Boyakuzhuo realized that he had walked into an ambush. The islanders had been prepared all along.
"Inform everyone to be on high alert. If any islanders are spotted, show no mercy!"
"Hai!"
The surrounding men acknowledged his command. Boyakuzhuo then instructed an Onmyoji beside him to try and dispel the thick fog.
The Onmyoji agreed, formed hand seals, and then pushed them forward. A gust of wind, equivalent to a level eight or nine gale, erupted from his hands, forming a wind wall ahead.
The fierce wind blew away the fog in front of them, temporarily improving their visibility.
After more than ten seconds, the Onmyoji ceased his technique, and the gale vanished instantly. However, in the blink of an eye, the fog that had been dispersed by the wind returned, engulfing their surroundings once more.
Boyakuzhuo's expression turned extremely grim. He knew the strength of his subordinate Onmyoji. The wind technique he had just used had drained nearly half of the Onmyoji's internal energy. Yet, this powerful technique had only managed to clear the fog for a mere ten seconds!
"Teacher, what exactly is going on in this situation? What should we do?" Boyayuan San asked from the side.
"This is... a formation by the Hua Xia people! There are experts on the island! We must capture this person. Of course, if he resists, then kill him!"
"I understand..."
Before Boyayuan San could finish speaking, a shrill scream suddenly echoed from not far away, "Ah...!"
In the quiet night, such a sound would undoubtedly jolt anyone's nerves.
Soon after, several ninjas carried over two corpses. These were also ninjas, but their throats had been slit by sharp objects. The look of terror on their faces indicated they had died a gruesome death.
Another ninja, though still alive, had one of his arms mangled and hanging limply.
"Baka! What happened!" Boyakuzhuo's eyes turned red. The greatest weakness of Ise Jingu was their insufficient numbers. Especially these elite ninjas, who required at least over a decade to train. He only had a few dozen of them, making each loss significant. To have two dead and two severely injured in such a short time was unacceptable to Boyakuzhuo.
"Lord Zhuo, just now, a few of us were searching according to the plan when suddenly, a thick fog appeared. Then, I smelled blood. I followed the scent and found my two comrades. They were already dead. At that moment, something attacked me! Fortunately, I managed to activate my technique, Wood Style, Wood Transformation, just in time to block the attacker's fatal blow! I saw the attacker. It looked like a beast!"
"Nani? A beast? What kind of beast?"
"Judging by its size, it looked like a leopard, but it was much larger than an ordinary leopard, like a small tiger!"
"Baka! Inform them to be on high alert..."
Before he could finish speaking, another shrill scream echoed from a distance. A few minutes later, another corpse was dragged over. This time, they found three arrows embedded in the body. One arrow had pierced the ninja's left eye, while the other two had struck his throat and chest.
The attackers were none other than Aurora, Zhang Caifeng, and Haifurong. In recent days, Zhang Caifeng and Aurora had also taken up archery on the island. Although their skill was somewhat lacking compared to others earlier that morning, they were martial artists with far stronger mental power than ordinary people. Thus, their archery was respectable, capable of hitting a human target within fifty meters.
This time, under Haifurong's leadership, they were preparing to launch a surprise attack. Aurora suggested they sneak closer and launch a surprise attack, but Haifurong did not adopt this suggestion. Her proposal was to utilize their visual advantage for long-range strikes. While this approach might allow the opponents to dodge, it was considerably safer. It also allowed them to conserve energy. After all, there were over thirty people who had landed on the island. Even if they were thirty pigs standing still to be chopped, it would exhaust a person.
They soon spotted a lone ninja, who was nervously looking around. However, the dense fog only deepened his despair. Just then, he heard the whistling sound of arrows. Despite the ninja's strenuous efforts to dodge, within the Maze Formation, it was difficult for him to control his movements or judge the direction of the flying arrows. In the next moment, the ninja's left eye was hit by an arrow. Before he could recover from the excruciating pain, two more arrows arrived, striking his chest and throat respectively, killing him instantly.
After their success, Haifurong signaled to the other two women. They understood, and quietly retreated, changing their positions to find new targets.
"Quick, consolidate our forces! We cannot afford to be scattered, or we will be picked off one by one!" Boyakuzhuo shouted.
"Hai!" Boyayuan San responded and quickly went to make arrangements. Soon, several flares were fired into the sky, exploding in the air. However, in the dense fog, the light from these warning flares did not travel far.
Few people from Ise Jingu saw the warning signal, but Ling Tian did. He walked directly towards the source of the light. Spotting the group of more than ten people, Ling Tian chuckled and pulled out a set of explosive fire talismans. Infusing his internal energy into the talismans, Ling Tian raised his hand, and ten fist-sized fireballs flew towards the crowd.
"Boom, boom, boom..." Intense explosions connected, forming a massive wall of fire that enveloped the dozen or so individuals.
Ten seconds later, the flames subsided, and the high temperature cleared the surrounding fog. By then, Boyakuzhuo's face was ashen. He had sensed the impending danger and immediately cast a shield of water vapor around himself. Immediately after, the explosions occurred, and temperatures of over a thousand degrees engulfed them.