The crossroads had somehow transformed into a scorched wasteland. Lying on the ground were a dozen armored Rangers, each bearing a gaping hole through the chest, clearly long dead. In the center of the fray, a powerfully built Warrior swung a massive Purgatory Battle Axe. Though the guild mark on him seemed vaguely familiar, he was locked in combat with ten or so other warriors, while in several other spots, warriors bearing the same guild markings were desperately fighting off encirclement.
"It's Big Baldy and his crew," Long Qi exclaimed in surprise.
"Big Baldy." I realized with a start; no wonder he looked so familiar. They were the very first band of bandits we encountered upon arriving in the Cang Yue Continent.
"Damn it, let Brother Guang Guang go!" Xia Na shrieked, frantic as she watched Big Baldy struggling intensely.
"The Tian Jian Sect is handling business here. Those irrelevant to this, move along!" a Black Robed Mage, clearly the leader, barked harshly, mistaking us for mere onlookers.
However, when his eyes fell upon the suddenly appearing Xia Na, he was ecstatic: "Hahaha, I didn't expect you to deliver yourself right to us."
"Seize her," the Black Robed Mage commanded loudly.
"Yes!" In the chaos of the melee, several figures immediately broke off and charged toward Xia Na.
"Miss, run!" It was Big Baldy, utterly panicked by Xia Na's sudden appearance. He desperately fought to charge toward her, but the dozen warriors surrounding him blocked his path relentlessly.
"Tian Jian Sect!" Long Qi gasped. The Tian Jian Sect was a renowned faction on the Cang Yue Continent, equivalent to one of the Four Great Clans of the Alliance Capital.
But Xia Na didn't flee; instead, she charged forward recklessly. It was only then that we noticed with astonishment that Xia Na was actually a Red Moon level Daoist, as she had already summoned a colossal Covenant Divine Beast. Heavens, just who was this Xia Na to summon a Covenant Divine Beast, something only Red Moon Daoists could invoke? Could she be a super-genius Daoist?
Roar! The Covenant Divine Beast, standing tall on its hind legs, immediately let out a heaven-shaking roar. Spewing gouts of flame, it charged like the wind toward the dozen warriors who had been surrounding Big Baldy.
"Seeking death," the Black Robed Mage muttered, his jade-like staff raised: "Divine Word Spell."
Whoosh! A massive beam of white light descended from the sky, striking the charging Divine Beast with pinpoint accuracy.
"Ugh!" The massive Covenant Divine Beast screamed in pain and instantly shattered into fragments.
In the Marfa World, the Divine Word Spell inflicted fatal damage upon the Covenant Divine Beast. A high-level Mage could one-shot it. Of course, this "one-shot" was only temporary; like summoned Skeletons, the Covenant Divine Beast was also an undead creature.
Skeletons were undead creatures of the Undead category, while the Covenant Divine Beast belonged to the Holy Light category of undead. But whether Holy Light or Undead, facing a potent Divine Word Spell left them utterly defenseless.
As the Covenant Divine Beast was dispersed, a thick fireball plummeted from the sky toward the astonished Xia Na—the Black Robed Mage had casually tossed out a Great Fireball while dispatching the Divine Beast.
"Nana, danger!" Big Baldy, still locked in his struggle, spotted Xia Na instantly and cried out, but this momentary distraction allowed the surrounding warriors to stab him once. Blood sprayed forth!
"Ah!" The speed of the Great Fireball was incredible; Xia Na couldn't dodge in time and could only watch in despair as the massive projectile hurtled toward her.
"Damn it," I immediately activated my movement technique, the Gale Ring kicking in instantly. In a flash, I rushed to Xia Na's side and tackled her to the ground.
Boom! The Great Fireball struck my back simultaneously, but aside from a slight burning sensation, I felt no discomfort whatsoever.
"To hell with you, Tian Jian Sect!" This time, Long Zhan was truly enraged: "Attacking such a beautiful and sweet girl like Xia Na! Do you take me for a decoration?"
"Grab your weapons, let's go!" Long Xin was furious, nearly jumping with rage: "Five Ring Formation, attack!"
In the very same instant, two Soul Fire Talismans and two Lightning Spells shot toward the Black Robed Mage. Years of coordination immediately manifested in astonishing harmony and synchronization; the four attacks landed perfectly together, all aimed at the mage’s head.
