Moonlight Lover reacted quickly, but couldn't withstand being ambushed by four people around them at the same time. They had been getting along so well throughout the journey, and then suddenly everything changed!
The most crucial part: Shi Yu made the first move! He defected?
Moonlight Lover remained utterly bewildered even until death, never understanding what had truly happened.
Threeking reverted to their original form to conserve mental energy. Having been around Invincible Dark Cyclone for so long, one glance was enough to see she was getting carried away with the fun.
She'd probably continue disguising herself as someone else, so Threeking needed to recover their mental energy quickly to avoid falling short later.
According to Jin Songshan's estimate, the Nordic group of five would arrive in about ten minutes.
The three burly men had already stopped walking, presumably catching their breath and recovering. Finishing the fight here and then rushing over would still be in time—they just needed to be careful not to make too much noise.
Qi Xu never believed in numerical advantage. If hearts weren't united, fighting would only split focus with worry. Better to cut away all uncertain factors.
Those two were worth 2,000 points too.
It was already a considerable amount, but having just come from the gathering of masters, 2,000 points somehow didn't feel like real points... They'd been too wealthy before.
Qi Xu designed a plan based on the terrain: he and Endless Longevity would conceal their aura and hide at the very front, then after the group of five passed by, they'd circle back around and form a pincer attack.
They didn't wait long before hearing sounds from afar. Everyone held their breath and kept their heads down. Just as the Nordic five were about to step into the encirclement, the woman leading them suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Wang Buyu: "She sensed the mental energy fluctuation."
Qi Xu used the pink mist blade as the signal to strike and charged forward first, but at the very last second, he changed the direction of his instantaneous teleport landing point.
Sure enough, if he had landed at the original spot, he would have been completely sealed in by 44 Fangfang's transparent light walls!
With Qi Xu drawing fire at the front, Endless Longevity dashed straight to the rear, while Shadowkill and the others also closed in from the sides. Though there were some surprises, it was still within plan.
Just at the critical moment when battle was about to erupt, that woman led her people and ran again.
And this time, she personally stayed behind to cover the retreat. Her four teammates turned and left without a single hint of hesitation.
Qi Xu wanted to chain teleports to intercept them first, but the path leading toward them was completely lined with light walls, one after another. Fortunately, Qi Xu's perception of mental energy was sharp enough that he avoided crashing straight into them...
Only Endless Longevity, who could traverse long distances directly, managed to rush to the very back. But upon landing, they found themselves surrounded four-on-one. Their eyes went wide in an instant, and they ran right back the way they came.
Successfully retreating to Invincible Dark Cyclone's side, Endless Longevity coughed twice. "Mazu bless, that scared me half to death!"
"Boss, what do we do now?"
"Can't catch them. That woman is too strong. Turn around and go after those three burly men!"
Qi Xu was decisive. Chasing further was pointless in this situation—better to secure what they could get. Still, there was a flicker of excitement in his heart. It had been a long time since he'd faced such a troublesome opponent.
Qi Xu briefly considered having The Third play the role of "Erlang Shen with his divine eye unleashed" for a sure win, but five against three hardly called for it, so he spared The Third the torment.
In just twenty minutes of full-speed travel, they spotted the three burly men, still pitifully lying on the ground recovering from their wounds, a world apart from the boastful appearance they'd first had upon entering the secret realm.
The three sprang up from the ground like startled birds the moment they heard movement. They showed no intention of fighting back—their escape movements looked remarkably practiced.
Moving closer, they saw the blood on these men hadn't even dried, fresh wounds stacked on old ones. It instantly became clear that the Nordic group had fought with these three burly men again—more than once.
While The Third was moving into position, a whole new story had unfolded between them! This time it counted as... cutting in line? Because these three looked more than half-dead.
Endless Longevity was hiding at the back, listlessly playing dead, showing no intention of fighting. Shadowkill charged in front, taking on two at once.
Wang Buyu took on the remaining one. They hadn't been able to help in the earlier battle, and if they didn't step up now, they worried their teammates might hold a grudge.
Too bad reverse mind-reading wasn't possible—otherwise Qi Xu would have felt Wang Buyu's forehead to check if they had a fever and were talking nonsense. They'd contributed so much, yet still lacked confidence!
Qi Xu didn't rush in. He stood nearby, coaching Wang Buyu on their movements. He could tell their progress was immense—far stronger than at the gathering of masters. They must have been practicing non-stop in private.
Threeking was even less eager to jump in, standing guard with seasoned experience. They had a feeling the Nordic group wouldn't easily give up points that were almost in hand.
Shadowkill pressed down two opponents at once, driving them back step by step with increasingly fierce moves. Finally, he cut through both in one line and finished them with a single skill. Slightly smug, he adjusted his glasses and was about to say "this is nothing" when—
Suddenly, Shadowkill noticed Invincible Dark Cyclone, Endless Longevity, and Threeking all charging straight at him at once.
Shadowkill froze for a moment. The moment he sensed danger and tried to retreat, he slammed into an invisible wall. An attack skill similar to Invincible Dark Cyclone's pink mist blade was also shoved right up to the tip of his nose.
In that critical moment, Threeking charged straight into the translucent white air blade, standing in front of Shadowkill. Their body was instantly sliced in half.
Shadowkill was completely stunned. They hadn't even known each other that long—was this already at the level of dying for a companion? But after a moment's pause, he realized there were nine more Threekings standing nearby...
Good heavens. They had thought the twelve people at the gathering of masters were the nation's highest combat power, but now they realized this Threeking was frighteningly strong! Not only did they have disguise abilities, but clones as well!
Qi Xu pressed directly toward the Nordic woman leader's main body, with Endless Longevity following close behind. The Third came chasing after saving Shadowkill, but all the clones were being blocked off completely.
Qi Xu managed to reach the woman's side, but the moment he landed, he felt the pain of teleporting straight into a wall. She had pulled the distance apart again.
Endless Longevity found themselves directly materialized inside an escape-proof space with transparent walls on all six sides...
This person's skills were too powerful, and she had come fully prepared. Luckily, Wang Buyu relayed information just in time.
"Boss, her skill is weak against alcohol!"
Qi Xu pulled a jar of precious strong liquor that Old White Dragon had once swiped from a tavern from his backpack.
Because it counted as a food ingredient, it was easily brought out. Qi Xu agilely teleported in close again and, upon landing, splashed the strong liquor all over her face...
...........
