"Roar—"
The Giant Rock Demon Spirit let out a low growl, its massive body suddenly shrinking, transforming into the figure of a middle-aged man in a blue shirt. With his hands behind his back and an arrogant expression, he looked at Lin Zhao, Shu Meijian Qingfeng, and the other players, and couldn't help but sneer, "You humans... are only capable of this much. Can numbers make up for the gap in cultivation realm? Is it meaningful to send people to their deaths in vain? How can you ants trample upon the upper five realms of my spirit race?"
The True Realm was indeed the True Realm; even the tone of speech was different.
"Attack!"
Lin Zhao frowned, not wanting to give the boss any chance to heal. A sword qi collision enveloped the boss's head, and he immediately shouted, "Rangers, keep up! Heavy armor, don't slack off either, maintain the rhythm with charges!"
"Mm!"
Chen Xue, Ding Chi, Luo Man, and others nodded.
The next second, Lin Zhao, along with his horse, slammed heavily into the boss's body. However, the stun effect was—
"Flying Sword?"
The middle-aged man laughed heartily and sent out a lightning-fast punch. Lin Zhao instantly assumed a defensive stance. With a "peng," he was sent sliding dozens of meters back along the ground. He had successfully defended, but he still lost over 15,000 health points from that single punch. The attack of this level 100 Earth-grade boss was truly... outside the realm of game attack and defense rules.
"With just you ants?"
The middle-aged man laughed wildly, spun his body, and swept out a heavy punch. Instantly, a wide expanse of fist intent swept through the players in a fan shape.
"This is bad!"
Lin Zhao's face changed drastically, "Ranged players, be careful, warp out!"
In an instant, not many players could react. Among the Scarlet Moon Knights, only Shen Xingchen, Lu Li, and Mo Chenxue managed to activate spatial warping. The remaining group of mages, sharpshooters, thunder storm gunners, rangers, and formation masters were wiped out. Even the higher-ranked sharpshooters and rangers of the Scarlet Moon Knights couldn't withstand it.
"Damn it..."
Shu Meijian Qingfeng gritted his teeth, "Too many of the Scarlet Moon Knights' output team are dead. Our side will fill in, quickly!"
The remote team of Wuwang quickly entered from the flank.
Lin Zhao approached the boss again with his sword. This time, all his skills were off cooldown. He initiated with a Fierce Dragon Chop, followed by a basic attack + Throwing of Heaven and Earth + Sweeping Thousands of Armies, then a Qi Surge to the Bull to push back the middle-aged man's body. Immediately after, a Sword Qi Collision caused the boss to be continuously stunned and silenced for 3-4 seconds.
Shen Xingchen continued to direct the ranged players of the Scarlet Moon Knights to enter. There was no choice; if everyone didn't output, this Earth-grade boss would never be defeated. The Xunxian Guild had lost over 3,000 people to defeat another Earth-grade boss. Although the Scarlet Moon Knights wouldn't suffer such heavy losses, they wouldn't be insignificant either.
Lin Zhao constantly circled the boss with his sword, trying his best to kite, allowing the players of the Scarlet Moon Knights and Wuwang to suffer less damage, truly doing his utmost.
The Giant Rock Demon Spirit, an eleventh-realm spirit, and a natural rock-element warrior. Every punch it threw was accompanied by fiery meteors, making its killing power extremely strong. As a result, during the raid, players from the Scarlet Moon Knights and Wuwang kept falling, especially the melee players, with heavy losses on both sides. Especially for Wuwang, besides Shu Meijian Qingfeng, no one could withstand a single punch from the boss. The Scarlet Moon Knights were slightly better off; Lin Zhao, Chen Xue, and Luo Man, who had activated their defensive sword equipment, could all survive a punch, greatly reducing the death rate of frontline players.
The raid lasted for nearly 15 minutes. Finally, under the relentless charges and focused attacks of the two major guilds, the middle-aged man's health bar finally bottomed out. Just as it dropped to 2%, Shu Meijian Qingfeng suddenly pulled his reins, turned his horse, and said solemnly, "Wuwang members, retreat with me. Our support mission is complete!"
"Yes, Alliance Leader!"
Although many Wuwang guild members looked at the boss with low health and a yearning in their eyes – who wouldn't want to claim the ownership? – the memory of the Scarlet Moon Knights sacrificing everything with 6,000 men to battle the Xunxian elites and secure the S-grade oil well for Wuwang was still fresh. Thus, the Wuwang members found it difficult to say anything more. This boss would be left to the Scarlet Moon Knights.