Boom! With a resounding crash, a golden light flashed, and an orange-yellow shield, shaped like a giant egg, instantly erected itself. The Black Robed Mage had managed to summon his Magic Shield just in the nick of time, blocking the combined assault of Long Xin and the three others.
However, the combined assault from Long Xin's quartet wasn't easily deflected, and almost simultaneously...
"Fire again!" Long Xin showed no hesitation and immediately launched the next wave of attack.
Whoosh! Again, without any delay, two Lightning Spells and two Soul Fire Talismans flew toward the Black Robed Mage.
The Black Robed Mage’s strength was at least on par with the Red Moon level; he was more than capable of dealing with minor players like Long Xin. Unfortunately for him, while Long Xin's group might have lacked the raw cultivation level, their (tacit understanding), precise targeting, and powerful instant-cast abilities—all focused on the mage’s head—delivered astonishing destructive power. Even a top-tier Mage couldn't ignore such an assault. For a moment, he was thrown into chaos, unable to dodge the precise, missile-like ranged attacks launched by Long Xin and the others, no matter how he twisted and turned.
"Liu Kui! What are you all waiting for!" Attacked by Long Xin's group, the Black Robed Mage was stamping his foot in fury; their assault was too dense, preventing him from countering effectively.
"Yes!" The six warriors who had been charging forward immediately increased their speed.
"If you want Xia Na, you'll have to get past me first!" Long Zhan roared, charging to meet the six attacking warriors. "Boss, cover me!"
"Cover Long Zhan! Xing Chen, that dark fellow is yours!" Long Xin and the others instantly shifted targets, sending two Lightning Spells and two Soul Fire Talismans toward four different figures. Long Qi and Jin Hong, two brave little Skeletons, also dashed forward quickly to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Long Zhan.
"Understood." Long Xin's on-the-spot command skills were indeed decent. I helped Xia Na up: "Go assist Long Xin and the others."
"En!" Xia Na looked at me with some confusion, clearly baffled as to how I had managed to withstand the Black Robed Mage's Lightning Spell earlier without a scratch. But she knew this wasn't the time for questions and immediately ran toward Long Xin’s location.
I, meanwhile, lunged toward the Black Robed Mage. He was clearly the commanding officer of this entire skirmish.
"Qi Xuan! Stop him!" For a Mage, the worst thing is having a Warrior close the distance. As the Black Robed Mage recoiled, he didn't forget to launch a Swift Light Shadow Flicker.
Whoosh! A sharp whistling sound tore through the air, and seven azure figures rushed forward rapidly.
"Hah!" I took a deep breath while sprinting, executing a sidestep movement. I used the Electric Step sidestep from the Swordsmanship style, carving an S-shaped trajectory with astonishing speed, evading the Swift Light Shadow Flicker. My speed didn't decrease; my target remained the fleeing Mage.
The reason I dodged the Swift Light Shadow Flicker was specifically to conceal my immunity to magic. While taking that Lightning Spell head-on was surprising, under normal circumstances, a highly skilled Warrior with robust Battle Aura could often withstand a Lightning Spell from a same-level Mage using sheer defensive power. Because I possessed such strength, the Black Robed Mage sensed the danger the moment I charged, realizing he couldn't let me get close.
Furthermore, compared to the Lightning Spell, the power of the Swift Light Shadow Flicker was far greater. Taking another hit like that would be too astounding. Even if it didn't expose my identity as the Blue Lightning, it would make the Black Robed Mage excessively wary of me, making a surprise assassination far more difficult.
Roar! Seven white lights descended almost simultaneously. After dodging the Swift Light Shadow Flicker, I was met squarely by the seven intercepting warriors. These seven were clearly masters of combined attacks. Seven Assassination Sword Qi strikes, aimed from seven directions, were nearly perfect in speed, intensity, and angle, effectively sealing off all my retreat paths.
The seven Assassination Sword Qi strikes formed a dense net of Battle Aura, enveloping me. I was slightly taken aback. Good heavens, did they intend to wipe me out in one move? Almost instantly, I realized completely avoiding their attack was impossible. Gritting my teeth, I pushed my Bodyguard Battle Aura to its limit and charged directly toward the very center of the Sword Qi net.
