Yet Li Xie had also seen through my intentions. Now, he stopped attacking haphazardly, instead planting himself firmly at the exit, watching me without hurry or pause. Escaping now wouldn't be easy.

"You little brat, you've got some nerve," Li Xie said helplessly. "I've been in this game so long, and I've never met anyone as infuriatingly persistent as you."

"Please, when it comes to thick skin, you’re far ahead of me," I retorted, annoyed. "At least I've never seen anyone with thicker skin than you. Are you some kind of turtle?"

"Heh, you flatter me," Li Xie seemed ready to waste time with me. Since I had no moves against the weapon in his hand, he probably wanted to gain an advantage through sheer words. "But how long can you be smug? Soon, people will be chasing you from behind. Then, where will you run?"

"You don't need to worry about that. I'm absolutely confident I can get past you before they arrive," I said with complete assurance. This situation reminded me of making a run past a defender in modern football. Wasn't it so? The Li Xie standing before me was the defender, and I was the forward. All I needed to do now was figure out how to slip past his defense—except this defender could use his club to strike me, and I certainly wasn't dribbling a football at my feet.

***, there were so many ways to dribble past someone in modern football—the 'Cruyff turn,' the 'bicycle kick'—but given the current scenario, even Owen couldn't possibly bypass Li Xie’s defense without the ball, could he? It was truly vexing; racking my brain yielded no solution.

"Is that so? Interesting!" Li Xie seemed quite intrigued. "I'd like to see what trick you have to get past my line."

"Fine! Let's make a bet! Since we're idle anyway, we might as well make some spontaneous entertainment!" At that moment, I remembered I still had another ace up my sleeve—bluffing.

That's right. Back in the Woma Forest, it was precisely my silver tongue that allowed me to talk my way out of trouble with the Half-Beast Leader. Later, inside the Death Coffin, I utilized this specialty to its fullest, breaking out from an encirclement by the entire group of experts from the Dragon Frenzy Gang.

I never expected to be cornered like this again today. It seemed my Divine Art of Bluffing had found a new purpose. But how exactly should I play this hand?

"A bet?" Li Xie was uncertain, watching me with an unpredictable expression. "What are we betting?"

"Heh, there’s nothing valuable on you," I pretended to be relaxed. "I'm dirt poor myself. Let's just bet ourselves."

"Betting ourselves?" Li Xie looked puzzled but showed no sign of letting down his guard, his large, bell-like eyes fixed on me. "Tell me how."

"It’s simple. If I can't get past you, this little life is yours, do with it as you please," I said casually while searching for a suitable opening. Unfortunately, the towering figure before me remained unmoved, still staring intently. "That’s stating the obvious. If I fall into your hands, I’m dead anyway."

"Heh, not necessarily. What if I accidentally let you slip through?" I adopted a look that suggested I had already won.

"Fine, whatever you say," Li Xie conceded. "I don't believe this nonsense; I doubt you can pull off any tricks, brat."

"Good, you said that," I said maliciously. "If you can't stop me, you lose. If you lose, I won't do anything to you, but from now on, you have to respectfully call me 'Old Man' whenever you see me."

"Bold words!" Li Xie roared. "If you want to be my father, first see if you live long enough to leave here!" With that, he raised his Judgment staff to attack, but he inadvertently caught a glimpse of a strange smile on my face.

"Ha!" Li Xie suddenly realized. "I almost fell for your trick!" He immediately pulled back his steps, resuming his sentry-like stance.

"So, does that mean you agreed?" I maintained an unhurried tone.

"..." Li Xie simply shut his mouth. Clearly, gaining an upper hand in verbal sparring was not his strength.

"Alright, since you won't attack, I'll take the initiative!" I struck a charging pose. "Now then, my future son, watch closely. Your father is about to show you a trick or two."

"Facing death, and you're still so sharp-tongued," Li Xie, though furious, remained unmoved.

"Heh!" I chuckled lightly. "Your father has plenty of tricks. Listen carefully now: I'm going to charge past your right side in a moment, so watch closely."

"............." Li Xie stood perfectly still. However, he subconsciously shifted slightly to his right. It seemed my words weren't entirely without effect on him.

Although I mocked and provoked Li Xie relentlessly with my words, I had no real confidence in my heart. I analyzed internally: to get past him, my options were left, right, or above. Li Xie couldn't possibly overlook what I could think of, so his defense in these areas must be extremely tight. Moreover, with that thick Judgment staff of his, one sweep could cover a massive area, making it incredibly difficult to slip through.

