Chapter 1 The Demonic Advent Arrives

The time limit for [Demonic Advent] had expired, and Feng Bujue hadn't managed to use his razor in front of the other players.

So, the instant the skill faded, he collapsed on his own... sprawled out in the middle of the street, facing the sky, gasping for breath.

"Heh..." He Yang Xinci sneered triumphantly when he saw this, "As expected, just as I predicted..."

As he spoke, he stopped fleeing and turned back, stopping about ten paces away from Jue-ge.

He Yang Xinci was truly cautious. Even though he was ninety-nine percent sure that Feng Bujue had indeed collapsed from exhaustion and wasn't acting, he still decided to stop and observe from what he considered a safe distance, just in case there was a one percent chance it was a trick.

"Huff... what? I'm in this state, and you still don't dare come over and kill me?" Feng Bujue asked, raising his voice slightly after he had calmed his breathing a little.

His current attitude was that of a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.

"Hmph... I'm not in a hurry." He Yang Xinci replied, unmoved and standing his ground, "I think... there are others who are more eager to kill you than I am."

As he spoke, his gaze and sword intent... extended elsewhere.

A moment later, Xu Huai Shang appeared on the street; Juan Meng Huan and Bi Laoshi also arrived at positions opposite her, just in time.

And Feng Bujue... was lying right in the middle of these two groups.

"Ladies first." A few seconds later, Juan Meng Huan, carrying [Chonglou] on his shoulder, feigned leisure and spoke first, "Goddess Xu... please, you go first."

"Everything has a first-come, first-served order." Xu Huai Shang wasn't fooled, "You guys were here before me, and there are two of you... I think it's more appropriate for you to make the move."

Both sides harbored ill intentions, and Xu Huai Shang's words had a double meaning. In any case, both sides meant the same thing: neither was willing to risk being ambushed by Jue-ge to deliver the final blow.

At this point in the "free-for-all," the situation had become relatively clear.

There were a total of four players remaining, one of whom was Feng Bujue, who was lying on the ground pretending to be waiting to die and could basically be ignored.

The other three were divided into two teams—

The first team was Xu Huai Shang. Her situation wasn't good; since Fang Jin, the NPC helper, had been injured in the battle with He Yang Zhiyan, Xu Huai Shang was now on her own again.

The other team was the combination of Juan Meng Huan and Bi Laoshi. Although Bi Laoshi's actual strength was a bit worrying, Juan Meng Huan was a master of the same level as Xu Huai Shang. Even if the former was slightly inferior to the latter, the difference wasn't too great; moreover, Juan Meng Huan's character state was healthier than Xu Huai Shang's, so overall, he and Lao Bi had a clear advantage.

Currently, there were two reasons why the two teams were deadlocked: First, they were worried that Feng Bujue still had some means of counterattack. This was understandable, because he was Feng Bujue... even if this guy looked wretched and vulnerable, they couldn't take him lightly, or he might pull off a comeback from low health and kill them all.

Second, once Feng Bujue died, the two teams would immediately have to make their next strategic choice, which was very important, so both sides were still hesitating.

To put it bluntly... neither side had settled the score yet.

However, Feng Bujue, who was lying on the ground, had already calculated the score for them...

Jue-ge only took a few seconds to figure out that the two teams had a total of three options: First, ignore He Yang Xinci and engage in a head-on confrontation to determine the winner. This could be said to be a fifty-fifty strategy, with many variables, because in addition to He Yang Xinci, there were other martial artists nearby, and no one could say for sure whether someone would interfere in the fight.

Second, ignore the enemy players, launch a surprise attack on He Yang Xinci, snatch the *Jianwu Caoji* (Sword Dance Manuscript), and then run away immediately. This strategy was obviously unwise—killing the Boss, snatching the sword manual, running away, etc.... any one of these steps had a high chance of failure. Its only advantage was that it was unexpected, taking advantage of the fact that "no one would think you would do this," and implementing it as quickly as possible, which still had a certain chance of success.

