The elder who proposed abandoning the wounded was named Zhou Kangtai. He belonged to the Zhou Mang family and had taken good care of Zhou Lin along the way.

Even while fleeing, he made special arrangements to protect Zhou Lin and several other A-rank talented Gu Masters in the middle of the team.

For him, the other Gu Masters on this hunting mission were probably not important. Even if they had to abandon half of the people, as long as Zhou Lin remained safe and unharmed, he would accept it.

However, because his thoughts were not in conflict with the other elders, no one came forward to accuse him.

Being an A-rank talent meant the potential to grow into a Rank 4 or even Rank 5 Gu Master in the future, becoming a pillar of the entire family. It was not something that could be compared to a group of ordinary Rank 1 or Rank 2 Gu Masters.

However, just because the elders could accept it didn't mean that others could too.

In the rear of the team, Zhou Yu, who was galloping, suddenly pulled on the reins and slowed down.

"What are you doing!" Zhou Ming acted quickly, grabbing him and pulling him onto his own wolf, thus avoiding the fate of being left behind by the main force.

"Let go, I want to go down and fight!" Zhou Yu struggled unwillingly.

"What can you do if you go? Sacrifice yourself? Take a good look behind. The people left behind are almost being killed!"

"But... but I can't just watch them hold the rear while I escape like this, just like back then..."

Tears welled up in Zhou Yu's eyes.

Zhou Ming sighed, feeling a moment of hesitation.

"There will be a time for us to fight." He looked at the pursuers who were catching up again from behind and said softly.

The opponents were well-prepared, and their speed was incredibly fast. Zhou Ming didn't believe that they would just mindlessly chase after them.

In the middle of the team, a scout Gu Master suddenly reported an urgent message.

There were two enemy teams flanking them from both sides, rapidly closing in. It wouldn't take ten minutes before they caught up with them!

"Why are they so fast!" Several elders had grim expressions, all understanding the situation.

Their side could leave behind the wounded to obstruct the enemy's pursuit, so naturally, the enemy could also send small teams to increase their speed and block them ahead, regardless of the cost.

They didn't need to stop them; they only needed to engage in battle to slow down their speed, and the enemy's main force would soon catch up from behind!

They were willing to make sacrifices, and the enemy was even more ruthless!

"There's no escape." Zhou Kangtai closed his eyes in anguish, but quickly opened them again, his gaze filled with coldness.

"Then let's fight! Prepare for the worst. When the time comes, we can only evacuate with a few A-rank talents!"

Abandon the entire main force!

However, the elders simply glanced at each other and nodded silently, agreeing to this plan.

"The front is slowing down!"

The Gu Masters at the rear of the hunting team quickly noticed the anomaly ahead and received orders from the front.

Prepare for battle!

"Great, I've been wanting to take them on!" someone said, rubbing their fists.

"Brother, I will avenge you!" another person's face was filled with hatred.

"We're finished, we won't be able to escape this time," someone exclaimed in fear.

"In a moment, gather around me, don't stray too far," Zhou Ming slowly pulled on the reins of his mount and said to his three teammates.

"Yes, you two are still below Rank 2, so stay close to us. Otherwise, we won't be able to take care of you," Zhou Hao echoed from the side.

Zhou Ming pulled Zhou Hao over abruptly and calmly said, "That includes you."

Zhou Hao: "Huh?"

Zhou Ming ignored him and his gaze fell towards the pursuers behind.

From there, he sensed a powerful aura.

That was... a Rank 4 expert!

"Kill!"

"Take them down!"

"Hahaha, a bunch of little kids with tender flesh. Uncle loves that the most!"

"Freak, die!"

In the first wave of battle, the Gu Masters of the hunting team felt immense pressure. The large-scale battles between Gu Masters were much more intense than fighting against beasts.

Gust blades, fireballs, ice spikes, electric flashes—the colorful and dazzling lights filled the air, blinding the eyes. Explosions and roars filled the ears, causing a painful sensation in the eardrums.

From long-range combat to close-quarters combat, it took less than three minutes for the most brutal slaughter to begin.

Zhou Ming's group of four and several other hunting squads were surrounded in the middle by a group of Gu Masters. Enemies came from all directions, their attacks with various Gu worms penetrating every opening, relentlessly assaulting everyone.

"Ah!" One Gu Master couldn't hold on any longer. The healing Gu Masters couldn't even treat him before he was struck by multiple attacks, shattering his body, and blood splattered everywhere.

The air was filled with a thick stench of blood.

"Be careful!" Zhou Hao shouted, activating a defensive Gu to block an attack for Zhou Yu, but he couldn't evade a sneak attack from another Gu Master.

"Boom!"

Zhou Hao turned his head and happened to see the Gu Master flying backward, lifeless in mid-air.

The one who made the move was Zhou Ming. Although he was only using a Rank 1 Gu, with the enhancement of the Boundless Forest Samsara Physique, he didn't deliberately suppress it, immediately displaying power comparable to that of a Rank 2 Gu.

"A Rank 2 Gu Master? Kill him!" More Gu Masters attacked Zhou Ming.

"Hmph!" Zhou Ming sneered, and his Rank 1 Leaf Blade Gu spun in the air, sending leaf blades flying in all directions as if they were free of charge. They were incredibly fast.

Some Rank 2 Gu Masters couldn't evade in time and were hit by a leaf blade. They immediately screamed in agony as their arm was severed and flew away.

"That kid is strange!" The powerful force unleashed by the Rank 1 Leaf Blade Gu made many Gu Masters' scalps tingle. They screamed and dodged the flying leaf blades.

"Kill his teammates first to distract him!" a Gu Master shouted and launched an attack on Zhou Hao's group of three.

In the next moment, a vine shot out like lightning, entering through the Gu Master's eye socket and piercing through the back of his skull, impaling his body on the vine.

Rank 1 Vine Gu!

Zhou Ming's impressive display made the surrounding Gu Masters hesitate, resulting in a rare deadlock on the battlefield.

At that moment, several figures swiftly flew through the air.

There was one Rank 4 and four Rank 3 auras, causing Zhou Ming to involuntarily look up.

Above, it was the strongest few among the enemy. The direction they were flying towards was where the three Rank 3 elders of their side were located!

The Rank 4 Gu Master overlooking the battlefield from the sky suddenly noticed the peculiar situation with Zhou Ming's group compared to other areas.

"Yu Bin, go down and kill that kid."

"Yes, sir!"

A Rank 3 Gu Master separated from the group and descended toward Zhou Ming's area.

"Ah! Elder Yu Bin!"

"Hahaha, kid, you're done for!"

Among the enemy Gu Masters, several individuals saw the figure descending from the sky and burst into laughter with joy.

"It's indeed someone from the Yu family!" Zhou Ming realized in his heart and noticed the expressions of other Gu Masters. He immediately understood that these Gu Masters didn't come from the same family.

"It seems that several families have really united to deal with the Zhou family!"

"Kid, you're unlucky to encounter me. Go and die!"

In mid-air, Yu Bin's face twisted into a ferocious smile. His right arm swiftly transformed into a huge beast claw, fiercely grabbing at Zhou Ming's head.

He was, without a doubt, a Rank 3 Gu Master specializing in transformation techniques. If this claw hit its mark, an ordinary Rank 2 Gu Master would be torn to shreds!

Facing this descending claw technique, Zhou Ming coldly smiled.

Then—the blade light soared into the sky!

Swoosh!