"Oh?"
Yi Shi Cang Liang narrowed his eyes and smiled, "What a coincidence, the Star River Alliance Leader is also here."
"Indeed, it is a coincidence."
Now that Su Xing He had reached the Nascent Soul stage, he was the only Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator on the national server, and his words carried much more weight. However, he felt he should still be humble. After all, there were still monstrous talents like Lin Zhao above him. Humility was always a good thing. Therefore, Su Xing He remained extremely polite to Yi Shi Cang Liang and said, "Alliance Leader Cang Liang, since we are all here together, there is no need to start a conflict. How about we cooperate?"
"Agreed."
Yi Shi Cang Liang said, "Let us both field teams of equal numbers and fight together. All dropped items will be numbered, and in the end, we will decide ownership through a lottery draw. How does that sound?"
"Agreed."
Not long after, more than 600 people from both sides plunged into battle. A single arrow from the treetops knocked Yu Qing Xuan down, and it immediately devolved into a chaotic melee.
And less than three minutes after the raid began, a figure passed through the sky. It was Lin Zhao. He had seen the commotion from afar and did not interfere. He floated down to the branch of an ancient tree, sat on his flying sword, and watched as Star River and Cang Long attempted to defeat the Boss.
"..."
For a moment, players from both Cang Long and Star River felt a chill run down their spines.
"Lin Zhao."
Yi Shi Cang Liang looked up and smiled, "You took the first-floor Boss, didn't you? Did you get anything good?"
"Nothing much, just a Saint Artifact shield."
Lin Zhao watched the battlefield leisurely. Yu Qing Xuan's attack power was inferior to Leng Yue Yan's, but her recovery was incredibly strong. Her green dress twirled amidst the crowd, graceful and enchanting. When her health was too low from attacks, she would immediately use her Yuan Dan to replenish a large chunk of her health. As her health bar recovered, the people from Star River and Cang Long felt their hearts ache.
Overall, both guilds could defeat Yu Qing Xuan, but the losses would not be small, likely around 20-30% casualties.
"I'm leaving."
Lin Zhao felt there was nothing more to see. He ascended into the air and said, "You two families should be careful of Ke Ke Wu Ming. I heard they have over 400 people. Don't get ambushed."
"En."
Su Xing He and Yi Shi Cang Liang nodded in unison. Lin Zhao then ascended and headed straight for the third-floor entrance provided by Mo Yin.
...
Deep within the third level of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tree.
In a forest valley, a burly man clad in blood-red armor and wielding a fine steel spear stood tall, exuding an aura and aura befitting only a peerless expert. It was Long Zhan Tian, a Saint-grade Boss. Opposite Long Zhan Tian stood a large contingent of players, led by a female sword cultivator on a flying sword. It was Leng Yan, her slender jade legs possessing more killing power than her flying sword. She gripped a long sword, her brows furrowed as she looked at the middle-aged man before her. "Alliance Leader, confirm the squad formations again. We're about to engage the Boss."
"Yes, Alliance Leader!"
A group of team leaders and squad leaders nodded.
Leng Yan unleashed a sword strike, the Immortal Sword Han Lu, a gift from Lin Zhao. The sword light flashed past, piercing the Boss's chest and leaving a bloody hole. Long Zhan Tian's face contorted with rage. "Insects, do you seek death?"
As he charged forward with his spear, Leng Yan unscrewed the stopper of the blue gourd at her waist. Instantly, over 20 flying swords shot out, relentlessly striking Long Zhan Tian's body, dealing considerable damage. These 20+ flying swords were all of Heaven Grade Mid-tier or above. Half of them were given by her senior sister, Lu Gui Yi, and the other half were bought with her allowance. Leng Yan had sacrificed a great deal to cultivate the combat power of this Immortal Gourd.
"Attack!"
A group of ground-based mounted players charged forward, engaging the Boss. Leng Yan, meanwhile, constantly harassed from the air with her flying swords and skills. This was the greatest contribution she, as the Alliance Leader, could make. Other Golden Core Sword Cultivators only had flying swords equal to the number of their Sword Cultivation Lakes, but Leng Yan, due to the Immortal Gourd, had over twenty more flying swords, giving her a significant advantage. With Leng Yan's disruption, the Boss's attack rhythm was easily thrown off, making her role not insignificant.
However, five minutes after the fight began, Leng Yan realized the losses were too heavy. At this rate, defeating Long Zhan Tian would likely result in half of the players on the third level of Sheng Tian being wiped out!
She frowned and immediately sent Lin Zhao a message: "Which level are you on?"
"Third level," Lin Zhao replied instantly.
Leng Yan immediately said, "We at Sheng Tian are fighting a Boss. Come help me with some work. You can pick any three dropped items."
"No need. Send me the coordinates. Just give me the Golden Zi Qian drops."
"Alright!"
...
Less than two minutes later, a fiery red sword light streaked across the sky. Before Lin Zhao even arrived, his flying sword did. Ten Middle-refined Immortal Swords whistled through the air, attacking Long Zhan Tian's body in a chaotic barrage. One of them even triggered a stun effect, causing Long Zhan Tian's already brewing "Reverse Kunlun" attack, launched with his fiery red spear, to be aborted before it could even manifest.
