Chapter 948: Storming the Array (2/2, Requesting Moon Tickets)

As a result of silent toil and the scarcity of talisman experts, he had even climbed to a high position; with no choice, he could only grit his teeth and keep going, but he truly could no longer endure this life—he lived in constant dread, waking every day to find the Jibing Sect Master pressing a sword to his throat, asking if he was a spy. Was this even a life for a human??

Recalling those days, Dai La clenched his fists, his heart aching, too painful to confide in anyone—but thankfully, all of this was about to end, today!

Dai La stared fixedly ahead.

Everyone from the Jibing Sect was trapped inside the Liehuo Dadian.

Some inside tried to escape, but were instantly repelled by a sudden flame barrier, their bodies engulfed in true flame that burned them to shrieking rolls on the ground, until they were reduced to ashes scattered across the floor.

Outside the Liehuo Dadian, the Sect Master of the Liehuo Sect and others standing on the Liehuo Guangchang watched this scene and sneered in unison.

Though merely a modified mountain-protection array, it was not so easily breached.

Unless the Jibing Sect Master or the Elders expended vast amounts of power to forcibly break through, others' attacks on the modified mountain-protection array were like scratching an itch.

And once the Jibing Sect Master and his group chose to forcibly break the array, they would exhaust their strength—and then face only death.

The only thing now left to wait for and guard against was the still-unseen tail of the 【Jibing Shengnyu】.

Following Dai La's advice, they had beheaded Ni Dongmei and sent her head to provoke the tail.

They already knew Qi Ba Jiu's active time was limited, entirely dependent on the tail's strength.

If the tail continued to practice Hidden Endurance until Qi Ba Jiu fully restored its power before striking the Liehuo Sect, the Liehuo Sect would struggle to resist.

But if Qi Ba Jiu had not fully restored its power, they still had room to maneuver.

They had long been unable to locate the tail's whereabouts until it lingered in You Fu—then they swiftly sent the head to incite its hatred.

With this hatred established, they no longer feared the tail continuing to hide.

Added to that, the Jibing Sect Master's earlier blood-mang ice-lotus distress signal had provided precise location data—there was no reason the tail wouldn't come.

"Kill the Saintess, destroy Jibing, restore Liehuo's glory!"

The Liehuo Sect Master's eyes flashed with ruthless light.

At that moment, the Jibing Sect members trapped inside the Liehuo Dadian suddenly launched a fierce assault on the mountain-protection array.

Unlike the ordinary disciples before.

Now, those attacking the mountain-protection array were the Jibing Sect's elite: the Sect Master and the Elders.

The array's counterflame seared them briefly, then emitted a sizzling sound as their advanced Jibing Sect cultivation techniques suppressed it, turning it into faint steam.

Soon, thick clouds of steam filled the entire Liehuo Dadian, obscuring the view inside—only shadowy figures could be seen moving, continuing their assault on the array.

"What are they trying to do?"

The Liehuo Sect Master asked, puzzled.

"Likely using the accumulated mist to obscure vision, waiting until they break the array to escape under cover of the fog."

The Liehuo Sect's Second Elder spoke coldly.

In his view, from the moment these Jibing Sect members were betrayed by a traitor and trapped inside the Liehuo Dadian, they were already dead.

"Actually, the Jibing Sect's blood-mang ice-lotus signal has already been sent, and Ni Dongmei's head has been delivered—whether the Jibing Shengnyu comes or not, these Jibing Sect elites are now useless."

"So you mean… we deal with them now?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing… I'm just worried we'll waste our strength on them, and when the tail arrives—or rather, when Qi Ba Jiu arrives—we might suffer casualties."

The Jibing Sect members trapped in the array, by expending all their strength to break it, would weaken themselves and become easier to handle.

If they didn't break it, the array would gradually contract, leaving them nowhere to flee.

Either way, the Jibing Sect members were doomed—there was no need for us to intervene early; better to conserve strength for the approaching Jibing Shengnyu.

After all, she is the decisive factor!

Once we cross over the mountain that is the Jibing Shengnyu, and eliminate this group of trapped Jibing Sect elites, the Jibing Sect will be utterly shattered, with no resistance left.

But if we only eliminate the Jibing Sect elites and let the Jibing Shengnyu escape to hide and wait for an opportunity, it will be troublesome.

Or worse, if she infiltrates and replaces our own high-ranking members, it would be too costly.

Therefore, the best response to the Jibing Sect's array-breaking assault is to wait.

Either wait until they exhaust most of their strength and burst out of the array, or wait for the tail to arrive first and deal with her.

Either way, holding back and playing our next move later is advantageous.

While they were discussing this, they did not know that at the foot of the Liehuo Sect's mountain, two groups of mounted riders had already reached the base.

…

Liehuo Sect, at the mountain's foot.

Sanyue stared at the sky, yawning.

Beside him was his girlfriend, Qiyue.

Though one was a refugee and the other a Native, their hearts were in sync, and they didn't care much about such differences.

Especially after Sanyue realized strange phenomena were appearing in reality, he became acutely aware that the game's depths were far beyond his control!

If that's the case, might as well just lie flat.

After all, he had already infiltrated the Liehuo Sect—even if only assigned as a lowly disciple guarding the mountain gate, he was now leaning on a big tree and didn't need to work so hard.

"Sanyue, you think Tianlong's been in Jingcheng so long—why hasn't he come back to report?"

"Who knows? That guy's too ambitious—he's got a different mindset from us."

Sanyue idly chewed a blade of grass, slumped on the grass beside the mountain gate.

After these days of interaction and understanding, the two of them had grown somewhat familiar with Tianlong.

They were fine—having traveled from Qingsi County to Jingcheng's Liehuo Sect through wind and frost, they remained unchanged.

But Tianlong was different—he was too ambitious, too focused on immediate gains, too eager to climb upward.

Perhaps due to the pressures of reality, or some other reason, in Sanyue's view, Tianlong was truly overworked.

And they? They were the type who just loafed around waiting to die.

Originally, the determination to come to Jingcheng and join the Flame Sect came entirely from his passion for the game, wanting to rise above others.

Now that he's in Jingcheng and in the Flame Sect, it seems not much different.

Externally, he is indeed above others, but internally, he's the lowest of the low, with absolutely no status.

Fortunately, Qiyue is devoted to him; with this little girlfriend, he's content to be a lazy fish, though his days are a bit boring.

"If only… something more exciting would happen."

(End of Chapter)