Translator: Silavin As the horde of Demonic Beasts scattered, the pressure dissipated. Many members of the Dawn Mercenary Group sat down, exhausted. The fierce battle earlier have consumed too much of their energy. Of course, while they were catching their breath, their gazes simultaneously turned towards that young man, as their eyes filled with fervent admiration. What had been a certain death for them was easily resolved by this young man. Those two Diabolical Mist Leopards had been effortlessly slain by that slender sword, emanating sharp Sword Qi. It was evident how formidable that sword was! After all black large sword in Xiang Wu’s hand could barely leave a scar on the Diabolical Mist Leopards. It made the comparison even more chilling. At this moment, Qin Yichen seemed like a completely different person compared to the seemingly harmless young man from earlier. “Little Brother, I truly admire you!” Xiang Wu put away his large sword. He looked at Qin Yichen with a peculiar gaze. He now clearly understood that the latter’s strength was definitely above his own! It was laughable that he had suspected him of having ulterior motives. If he really had ulterior motives, they would not be standing here right now. “Great kindness needs no words of thanks. This time you saved our Dawn Mercenary Group. If there’s an opportunity in the future, our Dawn Mercenary Group will definitely repay you!” Seeing Xiang Wu’s solemn expression, Qin Yichen could only smile and nod. If the situation had not been so critical earlier, he would not have wanted to reveal his strength. When travelling, keeping some trump cards always gives one a sense of security. “Thank you.” A fragrant breeze entered his nose, and Qin Yichen turned his head to see a graceful figure. Xiang Ya’s soft words of thanks reached his ears and he made a small smile, “It was nothing. As long as Miss Ya does not think of me as a bad person, it’s fine.” Xiang Ya’s delicate face reddened slightly as she lowered her head. “Oh…” Seeing the two standing together, some mercenaries started to tease them. The atmosphere suddenly became a bit awkward… Xiang Ya’s face reddened even more, especially when those mercenaries joked about her needing to ‘repay with her body’. She shyly hid behind Xiang Wu. “Brother Xiang, I’m afraid this Demonic Beasts will just continue to hunt the group down.” Qin Yichen quickly changed the subject, his tone quite serious, without any hint of joking around. As long as the Beast Soul on Little Xuan’s neck remained, the Demonic Beasts would continue to attack them! At least, they would not stop within Misty Forest. Moreover, they were getting deeper now. This time, only second level of Peak Martial Grandmaster Demonic Beasts appeared. Next time, it might be the third level, or even Spirit Realm Demonic Beasts. At that point, even Qin Yichen would not be able to resist! Hearing Qin Yichen’s words, everyone who had just breathed a sigh of relief tensed up again. “Little Brother, why do you think these damned Demonic Beasts are attacking us like madmen? This isn’t our first time travelling through Misty Forest, but we’ve never encountered anything like this before.” Xiang Wu frowned, probing Qin Yichen with his question. “Little Xuan, come here.” Qin Yichen shook his head and beckoned to the little girl who was looking at him with shining eyes. Hearing Qin Yichen’s call, Little Xuan immediately bounced over to him, her eyes full of admiration. “Come, let Big Brother see the stone.” Her obedient manner reminded Qin Yichen of Little Ling’er. Little Xuan trusted him very much and handed him the ‘stone’. “Do you recognize this thing, Brother Xiang?” Holding the Beast Soul in his hand, Qin Yichen asked. “I don’t. Is this the reason?” Xiang Wu swallowed, his expression not seeming to be false. However, his brows were clearly furrowed. “That’s right, this is the target of those Demonic Beasts!” As Qin Yichen’s words fell, Xiang Wu’s face changed dramatically. Little Xuan was so scared that her little face turned pale, and she did not even dare to look at the ‘stone’ she had liked anymore. “Where did Brother Xiang get this thing?” Qin Yichen was curious. The Dawn Mercenary Group clearly did not have the strength to slay a Spirit Realm Demonic Beast. “Bought it from a mercenary in the Northern Wasteland. At that time, it was covered in thick soil, with only a corner exposed. Little Xuan liked it, so we bought it.” Xiang Wu sighed heavily. He never imagined that this seemingly unremarkable ‘stone’ would bring him so much trouble, even costing him several ‘Brothers’. “I see.” Qin Yichen understood now. The Northern Wasteland was originally the most prosperous area in the Northern Region. There, Major Families and Nobles were as numerous as in the current major cities of the Central Province. After those Families perished, many things were buried in the soil along with them. The reason the Northern Wasteland attracted so many mercenaries was that there were treasures to be found there. Although many things had been eroded by the wind, many items still remained. After all, that place once represented the glory of the Northern Region, and the things buried there were naturally diverse. They had not been discovered simply because these pearls were hidden under sand and dust. As Xiang Wu said, this Beast Soul was originally wrapped in soil. Thus, its aura had not been exposed. Mercenaries naturally would not have Qin Yichen’s level of knowledge, and bought it without knowing. When Xiang Wu got it, he thought it to be just a pretty stone, and gave it to Little Xuan to play with. If they had not met Qin Yichen, their team would have been buried in Misty Forest because of one ‘stone’. Seeing Qin Yichen lost in thought, the people around did not dare to make a sound. From time to time, wary glances were cast towards the Beast Soul in his hand. “Little Brother, what should we do? Why don’t we just throw it away here and hurry on our way?” Seeing them view the Beast Soul as a plague, Qin Yichen was speechless. [This is something even Millennial Families in the current Central Province would find it hard to obtain. Yet, you’ve already got it and you’re thinking about how to get rid of it!] “Don’t worry, Brother Xiang. I’m an Alchemy Master, so I naturally have a way to prevent those Demonic Beasts from sensing this thing.” Qin Yichen smiled lightly. His Spiritual Energy moved, spreading over the Beast Soul to isolate its aura. Soon, he handed the Beast Soul back to Little Xuan, but unexpectedly, the little girl stepped back twice, even covering her eyes, not daring to look at the ‘stone’ she once liked. “Well… Little Brother, ahem, if you don’t mind, how about you keep that thing?” Xiang Wu coughed, speaking with some embarrassment. “Huh…” Qin Yichen was stunned, looking at him with a different gaze. [This man sure is a talent. A mighty spender. To think he is actually willing to give away a treasure like a Beast Soul. I really have no words to describe him…] “Since that’s the case, I’ll keep this thing for now.” Qin Yichen had no choice but to put away the Beast Soul.