"Huh?"
Deputy Alliance Leaders Shen Xingchen and Chen Xue were stunned. Killing Lu Xiuyuan? That was too audacious! Lu Xiuyuan was an eleventh-realm Demon Immortal, after all. A ninth-realm Nascent Soul demon beast was already a high-tier boss, and a Star River realm demon beast was a sky-tier boss. An eleventh-realm Demon Immortal would be a god-level boss. Could players even fight that?
Lu Han frowned and said, "Boss, although I firmly believe in your strategic prowess, isn't this a bit too reckless?"
"It is a bit,"
Lin Zhao smiled and said, "But you've all seen the current situation. Ding Chunqiu has joined the demons with the elites of 'All-Evil.' They're doing very well at Jiuzhangyuan. Ten minutes ago, his level was already in the top ten of the player level leaderboard. If this continues, he'll soon be in the top three through PK. Then he'll have immense influence in the national server. Although we are all human players and hate the Northern Four Tribes to the bone, under the temptation of profit, do you think some players can resist such a huge temptation?"
He frowned and said, "In any era, there will always be a large group of people who go astray on matters of great right and wrong."
Shen Xingchen's beautiful eyes were like water as she looked at Lin Zhao, deeply agreeing with his words. She smiled and said, "Just tell us directly, what should we do? After all, you are the Alliance Leader of the Scarlet Moon Knights. We will ultimately follow your orders."
"We have to act decisively."
Lin Zhao said, "From this moment on, all five hundred of us will enter silent mode. Everyone will turn off their communicators and not contact anyone outside of these 500 people. We will infiltrate Wuzhui Mountain and, with the strength of a guild, kill Lu Xiuyuan and destroy his sect. Once Lu Xiuyuan is dead, Ding Chunqiu and the others will no longer be a threat."
"Yes!"
Chen Xue nodded. "The premise is that an eleventh-realm great demon is at least a god-level boss, and its level should be 140 or above. The difficulty of our raid will be considerable. What do we do?"
"Rely on talismans, rely on coordination, and rely on our fearlessness."
Lin Zhao raised his hand and pulled bundles of talismans from his inventory. He had spent these days drawing talismans in addition to leveling up, so he had a large stock. Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, Lin Zhao said solemnly, "The 100 strongest combatants will each have five 'Gazing Sword Talismans' to deal maximum damage to the boss. Of the remaining people, select the 100 with the highest agility to form a 'Binding Talisman Team.' They will throw Binding Talismans at the boss, one person per second, to keep the boss under the shadow of the Binding Talismans at all times. The melee combat group of 50 people will each have five 'Swiftness Talismans.' You will be responsible for tying down and controlling the boss."
He frowned and said, "If we win this battle, our Scarlet Moon Knights will get the first kill on a god-level boss. If we lose, it doesn't matter. We have tried our best for the national server and the human world. The casualties of this battle will be recorded throughout. All fallen players will receive 10,000 universal coins from the guild for each death, with no upper limit, until we complete the kill of Lu Xiuyuan!"
For a moment, everyone felt a surge of excitement.
"Understood!"
Lu Han, who had been skeptical before, had no more doubts. He cupped his fists and laughed, "We will strictly follow the boss's combat plan and fight to the death!"
"Distribute the talismans, quickly."
Lin Zhao gave the order. Soon, the 100 people in the Gazing Sword Talisman team, the 100 people in the Binding Talisman team, the 50 people in the melee combat group, and the reconnaissance team of 20 led by Mo Yin. The remaining people were all assigned to the normal raid group. In addition, talismans like 'Clear Heart Talisman' and 'Brave Onward Talisman' were also distributed in large quantities.
After everything was completed, Lin Zhao looked up at the sky and said, "Xiu Zhi, can you send us five hundred people away from the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool?"
"Huh?"
Xiu Zhi was stunned. "With so many people, my sword intent... might not be able to send you very far."
"It's fine."
Lin Zhao pointed to the northwest and said, "Ten miles away, is that okay?"
"Yes."
Xiu Zhi slightly furrowed her delicate eyebrows and said softly, "My lord, you really don't want me to go with you? If I went, killing Lu Xiuyuan would be no problem."
"No."
Lin Zhao immediately refused and frowned, "Wuzhui Mountain is already territory of the demon race, not too far from the ancestral mountain of the demon race. If you really go, it would be a provocation to the demons. They will definitely send a thirteenth-realm expert to intervene, and it will likely be even more troublesome. Moreover, it's okay if all five hundred of us die once, but Xiu Zhi, you are different; you cannot die even once."
"Mmm..."
Xiu Zhi bit her red lips. "Are you sending us over now?"
"Yes."
The next moment, Xiu Zhi raised her immortal sword, Cheng Xin, in her left hand. Instantly, strands of sword intent enveloped Lin Zhao and the others overhead. In a flash, they completed a large-scale teleportation, transforming from the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool into a gray-white sword light that appeared in the forest several miles west of Jiuzhangyuan.
"Go!"
Lin Zhao summoned his Snow Rock Warhorse, protected Shen Xingchen and Mo Chenxue, who were cloth-armored players, and said solemnly, "March in silence. 'All-Evil' is currently being held back by the people of Star River, Azure Dragon, and Wu Wang at Jiuzhangyuan. This is our best time. Speed up, we must reach Wuzhui Mountain within half an hour! From now on, everyone will speak in party chat!"
