Many times, a true master isn't defined by their combat prowess, but by their clear understanding of their role in a battle.
Bai Ye and Jin Xiangchuan both knew exactly what they needed to do, which was why they operated with such unspoken coordination.
And with each of them fulfilling their duties, those pig-headed men…
Were no match for them!
When facing a large number of pig-headed men, the biggest threat was their devouring characteristic. Now, they could efficiently kill them while also preventing them from growing stronger.
Without their characteristic enabling them to power up, these pig-headed men were naturally no match for Bai Ye and Jin Xiangchuan.
*Thwack!*
Bai Ye kicked a pig-headed man to the ground, raised his broadsword, and plunged it into its chest, piercing its heart with a single strike.
But just then…
A roaring sound erupted from behind Bai Ye. A pig-headed man, wielding a giant axe, swung it down with all its might towards Bai Ye's back. But at that moment…
A gunshot suddenly rang out. Jin Xiangchuan moved forward while firing, shooting the pig-headed man before it could complete its attack.
As the pig-headed man fell, there were no other standing pig-headed men around.
"Hoo!" Bai Ye stepped on a corpse, pulled out his broadsword, glanced around, and let out a sigh of relief. "Looks like we've cleared them all."
Jin Xiangchuan nodded, put away his machine gun, and started walking towards the canyon entrance.
He harbored no good feelings towards Bai Ye and had no desire for further entanglement.
In Jin Xiangchuan's eyes, Bai Ye was a black-hearted profiteer. Their cooperation was based on mutual benefit, and now that the guarding pig-headed men were eliminated, their beneficial relationship had ended, signifying the termination of their partnership.
However, at that very instant…
Jin Xiangchuan suddenly felt something was wrong. Swift footsteps sounded behind him, and a fierce gust of wind rushed towards him.
Jin Xiangchuan immediately turned around and saw Bai Ye dragging his broadsword, charging directly at him.
*Bang!*
Jin Xiangchuan had no chance to react before Bai Ye collided with him, sending him flying backward.
Lying on the ground, Jin Xiangchuan watched Bai Ye raise his sword and instinctively reached out to do something, but…
Nothing happened!
Demacia's Power's fatal effect had been triggered, rendering Jin Xiangchuan unable to use any of his own abilities for 1.5 seconds.
While 1.5 seconds seemed short, it was more than enough for Bai Ye to accomplish many things!
*Slash!*
Bai Ye surged forward, his broadsword scraping against the ground as he swung it towards Jin Xiangchuan. A silver sword light appeared, and Jin Xiangchuan instinctively tried to raise his arm to block.
The result…
In the next second, that arm flew into the air, tumbling end over end.
"Ah!"
Jin Xiangchuan cried out in pain, sweat beading on his forehead. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself up from the ground and retreated backward.
Bai Ye continued to advance, his massive broadsword dragging on the ground with a crisp clanging sound.
"I'll pay you!" Jin Xiangchuan gritted out. "The item will definitely satisfy you."
Bai Ye chuckled. "Do you think I want to kill you for the God Stone Shard?"
Jin Xiangchuan blinked in surprise. "Isn't it?"
Since there were no conflicting hidden quests, there was no competition. When Bai Ye suddenly attacked, Jin Xiangchuan naturally assumed Bai Ye wanted to kill him to obtain the God Stone Shard.
Bai Ye shook his head. "Collecting seven scepters allows one to obtain the King's Scepter. The King's Scepter is a black-quality item that possesses the effects of all seven scepters. It can also permanently enhance one's strength, speed, stamina, spirit, physical attack resistance, mental attack resistance, and self-recovery abilities through spirit gathering…"
"But none of that is important. The crucial thing is that with the King's Scepter, one can sign a contract with a hero-level figure from one of the Seven Great Clans. They will be absolutely loyal and obey the King's Scepter holder's commands. Furthermore, the King's Scepter can be upgraded to gold quality through this, and then feed back to those seven hero-level figures from the Seven Great Clans, elevating them to gold-quality strength. Am I correct?"
Jin Xiangchuan's expression shifted slightly. "How do you know that?"
Bai Ye smiled. "You seem to have forgotten, I was the first chosen one to arrive in the Monster Country. I can freely enter and exit Rimuru's mansion, and the core figures of the Seven Great Clans are all capable subordinates of Rimuru. Since I am Rimuru's guest, if I inquire about the King's Scepter, they will naturally tell me everything."
Bai Ye stopped as he spoke.
"Now do you understand why I want to kill you?" Bai Ye pointed his sword at Jin Xiangchuan. "Very few people can truly leave the World Battlefield. In the end, the strong who survive will inevitably clash. And once you obtain the King's Scepter, you will have the capital and potential to survive until the very end. I am confident that I will also survive until the end, so…"
Bai Ye suddenly leaped forward, raising his broadsword and slashing at Jin Xiangchuan.
Jin Xiangchuan reacted quickly, enduring the intense pain. He clenched his remaining left hand in the air, and a long saber appeared in his hand.
*Clang!*
A crisp clash of metal echoed.
Jin Xiangchuan appeared to have blocked Bai Ye's sword strike, but the immense force that followed was something he could not withstand.
Bai Ye pressed his saber down, then sliced his sword into Jin Xiangchuan's shoulder.
"What's the best way to prevent a powerful enemy from emerging? It's simple: nip it in the bud." Bai Ye gritted his teeth. "You should feel honored to have this qualification. Know that not everyone is worthy of being eliminated by me!"
The King's Scepter was too powerful!
Not only could it be upgraded to gold quality, but it could also contract with seven hero-level figures, feeding them to achieve gold-quality strength. In essence, Jin Xiangchuan could obtain eight gold-quality items through it!
Therefore, with the King's Scepter, Jin Xiangchuan had limitless potential. As long as he didn't die, he was bound to become one of the ultimate powerhouses who survived until the end of the World Battlefield.
At the same time, it made sense why Jin Xiangchuan so generously offered his black-quality Pulse Twin Guns to trade for the Ruby Scepter from Bai Ye!
In fact, after learning the effects of the King's Scepter, Bai Ye was certain that when Jin Xiangchuan first announced the scepter quest, he had never intended for anyone else to obtain it. Although he had stated he would trade his scepter, it was only as a last resort. If he absolutely couldn't collect them all, he would trade his scepter to cut his losses. However, Jin Xiangchuan would definitely hide one of the scepters secretly!
The King's Scepter was something that if he couldn't have it, he absolutely couldn't let anyone else have it.
…