Hundred Flower Grove.
Patches of tall, lush grass grew vigorously, reaching a height of one person. These dense clumps of grass, intertwined, were adorned with blooming flowers, thus giving the area its name, Hundred Flower Grove. This was precisely where Mo Yin was under attack.
"Rustle~~~"
Lin Zhao dashed forward with his sword, instantly plunging into a patch of tall grass. He was very close to the coordinates Mo Yin had sent. In the team chat, Mo Yin's health was only at 39%, his health bar fluctuating unstably, clearly indicating he was under continuous, intermittent attacks.
"Let's group up first!"
Lin Zhao glided forward and said, "Ding Chi, Zhang Jun, you two come closer. After you rendezvous with me, we'll head over together. Mo Yin, what's your situation? Are you still salvageable?"
"Should... should still have a chance!"
Mo Yin said in a deep voice, "I'm stuck with a Divine Archer from the opposing side, and I can't break combat. Phantom Assassins at this stage don't have strong stealth skills, so I can't go invisible. They have two Sword Masters and a Berserker chasing me, and behind them are a few Starfall Mages. Everyone, be very careful!"
"No problem!"
Lin Zhao continued to brandish his sword and glide forward into a patch of tall grass. Two figures, identical to him, also glided over from his left and right – Ding Chi and Zhang Jun. For a moment, the three exchanged knowing smiles. Could the grand ambition of the "Grassland Three Musketeers" truly be realized today?
"The Prosperous Peony clan has always disliked us. Shall we have a good kill?" Ding Chi asked with a smile.
"Absolutely."
Zhang Jun's lips curved upwards. "Currently, most of the Prosperous Peony players are still between levels 27-29. Most haven't learned their level 30 skills yet, while the three of us are frontline players wielding Sword Aura Protection. Today, we'll go all out and fight the Prosperous Peony until they are utterly convinced, so they never dare to trouble our Scarlet Moon Knights again!"
"Mhm!"
Lin Zhao nodded with a smile. At this moment, the team insignia of "Scarlet Moon Knights" was displayed beneath all three of their IDs. Although they hadn't officially formed a guild yet, this already signified their guild identity externally. They were no longer fighting solely for themselves, but for the name "Scarlet Moon Knights"!
Ahead, Mo Yin's orange dot was getting closer and closer. Right behind him, Lin Zhao could already see several red dots rapidly approaching – all from the Prosperous Peony clan.
"Stop!"
He abruptly raised his left arm, holding Ding Chi and Zhang Jun back within a clump of tall grass. Through the gaps in the grass, they could see the outside scene. He smiled faintly, "We'll ambush here and wait for Mo Yin to come in."
"Alright!"
The next moment, with a "swish," Mo Yin's agile figure leaped out from a patch of tall grass about ten meters ahead, heading straight for Lin Zhao and the others. A Divine Archer was hot on his heels, firing arrows continuously, but his accuracy was mediocre, with at most a 30% hit rate. If his hit rate were any higher, Mo Yin's fragile little body would have likely been instantly killed.
"Mo Yin, over here!"
Zhang Jun shouted loudly in the team chat.
"Coming, brothers, save me!"
Mo Yin leaped, directly into the grass.
Once a player entered the tall grass, their dot on the map would quickly disappear, invisible to other players. Thus, the very next second, a level 29 Divine Archer from the Prosperous Peony clan charged in, holding his war bow. He had an arrogant look on his face. As he entered the grass, he sneered, "Heard you've been providing Boss coordinates to the Scarlet Moon Knights? Tsk tsk, don't you know our Prosperous Peony is currently chasing down Bai Yi Yu Jin's group? You'll take any money, and you don't want to freeload in Yun Shang County..."
However, before he could even finish the word "anymore," he saw three burly figures wielding sharp swords charging at him. None of them used any skills. A single normal attack from each was enough to instantly kill the level 29 Divine Archer.
"Watch out behind you!"
Lin Zhao looked into the distance and saw two Sword Masters and a Berserker emerging from a patch of tall grass almost simultaneously. He raised an eyebrow and instantly said, "I'll take the middle Sword Master, Ding Chi on the left, Zhang Jun on the right. Let's use Sword Qi Collision together and try to kill them instantly!"
"Go!"
The next second, three arcs of sword qi shot out from the grass with a "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh," instantly engulfing the three opponents. The bodies of these three level 29 heavily armored players trembled. The aura of Sword Qi Collision was all too familiar. Once enveloped overhead by Sword Qi Collision, one would be hit within half a second!
"Damn it, this is bad..." one of the Sword Masters exclaimed in alarm.
The other two's expressions changed drastically, but it was too late. They couldn't react within half a second.
"Ching, ching, ching—"
Three consecutive afterimages flashed. Lin Zhao, positioned in the center, dealt over 1100+ health damage to the level 29 Sword Master with Sword Qi Collision. He then followed up with a normal attack + Qian Kun Yi Zhi + normal attack combo, unleashing a massive amount of damage on the opponent's face—
"902!"
"1779!"
"911!"
In an instant, a high-level Sword Master with over 3500 health was instantly killed and reduced to dust. Lin Zhao's attack output even had a significant surplus. He had greatly overestimated the opponent's health and defense. Among these, Qian Kun Yi Zhi dealt the most brutal damage, with the health bar it shaved off being nearly 200% of his normal attack damage. And this was only level 3 Qian Kun Yi Zhi; as it leveled up, the damage would become even more terrifying!