Where exactly was his blind spot? Tall and long-limbed, Li Xie stood before me like a giant, making me feel utterly helpless. Li Xie, too, scrutinized me with an ever-changing expression. His Judgment staff unconsciously shifted into the most effective defensive posture corresponding to my constantly changing positions. For a moment, Li Xie and I were locked in a strange, unconventional battle of offense and defense.

It seemed there was absolutely no flaw in his defense; Li Xie’s response was too seasoned, giving me no opportunity whatsoever. He seemed sure of victory. While I moved left and right without any discernible pattern, searching for the perfect moment to break through, my brain raced, trying to conceive a viable plan. Among football dribbling techniques, the most common involved using feints to destabilize the opponent and achieve the bypass. This was skill-based. Another method relied on sheer brute force to knock the opponent aside. But both seemed useless here. While I held a slight advantage in speed, the key issue was the enormous area covered by Li Xie's staff defense. Coupled with his astonishing reaction speed, forcing a breakthrough purely with speed was tough. Furthermore, trying to smash through Li Xie’s defense with brute strength was pure fantasy.

How could I trick him? Thinking of this, I couldn't help but look down at Li Xie’s lower body. Undeniably, the man was tall and built, my height barely reaching his chest, putting me at a psychological disadvantage that felt deeply uncomfortable. But this also made me realize that generally, taller people have a higher center of gravity. Perhaps I should try to break through his defense from below. However, this required a meticulous plan, ideally tricking him into jumping. If he jumped, his lower defense would certainly be exposed. Even if he reacted in mid-air, he couldn't do much because he’d have no leverage to adjust his body. Thus, the key to this breakthrough became how to make him jump. Making him jump shouldn't be that hard; I just needed to make him believe my breakthrough direction was aimed above him. Where the reach of his Judgment staff wouldn't be enough, he would naturally have to leap to intercept me. Then, if I could suddenly change direction in mid-air as he jumped, dashing toward his lower body, he would surely be caught off guard.

With that thought, I subconsciously glanced towards Li Xie's left side. Since Li Xie held the Judgment staff in his right hand, his left side defense was bound to be relatively weaker. So, I would start my breakthrough from that direction. Most importantly, after spotting the left wall of the mining area, a brilliant idea struck me—a brilliant idea for a mid-air directional change!

"Good son, here I come!" Whoosh! Suddenly, without warning, I used an electric step to charge toward Li Xie’s left side, leaping high into the air at the same time.

"How dare you! Trying a fake out!" Li Xie reacted quickly, judging that the length of the Judgment staff couldn't reach me. He instantly leaped up, swinging the huge club.

A silver sheen instantly enveloped the area. This strike completely sealed off my breakthrough path and was hurtling down towards me in mid-air at an astonishing speed. If I was actually hit by that sweep, the outcome would be unspeakably gruesome.

Roar! Just as Li Xie's Judgment staff was about to smash into me, mid-air, I suddenly planted one foot against the left wall of the mining area.

Whoosh! Using that mid-air contact point, my body suddenly changed direction without warning. My body carved a bizarre Z-shaped arc toward the lower right position near Li Xie.

All of this happened in a mere instant. Li Xie’s staff swept past my scalp by a hair's breadth. In Li Xie’s eyes, I seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Thump! Whoosh! The instant I landed, I exerted force again, my body darting away like lightning, rushing toward the tunnel exit without looking back.

Thump! Only then did I hear the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground behind me, but I had already bolted nearly thirty meters away.

By utilizing the wall of the mining area, my sudden mid-air directional change had successfully lured Li Xie into exposing the gap beneath his lower right side. This evasion was perfect; no wonder Li Xie fell for it. Now, my feet felt like the wind, and I was at full throttle.

"Roar! You stinking brat, stop right there!" Li Xie roared in a frustrated rage, but there was no way he could catch me now.

"Good son, until we meet again! I told you I'd come from your right, but you didn't believe me!" I laughed heartily as I ran, shouting back.

"Damn it!" Li Xie's voice quickly faded into the distance. I knew I had completely shaken him off now.

