Zhang Hao was also a little surprised. Although this place was still within the range of Black Demon Ridge, it was already outside the Demonic Beast area. But why would these Demonic Beasts suddenly appear here? Could they be targeting him?
"What's going on?" Zhang Hao's expression was very strange.
Miss Hai Lan had already left the carriage and was facing the sudden influx of Demonic Beasts with Uncle Ku Er.
"Boss, these Demonic Beasts aren't targeting you!"
A voice suddenly rang out.
Little Dragon appeared on his shoulder at some point, flicking its tongue at him.
.
"Little Dragon, you're awake?" Zhang Hao was overjoyed, not expecting Little Dragon to suddenly wake up at this critical moment.
Little Dragon flicked its tongue at Zhang Hao and then said, "Boss, the demonic core of that Blazing Golden War Lion was indeed good. I've been digesting it for a few days and finally completely devoured that demonic core."
Zhang Hao looked at Little Dragon and asked, "Little Dragon, have you leveled up?"
Little Dragon shook its head and said in a childish voice, "Boss, although the demonic core of the Blazing Golden War Lion has a lot of energy, I am currently a First Order Ferocious Beast. Although the energy from this Blazing Golden War Lion is decent, it's not enough for me to level up. Of course, if I had another Demonic Beast like this, it would be enough."
Zhang Hao gave Little Dragon a tap on its little head and scolded with a smile, "Another one? You think a Ninth Order Demonic Beast is that easy to kill?"
However, Zhang Hao thought to himself: Of course, if Little Dragon had assisted him in killing the Demonic Beast at the time, it should have been a bit simpler.
Suddenly, Zhang Hao remembered something and looked at Little Dragon, asking, "Little Dragon, you said those Demonic Beasts aren't targeting me, so what exactly is going on?"
Little Dragon flicked its tongue at Zhang Hao and said in a childish voice, "Boss, from the sounds of those Demonic Beasts, it seems someone is controlling them."
"You mean someone is a Beast Master?" Zhang Hao was very surprised.
In the True Martial Continent, Beast Masters are far fewer than ordinary Martial Warriors. There might not even be one Beast Master among a hundred Martial Warriors. Moreover, Beast Masters are very mysterious and generally don't easily show themselves in front of people. Many times, a Beast Master can exert the strength of a thousand soldiers and ten thousand horses.
"Little Dragon, how strong of a Demonic Beast can this Beast Master control?" Zhang Hao asked.
"Hmph, I don't know how strong the person in the dark is, but they can at most control a Sixth Order Demonic Beast," Little Dragon said in a childish voice.
Zhang Hao immediately breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. If it was only a Sixth Order Demonic Beast, then it was still manageable. A Sixth Order Demonic Beast is equivalent to the strength of a Martial Master at the Third to Fourth Heaven.
Zhang Hao immediately breathed a sigh of relief at this moment. He got off the carriage. At this moment, the mercenaries of the Heavenly Might Mercenary Group were tightly guarding the side of the caravan. However, the nearly hundred mercenaries had pale faces and nervous expressions at this moment.
Hai Lan and Uncle Ku Er stood at the very front, staring intently at those Demonic Beasts.
At this moment, the Demonic Beasts were still gathering. More and more Demonic Beasts appeared in front of the caravan. At the very front were Sixth Order Demonic Beasts: the Three-Eyed Golden Ape, as well as Sawtooth Rats and Horned King Oxen.
Although the strongest combat power of these Demonic Beasts was similar to that of the mercenaries in the caravan, there were simply too many of these Demonic Beasts. At least several hundred. Moreover, the combat power of Demonic Beasts is far stronger than that of Human Martial Warriors.
"Miss Hai Lan, the number of these Demonic Beasts is far greater than ours. We should find a way to break through!" Uncle Ku Er's expression was somewhat grim.
Hai Lan's eyes also showed a hint of helplessness. She said to Ku Er, "Uncle, do you mean that our caravan should abandon these goods?"
