Where does that wicked woman get her conscience?

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Guan Xun stopped, looking at the dark forest ahead.

Further ahead lies the depths of the outer perimeter, which is the boundary between the inner and outer perimeters. It seems that the wolf pack was indeed driven away by high-level demonic beasts, which is why they fled in this manner.

Unfortunately, she wanted to see what kind of monster it was, but she couldn't go any further; it was already dark.

Just as he turned to leave, a few faint laughs caught her attention.

someone!

She immediately became alert, listening intently and trying to pinpoint the source of the sound.

Ahead?

No, it's on the right.

Guan Xun turned her head to look in that direction, but it was pitch black and she couldn't see anything. As long as she didn't go too deep inside, she could go over and take a look.

Thinking this, as she took a step forward, her divine sense gradually extended forward, so that she could detect any extremely dangerous monsters she encountered immediately.

The further they went, the louder the faint sounds became. Before long, Guan Xun could clearly hear the conversation.

It seems... a large group of men are arguing?

"Don't bully others too much!"

A clear male voice roared angrily, but whether it was because there was phlegm stuck in his throat or something else, it sounded strangely unpleasant.

After yelling, he coughed violently, so hard it felt like he was about to pass out.

Is he injured? And quite badly?

Guan Xun sniffed lightly and smelled the blood wafting over from that direction.

"Hahahaha!" Several people burst into laughter.

"He actually said we were going too far? Did we bully him?"

The hoarse, duck-like voice made Guan Xun's eyelids twitch; compared to that, the male voice from before sounded much better.

"Do you have?"

"No!" several small voices echoed.

"Do you have it or not!"

"Absolutely not!"

Guan Xun: ...

They're just shouting slogans here.

Guan Xun cautiously peeked half his head out from behind the tree trunk, only to see a lot of people lying haphazardly on the open ground in front of him.

Blood seeped into the soil, staining it bright red, clearly indicating a fierce battle had taken place.

A man was kneeling on one knee, clutching his chest, surrounded by corpses. His black robes clung tightly to his body, clearly soaked with blood.

Blood kept gushing from his mouth. If it weren't for the long sword he was holding, which was stuck in the ground to support his body, he wouldn't have such a battle-worn appearance. He would probably be lying there like the corpses on the ground by now.

Well……

The black robe made it impossible to tell whether the clothes were luxurious or not, but judging from the gold threads sewn along the edges of the robe, he was definitely not an ordinary person.

Guan Xun's gaze remained fixed on the man, so much so that she momentarily overlooked the people opposite him.

It wasn't that she was interested in the man, but rather that she was very interested in the jade pendant at his waist, which looked very valuable.

If this person dies, then the jade pendant can belong to her, right?

"If you beg for mercy, maybe I'll let you go," the hoarse voice spoke again. "How about it? Think it over?"

Only then did Guan Xun turn his gaze to him, who had been ignored all along. His face had a scholarly air about him, and his red robe made his face look pale. His breathing was fluctuating, and he was obviously injured as well.

virtual.

The only word that came to Guan Xun's mind was "a hoarse voice, hands on hips, and an arrogant demeanor, even his boots and the headband that tied his hair were red."

Just how much does this person love red?

Guan Xun frowned. She really hated this color of clothing. It always reminded her of her younger sister from before, who also loved wearing red dresses.

A surge of anger inexplicably rose in Guan Xun's heart, and she tapped her fingertips back and forth on the tree trunk.

"Pah!" The man in black robes spat out a mouthful of blood, but due to his intense emotions, he coughed violently.

"Well, whoever has the ability gets it, right? You all agree, right?" The man with the hoarse voice asked his attendant with a loud laugh, and the attendant echoed him in a very flattering manner.

"Skill?! Cough, it was clearly us who captured the Soul-Stealing Rainbow Crane. If our personnel hadn't suffered heavy casualties, would it have been your turn?" The man in black robes was clearly furious, spitting out several more mouthfuls of blood as he glared angrily at the people in front of him, trembling all over.

"Your Li family is as despicable and shameless as ever! We will settle this score with you eventually!"

"Hahahaha, settle accounts? If I kill you now, who will know it was me?" The hoarse voice was extremely arrogant. He spread his hands to indicate to the man in black robes that there was no one around.

“…Despicable!” The man in black robes trembled with rage.

They brought more than a dozen people to capture high-level demonic beasts, and their success was achieved only after sacrificing a prospective elder. If it weren't for the heavy casualties, they wouldn't have been ambushed by these guys halfway through!

Given his skill level, he could easily defeat his opponent without sustaining any injuries.

Huh? A ghostly rainbow crane...

Guan Xun exclaimed in surprise and turned to look at the cage behind the man with the hoarse voice. The cage was covered by a large black cloth, making it impossible to see what was inside.

However, it was quite obvious that blood was flowing out of the cage, so the lost soul crane must have been seriously injured.

For something to be captured so desperately and stolen so blatantly, it must be of a very high level.

Guan Xun's eyes darted around as he pondered something when a gust of cold wind swept by, causing the black cloth covering the cage to flutter.

Its snow-white feathers were now stained with bright red, its long legs bent, and it lay dying in the cage.

It's a vengeful crane!

The Soul-Destroying Rainbow Crane is inherently kind, not aggressive, and has extremely low combat power. However, it runs very fast. Although it does not soar high like a falcon, it is still a master of low-flying and is extremely difficult to catch.

It's something Guan Xun could never have imagined that such casualties could occur when capturing just one monster; it shouldn't have happened and it's unreasonable.

Just as Guan Xun was staring at the crane, it seemed to sense something. Its long neck was immobilized, but it turned its eyes and looked in this direction.

In an instant, the two, one human and one beast, locked eyes. Guan Xun was slightly taken aback. Had she seen correctly? The Soul-Destroying Rainbow Crane was also looking at her?

Guan Xun read many unreadable emotions in its eyes: despair, grief, anger, hatred...

Unfortunately, the wind only lifted the black cloth for a moment. When the black cloth fell and covered the cage again, Guan Xun came back to his senses and was overjoyed.

This soul-destroying rainbow crane actually possesses intelligence. She originally thought that the fifth or sixth rank of this crane was already the highest, but she never expected it!

If a demon beast possesses the intelligence of a seventh-tier being, then this crane must be at least a seventh-tier being.

Looking back now, it's understandable that those people suffered so many injuries and deaths in their efforts to capture it.

The black-robed man's level... Guan Xun estimated from his aura that he was around level 20.

That man with the hoarse voice was rather low-class, and his followers were just small fry. If the man in black robes hadn't been injured, they really wouldn't have been a match for him.

However... in the current situation, it would be most to her liking if one side suffered casualties. She glanced at the man in black robes and saw his lowered eyes darting left and right as if he were thinking about something.

Guan Xun frowned immediately. Was he... stalling for time?