Immediately, Lin Zhao joined the battle, replacing several Sheng Tian heavy armor players who were staggering and bleeding profusely from the spear thrusts. While his Zhan Lu Sword slashed down viciously, cleaving the immortal, 24 Great Desolate Ancient Swords appeared in the air, constantly shooting towards the Boss. The 36 Ephemeral Flying Swords from his orange gourd poured out like a flowing stream, incessantly piercing the Boss's body, dealing continuous high damage.
With Lin Zhao's arrival, the overall battle situation changed. Sheng Tian suffered almost no further casualties. All the damage was borne by Lin Zhao alone. Sheng Tian's support simply needed to focus on Lin Zhao, making their skill usage as simple as pointing and clicking.
...
Second level of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tree.
The rustling sounds in the forest were incessant. Ke Ke Wu Ming, not riding a sword, but a tiger mount, led over 400 players from the Northern Four Tribes. Using the cover of the jungle, he appeared about 600 yards away from the Star River and Cang Long battlefield. At this distance, coupled with the concealment of the forest terrain, it was impossible for them to detect him.
"How is it?"
Chang Ye Yu Huo frowned, "Boss Wu Ming, can we attack now?"
"Wait a moment longer."
Ke Ke Wu Ming watched Yu Qing Xuan's remaining health from afar. With 15% left, he smiled and said, "Since someone is helping us fight the Boss, why should we do it ourselves? When Yu Qing Xuan's health bar drops to 5%, everyone charge out with me, overwhelm all of them, and smoothly take over the Boss!"
"En."
Li Cang Hai nodded. "However, we must be careful of Su Xing He. He is now a Ninth Realm Sword Cultivator, with 17 more flying swords than us. If we truly fight... we might not have the upper hand."
"Don't worry."
Ke Ke Wu Ming raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "I will focus my attacks on Su Xing He immediately. Chang Ye Yu Huo, Li Cang Hai, Ling Ren Fa Zhi, Ben Mo Ruo, you four will focus on Su Xing He with me. Even if he is a Ninth Realm Sword Cultivator, if we can instantly kill him within a stun countdown, what can he do?"
"Alright."
Not long after, Yu Qing Xuan's health bar was stubbornly depleted to 5%. At this point, both Star River and Cang Long had suffered heavy losses, dropping from their initial combined 600+ people to just over 300, a reduction of nearly half. Yu Qing Xuan, as the Saintess of the Pill Valley, was not only skilled in using elixirs for recovery but also in poison arts. Half of the casualties were due to poison.
"Put in some effort, just the last bit of health!"
Yi Shi Cang Liang, poisoned, said with a green face, "Open fire with everything you've got! Don't hold anything back. All firepower, go all out!"
However, just as Yi Shi Cang Liang finished speaking, sword lights surged from afar!
"Careful!"
Su Xing He was the first to receive a warning in the team channel. He said sternly, "It's Ke Ke Wu Ming's group. Outer perimeter, cease attacking the Boss and prioritize attacking the incoming enemies!"
But it was already too late. The players brought by Ke Ke Wu Ming were all Golden Core players who had refined flying magical artifacts, and their attack was well-planned. Over 400 people had already reached them in an instant. The only blame could be placed on Su Xing He's eagerness for victory, forgetting to deploy scouts outside the Boss's area. A warning range of only 300 yards around the Boss was far from enough. If it had been 1000 yards, they would not have been caught off guard.
Of course, he had his own difficulties. Manpower was severely insufficient.
The next moment, Ke Ke Wu Ming and his group swept through the Star River and Cang Long ranks like a whirlwind. Many outer ranged and support players were reduced to corpses before they could even react. Ke Ke Wu Ming's target was Su Xing He. With a powerful sword strike from above, two flying swords split into two paths, heading directly for Su Xing He's head.
"Ching!"
Su Xing He's figure launched Sword Draw Slash in mid-air, creating a displacement. As he dodged Ke Ke Wu Ming's attack, he fiercely swung his sword at Ke Ke Wu Ming's neck, coldly saying, "You dog, I was killed by you once before because my magic treasures were too inferior. Did you really think you were that powerful?"
Ke Ke Wu Ming's expression turned icy. He hastily retreated, ceding his attack position to Chang Ye Yu Huo and Li Cang Hai.
As Su Xing He's sword light swept out, forcing the two back, five Middle-refined and twelve Small-refined flying swords broke through the air, instantly killing Li Cang Hai. He then retreated, looking at his comrades below being routed like a collapsing mountain. His heart was filled with unwillingness. With his own strength, Su Xing He could not reverse the situation. If they continued to fight, it would only lead to their complete annihilation.
"If I may be so bold to say."
In the team channel, Yi Shi Cang Liang said, "Cut your losses when you can, otherwise, you will suffer greater harm. We will abandon the Boss directly and retreat. We will still have the capital to regroup later. Otherwise, if all our brothers die once, this kind of loss might be beyond our ability to bear."
"En, retreat!"
Su Xing He raised an eyebrow and said, "Brothers, the situation favors them and is not favorable to us. We can only make a difficult decision. Abandon the Boss and retreat eastward!"
...
The members of Star River and Cang Long, freed from the Boss's engagement, retreated eastward. Ke Ke Wu Ming then dispatched over 200 people to pursue the retreating Star River and Cang Long members. He himself stayed behind with the remaining people and unleashed a barrage of attacks on Yu Qing Xuan, who had only 5% health left. In less than two minutes, Yu Qing Xuan was killed.