Chapter 227 Kristen’s Blood Power

"Oh? With that mysterious look, you are making me curious. Tell me the details of the mission," Ricky
asked, his eyes lighting up.

"There is an area called the Black Marsh. A gang named the Rats has recently appeared and is
growing rapidly. It's likely, warriors who go to the Black Marsh for toughening and improvement would
be their targets. Going by their aggressive activities, they would fancy taking over the area, and they
would kill with abandon anyone who ventures into their territory. Besides, the mob also preys upon
organizations and ransack their treasures, resources - whatever they have," Kristen started to
elaborate the mission.

"A few groups of warriors have combined force and gone to the Sky Manor, requesting for the
destruction of this mob and hoping the Sky Manor would help. Our Chief was glad to accept their
request. Now the second phase of the plan has been assigned to Tyson and me. The purpose of the
mission is to exterminate the Rats within half a month.

Now that you are a member of this team, the task ahead lies on our shoulders. Of course, this is a
rewarding mission. The bonus is one-tenth of the treasures of the mob, and each of us will receive two
thousand gold coins from the Chief!" Her excitement was palpable as she spoke of the reward part.

"You said that this gang killed lots of warriors and robbed quite a few many organizations of their
resources. Oh, there must be tons of treasures in their hands. One-tenth of the treasures, and two
thousand gold coins… Hmmm, that's quite a generous offer! I'm in, guys!" Ricky replied, doing a quick
math of the benefits in his head.

If the Rats was some kind of righteous faction, probably Ricky would think twice about the offer. But
after hearing what they had done, he inferred that it was a wicked gang of robbers. In that case, he
would show no mercy. Besides, the task was a great deal. He could not only improve his skills by
fighting against them, but also harvest a great deal of wealth.



"You are right, buddy! They have amassed quite a fortune! You know what? Even if the Chief would
only give us one-tenth of those treasures without the gold coins, I'd still gladly join this mission!"

Tyson was itching to have a go.

"That's cool! So do you have any idea about the gang's strength? Like how many people they have?"
asked Ricky with a serious look.

"Sure. Our men have already dug out some crucial information about the group. The leader is a guy at
the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement, and has two assistants to deputize him. One is at the fifth
grade of Bone Reinforcement, while the other is at the fourth grade. We take down the three guys, we
take down the Rats. We have three, and they have three; perfect matches! What's your thought?"
Kristen explained in details.

"So I'm going to deal with the one at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement, right?" Ricky inquired,
delighted at the prospect. "Hope he is strong enough and won't disappoint me!"

"I'm glad to hear such confident words, Russell! I know you must be eager for a fighting chance against
a strong, established warrior to reinforce your skill! I can assure you that this particular deputy at the
fourth grade would not disappoint you. As far as I know, he is stronger than Rupert, the man you
defeated in the Water Fire City," said Tyson, beaming a delighted smile.

"If you are disappointed at him and feel that he's not enough of a challenge to improve your skills, then
my opponent, the deputy leader at the fifth grade, is yours!" he promised.

"You can also choose to fight against the ultimate opponent, the leader at the sixth grade!" Kristen
chimed in with laughter.

"Thank you for your offer. Let me deal with the guy at the fourth grade as scheduled. I won't feel
disappointed whether he is strong or not. Both of you are so kind to me!" Ricky replied, feeling touched



by their generous offers. He understood how precious the chance was for a warrior to fight against
someone at the equivalent level, yet they still made such a selfless offer. Their gesture of kindness
really touched him.

"The only condition is that you come closer to us, and stop working in isolation. We are a team now.
Team members are supposed to support each other,"

Tyson laughed, patting Ricky on the shoulder. Then he turned to Kristen and suggested, "Let's move!"

In agreement, Kristen smiled and nodded. The team of three then set off for the Black Marsh, chatting
and laughing heartily as they went.

The Black Marsh was a relatively large and dangerous place this side. It was a perfect place for
warriors at the inferior stage of Bone Reinforcement to improve their abilities. Organizations of warriors
at the intermediate stage of Bone Reinforcement also gathered near this region.

The emergence and growth of the Rats in the area was now increasingly becoming a threat to those
organizations. The mob conducted itself with impunity, killing and maiming at will, while on their never-
ending looting spree. Gradually, all the organizations had weakened, losing more and more ground to
these heinous creeps.

Various groups had once cooperated in fighting back. However, they got the worst of the battle. Some
of the organization leaders died in the process. Because the leader of the Rats was at the peak of the
sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement, there never was anyone in the Black Marsh to match him.

Left with no alternative anymore, the surviving leaders in the area had turned to the Sky Manor, hoping
that the Royal Sky Guards could wipe out the infamous gang.

...



