Chapter 603: Counterattack

“Damn it, that paladin is too strong. Use random teleport scrolls and retreat quickly!”

Ming and others fled in different directions, while the paladin Lai Fusi kept chasing Ming. Just as Ming took out a random teleport scroll but hadn’t had the chance to use it, Lai Fusi cast a silence, rendering Ming’s scroll useless. Ming’s face changed dramatically. “What the hell kind of combat AI is this? This predictive ability is terrifying, surpassing even the top players.”

“Holy Light Judgment!”

With a swing of his greatsword, Lai Fusi unleashed a beam of holy light that struck down. With a loud boom, Ming was blasted away.

Ming’s random teleport scroll became ineffective, and he couldn’t cast any skills. His abilities were completely restricted, leaving him helpless and vulnerable.

After killing Ming, Lai Fusi looked toward the other thieves. Lie and others had already fled far away, their whereabouts unknown, so he gave up.

Nie Yan had already picked up the equipment dropped by Feng and Ming: a piece of dark gold leather armor and a pair of dark gold legguards. Both were level 100 items with reduced level requirements—very fine pieces indeed. The Blood Saber quintet was so strong, so naturally their gear was top-notch.

Though these two items had good stats, they were still inferior to Nie Yan’s current gear. He wasn’t sure who in the guild might need them, so he just tossed the items into his backpack.

Today had been a small setback for Blood Saber. Since Blood Saber was affiliated with the top military academy, Nie Yan figured they’d probably meet again soon. He could deal with them more thoroughly then.

Lie, Ying, and Su met up in the jungle, watching from afar as the paladin Lai Fusi continued to wreak havoc among the players of Dark Winter, Heaven’s Net, and Reaper’s Descent. Each of them was still shaken.

“That paladin was too insane. If we hadn’t run fast enough, we’d have all died here today,” Lie said, feeling frustrated. This was the first time their team had suffered a defeat since forming, and it was at the hands of an NPC.

“That guy’s combat AI is even better than a player’s. Could he be someone’s servant or mercenary?” Ying speculated. If he were a regular NPC with no player control, he couldn’t possibly be this strong.

“I think so too,” Su agreed. But then, who was secretly targeting the players from Dark Winter and other guilds?

Ming and Feng would soon resurrect at the graveyard and stealth away from the battlefield.

They decided to investigate who exactly was the master of paladin Lai Fusi.

After Blood Saber left, the situation for Dark Winter, Reaper’s Descent, and Heaven’s Net became even worse. They left behind a field of corpses, with only a few low-level players escaping. Bing Feng Tian Xia was killed by Xing Zhi Hui Huang in one strike.

Hui Huang Temple could finally breathe easy, having defeated three major guilds in front of so many witnesses.

The onlookers watched paladin Lai Fusi with awe. Everyone had seen how powerful he was. Fearing he might not be done killing and might turn on them next, they all retreated a hundred yards away.

Even Xing Zhi Hui Huang felt a bit wary of the paladin. Only after confirming that Lai Fusi wouldn’t attack them did he relax, though he still dared not approach or provoke the paladin.

The members of Hui Huang Temple collected the equipment dropped by Dark Winter, Reaper’s Descent, and Heaven’s Net players.

The Spectral Princess Aina’s health had recovered to nearly 7%, and she was now surrounded by a group of warriors.

Nie Yan surveyed the battlefield. The remaining forces were small, with Hui Huang Temple being the strongest. Their members had resurrected and suffered minimal losses. They were now scattered, resting to recover from their weakened state.

After a moment’s thought, Nie Yan sent a message to Xing Zhi Hui Huang: “Help me out. Let’s team up to defeat the Spectral Princess Aina.”

Xing Zhi Hui Huang was just organizing his team to regroup and fight against the Spectral Princess Aina when his message window suddenly lit up. Seeing the name Nie Yan, he paused, then read the message. He quickly connected the dots and realized that someone powerful had been helping him all along. The paladin Lai Fusi wouldn’t have come to Hui Huang Temple’s aid without reason. He had been watching closely, but the mysterious benefactor hadn’t revealed himself until Nie Yan sent the message. Only then did Xing Zhi Hui Huang realize it was Nie Yan who had saved Hui Huang Temple.

He was overwhelmed with gratitude. Without the paladin’s intervention, Hui Huang Temple would have suffered heavy losses—two thousand members killed, each losing a level and at least two thousand pieces of equipment. They would have struggled to recover for a long time, and Dark Winter, Reaper’s Descent, and Heaven’s Net would have taken advantage of their weakness. But now, with Lai Fusi’s help, they saved over three hundred members and eliminated over three thousand enemies, collecting more than two thousand pieces of equipment. Over 1,700 members were resurrected either by running back or with priest help, each losing only about 20% experience. The contrast was huge.