It was just returning a favor. The martial world was not about fighting, but about human relationships and social graces.
...
With the remaining 2% health, the Scarlet Moon Knights unleashed a barrage of attacks, making the boss sway precariously. Finally, with Lin Zhao's Sword of Heaven and Earth Throw, the boss's health bar was emptied. With a whimper, its body leaned back and fell, dropping a pile of gold coins and equipment. At the same time, a bell sound echoed across the entire Tianji City map—
"Ding!"
System Announcement: Congratulations to player [Bai Yi]'s team for successfully defeating [Giant Rock Demon Spirit] (Earth-grade boss), obtaining the second kill of Tianji City's Earth-grade boss! Congratulations to player [Bai Yi] for ranking first in team contribution, receiving rewards: Level +2, Charm +3, Reputation +2000, Gold Coins +15000, and an additional reward: [Broken Sword Style] (SSS-grade skill book). Congratulations to player [Bu Jian Xing Kong] for ranking second in team contribution, receiving rewards: Level +1, Charm +2, Reputation +1500, Gold Coins +8000, and an additional reward: [Meteor Shower] (SS-grade skill book). Congratulations to player [Xue Qian Cheng] for ranking third in team contribution, receiving rewards: Level +1, Charm +2, Reputation +1200, Gold Coins +6000, and an additional reward: [Spirit Channeling Spear] (Flowing Gold equipment). Other participating players will also receive rewards of varying amounts!
...
The gains were substantial!
Among them, Lin Zhao's sustained output and damage absorption allowed his contribution ranking to even surpass Shen Xingchen's, earning him first place. Shen Xingchen, known as the number one Starfall Mage in the national server, ranking second was within expectations. However, the most surprising was the third place, which was Chen Xue. As a Knight, being able to secure a top-three spot was somewhat unexpected. The reason Chen Xue achieved third place was that she constantly roamed around the boss in her defensive sword equipment, absorbing damage and outputting. Thus, her damage absorption + output even surpassed heavy artillery players like Lu Li. Everyone only acknowledged Chen Xue's superior guild management skills, overlooking her personal abilities, which were actually not weak at all.
Shen Xingchen smiled with dimples, her pretty face filled with joy.
Meteor Shower, a hidden skill for level 80 Mages. Previously, when the Xunxian Guild obtained a Meteor Shower, it had made Shen Xingchen feel complex. She didn't expect the return to be so quick, and she herself had obtained one. With a raise of her hand, she learned Meteor Shower, instantly becoming an even more perfect Mage. As for Chen Xue, she obtained a level 80 Flowing Gold equipment weapon, and her overall stats naturally became more balanced between offense and defense.
"Lin Zhao."
Shen Xingchen smiled and asked, "What's the origin of Broken Sword Style? Can I take a look?"
"Mm."
Lin Zhao smiled faintly and waved his hand, and the attributes of the orange-gold skill book floated out—
[Broken Sword Style] (SSS-grade): Summons dozens of sword qi to launch a directional, continuous sword-type group attack in front. The attack range is extremely wide. Learning requires Level: 100, Profession: Sword Master, Cost: 3 Charm Points.
...
"My goodness..."
Chen Xue's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she chuckled, "A level 100 skill, we agreed on this in advance? Not bad, not bad... Once you learn this skill, you'll be a true siege weapon in team battles."
"It's alright."
Lin Zhao scratched his head and smiled, "Xingchen's Meteor Shower is the truly overpowered skill, raining down fire to roast opponents."
Shen Xingchen smiled with dimples, "It's alright too..."
"Why are you both being humble..."
Chen Xue was speechless, "After Xingchen rains down fire, you use Broken Sword Style to slaughter. This is the most perfect tactical cooperation."
"Indeed!"
Lin Zhao and Shen Xingchen both chuckled lightly. They would see when they reached level 100. The alliance leader-level trident combination of the Scarlet Moon Knights would become even more terrifying. Chen Xue would enter the enemy formation in defensive stance sword equipment to absorb damage, Shen Xingchen would use Meteor Shower + Flame Laser, and Lin Zhao would use Sword Qi Cage + Sword Departure Style + Broken Sword Style. This kind of tactical cooperation would definitely be nightmare-level.