The Abyss Mage, whose shield had just been broken, couldn’t escape the clutches of Gu Sanqiu and his group. Or rather, those dozens of talismans had already ensured that both the Abyss Mage and its shield were sent packing.
“Quick, take a look! Abyss Mages usually carry some valuable loot. That’s where the real treasures lie,”
Xingqiu rubbed his hands together excitedly. “We’ve had pretty good luck today, haven’t we? Hopefully, we’ll score some rare treasures. This is way more lucrative than taking commissions from the Adventurers’ Guild.”
“Who takes commissions? You?”
Gu Sanqiu looked skeptical. If there was anything he and Xingqiu had in common, it was that neither of them was ever short of money, nor did they need to be frugal about spending.
The idea of Xingqiu going to the Adventurers’ Guild for commissions, and seemingly just for the money, was hard to believe!
“Hey, Old Gu, don’t believe him. This guy only does Adventurers’ Guild commissions, or plays the role of a chivalrous hero, to rack up fame and reputation. It’s all just so he can show off to his peers later,” Chongyun said with a look of disdain. “That’s just how he is. You’ll get used to it.”
“Nobody asked you to speak, mute!”
(╯°Д°)╯
Furious, Xingqiu swung his sword at Chongyun. “Take this, you idiot!”
“Alright, alright, stop messing around, you two. Let’s check what the Abyss Mage dropped. I’ll handle this piece of metal.”
Gu Sanqiu carefully wrapped his right hand in elemental power before gingerly picking up the silver-white piece of metal.
It felt extremely light in his hand, almost like a piece of plastic.
But in the next moment, Gu Sanqiu’s right hand throbbed with pain. He glanced at the spot—it was where the Abyss Mage’s water shield had injured him earlier.
“Hm, so this thing actually triggers the residual elemental energy in wounds?”
Gu Sanqiu pressed his left hand against his right wrist, performing a seal, and gently pushed out a dark, water-element residue from his body.
As he brought the water element closer to the silver-white metal, the metal began to glow brightly, slowly but steadily erasing the strange elemental energy.
“Hm, what’s the principle behind this?”
Gu Sanqiu couldn’t figure it out. Was the Abyss Mage’s power somehow countered by the metal?
“Sanqiu, we found something.”
Xingqiu approached, holding a branch threaded with a blue line, while Chongyun followed, holding two delicate scrolls.
“Ah, no wonder. It’s a withered ley line branch, and it looks like it’s in good condition. No wonder it was difficult to break through that mage’s shield,” Chongyun remarked with a helpless expression. “As for the rest, it’s just these two Sealed Spirit Scrolls. We don’t understand the writing on them, but honestly, the only useful thing here seems to be the ley line branch.”
“This piece of metal doesn’t seem harmful. Why don’t you try using it to suppress your Pure Yang body? If it works, we’ll retreat now.”
Xingqiu frowned. “What are you worried about? You seem a bit on edge.”
“Of course I’m on edge.”
“Roar!”
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, from all directions, came the unmistakable sounds of rage-filled growls and battle cries. Gu Sanqiu quickly surveyed the surroundings, extending his spiritual power outward to sense the area.
“Huh, looks like we’ve got Geo Shield Hilichurls, Geo Shield Mitachurls, and a bunch of strange archers charging toward us.”
“Forget testing that thing here—retreat!”
When it came to Gu Sanqiu’s judgment, Xingqiu never put up a fight. He knew Gu wouldn’t joke about something like this.
Moreover, the angry growls from earlier made it clear that their opponents were expressing things like “I’m pissed,” “I’m furious,” and “I’m going to kill you.”
If they didn’t escape now, getting surrounded would only make it harder to get away later!
Inside a hidden cave, covered by vines and withered branches, Gu Sanqiu peered out cautiously, parting the foliage at the entrance to take a quick look.
“Hm, aside from those annoying Geo Shield Mitachurls, guess what else I saw out there.”
Xingqiu, who was monitoring Chongyun’s condition, turned to glance at Gu Sanqiu.
“Don’t tell me there are more Abyss Mages.”
“That’s right. Two of them—Cryo and Pyro. Quite the rare combination.”
Gu Sanqiu clicked his tongue in surprise. “Five Mitachurls, the rest are just regular Hilichurls, and add two Abyss Mages to the mix. That kind of force could draw the Millelith’s attention.”
This wasn’t some hack-and-slash game. If adventurers stumbled upon a lineup like this, they’d probably lose their minds—and maybe their lives, too.
After praying to the gods, perhaps one’s wish to survive would manifest as a Vision, granting them the strength to fight back and escape, then live out their days in glory. Classic protagonist material.
But more often than not, it ended with nothing more than bones left to decay in the wilderness—remains of adventurers who once sought their fortunes.
“…You’re right. Could it be that this metal is really important? Is that why these guys are now hell-bent on finding the culprit?” Xingqiu mused.
“Be confident. It’s more than just that—they’re dead set on killing us and hanging our bodies out to dry,” Gu Sanqiu said dryly.
“But if that metal is so important, why wasn’t it heavily guarded? Why were there just a few brain-dead Hilichurls dancing around?”
Gu Sanqiu offered a gentle reminder. “Think about where we came from. Maybe that’ll help your understanding.”
Xingqiu paused, eyes widening. “You mean…”
“That’s right,” Gu Sanqiu replied with a wry smile. “The place we were earlier? That was their rear line. They probably figured it was some remote, desolate island, which is why they felt safe having the Abyss Mage conduct a ritual there.”
“And now, after we, the intruders, took him down, those guys on the frontlines are rushing back to kill us?” Xingqiu asked.
“Exactly.”
Gu Sanqiu added, “And don’t forget, if they have territorial awareness and were performing a ritual back there, as you mentioned, there’s a good chance the frontlines are engaged in battle right now.”
“Which raises the question: If you were fighting, and you wanted to leave, would your opponent just let you go?”
Xingqiu’s eyes widened further. “So the force coming after us may be high-end from our perspective, but aside from the Abyss Mages, this is only a portion of their actual army!”
“Smart.”
“I can’t even begin to imagine how big the Hilichurl tribe here must be. If they can spare five Mitachurls just to deal with us, that’s terrifying.”
Gu Sanqiu shook his head. “It’s too late to regret now. Even if we begged for forgiveness, it wouldn’t help. Once Chongyun wakes up, we’ll figure out our next move.”
“We’re not in just any tactical scenario now. We’ve become the third party that successfully infiltrated the backlines with zero losses!”
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