Silence reigned in the mine tunnel, occasionally broken by the sight of several members of the Sabak Guild lying scattered on the ground. Judging by their gear, they were all high-level Ranger strength. Each corpse bore clear signs of intense magical bombardment—clearly Yan Luo’s handiwork. They must have foolishly stood in her way and been eliminated by her. I didn't see any more Sabak members until I finally burst out of the mine entrance.

But I dared not slow down in the slightest, immediately sprinting toward Bizhi Grand City.

Before sunset, I finally reached the Bizhi Inn and found Yan Luo, who was extremely anxious, but Jin Niu was nowhere in sight.

"Xing!" Yan Luo cried out, overjoyed. It was clear she had been genuinely worried about me, and the way she looked at me was no longer the cold, emotionless gaze: "I’m sorry."

Unexpectedly, the first words upon meeting were an apology, which momentarily stunned me. However, I quickly understood. For someone as proud as Yan Luo, being a burden to others would be far worse than being killed.

"..." For a moment, I didn't know what to say. After a while, I managed a faint smile. "Didn't you say that my skill at running for my life was top-notch? Well, you see for yourself now. That proves you have good judgment, doesn't it?"

"Ah! You remember that?" Yan Luo looked a little embarrassed.

"Why isn't Jin Niu here?" The heavy atmosphere felt oppressive; maybe changing the subject would help.

"He went out to inquire about Jin Bo and the others' whereabouts," Yan Luo said sadly. We both knew in our hearts that Jin Bo and the others were likely beyond saving, and Jin Niu, as their companion, must be the most upset.

The room fell into an extreme silence.

Two hours later, Jin Niu's exhausted figure appeared at the doorway. Seeing his grim expression, I didn't know what to say either. Yan Luo’s face changed instantly, snapping back into her icy mask.

"Any news?" I asked.

"..." Jin Niu shook his head painfully.

"Don't be sad. At least we haven't heard any definitive bad news, right?" I comforted him. "Maybe they’re still alive, who knows."

"En," Jin Niu nodded slightly.

"What are the next plans?"

"I want to return to headquarters first!" Jin Niu said. "I need to report the situation here. If Jin Bo and the others truly fell into Sabak's hands, perhaps high-ranking officials from the guild can negotiate for their ransom."

"... " Yan Luo remained expressionless, perhaps lost in thought.

"When do you leave?"

"Tonight."

"Be careful," I didn't know how else to console Jin Niu. Perhaps given his current abilities, all he could do now was report back to headquarters.

Jin Niu left immediately, unwilling to waste another second.

I, however, thought of other issues.

"Why would the Twin Moon Palace assign such a dangerous mission to Jin Niu and the others?" I muttered to myself. "With their strength, they shouldn't have been capable of handling this mission."

"They were just a distraction," Yan Luo stated. "The leader of the Twin Moon Palace, Chao Yue, loves playing little tricks. The real blueprint couldn't possibly be in Jin Niu’s hands."

"So it was just to draw attention away?" I was alarmed.

"Exactly. Their mission was probably just to divert Sabak's focus."

"Damn it, isn't that just sending Jin Niu and the others to their deaths?" I became furious.

"There was no other choice," Yan Luo sighed. "The Twin Moon Palace, given its current strength, would have found it difficult to complete the mission anyway."

"Surely you aren't suggesting that Yue Zong gave the Twin Moon Palace a fake map too?" I asked, aghast.

"Perhaps," Yan Luo conceded. "Among the four guilds under the Yue Zong banner, the Twin Moon Palace is the weakest. Letting them act as a diversion to split Sabak’s attention was the most appropriate choice."

"Then who has the real map?"

"I don't know. Even if I did, I couldn't tell you. After all, it's a sect secret."

"A sect secret?" I sighed helplessly. "You famous sects sure have a lot of schemes."

"We have no choice. Without a bit of cunning, we would have been wiped out long ago."

But for some reason, the scene of Chi Jiao ambushing the Divine Moon Palace and the Great Alliance at First Line Sky suddenly came to mind. I felt that Jin Niu's presence in the mining area this time was far more than just a simple distraction, but why exactly, I couldn't figure out for a while.

"Fighting and killing all day long—aren't you tired?"

"We have no choice. I was born into the Yue Zong; my goal in life is to make the Yue Zong stronger."

"..." I was momentarily stunned. "Perhaps this is what is called destiny—everyone has a mission they must complete."

