CHAPTER 299: CHAPTER 161: PHANTOM BEAST CORPS

"Rest assured, my lord, we still have over fifty brothers ambushed around the forest perimeter, and more than ten have already infiltrated the merchant caravan," said two Hunter Soldiers respectfully.

A merchant caravan? It turned out to be a robbery. Seeing a few Hunter Soldiers and that middle-aged man targeting the passing merchant caravan, Yun Sheng’s interest dwindled.

Looking at the two Hunter Soldiers, they appeared to belong to a medium-scale Hunting Corps within the territory of Da Zhou.

Such Hunting Corps, being employed by others to rob merchant caravans, wasn’t anything rare. Yun Sheng, having important matters to attend to, didn’t plan to interfere.

Just as Yun Sheng was about to withdraw, the middle-aged man suddenly spoke, "Well done, as long as you steal those account books and finances amidst the chaos, Zhou Qingchuan will never have the chance to rise again once he returns to his family."

Hearing the name Zhou Qingchuan, Yun Sheng paused briefly.

Could it be that these Hunter Soldiers disguised as robbers were targeting the Wuji Commerce’s caravan?

Although Zhou Qingchuan had only a brief encounter with Yun Sheng, he had helped her significantly, and being a meticulous thinker, he was bound to become a significant figure.

If the Sky Hunting Corps wants to expand in the future, establishing a good relationship with the largest commerce on the continent would undoubtedly be beneficial.

"Rest assured, my lord, having received your money, we in the Phantom Beast Corps will handle this matter smoothly. We are prepared, and will commence the sneak attack tonight. At that time, we’ll need your help to delay the caravan’s progress," several Hunter Soldiers and the middle-aged man discussed for a while before dispersing.

Yun Sheng contemplated for a moment, then immediately concealed herself in the bushes.

When Yun Canglang saw that Yun Sheng had been gone for a good while and returned with a serious expression, he couldn’t help but wonder, "What’s the matter? Is there a problem ahead?"

"Second uncle, I have something I need to discuss with you," Yun Sheng shared the details about the Hunter Soldiers and the middle-aged man she had just discovered with Yun Canglang.

"Sheng’er, are you thinking of helping Zhou Qingchuan?" Yun Canglang, who had rarely walked the continent in recent years, wasn’t ignorant of Wuji Commerce’s affairs.

Although Wuji Commerce wasn’t a colossal entity like the Hunter Soldier Alliance, Medicine Emperor Pavilion, Magic Temple, or Summoning Court on the continent, its influence was extraordinarily significant.

It was rumored that the ancestors of Wuji Commerce came from the now-fractured Donghuang Dynasty.

After the fall of the Donghuang Dynasty, Wuji Commerce didn’t decline but instead established intimate relationships with the Five Great Countries as an Imperial Merchant.

The products of Wuji Commerce also cover various fields, ranging from magical equipment, to daily necessities, to weapons.

The founder of Wuji Commerce, Zhou Yuhuang, once said that there is no unavailable good at Wuji Commerce, only the prices one can’t afford.

"The Zhou Qingchuan you mentioned should be one of the direct descendants of Wuji Commerce, and if I’m not mistaken, that middle-aged man also holds a high position within Wuji Commerce. This robbery is undoubtedly involved in Wuji Commerce’s internal family strife. If we rashly intervene, it might invite unnecessary trouble," said Yun Canglang, truly a general, who even after a few years of inactivity, was still thorough in his considerations.

"Second uncle, what do you think the Emperor of Da Zhou holds for our Yun Residence?" Yun Sheng suddenly asked.

"Sheng’er, what do you mean by that?" Yun Canglang was taken aback by Yun Sheng’s words.

Yun Sheng’s implication seemed to hint at a possibility of defection from Da Zhou.

The entire Yun Family has been loyal to Da Zhou for hundreds of years, and being a male of the Yun Family, Yun Canglang had always taken it as his duty to be loyal to Da Zhou.

Although he had left the Great Zhou Army, he had never been an enemy of Great Zhou for even a day.

"Uncle, if the matter of Dihong City is really related to the Emperor of Great Zhou, the injuries on your hand and General Yun’s are not simple. Sheng’er is just providing a backup plan. As the saying goes, ’A crafty rabbit has three burrows,’ it’s time we also make some arrangements," Yun Sheng stated frankly.

Given the current tense situation in Great Zhou, Yun Sheng had already sensed an air of danger.

"Then let’s do as you say," Yun Canglang was startled into a cold sweat by Yun Sheng’s words.

But upon further consideration, he felt that Yun Sheng’s concerns were not entirely unreasonable.

Since they had decided to help Zhou Qingchuan, Yun Canglang called Zhou Quan over.

Yun Sheng also described the strange demon beasts and the attire of the hunters each with a demon beast at their side, whom she had just seen.

What Yun Sheng was worried about now was that the depth and strength of the opposing hunting corps were unknown.

In the vast territory of Great Zhou, countless hunting teams and corps exist. If they do not understand the true capabilities of the opponents, she might fail to assist Zhou Qingchuan and even risk losing members of the Sky Hunting Corps.

After all, their main mission in heading to the Southern Border of Great Zhou this time is still the Purple Gold mine.

To their surprise, several hunters including Zhou Quan immediately grasped the situation.

"Young Master, the hunting corps you mentioned, I have some recollections of them. They should be the Phantom Beast Corps," Zhou Quan is the most clever and adaptable member of the Sky Hunting Corps. He has a good relationship with the Hunter Soldier Union in Yujing City, thus he is the most aware of the famous hunting corps within the territory of Great Zhou.

Especially when Yun Sheng mentioned that the opposing hunters each had a demon beast, he immediately recalled it.

"Phantom Beast Corps? Is that a B-level hunting corps in the territory of Great Zhou?" Yun Canglang was astonished upon hearing this.

The Phantom Beast Corps, composed of fifty hunters, is a mid-sized corps with the fewest members among all B-level hunting corps.

However, this hunting corps has a significant reputation within the territory of Great Zhou.

The reason lies in the special demon beast within the corps, the Phantom Beast.

The Phantom Beast is a very special demon beast, possessing the rare magic attribute of life and space-time attribute.

It is said that this attribute can silently conceal its own aura, approach the enemy, and the defensive power of the Phantom Beast is astounding. Normal weapons and magic have difficulty affecting it; any slight disturbance can cause the Phantom Beast to flee.

And there are ten of these Phantom Beasts within the corps.

"The reputation of the Phantom Beast Corps in the Da Zhou Hunting Soldier World is not good, because they possess such special beasts and have always been involved in high-paying business like assassination, robbery, and smuggling," Zhou Quan did not expect that their hunting corps would run into such a troublesome opponent like the Phantom Hunting Corps this time.

"Zhou Quan, you just said that there are ten demon beasts in the Phantom Hunting Corps? Does that mean they have ten summoners in their corps?" This was Yun Sheng’s first time hearing about a hunting corps within Great Zhou managing to control so many demon beasts.

After all, Great Zhou is not a Summoning Kingdom, where normal demon beasts only serve as battle pets and mounts, and are hard to control and maneuver like Summoned Beasts.

"This is also something outsiders have always been puzzled about; in the Phantom Hunting Corps, there is only one summoner, but indeed they can control ten Phantom Beasts. It would be better if Ancestor Master were here," Zhou Quan felt somewhat uneasy.