“Thank you so much for earlier. Without your help, Hui Huang Temple would have suffered greatly. If you ever need anything, just say the word. I’ll go through fire and water for you,” Xing Zhi Hui Huang said solemnly. He was a man who valued gratitude and repayment.

Nie Yan smiled. He never took such promises seriously, but he appreciated Xing Zhi Hui Huang’s gratitude.

Xing Zhi Hui Huang continued after checking the battle report: “We collected 2058 pieces of equipment in the last battle. After defeating the Spectral Princess Aina, I’ll have them delivered to the Bull Tribe immediately.” They had already received a great favor from the paladin, so these items should rightfully go to Nie Yan. Xing Zhi Hui Huang was a principled man.

“Forget about the equipment. What you’ve collected is rightfully yours. Just help me defeat the Spectral Princess Aina, and consider it repaying a favor to me,” Nie Yan replied. His goal was simple: defeating the Spectral Princess Aina would give him peace of mind.

“Alright,” Xing Zhi Hui Huang agreed, feeling that defeating the Spectral Princess Aina was a small repayment compared to the huge favor Nie Yan had done.

“Also, please keep the paladin Lai Fusi a secret,” Nie Yan requested. He didn’t want to reveal his strength. Lai Fusi was his hidden card, and he didn’t want to expose it prematurely.

“Understood,” Xing Zhi Hui Huang replied. Reflecting on Lai Fusi’s immense power, he couldn’t help but wonder: Why had the Mad Bandit Nie Yan always maintained his undefeated legend? Because no one truly knew his capabilities. Besides Lai Fusi, how many other unknown strengths did the Mad Bandit Nie Yan possess? Probably no one knew.

After ending the voice chat, Xing Zhi Hui Huang shouted in the team channel: “Brothers, let’s take down the Spectral Princess together! Warrior Squad One, charge! Mages and Priests, get ready. Paladins, cast Blessing spells!”

Under the command of Xing Zhihui Huang, the Hui Huang Temple team swiftly mobilized. A force of fifty to sixty warriors launched a fierce charge at the Spectral Princess Aina, initiating the assault.

The paladins followed closely behind the warriors, providing threefold support. When a warrior’s health dropped, they immediately healed them. When a warrior’s stats were too low, they cast buffs. When a warrior was cursed, they dispelled it. The mages and priests at the rear began casting spells.

Hui Huang Temple’s players became the main force attacking the Spectral Princess Aina. At that moment, paladin Lai Fusi, standing behind them, swung his greatsword, and beams of holy light rained from the sky, enveloping the Hui Huang Temple players. Their power instantly increased several times over.

“Wow, this is amazing! Our stats are so strong now!”

“Boss, I’m curious. Why is paladin Lai Fusi healing and buffing us? Is he our guild’s mercenary?” a player asked curiously.

“This is a secret of Hui Huang Temple. Everyone, just keep fighting. Don’t ask too many questions,” Xing Zhi Hui Huang replied vaguely, making the Hui Huang Temple players feel even more intrigued by the mystery.

Several players with ulterior motives couldn’t extract any information from Xing Zhi Hui Huang and gave up. Continuing to probe would only raise suspicions.

The warriors charged at the Spectral Princess Aina, holding her attacks while the mages at the back unleashed their spells. Countless magical projectiles flew through the air, striking the Spectral Princess Aina. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Damage numbers of seven or eight hundred floated above her head.

The mages’ spell damage was now two to three times higher than before the paladin’s Blessing.

Under the overwhelming magical assault, the Spectral Princess Aina’s health dropped significantly, much faster than before.

The paladin Lai Fusi’s powerful Blessing ability amazed everyone.

Soon, the Spectral Princess Aina’s health dropped to less than 3%. She let out a furious roar, casting spells that swept away group after group of warriors.

“Warrior Squad Two, charge!” commanded Xing Zhihui Huang.

Soon, Squad Two was wiped out.

“Warrior Squad Three, charge!”

Wave after wave of warriors charged at the Spectral Princess Aina, blocking her attacks.

Under the intense magical bombardment, the Spectral Princess Aina let out a piercing scream and fell to the ground.

The Spectral Princess Aina was dead.

The players at the perimeter became restless.

“Everyone rush in and grab the loot!”

“Quick, grab the equipment!”

Countless free players tried to push their way in. Who wouldn’t be excited about equipment dropped by a level 100 mutated boss?

Then, some mages at the back started casting AoE spells toward the center. Waves of flames rained down, instantly killing dozens of Hui Huang Temple warriors who hadn’t managed to escape.