Chapter 1 The Tumultuous Battle at Soul Severing Gorge

The battle within Soul Severing Gorge took many twists and turns.

Initially, the advantage lay with the Valley's people, who had formed an encirclement around the martial artists. Then, Yuan Qi single-handedly turned the tide, reversing the situation. Next, Du Ying's appearance seemed to steady the scene, but... Yuan Mengzhu (Alliance Master Yuan) quickly turned things around again.

Just when the Valley's people thought all was lost, four beautiful women in crimson cherry blossom robes descended from the sky, launching a brutal massacre with exotic hidden weapons against the martial world forces and successfully suppressing Yuan Qi.

It could be said that the Valley's people and the martial artists alike felt as though they were on a bungee jump in the past half hour…

And when Feng Bujue appeared, their roller-coaster of emotions reached its climax…

"Alliance Master Yuan, I'll handle Xu Huai Shang and the one in the sky; you take the two on the ground." Feng Bujue had already devised a strategy before landing. He didn't waste any time, directly shouting out an instruction to Yuan Qi.

Yuan Qi didn't know who Feng Bujue was, nor where he had come from, but he had seen those [Lán Jiǎo] kicks earlier.

At that moment, Yuan Mengzhu thought to himself, "Since this kid is also a master and is willing to help me, I have no reason to refuse. Anyway, I'm currently at a disadvantage, so I might as well let him try…"

"Alright!" Two seconds later, Yuan Qi replied loudly, "This young hero, be careful!" Before disengaging, he specifically reminded Jue-Ge, because he genuinely felt that Xu Huai Shang was a tricky opponent. It would be embarrassing if the "young hero" was instantly killed upon arriving.

"Alliance Master Yuan, rest assured. Dealing with her… I have my own methods…" As Feng Bujue replied, he also unleashed a series of [Lán Jiǎo] kicks towards the distant Du Ying, startling the old man who hastily channeled his internal energy, retreating and blocking. "By the way, please also inform the heroes… trouble them to suppress Du Ying and those Valley's people."

Jue-Ge knew very well that his words alone might not be effective… those martial artists might very well ignore him. Therefore, he needed to use Yuan Qi's authority to direct the troops.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Qi immediately made a quick calculation in his mind and came to a conclusion—it was a good idea.

In that instant, Feng Bujue had already plunged in from mid-air, wielding a cleaver and a military shovel as he slashed towards Xu Huai Shang.

Xu Huai Shang returned with a double blade, using a single style with three variations, unleashing a myriad of sword shadows, not only blocking Jue-Ge's attack, but also forcing Yuan Qi back a dozen feet.

During this brief exchange, Yuan Qi successfully disengaged. Then, without saying a word, he followed Feng Bujue's instructions and issued orders to the others, rushing towards Feng Xinzi and Tie Haitang without stopping.

With Yuan Qi's cultivation level, and being on guard, he naturally wouldn't be injured by bullets (he already had a protective qi barrier). That was why Feng Bujue arranged for him to deal with those two from Red Cherry.

When Yuan Mengzhu approached, Feng Xinzi and Tie Haitang had no choice but to change their tactics to deal with this super-strong NPC; this freed up the martial artists who had been ravaged by gunfire.

The martial artists who were still alive were mostly masters at the sect leader level or close to it. Asking them to deal with players… might be a bit demanding, but having them deal with Du Ying, who had already had his qi gate broken, and thirty-odd Valley's people, was at least a fair match.

Thus, less than two minutes after Feng Bujue descended upon Soul Severing Gorge…

The battle situation once again tilted towards the martial world forces, and a new round of fierce fighting ensued…

"Where are your teammates?" Xu Huai Shang asked immediately after exchanging blows with Jue-Ge.

Although she herself was very much looking forward to a one-on-one fight with Jue-Ge, this was, after all, a team match… As the captain of Red Cherry, Xu Huai Shang had a duty to consider other factors in the battlefield to prevent falling into the opponent's trap.

"Hmph…" Feng Bujue sneered. "What's wrong? Not seeing them… makes you even more uneasy, doesn't it?"

Instead of giving a clear answer, he used an ambiguous tone to ask a rhetorical question, thereby creating greater psychological pressure.

"I thought as much..." Xu Huai Shang's expression sharpened. "I didn't think you would tell me anyway..."

With that said, Xu Huai Shang's figure moved swiftly, and in a fleeting moment, she used the ultimate skill of [Tà Yàn Fēi Dù] (Soaring Swallow Flight), rising into the air.

Immediately afterwards, she twisted her slender waist and connected with a move called [Běi Tiān Shízì Huáng] (Northern Sky Cross Phoenix).

In that instant, the cry of a phoenix shattered the sky as the wave of energy landed.

