HandsomeBoyMe188 sneaked a glance at Master Huixin. His eyelids trembled slightly, and he murmured "Amitabha" under his breath, but no one could tell what he was thinking—his face revealing neither joy nor anger...
The moment Instant Noodle Hair Flower Fairy woke up, she immediately distanced herself from Master Huixin. Once she was sure he wouldn't attack her, she ran off again—without looking back, her body even trembling as she fled.
Master Huixin gazed after her retreating figure with a melancholy look, finally letting out a helpless sigh. "Amitabha. The Instant Noodle benefactor has too deep a prejudice against this humble monk. Just now, I failed to save her in time. I fear she has misunderstood something again."
"Master... please don't be upset. It's all her own fault."
"That's right. The three of us can manage just fine. Both of us will follow your lead."
HandsomeBoyMe188 and Subway Line 5 had completely shed their arrogant demeanor, standing beside him as docile as lambs, nodding in agreement.
Master Huixin bowed slightly, humbly inclining his body. "Thank you both for your trust."
HandsomeBoyMe188 and Subway Line 5 immediately responded with a perfect ninety-degree bow.
Master Huixin's mouth twitched slightly. He squeezed his eyes shut forcefully...
When he opened them again, he pretended to glance casually at the barrage of comments floating overhead. Seeing everyone cursing Instant Noodle Hair Flower Fairy for her ingratitude and betrayal, he felt a little more at ease.
"Amitabha. Everything is fated..."
It was only when she was completely out of Master Huixin's sight that Instant Noodle Hair Flower Fairy stopped briefly to catch her breath and let her wounds ease.
Once she calmed down, she suddenly understood why HandsomeBoyMe188 had become so different after his revival.
It felt like a soul floating in the void, watching everything in silence—watching the murderer who had plotted her death mourn publicly to the entire server's players, and put on an act beside his other two companions... He even persuaded others to revive her. For a moment, she thought her own perception might be wrong.
The one thing she was grateful for was being alive again! Whether those three were pretending or sincere, she had managed to claw her way back from death. She was just curious... A unanimous vote for revival? Invincible Dark Whirlwind had actually led her people to all vote for resurrection!
Instant Noodle Hair Flower Fairy was absolutely certain her guess hadn't been wrong. Invincible Dark Whirlwind's kindness was no less than the monk's. As long as you didn't provoke her, she wouldn't attack you—she might even help you out in danger.
She clutched the one and only energy core in her pocket, letting out a deep sigh. It wouldn't last long.
Seeing that the swift creatures were about to surround her again, she set off once more to find Invincible Dark Whirlwind's team. Based on their direction when they last met, they should be roughly... northwest.
Little did Instant Noodle Hair Flower Fairy know, Invincible Dark Whirlwind's group had been circling the same spot over and over. There was no "direction" to speak of—this meeting was never meant to happen.
When the final two hours arrived, the difficulty spiked again. No matter whether you carried an energy core or not, the monsters could always track your scent. The total number of monsters in the dense forest nearly doubled.
There was no chance to hide anymore. Almost every fifty meters, you'd run into a new group of monsters.
But fortunately, aside from Qi Xu, everyone was more or less recovered. And now they had an extra member: Shadowkill.
Although his injuries weren't fully healed, he could fight normally. Whether it was fear of being kicked out or some other motive, he had gone completely silent, but whenever a battle broke out, he always charged to the front.
This irritated another pompous local, Young Master Xie, who tried to outdo Shadowkill in every fight!
With Wang Buyu warning Xie Shaoning in advance every time, Xie Shaoning consistently kept the edge over Shadowkill.
Even as his stamina plummeted, Xie Shaoning felt an exhilarating rush. His sword swings grew faster and faster. Qi Xu couldn't help wondering—had this guy finally had an epiphany, or did his skill just level up? His combat ability had clearly shot up a notch.
Endless Longevity tried to fish for information. "Hey, Champion Xie? How are you so strong? Do you always fight this fiercely in every match?"
"Do you think my number-one rank on the server came from luck? It's built on daily hard work and effort!" Xie Shaoning declared with absolute seriousness, feeling like a total badass.
Endless Longevity was left dumbfounded. All I did was ask a simple question about your background... why are you lecturing me like I'm a student?
Qi Xu was also a bit confused. Those words... sounded awfully familiar.
Cheese Foam instantly exposed him, clearing up Qi Xu's confusion at the same time: "That's the famous quote you used on him when we met for the second time at the treasure map secret realm."
Qi Xu was caught between laughter and tears. All he could do was give a thumbs-up, unable to say another word.
Shadowkill had to admit—he was a little jealous of that brainless Xie Shaoning. The guy wasn't much smarter than an idiot, yet somehow everyone around him thought highly of him.
Truly, fortune favors fools.
After just a short break and a few exchanges, monsters surged in from all four directions again.
The team was already used to this. They feigned an attack on one side, lured all the monsters over, then made a sharp U-turn. No communication needed—by now they were experts at splitting up and running without bothering to kill, focusing solely on escape.
Even so, by the last hour, they were completely exhausted. A heavy rain had started pounding the forest, their faces caked with mud, bodies so filthy they looked like they'd rolled in a swamp.
Their steps were stumbling, vision blurring, and fighting monsters relied purely on survival instinct. But as long as they were still alive, there was no giving up.
In the final ten minutes, however, they were completely surrounded. Qi Xu gathered all the energy cores onto herself, drawing the attention of countless monsters. She teleported in rapid succession, weaving through the horde...
Running in the direction opposite from her teammates, she lured away the bulk of the monsters. The remaining ones would be manageable for the others.
Qi Xu had planned this from the start. In the midst of danger, there was always a better chance to break through and grow stronger. Besides, this was a live broadcast—it was worth the risk for the final act.
After breaking out of the encirclement, Qi Xu tore off a strip of cloth and tied it around her face as a makeshift mask. In a voice so low only she could hear, she whispered, "My fate is mine to command."
Instantly, a dozen dark red lightning bolts burst from within Qi Xu, latching straight onto the monsters surrounding her. Her pale, paper-like face finally regained a bit of color.
"What did Invincible Dark Whirlwind just say?"
"It was too quiet. I just slurped a mouthful of instant noodles and heard nothing."
"That was insane! No wonder she dared to go out alone."
...