And the final, third strategy was... to join forces with He Yang Xinci before the opponent did and kill the opponent together.

Although this strategy was shameless, it was the smartest option compared to the previous two; and as long as the first step was successful, the rest would be very simple, basically a guaranteed win.

But the problem was... could this first step, "joining forces with He Yang Xinci," actually succeed?

Neither side was confident.

Xu Huai Shang had just killed He Yang Zhiyan a few minutes ago. Perhaps He Yang Xinci didn't know about it, or perhaps He Yang Xinci knew about it and didn't care, but... it was hard to say.

And Juan Meng Huan... had just fought against Oda Ai and Sasaki Mei, two players who had already joined the Boss's camp, in front of He Yang Xinci not long ago, which had, to some extent, indicated his opposition.

Perhaps... He Yang Xinci wouldn't care about these things, but it was still uncertain.

In summary, both sides were stuck in a stalemate, afraid to act rashly.

"Otherwise... I'll do it." No one expected that after a brief standoff, Bi Laoshi would be the first to take action, "We can discuss what to do later, but Feng Bujue must be killed first... who knows how long his current state will last? What if he recovers later and pulls out a Zaku from his knapsack, it's not a joke..."

What he said made sense, and his actions were efficient.

Before he finished speaking, Bi Laoshi had already taken out a pistol from his knapsack.

It was an ordinary gun, the kind of street junk that was common in early scripts.

Even if the high-level players wanted to carry ranged weapons, they wouldn't carry this kind of thing without any special attributes; but Bi Laoshi... wasn't a high-level player, he was just a casual player, so he carried it...

Who would have thought that such an ordinary pistol would become Jue-ge's death warrant at this moment.

"This Bi Laoshi... is indeed as unfathomable as the legends say..." Xu Huai Shang couldn't help but think in her heart when she saw Bi Laoshi taking out the gun, "In this situation, he still made a very calm and accurate judgment and immediately put it into action... on the surface, it seems like he's letting me take a step, but in reality, the initiative is still in his hands..."

At the same moment, Feng Bujue, who couldn't move, was also complaining in his heart: "Hey, hey... no way, 'that little who' is about to come over, it would be too unjust to die from an ordinary shot at this time!"

Bang—

Before Jue-ge could make up his mind, the gunshot rang out.

However, this shot failed to end Feng Bujue's life, which had only 2% survival value remaining.

Because... Bi Laoshi missed.

The bullet grazed Jue-ge's head and hit the ground not far from his head.

"What's going on?" In that second, Xu Huai Shang was first surprised and suspicious, then she thought, "Wait... he's... testing?" She quickly came to a conclusion, "So that's it... I understand! If Feng Bujue still has skills like 'reflection' or 'damage transfer,' then he will definitely activate the skill the moment the bullet is fired... Bi Laoshi saw this and pretended to shoot Feng Bujue, but actually deliberately missed a little bit. If Feng Bujue really had any tricks, he would have been tricked out with an ordinary bullet..."

Thinking of this, Xu Huai Shang couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat: "Bi Laoshi... is really a terrible man... he still has the leisure to do this at this moment." Then, she looked at Jue-ge with sympathy, "In any case, after Bi Laoshi's verification, the fact that Feng Bujue is unable to resist has been confirmed... it seems that the next shot will take his life."

What she thought was quite reasonable, but in reality, it wasn't that complicated.

Bi Laoshi... simply missed, the reason being... his shooting expertise was still very low.

After missing the first shot, Lao Bi tried his best to hide his embarrassment, aimed for a while, and prepared to fire a second shot.

Unexpectedly, at that instant, a figure suddenly jumped out of the street and picked up Jue-ge and ran.

It was none other than Cheng Yong, one of Wang Qiong's bodyguards.