Uncle Ku Er smiled bitterly and said, "Miss Hai Lan, I know this request is excessive, but it's a temporary measure. If we don't abandon these goods, it's impossible for so many of us to break through. If there was even a glimmer of possibility, our Heavenly Might Mercenary Group would be willing to fight to the death to complete the mission. But it's clear that even if we did that, we couldn't possibly protect the goods."
Hai Lan sighed and said, "Uncle Ku Er, there's no need to explain. Hai Lan understands what you're saying."
"Miss Hai Lan, please give the order!"
When Uncle Ku Er said this, his expression was very helpless and bitter. Because he knew that this time, even if they successfully broke through, the Heavenly Might Mercenary Group would have to lose half of their men. This loss would be extremely heavy.
Hai Lan gritted her teeth. At this moment, she was very conflicted. Because the goods the caravan was carrying this time were too valuable. Even if she was the person in charge of the merchant association, if she lost these goods this time, she wouldn't be able to bear the responsibility.
"Why, why are these Demonic Beasts uniting to attack us?" Hai Lan's tone was full of helplessness and anger.
Uncle Ku Er and the others were all silent. With their experience, they naturally didn't know that the reason these Demonic Beasts were attacking them was because of a Beast Master. After all, Beast Masters are too mysterious in the True Martial Continent. Very few people have ever seen a Beast Master.
"Miss Hai Lan!"
Zhang Hao strode over. Compared to the people present, his expression seemed extremely calm.
When Ku Er saw Zhang Hao, his expression turned a little gloomy and he sneered, "Kid, you're not hiding in the carriage, what are you doing here!"
Zhang Hao ignored Ku Er's dissatisfaction and just said to Hai Lan, "Miss Hai Lan, perhaps I know why these Demonic Beasts are attacking us."
Hai Lan looked at Zhang Hao with some surprise and quickly asked, "You really know? What's going on?"
Although things had come to this point and Hai Lan had already decided to abandon the goods and break through, she didn't want to be defeated without knowing why.
"It's a Beast Master!" Zhang Hao said.
"Ah! Are you talking about the most mysterious Beast Master in the True Martial Continent?" Hai Lan was truly incredibly shocked at this moment.
Zhang Hao said calmly, "Besides that, no one can control so many Demonic Beasts."
"But how is that possible? Beast Masters are incredibly mysterious in the True Martial Continent. How could they be robbing a caravan here?" Hai Lan still didn't quite believe it.
"I believe it!"
It was Uncle Ku Er who spoke.
"Ah, Uncle Ku Er, you believe there's a Beast Master?" Hai Lan looked at Ku Er with a somewhat confused expression.
Uncle Ku Er nodded, his expression solemn, and said, "Last month, when our Mercenary Group was on a mission in the Western Peak Kingdom, we encountered a wanted poster issued by the Western Peak Kingdom. The wanted poster demanded that the Sixteen Kingdoms of the West River jointly Encirclement and suppression Yuan Tai, this notorious Beast Master. Yuan Tai has already used Demonic Beasts to plunder more than a dozen villages in the border areas. He's simply insane. The Western Peak Kingdom has offered a reward of ten million gold coins to apprehend him. We originally wanted to try our luck. But intelligence indicates that Yuan Tai should have come to Black Demon Ridge, this three-no-matter zone of the Sixteen Kingdoms of the West River."
Hai Lan looked at Ku Er and asked, "Uncle Ku Er, do you mean that this Beast Master is very likely Yuan Tai?"
Ku Er said with a gloomy expression, "I think this possibility is actually quite high."
"Damn it, that bastard Yuan Tai," Hai Lan cursed helplessly.
"Little Brother Zhang Hao, we will break through later. Your strength is weaker, so stay in the middle of us. Otherwise, I won't be able to look after you," Hai Lan said to Zhang Hao with some Guilt.
In Hai Lan's opinion, Zhang Hao was also affected because he followed her caravan.