Chapter 278: Black Monkeys?

Just as Lin Xuan and the other two breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to examine the corpse of the monster from just a moment ago, the rustling sound coming from deep within the forest broke the brief silence once again. This sound was very faint at first, like the sound of fallen leaves drifting to the ground, but it soon turned into the sound of countless footsteps treading upon fallen leaves as they advanced, and these footsteps grew heavier and faster.

"Not good!" Lin Xuan was the first to sense the anomaly, his expression turning serious. "Those black monkeys are here again! There are even more of them this time; we must retreat quickly!"

Wang Zhenqiu nodded, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings: "These guys look quite a bit stronger than the ones we encountered before. Brother Lin, do you have any good ideas?"

"Now is not the time to consider that." Lin Xuan quickly scanned the surrounding environment. "The terrain here is too complex; it's easy to get surrounded. Let's go, let's run toward open ground first; it will be more convenient to fight there."

No sooner had he finished speaking than several black shadows appeared at the edge of the woods, and then more black shadows emerged one after another, expanding rapidly like dark clouds rolling through the night, dense and blocking out the sky.

"Follow me closely!" Lin Xuan was the first to charge out in the nearest direction, and the two people behind him immediately followed suit. However, just as they had run a few steps, several monkeys suddenly leaped out from the bushes on both sides, and one of them lunged straight at Xiao Qing, who was at the end of the group!

Xiao Qing instinctively leaped backward, narrowly avoiding this attack, but in doing so, she opened up some distance from her two companions. The monkey whose attack had failed did not give up the pursuit; instead, it waved its sharp claws even more furiously and charged over again.

Seeing this, Wang Zhenqiu hurriedly turned back to meet it: "Little girl, you hurry and keep following Brother Lin! Leave this to me to handle."

"But—" Xiao Qing hesitated for a moment, but still turned and accelerated to chase after Lin Xuan as the other had said.

At the same time, in a clearing not far away, Lin Xuan had already stopped and begun to unleash skills to confront the enemies. With a flash of light, several monkeys attempting to get close to him were instantly sent flying by an invisible force. "Xiao Qing, Brother Wang! Get over here to regroup as soon as possible; there is more space here for us to maneuver!"

Listening to the call from his comrade ahead, Wang Zhenqiu knew he could not continue to delay. He kicked fiercely at the most ferocious figure among the pack of monkeys currently preparing to attack him, took this opportunity to quickly break away from their encirclement, and then ran toward the agreed-upon meeting point.

However, the pack of monkeys following closely behind had no intention of giving up the chase; instead, they became even more frantic. They were especially targeting Xiao Qing, who was moving alone, and had almost completely surrounded her. Just as the crisis was closing in, she took a deep breath, and immediately, her whole body began to emit a faint blue light...

On the other side, hearing the noise from behind growing louder, Lin Xuan could not help but worry inwardly: I hope these two companions can successfully break free...

At this moment, Xiao Qing's firm voice suddenly rang out from afar: "Don't worry about me, I can handle these guys myself! You two hurry and regroup at Brother Lin's location!"

Immediately afterward, a certain ripple seemed to undulate through the air, and a circle of blue light waves expanded in all directions with Xiao Qing at the center. Everywhere it passed, all the monkeys were forced to stop their offensive, and quite a few even fell to the ground in pain, struggling.

Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, Wang Zhenqiu quickly passed through the gap and joined Lin Xuan's side. "It's a good thing we shook off the entanglement in time, otherwise I'm afraid we would have met our end here."

Lin Xuan, while maintaining his own defensive circle, anxiously looked around, searching for Xiao Qing's figure. "But... what about Xiao Qing? How is she doing now?"

Just then, the young girl who had still been shrouded in the eerie blue light suddenly appeared before everyone like a wisp of smoke, and with a rare smile on her face: "Don't worry, it's all taken care of!"

Seeing that she was completely unharmed, the two finally felt much more relaxed. However, before they had time to catch their breath for even a moment, a new signal of danger arrived quietly.

Suddenly, a low, hoarse, yet malicious voice echoed throughout the entire forest: "What interesting prey... to actually be able to escape alive from my subordinates... but there won't be such good luck next time... Hahahahaha..."

The three of them had their expressions change drastically at once, exchanged a nervous look, and then simultaneously looked toward the direction from which the voice came. At this moment, they all understood that a greater storm was about to arrive.

"It seems tonight is destined not to be peaceful..." Wang Zhenqiu said in a low voice.

The forest in the darkness seemed even more silent, with only the occasional calls of night birds breaking the stillness. Lin Xuan, Wang Zhenqiu, and Xiao Qing all knew very well in their hearts that a significant crisis was hidden behind that cold laughter from just a moment ago.

Just as everyone was still nervously scanning their surroundings, suddenly, several black shadows darted out from all directions, approaching as rapidly as ghosts. "It's them!" Xiao Qing was the first to react, pointing at those figures that were gradually revealing their forms—three Black-Clothed Persons wrapped entirely in the night.

"I didn't expect them to catch up so quickly, but it doesn't matter, we are already prepared." Wang Zhenqiu said, gripping the weapon in his hand, a determined expression on his face.

"Don't just talk big," the Black-Clothed Person walking at the very front gave a sinister smile, "Last time we let you escape by luck, this time you will definitely not have such good fortune!"

The battle broke out immediately. The air was instantly filled with the sound of blades clashing and the sparks brought about by the fierce fight. It was clear that these three black-clad assassins were not only agile, but also possessed rich combat experience and impressive teamwork, especially the various hidden weapons they carried, which were impossible to guard against.

Facing the sudden attack, Xiao Qing was the first to launch a counterattack. Her figure moved nimbly to dodge the rounds of fierce offensives from the opponent, while searching for an opportunity to strike back. "Brother Zhenqiu, watch out behind you!" At that same moment, Xiao Qing discovered another enemy attempting a sneak attack and quickly issued a warning to her partner.

On the other side, Wang Zhenqiu, relying on his superior strength and excellent insight, continuously created favorable conditions for his companions in the midst of the melee. "Thank you for the reminder!" Following the words of thanks, he had already turned and kicked away the assassin who was about to attack him, and immediately followed up with both hands, forcing the opponent back several steps.

However, the person who truly changed the situation on the battlefield was Lin Xuan. Although he always gave people a gentle impression in daily life, at this very moment, his performance completely overturned everyone's perception: he was seen with his eyes tightly closed, his whole body emitting a pale blue light, and as he slowly opened his eyes, an unprecedented pressure instantly permeated the area.