"Now, the problem arises."
Lin Zhao frowned. "Do we fight or not? If we fight halfway, perhaps the people from the Azure Knights will come up. If we don't fight... what's the point of us being on the ninth floor?"
"Why don't we try?"
Chen Xue blinked her large eyes. "Fortune favors the bold?"
"Agreed!"
Lin Zhao nodded with a smile.
Ding Chi, Zhang Jun, and Rong Xing also nodded in agreement.
...
"Prepare yourselves!"
Lin Zhao raised his hand and drew the Qing Lu Sword. The blade hung low. He looked at the Boss, Jian Chen, in front of him and frowned. "I'll go first. Everyone else, follow Chen Xue's command."
"Okay!"
Everyone nodded in unison.
Just as Lin Zhao was about to engage the Boss, a "cough, cough" sounded from behind him. The figure of a level 47 assassin appeared behind Lin Zhao and his companions. His ID was Jiu You Huang Quan, the chief assassin and vice-leader of the Azure Knights. He stared directly at Lin Zhao and his group and said with a smile, "Alliance Leader Bai Yi, have you forgotten the secret agreement with our leader? When the Azure Knights intervene with a Boss on the upper floors, the Crimson Moon Knights should stop. Even if you want to fight, we should fight together. That's what allies are for, isn't it?"
"Oh?"
Lin Zhao slowly turned around and smiled.
"Use sword qi to take him down?" Ding Chi said in the party chat.
"Hold on,"
Chen Xue shook her head. "Let's see what Lin Zhao says."
"Okay!"
Lin Zhao looked at the newcomer and smiled. "Vice-leader Jiu You arrived so quickly... We did mention something like that before, that when the Azure Knights appeared, it wouldn't be convenient for the Crimson Moon Knights to solo the Boss. What do you mean by that, Vice-leader Jiu You... what specifically should we do?"
"Cooperate~~~"
Jiu You Huang Quan stood with his arms crossed, about twenty yards away, unfazed by the pressure of the Crimson Moon Knights' group of high-level tanks. His presence was no less imposing than Lin Zhao's. He smiled and said, "Our leader's intention is for us to cooperate and fight together. When it comes to distributing the loot, we can all roll dice. We'll leave it to luck. Besides, the Azure Knights won't send too many people to the ninth floor, perhaps only twenty or thirty. This will ensure we can conquer this Flowing Gold level Boss without the brothers of the Crimson Moon Knights suffering any losses."
"Sure, sure."
Lin Zhao lightly chuckled, brandishing his sword. "Then we'll wait here. How long until your people arrive?"
"Ten minutes."
"Alright."
And so, the ten members of the Crimson Moon Knights and Jiu You Huang Quan stood on the ninth floor of the Chaos Temple, awaiting the opportune moment for the final conquest.
...
Party chat.
"Are we really going to fight with the Azure Knights?"
Luo Man frowned, her seemingly expressive beautiful eyes looking at Lin Zhao. "Brother, although I'm young, I've seen many people and met all sorts. That Li Canghai is definitely a man with ulterior motives. Cooperating with such a person is like seeking help from a tiger. The first Flowing Gold level Boss in Cloud Prefecture... the related benefits are too immense. If a fight really breaks out, we'll most likely suffer losses."
"I know."
Lin Zhao smiled indifferently and said, "I don't want to either, but there's nothing we can do. We have no other choice."
"Lin Zhao is right,"
Chen Xue's red lips parted slightly. "Everyone knows Li Canghai has ulterior motives, but we have no choice. If we forcibly engage the Boss, we definitely won't finish within ten minutes. By then, our statuses will be depleted, and the Azure Knights, with their rested forces, will be able to eliminate both us and the Boss. Then we'll truly be defeated."
Ding Chi nodded. "Indeed, we are treading on thin ice right now. We are in a dilemma, with no way forward or back. We can only survive in the cracks."
"Today won't end peacefully."
Lin Zhao looked at everyone, a warning in his eyes. He smiled gently in the party chat. "Let's all be prepared to lose a level, and possibly even equipment. In my heart, I truly hope to coexist peacefully with the Azure Knights and defeat this Boss together. However, the tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease. If Li Canghai wants to cause trouble, we can only oblige him, striving for maximum profit."
Chen Xue nodded slightly. "Later... shall I form the party?"
"No need."
Lin Zhao smiled slightly. "I am a first-turn Swordsman. I can form a party of up to fifty people. I'll form it. This will also be a better excuse. Otherwise, it wouldn't be good if Li Canghai makes any remarks."
"Okay."
Chen Xue looked at everyone and smiled. "Do you all understand? In short, we need to put on a show of sincere cooperation with the Azure Knights, but we must also guard against them. The reason Lin Zhao is the leader is simple: to keep the right to kill the Boss within our Crimson Moon Knights. Even if we are wiped out by the Azure Knights in the end, we will strive to secure the Flowing Gold level kill reward."
"Right!"
Ding Chi clenched his fist. "We can't afford to lose!"
"Mmm~~~"
For a moment, Luo Man, Zhang Jun, Rong Xing, Lu Li, and the others felt a heavy burden in their hearts. The enemy in this upcoming battle was not just the Boss, but also human hearts. If they weren't careful, the Crimson Moon Knights could suffer a major setback. The current prospects were truly shrouded in fog, with nothing clear in sight.