Normally, I would never attempt such a reckless maneuver, but right now I was clad in the heavy defense gear of the Warrior class—both the War God Armor and the Black Iron Helmet possessed astonishing defensive capabilities. Although the Sword Qi net was dense and thick, the center was composed only of a single, straight, isolated streak of sword energy, making it the weakest point compared to the surroundings. If I could survive this one strike, I could break free of their lock.
This all happened in the span of a mere instant.
Whoosh! The charging figure didn't slow, dipping his left shoulder and crashing straight into the heart of the Sword Qi net. The seven warriors had no idea why I would willingly run into a trap.
Clang! With a violent explosion, I felt as if my entire body was about to fall apart. A massive impact slammed into my shoulder, nearly throwing me off balance, but I knew I had successfully pierced the Sword Qi net formed by the seven warriors.
Faced with my sudden appearance, the seven warriors showed no hesitation. Seven Frost Blades and Lightning flashed forward, their positions and angles almost identical to before. If they managed to form a sword net again, I would have no chance of escape.
"Die!" Charging into the melee was your greatest mistake. At this moment, my speed exploded, and the Gale Ring activated simultaneously. Dragon Shadow Swift Sword appeared like a sudden rainbow, flashing a blue phantom. This incredibly fast sword drew a bizarre U-shaped arc of light.
Slice! Slice!!!!!!!
Seven heads, accompanied by seven plumes of crimson mist soaring into the air, traced seven distorted arcs in the cold, grim atmosphere as they rolled toward the ground.
Having succeeded, I didn't slow down. I swung my sword again! Two beams of golden light shot out, targeting the Black Robed Mage thirty meters away. The strongest ranged attack skill for a regular Warrior, Assassination Sword Qi, only reached twenty meters, but the effective range of my Dragon Shadow was thirty meters.
Faced with the sudden golden light, the Black Robed Mage instinctively threw up his Magic Shield. His reaction speed was indeed lightning-fast.
But my Dragon Shadow was not so easily countered. The Dragon Shadows I just launched utilized the "One Line, Three Swords" technique—two shadows, one following the other, tracing the exact same trajectory.
Bang! The sheer impact force of the first Dragon Shadow shattered the Black Robed Mage's Magic Shield. The second followed almost immediately, piercing the Black Robed Mage's chest.
Thwack! Ah! With a scream, the Mage spat a mouthful of blood and collapsed heavily.
Both sides of the conflict were aghast. No one had expected that in just one exchange, the seven warriors and the Black Robed Mage would be instantly annihilated. They were all high-level Red Moon Rangers, after all.
"Retreat!" The group of warriors who had been entangled with Big Baldy and Long Zhan immediately backed off. Clearly, the death of their leader and the instantaneous kill of the seven warriors made them soberly realize they were now at a disadvantage. Continuing the fight would yield them no profit.
"Trying to leave? Not so easy!" A flurry of rapid footsteps sounded from the direction of the main road, and a large contingent of people charged out, several figures moving with lightning speed leading the charge.
"That's wonderful!" Xia Na cheered: "It's Sister Bai Ling and Brother Rou!"
"Roar! Dare to kill my brothers, prepare to die!" Dozens of figures from the newly arrived group rushed out, intercepting the retreating warriors. Countless dazzling sword auras, lights, and magical bombardments formed vast nets of death. The enemy group, already demoralized by my attack, was no match for this onslaught. Within a few exchanges, they were scattered and routed. Among them, two figures—one blue and one white—were particularly conspicuous. Hardly anyone from the retreating side could withstand even a single move from them.
In the blink of an eye, the once swaggering Tian Jian Sect was wiped clean.
Only now could I clearly see the white figure: a stunningly beautiful woman with silver hair and silver eyes, tall in stature.
The blue figure was another beautiful woman, blue-haired and blue-eyed. I specified "beauty" rather than "stunner" because this person gave me an incredibly strange feeling. I seemed to have seen this face somewhere before. Her features were undeniably those of a peerless beauty, yet she was wearing the masculine War God Armor. Was she cross-dressing? But that sharp, fierce look in her eyes was not something one usually saw on a girl. This only deepened my confusion.
"What Tian Jian Sect?" the Blue-Haired Beauty scoffed. "They were utterly useless."
"Hehe, Brother Rou, Sister Bai Ling," Xia Na cheered and rushed toward them.
"Hey! Little Nana, you gave us quite a scare!" The woman called Bai Ling snatched Xia Na into a hug, overjoyed.
