Lu Wuming had managed to be clever for once.
However, this moment of cleverness plunged everyone's recently lifted spirits back into despair.
He was right.
The opponent had severed Lu Wuming's arm in an instant. Even the Ghost Claw was useless against him. If they were to confront him again, they would undoubtedly be unable to inflict much damage and would instead have their other arms cut off without hesitation.
The situation was even more dire for Shen Muzhi.
The last time, he had lost a life so quickly that he hadn't even realized what had happened. What good would it do to fight the opponent again? Without the opponent even needing to exert their full strength, his nine lives wouldn't be enough.
As for You Siqi, he certainly couldn't help. Even if he was favored by the Heavens, he was still just an ordinary person. While the Heavens could assist him in many ways, they couldn't grant him too many privileges when it came to life and death.
After all, as he himself had said, every place, whether it was the Heavens or this dead land, had its own rules.
Even the Heavens themselves could not break these established rules.
The group fell into silence for a moment. Shen Muzhi hesitated before asking, "Do you think if all of us teamed up, and if it's absolutely necessary, we bring Yun Xiang and Ao Lie along, and buy ourselves some time, we could find a way to wear down that guy until the divine sword backfires on him?"
Lu Wuming remained silent.
Liu Buli, however, shook his head decisively. "Although I haven't had a direct confrontation with him, I can sense it. If I were to fight him, my outcome wouldn't be any better than yours. After all, I don't have an immortal body, nor an extra life. Perhaps if I'm unlucky..."
He didn't finish his sentence. Lu Wuming had glared at him unhappily, causing Liu Buli to hesitate before swallowing the unspoken words.
He had already made Lu Wuming witness the same tragedy once.
He knew very well that if the other party saw it again, based on his understanding of Lu Wuming, he would absolutely go mad. So Liu Buli kept quiet, swallowing the inauspicious words that might anger Lu Wuming and making no move to speak them.
Another moment of silence passed. Perhaps it was due to everyone's low spirits, but the surrounding air seemed to grow heavy and stagnant.
Lu Wuming had always lacked engagement in matters requiring strategic thinking. So, after this period of quiet and oppressive atmosphere, Lu Wuming finally couldn't help but frown. He said, "How about Shen Muzhi and I go and try again? The two of us against him, let's see just how capable he really is."
Liu Buli immediately shook his head. "I also..."
"Sect Leader Liu, it's better if you don't come with us." To everyone's surprise, it was Shen Muzhi who interrupted Liu Buli this time. He smiled at Liu Buli and said, "If you truly want to do something, why not help me protect Siqi? Our battlefield must be within the dead land, but if all three of us go on the offensive, Siqi won't be able to handle the monsters in the dead land. So, if you can stay by his side, I can at least feel a bit more at ease."
His words were irrefutable. Liu Buli hesitated, then finally sighed and slowly nodded in agreement.
This was the plan, but they certainly wouldn't provoke the enemy. Shen Muzhi's tail was still bleeding, and Lu Wuming's arm hadn't fully recovered. They were now praying that the ghost wielding the divine sword would give them more time to recover.
Unfortunately, this time, Lady Luck was not on their side.
The ghost clearly understood the meaning of pressing their advantage.
By the time Lu Wuming's injuries had only recovered to his wrist, they could already feel a powerful killing intent rapidly approaching them.
Without anyone needing to say a word, Liu Buli reacted instantly. He grabbed You Siqi by the collar, tapped his foot on the ground, and with the fastest speed, he fled with him towards the deeper parts of the dead land.
As for Lu Wuming and Shen Muzhi, after exchanging a glance, they both wore the same helpless smile.
Summoning the Ghost Claw on his other hand, Shen Muzhi also maintained his feline form. They both knew their chances of winning were slim. But with the enemy already upon them, if they didn't resist, death would be their only outcome.
Feeling the spiritual energy fluctuations behind them intensifying, You Siqi, though his head was already dizzy from the impact, gritted his teeth and persevered to avoid becoming a burden, fearing that any words he spoke might slow down his and Liu Buli's escape.
Fortunately, when Liu Buli was serious about a task, he was quite reliable. Even with worries weighing on his mind, bringing You Siqi to a safe place was a minor matter he could handle.
The two moved at their fastest speed to a place where the spiritual energy fluctuations were almost imperceptible. Only then did Liu Buli breathe a sigh of relief and begin clearing the monsters that had surrounded them.
You Siqi obediently hid behind him. These monsters were far beyond his capabilities; even if he wanted to help, he couldn't offer much assistance.
As the surrounding monsters were being cleared, Liu Buli, radiating a murderous aura, scanned the area. You Siqi finally couldn't help but lean closer and quietly asked him, "Liu Buli, is it really okay to leave those two there?"
Liu Buli responded with a bitter smile.
How could it be okay? He just couldn't figure out how to help them.
If the ghost wielding the divine sword went berserk, Liu Buli felt that Lu Wuming and the others had a very slim chance of escaping his blade.
What could he do then?
Liu Buli frowned.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He thought of a magical artifact he had once used as a toy.
Perhaps it could actually save their lives!