The cold, crimson flames struck from several meters away, engulfing Feng Bujue entirely.

However…

"I've already seen through this kind of combo…" Jue-Ge calmly commented, while迎刀而起(yíng dāo ér qǐ - facing the blade and rising up), rushing against the trajectory of the cross-shaped blade energy.

In the next second, he resembled an octopus accelerating through the water… with his head extended forward, dragging his entire body, which remained relaxed, naturally stretched, and even slightly rotating…

Feng Bujue used this extremely strange and unorthodox movement to "drill" out from the angle on one side of the cross-shaped blade energy, narrowly avoiding the blow.

There probably wouldn't be a second person in the world who could use this method to break the move… Only someone with Zero Time Difference Calculation and a bizarre mind could think of it and execute it.

"Hahahaha…" After successfully breaking the move, Jue-Ge rapidly approached the still-recovering Xu Huai Shang, laughing arrogantly. "Cross-shaped slashes are so hard to dodge! I'm so sorry for turning the tables like this!"

Ping—kuang—

In an instant, the sound of metal clashing rang out twice.

The first sound was Xu Huai Shang using her left blade to block the [Bìxū Pò Fáng zhī Rèn] (Blade of Guaranteed Defense Break); the second sound was Xu Huai Shang using her right blade to block the [wjQ-308 Military Shovel].

"Oh? This is somewhat unexpected…" Half a second later, Feng Bujue's expression turned slightly cold as he spoke in a deep voice, "I attacked right at the gap in your recovery, and you still managed to defend?"

"Heh… you're putting on quite the act…" A hint of anger flashed between Xu Huai Shang's brows as she retorted sharply, "Didn't you say you had 'already seen through' our 'kind of combo'?"

As her voice fell, a giant shadow swooped down from the sky.

That shadow was undoubtedly the giant eagle ridden by Xue Qiangwei (Blood Rose). And this attack was one of the summoning's inherent skills—[Jìjìng Chōngxí] (Silent Assault).

As the name suggested, the characteristic of this move was that it wouldn't make the slightest sound when activated, not even the vibration of the air or wind pressure. The target often wouldn't notice the attack until the giant eagle was incredibly close.

In actual combat, as long as she coordinated with her teammates, Xue Qiangwei could often use this move to instantly eliminate the enemy.

Of course, Feng Bujue wouldn't be taken down. As he said before… he had already seen through this kind of combo.

When Xu Huai Shang's [Běi Tiān Shízì Huáng] (Northern Sky Cross Phoenix) was about to be launched, Jue-Ge had already sensed the other party's intention, because he had been constantly paying attention to Xue Qiangwei's movements in the air…

After drilling out from the gap in the slash, Feng Bujue had deliberately used his expression and words to mislead, trying to create the illusion that he was "careless".

However, Goddess Xu was not simple either… Based on her many previous encounters with Jue-Ge, she had been careful when launching the cross-shaped blade energy and didn't use her full power.

As expected, the other party used an extremely limited method to pass through the attack, seizing the opportunity to counterattack.

At this time, the effect of Xu Huai Shang holding back was demonstrated. Not using her full power allowed her to react before the opponent's surprise attack arrived.

Unfortunately, at the moment of receiving Feng Bujue's blade and shovel, Xu Huai Shang realized… the other party still hadn't revealed an opening.

For a master of Xu Huai Shang's level, the feeling of the weapon impacting could already tell her a lot of information. So after blocking Feng Bujue's two attacks, she understood… the purpose of these two attacks wasn't "damage", but rather to use the reaction force of the block to "push" herself.

In other words… Feng Bujue had made this series of actions after seeing through the opponent's coordination. Every step he took seemed dangerous, but in reality, he was completely in control…

Whether he was testing the opponent's limits or toying with them, it wasn't a pleasant battle experience for Xu Huai Shang.

"Not bad…" Feng Bujue rebounded a dozen feet backwards, narrowly avoiding the giant eagle's assault. "No matter how I lure you, you just won't reveal an opening."

As he spoke, the giant eagle had already "entered" the ground, silently disappearing into the dirt like a ghost that could pass through walls.

Summoned creatures could pass through walls, but Xue Qiangwei couldn't. Therefore, when [Jìjìng Chōngxí] (Silent Assault) was activated, she had already left the back of the giant eagle. At this moment, Xue Qiangwei was still in the sky, but what she was riding was no longer the giant eagle, but a…

"That one in the sky has also summoned the [Huàshí Yìlóng] (Fossil Pterodactyl), is she planning to turn around and attack those NPCs…" Feng Bujue said, looking up at the dragon shadow circling in the sky. "Speaking of which… are you doing a side quest right now? What's the content of the quest? To clear out the invaders for Yama?"