The Black Marsh was only slightly over half an hour's distance, and soon enough, they were in the
gang's territory.

The moment they stepped into the area, Ricky felt a dark and moist atmosphere, a typical characteristic
of a marsh.

Thanks to the moisture in the air, the spiritual energy in this area was relatively thicker than it was in
most places.

This was a suitable place for Treasures from Heaven and Earth to grow, which attracted warriors here
in their droves, all year round.

The area used to be a hive of activities before the gang took over.

Back then, today, like any other day, would have seen several new arrivals as well as departures.
However, what greeted Ricky and his team now was a far cry from the former glory. Far worse than
Ricky had expected. If anyone ventured here, the gang would have no scruples about killing. And the
few who survived would lose all their treasures. Gradually, warriors stopped exploring this region,
leaving it desolate.

At the edge of the Black Marsh, sat huge forest, sealing off the rest of the marsh. Until they entered the
forest, Ricky and his team did not know what to expect.

Once inside, the very first thing coming to welcome them was a sprawling wetland covered with black
sludge.

Small bushes, a few hills, or giant black trees scattered here and there littered the landscape. Some of
the trees were so massive that they obscured everything on the horizon.



"You see those massive black trees? They emit a certain odorless, colorless but highly poisonous gas
into the air. To keep safe, you have to stay at least a hundred meters away from them. Even a warrior
at the advanced stage of Bone Reinforcement can hardly last fifteen minutes if he crosses that limit,"
Tyson cautioned.

"Okay, I got it. Didn't know some trees can be so highly poisonous!" Ricky nodded in acknowledgment.

"Exactly! Also, there are two more natural dangers here. Dangerous animals roam the expanse of this
place, stealthily lurking in the shadows. You lose concentration or wander off only once and the next
thing you know, you'll be anxious, face to face with the grim reaper," Tyson continued.

"The other danger is that there are many unmarked black spots, which are not easily noticeable in the
marsh. These are known to suck people in. Once engulfed, you may end up there, dying a slow, painful
death. Only warriors with the power of demi-immortal could fight their way out.

And the last threat is the Rats, our target. We are kind of at a disadvantage for the time being because
we have no idea where their main camp is."

"It seems that this is by no means an easy job! We are going to have a serious fight to claim the
bonus," Ricky warned, his face turning more somber now.

"Yes, you are right. If this is an easy job, those organizations would not have suffered crushing defeats,
one after another. Otherwise, they wouldn't seek help from the Sky Manor, and we wouldn't have come
here for this mission,"

Tyson replied with a slight smile.

Then he continued, "Do you know how many professional spies died in order to dig out some of the
information we are relying on?"



"Well, that's a big question. How many, please?" asked Ricky.

"Well, we lost a good five warriors at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement, and ten at the third. Yet,
despite the heavy price we paid, the Rats' base camp is still nowhere to be found," replied Tyson, his
heart growing heavier as he recalled his companions.

"Oh, Jesus Chris! Can I regret it now? Can I quit and leave?" Ricky blurted out in great shock.

Five professional spies at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement lost their lives for merely trying to
sniff out the Rats' camp. That sounded like a bad-ass gang for a team of three to on. Besides, Ricky
had merely the combat power of a warrior at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement at most! Was this
a safe bet to take? Ricky was not sure whether he wanted to be a part of this mission at this point.

"Of course you can!" Kristen nodded.

Tyson added the next second, "Sorry to say this, but right now as we stand, there's no turning back.
You just have to grow balls, coz there's no other way about it. If you don't man up, I'll either throw you
into the restricted circle around one of the trees or force you into the sucking black spots where you'll
meet your slow torturous death. Which one would you prefer?"

"Uhm. I think I'd better go with you and try to work at my best to take the Rats down!" Ricky made the
choice immediately. He knew that they were friendly to him, but he also knew they would be merciless,
if he decided to quit and abandon them at this very crucial moment.

"Ha-ha. That's what a smart guy would do!" Tyson laughed out again.

"How will we tell which part of the marsh is safe? How will we avoid those dangerous places where we
may be sucked in?" asked Ricky. From his keen assessment, he noticed that both Tyson and Kristen
did not appear to be shaken about the dangers, at all.



"That's a good question! It all depends on her!" Tyson replied before he turned to Kristen. "Show him!"
he said.

"Oh?" Immediately, Ricky turned his eyes to Kristen, curious.

Kristen, on the other hand, let out a confident smile. She looked rather different with that proud face.
She looked so dignified, radiating spiritual energy around her halo.

Soon, something began to change around her eyes. The meridians near the canthus gradually stood
out, and then her black pupils suddenly turned red!

Ricky almost dropped his jaw at her change. In an instant, he felt the blood power emitting from
Kristen.


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