"Yes, boss!"
In the party channel, a group of people responded.
...
Deep night.
Wuzhui Mountain was shrouded in a faint twilight. If one didn't carefully discern the pervasive demonic energy within the mountain, it might appear somewhat tranquil. Beneath a peach tree, a man in a green long gown sat cross-legged, occasionally flipping through a book and taking a sip of wine, a faint smile on his lips. He muttered to himself, "Within books lie beautiful women, within books lie golden houses. These human scholars are truly vulgar..."
He didn't mind that he himself was merely a monkey wearing a scholar's robe, mimicking human speech without true understanding.
Not far away, in the mountain forest, a young assassin completely shrouded in mist was using enhanced stealth. About a hundred meters away from Lu Xiuyuan, he was observing. This was Mo Yin, an assassin from the Scarlet Moon Knights. Mo Yin had been fully nurtured by the Scarlet Moon Knights, equipped with top-tier gear, a mix of earth-grade and flowing gold-grade items, and highly enhanced skills. His high agility placed him among the top ten assassins in the national server, perhaps even in the top five or top three. Lin Zhao's approach was simple: provide him with ample resources, and how much he grew depended on himself. If Mo Yin wasn't good enough, other assassins would take his place.
Fortunately, Mo Yin was exceptionally capable. In order to become the chief assassin of the Scarlet Moon Knights, he had put in more effort and heart than others, often spending more time understanding the mechanics and details of his profession. Therefore, while the Scarlet Moon Knights had more than a dozen players with greater innate talent than Mo Yin, he remained the strongest. He didn't rely on his seniority; instead, he was even more humble and diligent, which Lin Zhao considered Mo Yin's greatest strength.
"Boss."
Mo Yin shared his vision in the party channel.
"It is indeed Lu Xiuyuan,"
Lin Zhao frowned and said, "No other demon cultivators. This entire mountain belongs to Lu Xiuyuan. Mo Yin, don't get any closer. Just wait there. The 50 people from the melee combat group will follow me. Each person will have a Swiftness Talisman and a Binding Talisman. Let's stick to Lu Xiuyuan first. Xingchen, after we engage, you and the other teams will immediately push forward. Let's finish this quickly!"
"Understood."
Shen Xingchen nodded. At this moment, even she, the beautiful strategist, was a little nervous. Players assassinating an eleventh-realm great demon? This was the first time in the open beta of "Tian Xia"!
"Everyone mount up!"
Chen Xue mounted her horse and raised her spear, saying sternly, "All Paladins, activate Sacred Sword Defense mode, follow me! Swordsman class players, prepare for fire control! Everyone, coordinate Binding Talismans with charge skills. For the first ten seconds, do not let Lu Xiuyuan have any time to recover!"
"Charge!"
Lin Zhao pointed his hand, and Chen Xue led the charge. Lin Zhao watched the charging cavalry ascend the mountain, feeling a surge of excitement. He then summoned his flying sword, Hongye, and soared into the sky, attacking Lu Xiuyuan from the air to control the entire battlefield. This was his value as a Golden Core Sword Cultivator on the battlefield.
...
"Such courage..."
Not far away, Lu Xiuyuan curled his lips and smiled, "A mere group of insignificant cultivators and martial artists dare to come to Wuzhui Mountain to provoke an eleventh-realm demon? Who gave you the courage?"
As he spoke, Lu Xiuyuan suddenly scattered the wine in his cup. With a flick of his right sleeve, the wine turned into drops of frost-tipped cones that shot towards Chen Xue and the other players.
"Careful, defensive stance!"
Chen Xue immediately stopped her horse and activated the Sacred Sword's defensive form. Instantly, with continuous "pffft" sounds, Chen Xue's health bar dropped by half. The heavily armored players who charged with her all had their health bars reduced to critical levels. The offensive power of this eleventh-realm great demon was truly fierce! When Chen Xue looked up, she saw that Lu Xiuyuan's current level was 145, a god-level boss, an absolute nightmare for players.
"You lot, trying to stop a chariot with a mantis?"
Lu Xiuyuan stood up.
But the moment he stood up, a bright moon suddenly swooped down from the sky, showering the ground with moonlight sword energy – the divine ability of the flying sword Ming Yue: Moonfall!
Lu Xiuyuan suddenly raised his hand, his fingers spread, attempting to control the flying sword Ming Yue. However, a fiery red glow flashed from behind him. Lin Zhao's sword energy collided with his green long gown. Although he wasn't stunned, Lin Zhao's 'Ascending Dragon Slash' at that moment sent Lu Xiuyuan's body airborne. For a moment, the smile on Lu Xiuyuan's face gradually subsided, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
Since he had arrived, it was time to fight seriously!
"Up!"
Lin Zhao suddenly slapped a Binding Talisman onto the back of Lu Xiuyuan's head, then rapidly retreated on his sword, saying solemnly, "Indiscriminate control attack, let's keep him here first!"
Instantly, the 50 players from the melee combat group, led by Chen Xue, charged from all directions, their bodies forming "swish swish swish" rushing currents that densely impacted Lu Xiuyuan's body. However, this eleventh-realm great demon's level was too high; they all missed. It didn't matter. They instantly pulled out 50 Binding Talismans and pasted them onto him together.
"What?!"
Lu Xiuyuan's expression became flustered. Had the unreasonableness of the mortal world reached this point?