Beside him, Ding Chi's combo of Sword Qi Collision + Heavy Slash had left the Berserker with critical health. He turned sharply towards Lin Zhao, "A Zhao, finish him off!"
Without a word, Lin Zhao darted forward and instantly activated Sword Draw Slash. He lowered his body and performed a phase-through maneuver. The moment the phase-through was completed, he had already turned around. An AoE damage from Sword Draw Slash spread out, hitting not only the Berserker but also the other Sword Master. This burst of damage was perfectly timed, and the remaining two also fell simultaneously, their faces filled with shock, looking as though they died with unfinished grievances.
There was nothing that could be done. Lin Zhao's attack damage was already at a heaven-defying level. Ding Chi and Zhang Jun were also equipped with Silver-grade and Black Iron-grade gear, and they had reached level 30 ahead of most players. With the advantage of equipment and level, their attack output was not to be underestimated. The deaths of these three individuals were by no means unjust.
"Not bad..."
Ding Chi picked up a pair of Silver-grade bracers from the ground, dropped by the Berserker. He chuckled, "Still quite a haul. Tsk tsk, the strength of this Prosperous Peony clan isn't much, but their equipment is still quite tempting."
"Mhm."
Zhang Jun turned around and picked up a Black Iron-grade war bow dropped by the previous Divine Archer. He smiled, "This bow can fetch a hundred or two hundred universal coins. Pretty good."
"Let's go."
Lin Zhao picked up a few potions dropped by the opponents from the ground and said, "Back into the grass. The rest of their group will be here soon."
"Mhm!"
When they returned to the grass, Mo Yin's health had recovered to 75%. Seeing the three return safely, he looked overjoyed.
"Are you alright, Mo Yin?" Ding Chi asked.
"I'm fine!"
Mo Yin stepped forward, his expression agitated, and clasped Ding Chi's arms. "I knew you brothers would come! My dear brothers!"
"Little Brother!"
Ding Chi also clasped his arms tightly, with the same excited expression.
"Brother!!!"
Mo Yin emphasized his voice, his face filled with sincerity.
"Little Brother!!!"
Ding Chi also nodded heavily, his face filled with the joy of reunited close friends.
Zhang Jun stood aside, picking his nose and watching the two.
Lin Zhao held his forehead, simply unable to watch any longer.
...
"Alright."
A few seconds later, Lin Zhao said, "The rest of the Prosperous Peony clan will be here soon. Everyone, recover your states. Mo Yin, you should leave first. You're low level and fragile. You're really not suited for this level of combat."
"Mhm!"
Mo Yin nodded heavily, clasped his fists towards the three, and said, "This humble one knows his place. Before I reach level 30 and learn Blind, I truly can't help my brothers. Wait for me, and when I reach level 30, I'll fight alongside you!"
"Go!"
Ding Chi waved his hand.
"Leaving."
Mo Yin turned and disappeared into the grass.
Ding Chi glanced at Lin Zhao and then sent him a private message, "What do you think of Mo Yin? Do you think he might have intentionally lured us into a trap set by the Prosperous Peony?"
"Probably not."
Lin Zhao shook his head. "Firstly, the Prosperous Peony only has a few people here, and it doesn't look like a setup. Even if Ghost King were arrogant, he wouldn't send four level 29 players to intercept three level 30+ heavily armored players. Isn't that suicidal? Secondly, Mo Yin... my first impression of him was good. He doesn't seem like someone who plays mind games."
Zhang Jun smiled and asked, "How can you tell he's not someone who plays mind games?"
"It's very simple..."
Lin Zhao chuckled. "If he were playing mind games, he wouldn't be able to outsmart me."
After all, in the battle on Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, he had engaged in a battle of wits with the Great Demon Yu Zhi, and Lin Zhao had never been at a disadvantage. Coupled with his more than a year of life in Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, Lin Zhao certainly had an eye for judging people.
...
Just then, reinforcements arrived from outside. Two Starfall Mages appeared within the three's line of sight. Both were level 30 Mages, but they were not the same two as Fan Wang Zhi Xue and Bi Yi Jian Zhong, who were already level 32 and were listed on Yun Shang County's leveling rankings.
"It was at this coordinate just now."
One of the Mages frowned and said, "We lost four people in total. They used the concealment effect of the grass to kill our four people with almost no damage. The damage from the one in white clothes was particularly high. He's currently the only heavily armored player in Yun Shang County who has learned Qian Kun Yi Zhi. Be very careful."
"We won't enter the grass."
The other Mage smiled faintly. "Let's wait for reinforcements. Even with Starfall Shield learned, we're still not safe. After all, these three Sword Masters have also learned Sword Aura Protection. If they come chasing with Sword Aura Protection activated at close range, neither of us can withstand it."
"Mhm, let's wait for reinforcements."
...
In the tall grass, Lin Zhao frowned. The opponents weren't fools, which made things a bit tricky.
"This isn't looking good..."
Ding Chi squinted at the two Mages outside. "Two Mages who have learned Starfall Shield are already troublesome enough. If a group of heavily armored players and support arrive and rush into the grass all at once, we'll have no advantage whatsoever."
Zhang Jun frowned. "What should we do? Retreat?"
As Lin Zhao hesitated, he received another message from Ghost King: "Bai Yi, if you're a man, then don't leave. Our Prosperous Peony will play with your Scarlet Moon Knights?"