Qin Xiaoxiao wearily hoisted the Sky-Splitting Divine Axe onto her shoulder, her face still etched with the lingering shock.
Her chest heaved as she panted, "Hoo hoo, that was so scary, so scary! Five of them..."
Her words stunned Zeng Yun and Chen Xinyu, who clung to each other, trembling.
Who was truly the scary one?
They had initially thought the sword cultivator was the protagonist, only to be confronted by a terrifyingly monstrous loli!
Of course, Qin Xiaoxiao's overwhelming power was primarily thanks to the Sky-Splitting Divine Axe. She had a hammer too, but bringing it out against these Sky-Slayer race members would have been utterly unnecessary.
Luo Xiaowei coughed lightly and said to the two quivering cultivators, "No need to be alarmed, sirs. She's just a bit strong, but quite gentle in reality."
"Th...Thank you both for saving our lives..."
"You're welcome. We're all humans. You're injured, aren't you? I have a few top-grade Spirit Recovery Pills here. Would you like a couple?"
Zeng Yun cast a grateful look at Luo Xiaowei. Producing top-grade pills so casually, these two must be super geniuses from super sects!
"May I ask who you two are..."
Luo Xiaowei exchanged a look with Qin Xiaoxiao. Luo Xiaowei smiled and said, "We are disciples of a reclusive great master. We wouldn't normally emerge, but our master said this world is facing a great catastrophe and instructed us to come out immediately and fight for humanity."
Qin Xiaoxiao blinked, then quickly nodded, "Yes, yes, that's right!"
Upon hearing this, the two gasped. They harbored no doubt, as they had never heard of these two individuals before.
"We've only just arrived here and are unfamiliar with everything. Could you perhaps tell us about this place and the current situation?"
Through this roundabout questioning, Luo Xiaowei and Qin Xiaoxiao gained a basic understanding of the world.
It turned out that to boost the fighting morale of cultivators, the Cultivator Alliance had established a reward system.
On the front lines, killing Sky-Slayer race members earned points. With these points, one could exchange for vast amounts of cultivation methods, divine artifacts, secret techniques, and various rare treasures, including immortal artifacts, immortal techniques, and immortal herbs.
However, such items required a terrifying amount of points, often in the hundreds of thousands.
This point system was fascinating. Top blacksmiths, using specific patterns, had created tokens that recorded every kill of a Sky-Slayer race member.
Killing a first-realm enemy yielded 1 point, a second-realm 10 points, a third-realm 100 points, a fourth-realm 500 points, a fifth-realm 1,000 points, a sixth-realm 10,000 points, and an eighth-realm a staggering 100,000 points.
The higher realms weren't calculated because the rewards offered by their alliance were designed to encourage younger cultivators to fight.
The tokens were authenticated by a drop of blood. Once the holder died, the data stored on the token would be instantly erased.
The region between the Demon Domain and the mainland served as the battlefield, with the Blood Forest being a minor skirmish zone within this area.
Moreover, anyone could claim a point token, leading more and more people to join the fight.
The regular armies formed by sects engaged in combat in the Soul Severing Mountain Range, while disciples from smaller sects or lone cultivators formed mercenary groups and entered the combat zones to hunt Sky-Slayer race members.
To participate in the major battles, one had to go to the Soul Severing Mountain Range. It was easier to accumulate many points there, but it was also more dangerous and required obedience, offering little freedom.
Hearing this, Luo Xiaowei knew what they had to do.
"Our origins are unknown. Going to the Soul Severing Mountain Range might attract unwanted attention from those with ulterior motives."
"Then what should we do?"
Luo Xiaowei smiled, "How about we form a mercenary group? If we build a reputation outside, those powerful figures won't scrutinize our identities too much."
Qin Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up, "Okay, okay!"
And so, from that day on, they formed a mercenary group—the Ice Sword Mercenary Group.
The nightmare of the Sky-Slayer race had begun. These two started their rampage from the Blood Forest. Sky-Slayer race members below the fifth realm no longer dared to approach, becoming a terrifying presence.
Sometimes, they even drew the attention of fifth-realm Sky-Slayer race members, equivalent to human Void Returning realm experts.
However, it was of no use. Qin Xiaoxiao, with a flash of her power and a transformation, could forcefully slay early fifth-realm Sky-Slayer race members. But against those in the mid to late fifth realm, it became quite challenging.
Their growing fame naturally attracted many geniuses to join them.
But Luo Xiaowei wasn't accepting just anyone. They assessed potential recruits based on strength and character. If their strength was insufficient or they were of wicked disposition, they would not be accepted.
He didn't want to be backstabbed during a fight. The abilities they currently displayed held immense value, and many covetous individuals had already set their sights on the Candle Dragon Burning Heaven Sword and the Sky-Splitting Divine Axe.
However, their battle record was too impressive, leaving no valid reason for those powerful figures to forcibly seize them. Luo Xiaowei and Qin Xiaoxiao had both been placed on the Sky-Slayer race's most-wanted list.
For the Sky-Slayer race, human prodigies were beings that had to be eradicated.
In this region, the pair witnessed the darker side of human nature.
They experienced betrayal, scheming, and all sorts of unspeakable difficulties from their own kin.
The enemies they encountered grew increasingly powerful, and their companions often suffered casualties.
Luo Xiaowei also felt a sense of confusion. He had broken through to the Nascent Soul realm, yet his sword couldn't even protect his companions.
However, he quickly cast aside such thoughts. He had no right nor time to be dejected. If he couldn't protect his teammates, it must be because his strength was insufficient.
In life, one must always experience the loss of something. Only after loss do we understand cherishing, and only after loss do we grow.
There are always things you cannot protect, even if you throw caution to the wind and give your all.
As time passed, both Luo Xiaowei and Qin Xiaoxiao underwent personality changes. Their eyes would occasionally reveal a murderous aura, not just towards the Sky-Slayer race, but also towards humans.
The cultivation world was indeed cruel; no one could maintain their innocence forever.
If there was anyone, it could only be Chen Xiaohan.
Her innocence was ruthlessly extreme; in a cultivation world devoid of moral constraints, she thrived like a fish in water.
If true love had a color, it would undoubtedly be purple, symbolizing potent venom...