The one called Brother Rou hurried to Big Baldy's side, anxiously asking, "Big Brother, how are you?"
"I really thought I was done for this time," Big Baldy said, still shaken, then he approached us respectfully: "Thank you, young heroes, for your righteous assistance."
It was only at this moment that everyone present noticed our existence.
"Young heroes, you not only saved our Young Miss but also saved our brother. We don't know how we can ever repay such a great debt," the Blue-Haired Beauty said, her face filled with gratitude.
"Hehe, Big Baldy, long time no see," it was Dong Guan who couldn't help but laugh.
"Big Baldy?" Fang Guang Guang looked utterly bewildered, then seemed to remember something: "Strange, only those high-level experts call me Big Baldy."
"Hehe, that's us," Dong Guan took off his Daoist helmet. I, Long Xin, and the others removed ours too.
"Hahahaha, I can't believe it’s really you all!" Big Baldy was delighted. "High-level experts, we meet again."
"Hehe, this time, it truly is a meeting by appointment," Long Xin chuckled.
"Wait, so you all know each other?" Bai Ling asked curiously.
"Indeed," Big Baldy admitted awkwardly. "They are the expert Rangers whose robbery attempt against us in the Spider Forest shop failed last time."
"So they are the high-level experts you mentioned last time?" Bai Ling exclaimed, surprised. "Their skills are truly extraordinary." The followers behind Bai Ling also studied us curiously, whispering amongst themselves.
"You flatter us," Long Xin said, blushing slightly in embarrassment. This supposed "high-level expert" title was just Dong Guan's self-proclaimed exaggeration.
"Strange," Jin Hong felt a bit awkward too and quickly changed the subject. "Why didn't your two brothers come along?"
"Fang Yuan is searching for the Eldest Miss on the third floor," Big Baldy said, pulling the Blue-Haired Beauty beside him. "But my third brother, Fang Rou, is right here, isn't he?"
"Third Brother?" We looked at the Blue-Haired Beauty before us with confusion.
"That face really looks similar," Long Xin murmured.
"Not similar," Long Qi exclaimed, "It's the exact same face!"
"Ha! He's that ultimate 'Yaojing'!" Dong Guan's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the Blue-Haired Beauty. "Am I seeing things?"
Long Xin and I almost collapsed. How could this be? The 'Ultimate Yaojing' we met last time was nearly 2.3 meters tall, a super-monster whose musculature was monstrously developed. How could he possibly be this beautiful woman standing about 1.8 meters tall before us?
"God, this guy is even more awesome than me," I was stunned. I could only change my facial appearance; he could actually change his entire physique.
"What Ultimate Yaojing?" Fang Rou exploded in anger. "It was because my cultivation went awry last time that I looked like that! This is my real appearance, alright?"
"Wow, that’s possible?" I was inwardly thrilled. "What kind of technique allows one to become that exaggerated if it goes wrong?" After all, if I could achieve a physique like that, it would be incredible.
"What, you want to practice it too?" Seemingly reading my mind, Long Xin and the others showed strange smiles. Big Baldy and Fang Rou also seemed to guess my thoughts, struggling to suppress their laughter as they looked at me.
So scary, why has everyone become so bizarre? The atmosphere on the field turned awkward.
"Little brother, that technique can only be practiced by members of the Fang family," Bai Ling chuckled. "You should eat more and exercise well. Maybe in a few years, you can pack on a few extra pounds."
"Exactly! If not, I can mix you some medicine," Xia Na said proudly. "Our Xia family is a famous Apothecary lineage in Cang Yue. Mixing you a potion for height and weight gain is just a trivial matter."
"Really?" This time, Dong Guan couldn't hold back. "Mix one for me too!" Among those present, besides me, Dong Guan was the smallest (excluding Xia Na, of course). Like sharing a common ailment, Dong Guan seemed to crave a strong physique just as much as I did.
Whoa! Bai Ling and the surrounding warriors and Daoists burst into laughter, nearly rolling on the ground.
"Oh my god, you little group is too amusing!" Several female Daoists in the crowd couldn't take it anymore, clutching their stomachs, barely able to stand, and pointed at me and Dong Guan, laughing: "That height and weight gain potion is for pigs! Do you dare to eat it?"
"Ha!" Dong Guan and I were left dumbfounded this time.