This brother had returned to Linlu Town one step ahead of Feng Bujue, but Jue-ge had overtaken him in the mech along the way... But Cheng Yong wasn't slow either, and he returned to the town around the time Ruo Yu and Jian Shao were fighting, and soon joined up with Wang Qiong, Cheng Wei, Feng Meiyu, and He Yang Jingzi.

Because he had been abandoned by his adoptive father to his face, He Yang Jingzi, who had originally been "hijacked" by Cheng Wei with a sword, had given up resisting at that time; she had lost her faith in life and her motivation to act. To her, running away was meaningless, and there was nowhere to run to. She wouldn't help He Yang Xinci kill people anymore; if possible, she even wanted to kill He Yang Xinci.

And Feng Meiyu had also temporarily joined forces with Wang Qiong and the others, after all, their goals were the same, and it was better to work together than to fight alone.

After the positron cannon attack, these people had been hiding aside, watching a terrible battle that they had no room to intervene in. It wasn't until Bi Laoshi fired the gun that Wang Qiong decisively ordered Cheng Yong and the others to go out and save Feng Bujue.

"Where did this trash come from..." He Yang Xinci was the first person present to react to Cheng Yong's actions, "I was watching a good show... why are you messing things up!"

In terms of speed, he was faster than anyone present.

As he spoke, He Yang Xinci had already jumped off the ground, approached Cheng Yong in mid-air, and slashed out with his sword!

It must be said... Bi Laoshi's shot just now was indeed of extraordinary significance. Although he was unintentional... he really did test out the fact that Feng Bujue was "unable to resist."

He Yang Xinci had seen all of this, so he was very relieved to rush up and finish him off, wanting to kill Jue-ge and Cheng Yong together.

"Shintenkenshiryu (God-transmitted Ultimate Sword Style)..." Just as He Yang Xinci was about to make his move.

Suddenly, a stern shout was heard...

"*Fushui Dongliu* (Spilled Water Returns East)!" Feng Meiyu's figure appeared, using a mixed but strong internal force, launching a thick palm wind from a distance towards He Yang Xinci.

Although He Yang Xinci was powerful, he only had two choices in the face of this invisible ranged attack: dodge or block.

For him, both choices were possible and easy. It was just that... no matter which choice he made, his pursuit would be delayed.

Feng Meiyu wasn't stupid either; she had seen the scene where He Yang Xinci changed his trajectory when he fell from the sky by using "virtual steps," so she deliberately chose an angle and timing that made her opponent awkward, blocking the possibility of him continuing to pursue.

"Tch..." In the end, He Yang Xinci landed back on the ground somewhat depressed. After all, he was a rational person and wouldn't injure himself to chase and chop others.

Of course, he would never spare Feng Meiyu, who had repeatedly opposed him.

"Damn it... you fat pig... I wanted to chop you just now..." At this time, He Yang Xinci remembered Feng Meiyu's previous remarks and couldn't help but get angry, "I gave you a chance... and you still didn't run away, daring to appear in front of me again... getting in the way..."

At this point, he had rushed in front of Feng Meiyu in one step, his dull sword ready to strike.

He Yang Xinci's movement speed on the ground and his speed in the air were completely different concepts. With this rush and slash, Feng Meiyu couldn't even see it clearly, let alone dodge it.

Just as the sword was about to strike down, unexpectedly...

"What!" In that second, He Yang Xinci's expression suddenly changed.

His face showed a look of almost horrified shock.

In panic, he suddenly retracted his move and took several steps back, retreating all the way to a wall on the side of the street, and looked around in a panic with a very guarded expression.

Those who saw this scene were puzzled by He Yang Xinci's sudden actions.

However, Feng Bujue wasn't puzzled; he knew what was going on...

"Hehe..." Jue-ge, who was being carried on Cheng Yong's shoulder, laughed and shouted loudly at He Yang Xinci, "The scene of the whole world being shrouded in 'death' must be quite scary, right?"

He was right... At this moment, the world in He Yang Xinci's eyes was completely covered with a different color, a color of "death" that only he could see.

