Chapter 262

Clone?

Puppet clone?

The one who just perished together with the three sorcerers was actually just this white-haired monk's puppet clone?

And he actually has four more of the same puppet clones?

Many hearts are filled with despair.

How can we fight now?

Where did this monk called Xuanzang come from?

"There's no need to panic." The Yin brothers looked at Tang Luo and said, "It's merely an illusionary trick. This person is within our great formation; if we all work together, capturing this scoundrel poses no problem."

Upon hearing this, many people breathed a sigh of relief.

Indeed, we are still within the great formation, and this clone is merely an illusion—what is there to fear?

Upon reflection, even if this Xuanzang monk is formidable, killing three sorcerers is likely already his limit.

Being able to slay three sorcerers is this person's true strength; in the end, he used an illusionary trick to escape, letting his clone die in his place.

A clone killing three sorcerers? How is that possible?

If the Great You truly possessed such a powerful individual, how could demons and monsters run rampant, national strength decline, and even the Northern Plains tribes harbor thoughts?

Whether it is self-consolation or rational analysis, in any case, the momentum just lost has now returned.

The gazes directed at Tang Luo now contain killing intent.

This person is formidable; he must be slain here!

The leader of the Fusang tribe looked at the Yin brothers, who met the leader's gaze and nodded, saying: "A spent crossbow can still kill!"

Having received an affirmative reply, the leader of the Fusang tribe nodded, but added: "Wu Yang sorcerer, are you truly going to die together with this Great You monk here?"

If Wu Yang can be turned, no—if she merely refrains from acting, then when the time comes to kill the Xuanzang monk, the cost will be greatly reduced.

"Cut the nonsense." Wu Yang's attitude was resolute, though her heart bled inwardly.

She only wanted to prevent the emergence of the Great Sorcerer; she never imagined betraying her tribe, let alone becoming an enemy of the Five Great Tribes of the Northern Plains.

However, the situation leaves Wu Yang no choice: either surrender now to the Northern Plains side and become enemies with the former Xuanzang monk,

or walk the same dark path as this Xuanzang monk to the bitter end.

The two choices presented, Wu Yang chose the former, after all, this monk is a powerful figure capable of killing three sorcerers even with a substitute wooden puppet.

Even if not a Great Sorcerer, he is likely not far off.

As for this so-called illusionary trick, Wu Yang sees it clearly right here—illusionary trick my foot!

Wu Yang looked at the Yin brothers, who wore faint smiles and brimmed with confidence, not understanding why they claimed it was an illusionary trick—whether they truly believed it or had ulterior motives?

Or perhaps Xuanzang deceived them?

Upon considering this last possibility, Wu Yang shuddered.

She suddenly understood: given the opponent's strength, why would he be willing to cooperate with her? It turns out he merely used her as a guide.

To allow them to enter this place, where the top-tier strengths of the Five Great Tribes are gathered together, presenting an opportunity to wipe them all out!

If these people were to forcefully break in from the outside, realizing the opponent's strength and being unable to match it, they would inevitably scatter and flee.

By then, some would surely escape the net.

But now, using herself as bait to draw everyone here, a single move to provoke could yield the possibility of total annihilation.

Wu Yang couldn't help but glance at Tang Luo—this monk, his killing intent far exceeds her imagination.

Are the monks of Great You all this ferocious? So ruthless toward both friend and foe.

"Excellent." The leader of the Fusang tribe shouted loudly, "Then today we shall jointly exterminate the Great You people and the traitors—what do you all think?"

"Quite right."

"Within our duty."

"I agree."

The remaining three tribal leaders nodded in agreement one after another.

Then…… the scene fell into an awkward silence and stillness.

The four substitute wooden puppets each faced a high platform; on this side, the Wu Jin tribe's Diamond and the tribal warrior who had just stepped forward confronted each other.

Yet no one made the first move.

A spent crossbow, a wounded beast—are they merely bluffing?

Everyone likely believes the Yin brothers' words to be eight or nine out of ten correct, so everyone understands: whoever dares to act first, the opponent, to display their strength, will respond with a thunderous strike.

Who can withstand it?

The one who acts first is merely a typical cannon fodder, used to provoke the opponent into revealing flaws and fatigue.

Those present, no matter how said, are all elites of their tribes—no one wishes to be that cannon fodder.

"If no one acts, then I will!"

Diamond shouted without hesitation, charging toward the Wu Jin tribe's people not far ahead.

Facing that monk, everyone still had eight parts of caution, but facing Diamond, it was different.

The tribal warrior shouted loudly, and the two powerhouse men became entangled in battle, causing many who had been holding their breath to secretly relax.

Diamond and that Wu Jin tribe warrior stood evenly matched, Diamond slightly gaining the upper hand; for a time, victory was hard to discern.

This somewhat reflects that the opponent's strength is indeed not as great as thought.

"Master, I have also acted." Tang Yuhan casually took the knife worn by the Wu You nest's wearer and also jumped down from the high platform.

"Advance."

The great priest of the Wu Jin tribe said, and the remaining few directly took action.

"The Dharma is boundless!"

Tang Luo unleashed the Spartan War Cry, granting buffs to both Jin Gang and Tang Yuhan.

Tang Yuhan's strength far surpassed Jin Gang's; her title as Blood Queen was no empty honor, and with the buff active, she faced the Wujin tribe without the slightest fear.

