Chapter 79: Cleaning Up the Mess

At this moment, two black figures ran swiftly from a distance and soon stopped among a group of mercenaries. These two were precisely the mercenaries who had gone to chase the middle-aged man earlier.

Both men appeared to be in their thirties or forties, their faces covered in blood, making it impossible to recognize them. Their bodies were riddled with wounds, and their tattered clothes were dyed red with blood. Despite their pale faces, their eyes remained bright and spirited.

Seeing the two men return empty-handed, it was clear they had not caught up with the fleeing middle-aged man.

"Alas, that man possesses the Wind Attribute Holy Power, giving him a significant advantage in speed. Although our strength surpasses his, in our current state, we couldn't possibly catch up to him. In the end, he managed to escape," one of them said, his tone filled with helplessness.

"Forget it, if he wants to run, let him. I didn't expect them to be from the Cangmang Bandit Group. No wonder they were so strong. If it weren't for the mysterious expert who helped us in secret, none of us would have made it back. To have survived this time is already a stroke of luck," said a burly middle-aged man, his face illuminated by the fire, revealing skin that was rather dark.

Hearing the burly man's words, the other mercenaries who had returned from killing the Cangmang Bandit Group's experts showed a mix of relief and fear in their expressions.

"Leader Langtian, are you alright?" a mercenary asked, approaching the burly man with concern.

Lowering his head slightly, the man known as Leader Langtian looked at his wounds and shook his head. "I'm fine, I can hold on." His gaze then swept over the mercenaries they had carried back on their shoulders, and he sighed deeply, his eyes filled with sorrow. "Unfortunately, Muyun Bai, Dahu, and the leader of the Damo Mercenary Group all died at the hands of the Cangmang Bandit Group's experts."

Upon hearing this, many of the mercenaries were filled with deep sorrow, especially the members of the Damo Mercenary Group, who were particularly heavy-hearted. However, for mercenaries who had spent their lives on the Tianyuan Continent, facing death on a daily basis, such events were nothing new. They had long grown accustomed to it, and soon, everyone calmed down.

"Brothers, although we successfully repelled the Cangmang Bandit Group, this time we only encountered a small detachment. If we had faced their main force or elite troops, we would have had no chance of survival. Therefore, we cannot stay here any longer. Everyone, immediately tally the casualties, bury the fallen brothers, and then travel through the night to leave this place," Leader Langtian said loudly.

Hearing this, the mercenaries immediately got to work. Those with severe injuries were escorted away for medical treatment, while the more robust and less injured mercenaries were assigned to dig graves and move the bodies.

Everyone worked in silence, the camp taking on an eerie quietness. At this moment, no one spoke, each silently doing their part, the atmosphere heavy and solemn.

Ji Chen scanned the surroundings, sighing inwardly. Although they had achieved victory in the battle against the Cangmang Bandit Group, it was a Pyrrhic victory. After this battle, the combined strength of the three mercenary groups had been greatly weakened, with the number of members reduced from hundreds to less than a hundred, and their strength was only a third of what it was before. Of the dozen or so experts who had rushed out, only five returned, all of them injured, significantly reducing their combat effectiveness. One of the mercenary group leaders had even been killed in the battle against the Cangmang Bandit Group's experts.

"Ji Chen, are you alright? How severe are your injuries?" a familiar voice sounded in Ji Chen's ear.

Turning around, Ji Chen saw that Mu Yun had approached him from behind. Mu Yun's condition was not good either, his face pale from the battle with the middle-aged man. Although he had performed exceptionally well in the fight, the use of combat skills had taken a heavy toll on his body.

Ji Chen shook his head lightly. "I'm fine." Pausing, he looked at Mu Yun with a complex expression and said in a low voice, "Mu Yun, many mercenaries have noticed you using combat skills. Be careful on this journey. Once you reach a safe place, leave the caravan as soon as possible. Otherwise, some of them might try to harm you."

Mu Yun glanced around at the busy mercenaries and chuckled. "Ji Chen, thank you for your concern. I'll be careful." Although he said this, his expression showed no signs of worry, as if he didn't take the mercenaries seriously at all.

Looking at Mu Yun's calm face, Ji Chen's heart stirred, and he seemed lost in thought. Based on the strength Mu Yun had displayed in the fight, Ji Chen didn't think he had the ability to protect himself in the mercenary group. Mu Yun then took out a white ceramic bottle from his spatial ring and handed it to Ji Chen. "This is a high-quality healing medicine. Use it both internally and externally to treat your injuries."

"Thank you!" Ji Chen accepted the bottle without hesitation.

"You're welcome. Go treat your injuries first. I'll help them with some tasks." With that, Mu Yun left.

An hour later, the entire caravan had finished preparations. The fallen mercenaries were buried in a large pit, while the bodies of the Cangmang Bandit Group members were left untouched, lying haphazardly on the ground. The mercenaries harbored deep hatred for the Cangmang Bandit Group and would not bother to bury them.

During this hour, Ji Chen had roughly treated his wounds and changed into a new set of rough clothes, which he had prepared in his spatial ring.

"Let's go!"

When everything was ready, the caravan set off again under the command of a leader, determined to travel through the night without rest. After the attack by the Cangmang Bandit Group, the caravan dared not stay any longer, not even for a moment.

After the battle, the caravan's defensive strength had been greatly weakened, and they no longer had the strength to face further battles. Many members of the Cangmang Bandit Group had escaped, and if the caravan did not leave, they would soon be surrounded by a large force of the Cangmang Bandit Group, leaving them powerless to resist.

Ji Chen climbed onto his mount with difficulty and followed the caravan through the night. Sitting on the horse, he closed his eyes and quietly used his Holy Power to heal his injuries. He had been severely injured by the middle-aged man and had consumed a large amount of Holy Power. His current state made even basic movements difficult, let alone combat. On the dangerous Tianyuan Continent, strength was crucial, so Ji Chen did not dare to rest and focused on recovering his strength.

The caravan moved quickly on the official road, traveling much faster than before due to the fear of being pursued by the Cangmang Bandit Group's reinforcements. Despite this, their speed was only slightly faster than a person running at full speed, as the heavy cargo on the wagons limited their speed. Even at this speed, they had nearly overturned several times on uneven roads.

On the horse, Ji Chen kept his eyes closed, slowly using his Holy Power to heal his injuries. Due to the environment, he did not dare to fully focus on healing, so his recovery was extremely slow.

At this moment, Ji Chen couldn't help but think of his mother, Bi Yuntian. He vividly remembered how she had effortlessly healed his third brother, Changyang Ke, without leaving a single scar. If there were a Holy Light Master present, his injuries would have been much easier to heal. Unfortunately, Holy Light Masters were extremely rare and highly respected, and the three mercenary groups did not have the means to invite one.

Just as Ji Chen was thinking about Holy Light Masters, a flash of inspiration struck him, and his eyes suddenly opened, a brilliant light flashing in them.

"Right, I can sense and absorb Holy Light Power. I wonder if I can control it like a Holy Light Master to heal my injuries," Ji Chen thought excitedly. The idea of possibly controlling Holy Light Power like a Holy Light Master filled him with joy and excitement.

Since the last time Bi Yuntian had healed Changyang Ke in Changyang City, Ji Chen had realized that the Holy Light Power she used was the same special energy he felt in the elemental energy he absorbed during his cultivation. At that time, he had wanted to test if he could control Holy Light Power, but the circumstances had prevented him from trying. He had gradually forgotten about it until now, when it suddenly came back to him.