He Yang Xinci had naturally not seen this kind of "domain of death" for the first time, but in the past, the "death" he saw only appeared in "certain areas" in his field of vision; for example... on the enemy's blade, on the ground with traps, in rooms with ambushes, etc. Moreover, these "domains of death" couldn't always be seen; when there was no threat of death nearby, he couldn't see these foreign objects.

However, at this moment, He Yang Xinci was like he had cataracts. The entire world he saw was in the "domain of death," with nowhere to hide and nowhere to escape...

Da da... da da...

Not long after, a slow sound of horseshoes attracted everyone's attention.

People looked in the direction of the sound and saw a white horse, and next to the white horse, there was a woman.

This was a woman that was hard to forget at first glance.

She was dressed in a red dress, and over the red dress was a red robe.

She had the face and figure of a young girl, but her hair... had turned white.

That snow-white hair was like silk and water, scattered behind her, hanging down to her waist.

She was naturally a very beautiful woman.

Many years ago, her beauty was enough to make people suffocate, enchant people's souls, and haunt their dreams.

Now, although her appearance hadn't changed much, her temperament was completely different from what it used to be.

In the past, she was like a gorgeous red rose in a secluded valley; but now, she was more like a snow lotus blooming alone on a cliff.

"Yan Wang (King of Hell)..." Seeing Lin Yan, Xu Huai Shang was stunned, and she murmured these two words from her mouth.

Juan Meng Huan and Bi Laoshi also knew this person, because the match "Hell's Frontline vs. Red Sakura" was broadcast publicly, and they had also watched the recording. So, they all knew that the person who came was the Boss of that "Burial Heart Valley script"; as for her strength... they also knew a rough idea.

"I didn't expect to meet two old friends here." Lin Yan walked unhurriedly on the street, leading the white horse, and the corpses, wreckage, and destroyed ground around her didn't surprise her at all, "If I remember correctly... this is Miss Xu." She walked up to Xu Huai Shang and greeted her.

Xu Huai Shang was a little at a loss, and just nodded and said "hmm."

Although Xu Huai Shang had joined Lin Yan's camp from the beginning in that competition script, the two didn't have much interaction, and there was no old friendship to reminisce about.

"That chivalrous man over there." After Lin Yan simply greeted Xu Huai Shang, she continued to lead the horse forward, walking towards Cheng Yong, who was carrying Feng Bujue, "Could you put Lord Feng down and let me say a few words to him."

Lin Yan seemed very calm and composed, and she didn't seem surprised that she had met these two players again after so many years.

"Wait!" Just as Lin Yan passed in front of He Yang Xinci, the latter suddenly asked, "Who are you? I've never heard of a 'King of Hell' in the Central Plains martial arts world."

He had just heard Xu Huai Shang say the words "King of Hell," so he thought this was Lin Yan's nickname in the martial arts world, hence the question.

Of course... in a sense, this reasoning was correct.

"Who are you?" Lin Yan stopped, but didn't turn her head to look at He Yang Xinci. She just looked ahead and said coldly, "I don't know you, why are you talking to me?"

Her tone when she said this was very interesting, as if she was an innocent child who was responding with a slightly angry question when she was angered.

There was no hypocrisy of adults, no affectation of people in the martial arts world, and no pretense of masters in her words, only the most basic emotions and expressions of meaning.

"Who am I? Hmph..." He Yang Xinci was still afraid. He didn't know what he was afraid of, but in short, he had instinctively transformed this fear into anger, which in turn produced the intention to intimidate the other party, "I am the patriarch of the Shintenkenshiryu! I have never been defeated after fighting all over Dongying... I am He Yang Xinci, known as the 'Kenshin (Sword God)!' "

Hearing this, Lin Yan muttered softly, "Kenshin (Sword God)?" As she said this, she turned her head and looked He Yang Xinci up and down, and then asked a very cruel question with a blank expression, "Just you?"