Of course, the pressure was still considerable; otherwise, there would be no effect of growing stronger through slaughter.

"Master, shall I strike?" Wuyang asked.

"No need." Tang Luo said.

Wuyang inwardly breathed a slight sigh of relief; being able to avoid combat was naturally her best option—conserving energy to flee.

Jin Gang, Tang Yuhan, and the Wujin tribe engaged in battle.

The remaining tribespeople slowly closed in, at a glacial pace.

Five monks, including the one on the high platform—which one is the true body?

Which one would unleash a thunderous strike? Truly, no one was willing to wager their own life on it.

The elite forces outside had already formed a solid front, as impregnable as a golden soup, making reckless moves unwise; if a flaw were exposed and the enemy sought to flee, breaking the formation would result in losses outweighing gains.

"Master Xuanzang." The Yin brothers stepped forward in unison, "Let me, your humble servant, learn your exalted techniques."

The substitute wooden puppet, without a word, lunged forward with a punch.

The Yin brothers sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the blow; their robes fluttered violently in the wind kicked up by the fist.

Though the momentum was astonishing, it did not deliver the one-hit kill everyone feared.

"Kill!"

Someone bellowed wildly; someone else unleashed sorcery.

A chaotic battle finally commenced in earnest.

"Somewhat unskilled." Tang Luo thought to himself.

If merely controlling a substitute wooden puppet burned by Liuli Flame, it would pose no difficulty for Tang Luo, but now there were four; with increased numbers, he also had to suppress the Liuli Flame's slow burn, or the puppets would be destroyed instantly.

Controlling them thus lacked the earlier ease and fluency.

Everyone also noticed that, though these four substitute puppet avatars were strong, they utterly lacked the momentum of the earlier solo duel against the three witches.

The phrase "a spent crossbow bolt" may be somewhat exaggerated, yet it is not far from the truth.

Hold steady—we can win!

Confidence began to spread.

The substitute wooden puppet's condition was within Tang Luo's expectations; originally, it was merely for honing his skills.

Not long after, one person from the Wujin tribe collapsed, their body resembling a desiccated corpse, all qi and blood drained from head to toe.

Tang Yuhan's wounds healed rapidly; her crimson lips curled into a hint of a cold smile as she waved her hand, releasing a surge of blood and qi.

Forming a sanguine bat that completely engulfed the enemies before her.

The blood bat assault is also a skill tied to qi and blood.

Tang Yuhan earned the title Blood Queen naturally, as most of her skills relate to blood and qi, having essentially formed her own system.

The various skills complement each other, not merely a haphazard pile of unrelated abilities.

If unrelated skills were like 1+1, this synergistic enhancement would be...

Skills with mutual connections that promote each other are multiplicative enhancement.

Skills forming a system can even be considered as having a fate-like quality without an actual fate.

However, there is a downside: when facing opponents who counter similar abilities, their displayed strength diminishes greatly.

Fortunately, the Gods and Demons game is not like Pokémon; there are no instances of double damage or overwhelming effectiveness.

The same skill, in the hands of different Gods and Demons wanderers, can yield vastly different results.

In silence.

The substitute wooden puppet punched, exploding the person's head before it; someone attacked from behind, it dodged lightly, then struck again, blasting that person to death.

Fresh blood fell to the ground, swiftly seeping into the soil and vanishing without trace.

Those nearby felt a secret shock.

Having fought to this point, why does this puppet avatar not weaken but grow bolder with battle? In a short time, casualties have already surpassed all previous losses.

What happened to the promised spent crossbow bolt?

This is not what was promised! Could it be that they were injured earlier and have now recovered?

Of course not recovered—Tang Luo is simply becoming more proficient.

Why is he so proficient? Naturally, from more practice; thus comes skill—practice makes perfect.

Even the tribal leader on the high platform noticed the situation was off; the scales of victory began tilting toward the opposing side.

This differs from the anticipated outcome.

The leader of the Fusang tribe couldn't help but glance at the Yin brothers: wasn't it said they were spent crossbow bolts, yet still lethal?

Fortunately, it's only a temporary disadvantage; don't forget, this is the Fusang tribe's main stronghold—aside from these dozens of experts, there are far more elite soldiers.

"Press forward." The Fusang tribe leader ordered, if we could kill these people without losing troops, that would naturally be the best choice.

But now, there's no alternative; we must still fill the gap with lives.

Regardless, these tribal experts are far more important than those soldiers.

Moreover, it's impossible to sacrifice everyone; if all join forces, casualties limited to over a thousand should suffice to truly end the battle.

After a while, the Fusang tribe's elite forces surrounding them remained motionless.

The Fusang tribe leader's expression shifted slightly; why no movement?

"Ha!"

At that moment, the Yin brothers gave a light chuckle—no one knew what they did—but the substitute wooden puppet they fought suddenly split into two.

It fell to the ground, becoming two small wooden segments; firelight flashed, turning them into two piles of ash.

"Almost done, thank you, Master."

The Yin brothers' faces turned pale, their bodies swaying as they barely managed to stand firm, and in an instant they were drained of kidney essence—clearly showing how great the expenditure of that strike had been, leaving them with no strength left to fight again.

Yet the Yin brothers still looked toward Tang Luo, their faces full of smiles.

As he spoke, the ground beneath everyone's feet rose with red light.