...
Not long after, figures began to appear on the ninth floor of the Chaos Temple. Li Canghai personally led a large contingent of the Azure Knights onto the ninth floor. He narrowed his eyes, glancing at the Flowing Gold level Boss Jian Chen, who was locked in a cage in the distance, and then at the members of the Crimson Moon Knights. He had already made his calculations.
Firstly, the Azure Knights did possess the strength to conquer a Flowing Gold Boss. A swarm of people could be used to overwhelm it. However, they currently lacked the conditions for that, as people from the Flourishing Peony were already storming the entrance to the eighth floor. It was said that the Ghost King had even issued a Peony Emperor's Decree, demanding a full-scale assault from the entire guild, which was quite formidable.
Therefore, for the Azure Knights to secure the first kill of a Flowing Gold level Boss, they needed the strength of the Crimson Moon Knights' ten-person team, especially key members like Bai Yi, Chen Xue, Rong Xing, and Yu Jin. Regardless, with their larger numbers, the final say would still rest with the Azure Knights. At worst, they could directly force the Crimson Moon Knights out.
Thinking of this, a fleeting smile flickered across Li Canghai's face. It was a sure victory!
"Alliance Leader Li Canghai,"
Lin Zhao stepped forward and smiled. "You've finally arrived. We've been waiting for you for a long time."
"Mm!"
Li Canghai nodded and smiled. "Alliance Leader Bai Yi, the first Flowing Gold level Boss in Cloud Prefecture, and perhaps the first Flowing Gold level Boss in the entire national server, or even the entire game. Our two guilds must join forces to conquer it and achieve a win-win situation!"
"That's what I'm thinking too."
Lin Zhao's smile was warm. "Time is pressing. Shall we first discuss cooperating to fight the Boss?"
"Mm."
Li Canghai said, "My idea is that the Crimson Moon Knights' ten-person team forms one group, and we from the Azure Knights will form three groups of twenty people each. The Crimson Moon Knights will act as the main tank, and we will provide auxiliary attacks, enhanced control, and so on. Together, we'll take down this Boss. What do you think?"
"There's no need to mobilize so many people."
Lin Zhao shook his head. "So many teams would be difficult to coordinate and command. It would be more convenient and scientific to put everyone in one team."
"So many people?"
Li Canghai frowned. "At the current stage, the player party limit is twenty people, isn't it?"
"Is that so?"
Lin Zhao smiled. "Alliance Leader Li Canghai, don't forget, I am currently the only first-turn player in Cloud Prefecture. My party limit is up to fifty people, so there's no need to worry about forming the party. I'll do it."
"Ah?!"
Li Canghai instantly hesitated.
"Alliance Leader!"
Jiu You Huang Quan said sternly in the party chat, "If the party formation authority is given to the Crimson Moon Knights, it will be greatly disadvantageous to us. In the announcement of the Flowing Gold kill, it will likely be 'Bai Yi One Man Army.' Wouldn't we just be working for others?"
"We won't be."
Li Canghai smiled indifferently. "Before the Boss falls, we'll make our move and kill the captain, Bai Yi. Then, the kill authority will be ours, the Azure Knights."
"That's true!"
Jiu You Huang Quan smiled slightly. "However, we still need to be careful."
"Mm!"
...
"Haven't you decided yet?" Chen Xue asked with a lazy smile.
"I've decided."
Li Canghai said solemnly. "Since Alliance Leader Bai Yi has volunteered, our Azure Knights will naturally cooperate fully. A party of fifty people. We, the Azure Knights, will provide forty people. To show our sincerity, except for the forty people in the conquest group, all other members of the Azure Knights will retreat to the eighth floor. We will not put any pressure on our allies."
Lin Zhao secretly scoffed. Such confidence. Did he truly believe forty people could take down ten from the Crimson Moon Knights? This Li Canghai was indeed a formidable figure, but his vision was too narrow.
Chen Xue smiled. "That would be for the best. However, we have some requirements regarding the class distribution. Among the forty people, there should be at least 1-2 array masters to enhance the team's overall offensive and defensive capabilities. Additionally, there should be at least ten to fifteen rangers to concentrate on healing the main tank, which is our Crimson Moon Knights' leader, Bai Yi. The total number of mages, archers, and lightning storm gunners should be around twenty to increase firepower. There's no need for too many tanks, as our Crimson Moon Knights' tanks are sufficient. Of course, Alliance Leader Li Canghai can remain to command."
"Understood."
Li Canghai's brow furrowed, a sense of unease in his heart. Chen Xue's demands were not excessive, but they were not good for the Azure Knights. After all, in PvP combat, tanks were the main force on the front lines. If their side lacked tanks, it would be difficult to say what would happen if the other side made a move. What kind of output could a group of rangers from the Azure Knights provide?
However, Li Canghai still nodded and agreed. At this moment, he was in a position where he had to ride the tiger.
...
"Alliance Leader,"
Jiu You Huang Quan said with a frown in a private message. "You don't need to worry too much. Once the conquest begins, I will select one hundred elite tank brothers to wait outside the entrance to the ninth floor. As soon as you give the order, they will rush in. As long as the people upstairs can hold them off, if Bai Yi and Chen Xue are playing mind games with us, then let them know the price of playing mind games."
"Indeed."
Li Canghai sneered. "In this battle, I will make Xue Qiancheng infamous!"