Xu Huai Shang didn't respond to Feng Bujue's question. In these few seconds, she was using her title skill [Zǐdàn Shìjiè] (Bullet Time) to observe the situation on the battlefield.

Although it was only a few seconds, it was enough for her to see every detail in the entire battlefield clearly…

"Qiangwei!" When Jue-Ge finished speaking, Xu Huai Shang immediately shouted to her teammate in the sky. "Cover Feng Xin and Hai Tang… retreat!"

This sentence was the "captain's order", and therefore, unquestionable.

Regardless of whether the decision was right or wrong, as professional players, the members of Red Cherry wouldn't question or argue during the match. What they had to do was execute it perfectly, and discuss any issues after the match.

Thus, in the next second, Xue Qiangwei manipulated the Fossil Pterodactyl to attack Yuan Qi.

The giant eagle, which had previously遁入地面(dùnrù dìmiàn - disappeared into the ground), also burst upwards, suddenly appearing between Yuan Qi and the two players from Red Cherry.

Xiong—xiong—

Yuan Qi had not yet found his footing when two balls of fire struck from mid-air. Fortunately, Yuan Mengzhu's qinggong (acrobatic skill, literally "light body") was superb, and he managed to avoid the formless pillars of fire with his movements, dodging to the side.

However, Feng Xinzi and Tie Haitang also seized this opportunity to leap onto the back of the giant eagle and fly away with the wind.

"What?" Seeing this, Feng Bujue knew that the other party had decided to retreat. It wouldn't be realistic for him to chase four people alone, so he simply stopped moving and just looked at Xu Huai Shang. "You were looking forward to fighting me, weren't you? Are you leaving now?"

"We came here to do a side quest," Xu Huai Shang replied. "Since we can't do it anymore, we should retreat as soon as possible to avoid suffering more losses…" She paused, and her soft, beautiful face turned to look up, glancing at him. "Your teammates are on the mountain over there, right?"

"So, you really did find them…" Feng Bujue knew the effects of [Zǐdàn Shìjiè] (Bullet Time), so there was no need for him to deny it.

"Actually, I couldn't see it very clearly. That distance… is too far for me," Xu Huai Shang smiled slightly. "However… hearing you confirm it personally, I'm relieved. It seems my decision was not wrong."

"Ha?" Feng Bujue was stunned when he heard this. "Ho~ you actually tricked me?" There was an unspoken subtext to his words, which was—"And you succeeded?"

"Heh…" Xu Huai Shang smiled even more charmingly, but she didn't directly answer Jue-Ge's question, instead continuing, "The outcome between you and me… has been anticipated for too long. I'm not in a rush for this moment. If you want to fight, then come to 'Burial Heart Manor' to fight."

With that said, Xu Huai Shang sheathed her blade, turned around, and leaped lightly. Relying on the [Tà Yàn Fēi Dù] (Soaring Swallow Flight) skill, she easily scaled the cliff and jumped out of the mountain gorge.

Before her figure disappeared over the edge of the mountain, she turned her head back and looked deeply at Jue-Ge. At that moment, her sleeves fluttered in the wind, and her hair gently swayed with the breeze. From a distance, she resembled a fairy who had left the mortal world, while also possessing a heroic spirit. Even many of the NPCs were captivated by her.

"What are you looking at!" Three seconds later, Feng Bujue roared loudly. "What are you here to do?" This time, he didn't wait for Yuan Qi to speak, directly shouting at the martial artists in the tone of a boss. "Kill! Clean up!"

His loud shout woke many people from their daze. Although people still didn't know who this guy was, they had to admit… he had a point.

…………

Five minutes later, the battle at Soul Severing Gorge… came to an end.

Led by Alliance Master Yuan Qi, the martial artists suffered nearly two hundred casualties, with forty-eight survivors, thirteen of whom were lightly injured or worse.

On the Burial Heart Valley side, everyone was wiped out, with only one survivor…

That person was undoubtedly Du Ying.

This old fox was quite slippery. When he heard Xu Huai Shang say the word "retreat," he ran… running faster than the members of Red Cherry. Other than Yuan Qi, the other martial arts masters really couldn't stop him.

However… Du Ying's current mental state was that of a stray dog. At this moment, the severely affected and bewildered Du Ying was running towards Burial Heart Manor, because he had many questions in his heart… and wanted to ask that "Yama".

On the other hand, after everything had settled down, Yuan Qi finally came to Feng Bujue, respectfully bowed, and said, "Yuan Qi, on behalf of all the heroes, thanks this young hero for his help." His gaze fixed on Jue-Ge. "May I ask the young hero's esteemed name and which school he comes from?"