"That’s true," Yan Luo said calmly. "My purpose in living is to make the Yue Zong incomparably strong, restoring it to its former peak glory. This is the mission not just of me, but of every member of the Yue Zong."

"Don't you find that tedious?" I asked.

"Tedious?" Yan Luo sighed. "A little, perhaps. But if you're alive, you have to find something to do, otherwise wouldn't it be more tedious?" Speaking of this, Yan Luo looked at me with a complex expression. "Tell me, why did you choose to become a Warrior?"

"Me?" After thinking, I decided not to hide anything from Yan Luo. "It’s nothing much, just the desire to grow stronger, so that one day I can storm the Demon Altar in the Red Moon Canyon and kill the Red Moon Demon."

"Ah!" Yan Luo was greatly shocked, staring at me as if appraising a monster. "Have you gone mad? Do you know how terrifying the Red Moon Demon is?"

"Of course I know," I said with a bitter smile. "Otherwise, why would I court trouble and train myself outside?"

"En, that makes sense," Yan Luo looked enlightened. "So your goal is to kill the Red Moon Demon. No wonder you train so hard. But why must you kill it?"

"If I could, I wouldn't want to," I sighed. "But to neutralize the poison of the Man-Eating Flower, the Red Moon Demon's bile is essential. And my mother has been tortured by the Man-Eating Flower's potent poison for thirteen years."

".........." Yan Luo froze. After a long moment, she let out a long sigh. "Now, I understand."

"I envy you, having such a clear goal and a reason to live," Yan Luo’s words confused me somewhat.

"So, what are your next plans?" I asked.

"We'll temporarily abandon the mission in the Corpse King Hall. Since the people of Sabak know I appeared in the Bizhi mining area, they will certainly take action," Yan Luo said.

"Does that mean I'm free to move around?"

"What do you mean?" Yan Luo’s expression shifted slightly. "You seem very reluctant."

"Uh, hehe," I said guiltily. "No, I’m not."

"Alright, you are free now. Do whatever you want." Yan Luo paused, then asked, "What are your plans next?"

"I plan to go to Bizhi first and pay a visit to Jian Li."

"Jian Li?" Yan Luo exclaimed in shock. "The Jian Li known as the Sword God among the Four Great Swords of the Marfa Continent?"

"Uh, is Jian Li that famous?" I was surprised, wondering if this Marfa Continent also had a Sword God. It reminded me of Ximen Chuixue from Gu Long's novels.

"Heavens, you don't even know his title, and you plan to visit him?" Yan Luo scrutinized me with a very strange look.

"Is that Sword God very powerful?"

"If he wasn't powerful, would he be called a Sword God?" Yan Luo replied. "Currently, when speaking of swordsmen on the continent, the top four are the Four Great Swords: Sword God Jian Li, Sword Saint Gao Huan, Sword Emperor Bi He, and Sword Queen Shuang Fei. Their sword techniques are rumored to have reached a realm beyond mortal men."

"Ah, those titles sound quite impressive," I hesitated, but why did Lu Zhao seem so dismissive of them? And this Sword Queen, this is the first time I've heard of her. "Don't tell me this Sword Queen is a woman?"

"Of course. Can a man be called 'Queen'?" Yan Luo said.

"I just didn't know," I chuckled dryly. "Holy Empress, that is truly a grand name. I wonder just how powerful they really are."

"You will know when you have the chance to meet them," Yan Luo replied.

"How do their abilities compare to Li Xie's?"

"A hundred Li Xies couldn't even get close to them," Yan Luo said solemnly.

"............." I was stunned. "They're that powerful?"

"That's not the important part," Yan Luo said curiously. "I just want to know, what makes you so sure that Jian Li will agree to see you?"

"You'll know when the time comes," I said somewhat guiltily. I wasn't sure if Lu Tong's sword would actually be useful. However, hearing Yan Luo speak, I became even more eager to meet this legendary Sword God.

"Alright, I’ve decided. I’ll go with you to visit Jian Li first," Yan Luo seemed greatly interested. "After all, they are all legendary masters; I really want to see what they look like."

"But isn't your Divine Moon Palace about to go to war with the Dragon Frenzy Gang? Shouldn't you go back to help?" Thinking about the timing, the third month should be approaching.

"You don't need to worry about that. The Palace Master has already made arrangements. My presence in Bizhi is part of the plan," Yan Luo explained.

"I don't understand," I conceded, resigned to the situation.