others could only hear the occasional cries of eagles and the low growls of demonic beasts coming from outside the crack. They could also hear the eagle demons deliberately flapping their wings.
Occasionally, amidst these chaotic sounds, the breathing of several seriously injured team members could be heard, some heavy and some light, gradually making the atmosphere heavy.
Dongfang Jinghong leaned her entire back against the somewhat cold rock, the chill constantly reminding her to stay vigilant and not fall into confusion.
But after a while, Dongfang Jinghong curled up, hugging his knees and burying his head between his arms.
Although she had participated in various trials within her family, she had only ever seen such an experience—one that required people to risk their lives to retreat—in stories before. The stark contrast between having seen it and experiencing it firsthand was a completely different experience, and the impact on Dongfang Jinghong was immense.
The coolness of the stone wall behind her seeped through her thin clothes and reached Dongfang Jinghong's blazing armor, allowing her to feel a slight chill.
"Li Youan————"
"Employer, yo—"
"Shall we have a sparring match today?"
"I learned a new move."
"You're my employer, so I'll definitely protect you."
"Can you craft this magical artifact?"
"My magical artifact needs repair."
"Your cooking skills are truly superb; you are indeed worthy of being the young master of the Dongfang family."
"From now on, I'll have to rely on you to repair my magical artifacts."
"I received spirit stones, so of course I have to protect you."
"I'm a man of integrity; I take money and do things honestly, regardless of age or gender."
In recent days, the conversations between Li Youan and her have been flashing through Dongfang Jinghong's mind, like a slideshow, each frame extremely clear.
Although Li Youan always appears extremely calm, those who interact with him more often will discover that he is a bit talkative and has an interesting way of speaking.
But none of this diminishes the fact that Li Youan is an incredibly reliable partner and teammate in crucial moments, just as he demonstrated today.
That teammate with superb marksmanship and exceptional talent for formation; that teammate who cooperated perfectly with her in daily sparring and training, and who fed her tips and tricks; that teammate who would protect her from the shadows in battle; that teammate who would unhesitatingly take a fatal blow for her in a life-or-death situation; that teammate who would even sneak up on her and knock her unconscious so that she could escape safely.
As she reminisced, tears welled up in Dongfang Jinghong's eyes again, soaking her clothes as they dripped down.
As she continued to reminisce, Dongfang Jinghong remembered her first meeting with Li Youan.
At that time, she was ambushed by Ping Yu and poisoned. She sensed a gentle aura not far away and walked over without hesitation. She fainted before she could even see Li Youan's face clearly.
When she woke up again, she saw Li Youan, who was mistaken for the person who attacked her, trapped in a giant water sphere by Feng Zi.
It was only after his explanation that Feng Zi released Li Youan. He originally intended to take him directly to the front-line base as a token of gratitude, but unexpectedly, Li Youan gave up this opportunity and chose to stay alone in the Ten Thousand Demon Forest to continue hunting demons.
At the time, Dongfang Jinghong had other matters to attend to, so he left directly. Although the two had met at Dongfang Baoge, their real in-depth exchanges and battlefield cooperation would not have occurred until the arena competition.
From the very start of their duel, the two displayed remarkable teamwork; none of their surrounding enemies could withstand their second attack.
He was recruited and quickly stormed onto the arena. What followed was a fierce battle with Ping Yu, which was also when Li Youan truly entered the eyes of the high-ranking officials at the front-line base.
Thinking about everything they had gone through, Dongfang Jinghong was now only blaming himself for not having a high enough cultivation level and for these demonic beasts relentlessly pursuing them.
And so, the crevice in the rock grew quieter and more oppressive.
Luo Jingshan paid no attention to these things, but focused all his energy on recovering from his injuries, hoping that when reinforcements arrived, they could attack from both inside and outside.
After all, their team had this experience entirely because he didn't expand his perception range to the maximum at all times. Although there may have been various objective conditions, that's not his personality. He would definitely admit his mistakes and speak up if there were any problems, which is an extremely rare quality.
After an unknown amount of time, it had become completely dark. Everyone knew that although Qi Xuan and the other two were extremely talented, it would still take some time for them to return to the outpost from here. They could not be summoned and dismissed at will.
Suddenly, from outside the crevice came the sounds of fierce fighting and howls of those good-for-nothings.
Although Luo Jingshan could roughly sense the situation above, as the strongest fighter in the team at the moment, he could not go out to fight. He had too many people to take care of. His beautiful idea of attacking from both inside and outside was completely unrealistic. He had to protect his teammates and prevent any possible sneak attacks.
After some time, the noise and shouts outside gradually subsided.
Upon sensing this situation, Luo Jingshan instantly perked up; at least from this outcome, they were friends, not enemies.
There was nothing they could do now but pray silently that Qi Xuan and the others could break through the encirclement and return to the outpost to bring the rescue team back.
Time passed by, second by second, each moment feeling both precious and long.
Although several seriously injured people were still unconscious, some of them had recovered slightly under the influence of the medicine. Hearing their strong heartbeats, everyone relaxed a bit.