As a result of starting at different times, Xia Yunyan ran at the very front, with her subordinates behind her.
Lu Tiangang and his group followed closely.
Qin Shilei and the other two were at the very back.
After everyone had rushed into the bamboo forest, Qin Shilei shouted loudly, "Why don't we cooperate and kill these thunder beasts together?"
The group ahead paid no attention to Qin Shilei's suggestion.
Qin Shilei shouted again, "As long as we work together, these mere thunder beasts will be nothing."
"Hmph!" Fan Xiaobo's voice carried over the wind, "If you want to kill them, kill them. Aren't you, Qin Shilei, very capable? The thunder beasts were even drawn here by your companion, so you should be the one to kill them all."
Qin Shilei looked at the people running about twenty to thirty meters ahead of him, his gaze turning cold. He said in a low voice, "Are you all planning to escape the thunder beasts simply by running faster than others?"
"Then let's see who's the fastest!"
Shunbu! (Instant Step!)
Qin Shilei's speed increased significantly. As he passed An Qian and the others, he reached out and pulled the two girls, chasing after the person ahead like the wind.
Soon, he had overtaken that person and was pursuing Fan Xiaobo's group further ahead.
If An Qian and the others hadn't already used their acceleration skills, Qin Shilei's group could have been even faster.
At this point, his speed was much faster than Fan Xiaobo's, and he was about to catch up to Fan Xiaobo's group.
Just then, Qin Shilei's speed slowed down, but he was still closing the distance with Fan Xiaobo.
Suddenly, Fan Xiaobo also activated his acceleration skill, widening the gap by over ten meters.
"Ah!"
The last unlucky one was caught up. Before he could even resist, he was knocked to the ground and then stomped into a bloody pulp.
Hearing the tragic screams from behind, Fan Xiaobo glanced back and saw that Qin Shilei was almost upon him.
Once he was caught, his group would become the last ones running.
Fan Xiaobo's expression changed, and he quickly shouted, "I've been thinking, and I think Qin Shilei's suggestion is excellent. If we continue to run around chaotically, attracting more thunder beasts, I'm afraid no one will escape."
At this moment, two of Fan Xiaobo's subordinates, due to their inferior strength, had fallen behind. With a shrewd glint in their eyes, they fled in separate directions.
However, being clever, they were caught by three or four thunder beasts not long after they fled and were easily killed.
Fan Xiaobo watched Qin Shilei getting closer and closer, with the group of thunder beasts right behind him. Meanwhile, Lu Tiangang and the others had still not responded to his proposal.
With a ruthless resolve, a chilling aura appeared in his hand, which he then swept across the ground behind him.
A thin layer of ice formed on the ground.
"Careful!"
Qin Shilei warned the two girls and simultaneously stomped his right foot down, creating a small pit on the ground, using the leverage to pull the two girls across the icy area.
Bingfeng! (Ice Seal!)
Fan Xiaobo, determined to go all the way, threw a series of ice arrows directly at Qin Shilei and the trio behind him.
He didn't aim to kill Qin Shilei but merely to slow them down, allowing the thunder beasts behind to catch up to them. This way, he could not only escape the pursuit of the thunder beasts but also use them to eliminate the significant threat of Qin Shilei.
"You're asking for death!"
Qin Shilei pointed his left hand forward, and several bolts of lightning intercepted the ice arrows one by one.
Qianteng Shu! (Thousand Vines Technique!)
Zhang Xiaoli waved her hand, and ten thick vines instantly entangled Fan Xiaobo and his lackeys.
Fan Xiaobo stumbled and almost fell to the ground.
In his haste, he conjured several sharp ice blades from his palm, quickly cutting through the vines and preparing to escape again.
However, by this time, Qin Shilei and his group had already passed him, and the thunder beasts had stomped on Fan Xiaobo's subordinates and caught up.
The dozens of thunder beasts immediately split into two groups: thirty to forty surrounded Fan Xiaobo, while another thirty to forty continued to pursue Qin Shilei and his group.
Qin Shilei glanced back and saw Fan Xiaobo struggling to escape the thunder beasts' encirclement despite his frantic efforts.
After running a few hundred meters further, Lu Tiangang and Hua Feng simultaneously said, "Qin Shilei, let's stop and kill the thunder beasts. What do you think?"
"Fine," Qin Shilei replied with a single word. Seeing them slow down, he also gradually stopped.
Everyone drew their weapons and turned to face the charging thunder beasts.
At this point, the thunder beasts were about twenty to thirty meters away.
Qin Shilei grabbed An Qian, who was about to draw her sword and charge forward, and said with a smile, "Use your Chixing to blow them up."
He himself drew his short bow and shot arrow after arrow rapidly at the group of thunder beasts.
Lu Tiangang's weapon was a large saber, Xie Xingjian's was a long spear, and Xia Yunyan wielded a delicate dagger.
They were all melee fighters. When Qin Shilei agreed to join forces, they had already charged towards the thunder beasts with their weapons.
At this moment, they saw Qin Shilei playing with a bow and arrow and felt as if they had been tricked.
But before they could hesitate whether to retreat, some of the thunder beasts had already condensed lightning and unleashed it.
Lu Tiangang and the others had no choice but to use their unique skills to try and block the lightning and accelerate towards the thunder beast group.
Qin Shilei shot arrows while deliberately lecturing An Qian, "You shouldn't always think of charging headfirst. In this situation, using the area-of-effect Chixing is more suitable than using your sword."
An Qian rolled her eyes at Qin Shilei and nodded affirmatively, "You are absolutely right."
Zhang Xiaoli chuckled and whispered, "Indeed, it's very true. We magic users should stay behind the warriors and deal damage."
Hearing Qin Shilei and the others' words, Lu Tiangang and his group were about to condemn Qin Shilei, but they were unable to speak due to the continuous barrage of lightning.
With their strength, they wouldn't die, but the three of them were electrocuted in a sorry state.
Their hair stood on end, resembling some kind of non-mainstream explosive hairstyle.
"This is bad!"
Lu Tiangang hadn't expected the lightning from a large group of thunder beasts all at once to be so terrifying. He felt his whole body numb, and facing the charging thunder beasts, he secretly lamented his misfortune.
Will I die here today?
Just then, a scorching fireball exploded in the middle of the thunder beasts, immediately disrupting their attack.
Then, thick vines separately entangled the leading thunder beasts.
Caught off guard, those thunder beasts stumbled and fell to the ground.
"Kill!" accompanied by Qin Shilei's fierce shout, countless sharp arrows shot towards the weak points of the thunder beasts.
Seizing this opportunity, Lu Tiangang and the others suppressed their discomfort and valiantly charged towards the fallen thunder beasts.
After they slew five thunder beasts bound by vines, the remaining thunder beasts swarmed them, and the situation became precarious once more.
Although Qin Shilei's bow and arrows were exquisite, due to their attack power, he only managed to kill one thunder beast.
On the other hand, An Qian's Chixing was remarkably effective, causing the group of thunder beasts to yelp in pain.
This attracted more than ten thunder beasts to charge towards Qin Shilei.
Qin Shilei shouted, "Lu Tiangang, you warriors need to draw aggro."
Seeing that Lu Tiangang and the others were too busy to reply, he said with a pained expression, "My life is so hard. I, an archer, have to engage in close combat with the enemy."
With that, he put away his short bow and drew out his Blood Soul, charging forward.