Chapter 1 The Cave

The Wushi Zhi Jian (Oathless Sword) group had plenty of people and torches, and as they surged into the cave entrance, a chorus of shouts erupted: "Crap, don't push, there's no path ahead!!!!"

It was fortunate that this was an online game, with a public channel for communication. If this were the real world, with sound as the only means of communication, those in the back wouldn't have heard a thing, and the whole group would have turned into dumplings being thrown into a pot. Of course, what was more important was that the earlier "dumplings" had warned them, telling them to be careful once inside, as there was no path ahead.

"Does anyone have a lamp?" someone asked.

"Yeah, on your head!" someone immediately cursed.

"Torches, those in the back pass the torches forward first." Wushi Zhi Jian, in the lead, was only a step away from falling. He was nervous, truly afraid that some guy behind him would give an unexpected shove, and that would be the end of him.

"This way, come this way!" The Duanshui Jian (Arrow Severing Water) squad had already descended a short distance, using their voices as guiding lights for Wushi Zhi Jian and the others. Wushi Zhi Jian clearly lacked confidence in his ability to locate sounds, so he raised his torch and tried to illuminate the direction: "Who is it? Who's talking?"

"It's us!" Duanshui Jian said, annoyed.

"How do we get down?" Wushi Zhi Jian asked.

"There are steps along the wall, on both sides. Watch carefully," Duanshui Jian reminded him. Gu Fei's tragedy was that he had become too comfortable and hadn't paid enough attention to the path. Who said the steps would continue straight down the wall without turning?

Wushi Zhi Jian tentatively reached out and stepped onto a step, feeling much more secure. Then, he waved his foot around, discovering that the steps weren't very wide. Cautious and prudent, Wushi Zhi Jian held his torch extremely low, wishing he could clip it to his crotch; that would really be the optimal height.

The players behind Wushi Zhi Jian received the instructions and slowly followed. Duanshui Jian and the others noticed that Qianli Yizui (One Drunk for a Thousand Miles) was already in position, and they didn't dare continue down in the darkness. Who knew if that ruthless guy would take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack?

As more and more short-legged players entered the cave, the number of torches increased, shining like the sun in the darkness. Only then could everyone vaguely make out this place, which required crawling through a stinky ditch to reach.

The space was vast, and the mixed odors were even more intense, but the players, who had already endured the trials in the passage, had become somewhat accustomed to it. In the light of the torches, a blurry outline could be seen in the center of the space. The players didn't know what it was, but Duanshui Jian knew that it was the most crucial part of the Yun Jiao Lake project.

But at that moment, he was more concerned about where Qianli Yizui was... But the light of the torches was ultimately limited. They could only see the outline of such a large object, and it was difficult to pinpoint Gu Fei's location. However, his own members, by lighting the torches, had completely exposed themselves. Duanshui Jian felt that this situation was extremely unfavorable.

"We should hurry down," Duanshui Jian thought. The short-legged players had already approached their group. After handing them two torches, the speed squad finally picked up the pace again.

"How high is this?" a player beside Duanshui Jian asked him.

"Almost there..." This was also Duanshui Jian's first time here. He only had a general idea after Ye Xiaowu described the situation, but it was so dark that Duanshui Jian hadn't been able to match everything up!

"Mages, cast a fireball down to see," someone suggested.

This was actually a good idea, and many mages responded enthusiastically. Instead of fireballs, they simply cast Heavenly Fire Wheels down, which covered a larger area and provided more light.

Several fire wheels descended, and all the players stared intently downwards. As a result, they not only saw how far away the ground was, but also a black figure standing silently. When the fire wheels fell, he simply dodged to the side and then disappeared back into the darkness.

"It's Qianli Yizui, he's guarding below!!!" The players passed on this terrifying message.

After the fire wheels disappeared, everything returned to darkness. Where was Qianli Yizui? No one knew.

"Mages, maintain your attack stance. The rest of us will go down first," Wushi Zhi Jian ordered. The mages transformed into streetlights, using their magic to illuminate the path for everyone. Duanshui Jian's spirits also lifted. This was much better than using torches.

The team quickened its pace downwards. Seeing that there were only a few steps left, one brother stepped forward, intending to jump directly down. However, while he was in mid-air, he was suddenly attacked from behind. The other players clearly saw it was Qianli Yizui. They didn't know where he had suddenly appeared from, but he was behind the guy. The light of the Shuangyan Shan (Twin Flame Flash) cut through the air, and the white light of the guy being instantly killed provided excellent illumination.

Before the other players could react, Gu Fei actually jumped back onto the steps, his left hand crackling with electricity, a Zhangxin Lei (Palm Thunder) already fully charged. He pushed forward with his palm, and the stricken player not only died but also knocked over several others as he flew backward. Those in the front of the group were the ones holding the torches, and the torches fell to the ground. The steps weren't very wide, and two of them fell straight down.

"Huoshu Qianzhong Yan (Fiery Tree of a Thousand Flames)!!" Gu Fei hadn't even asked yet, and then another incantation followed. The players on the steps were terrified. There was no way to dodge this large-scale spell in this narrow passage. Everyone knew the power of Qianli Yizui's spells. Even if one didn't die...

"Tianjiang Huelun (Heavenly Fire Wheel)!!!" Gu Fei had already shouted the second one. Everyone was in tears. To avoid the spell's damage, they would have to kill Qianli Yizui before his spell hit them. Although Qianli Yizui's casting time wasn't short, no one was confident that they could kill him in a few seconds. All the players chose another way out: jumping...

The ground wasn't far below. Although jumping down would cause some damage, it wouldn't be fatal. In everyone's mind, being hit by two of Qianli Yizui's spells was definitely a death sentence. The players calculated this small account and were about to jump bravely when Gu Fei waved his sword to the side. With a buzzing sound, an electrical wall helped prevent the players from falling down...

"Too despicable!!!!" Amidst the players' cries, Gu Fei's two spells finally appeared. With no way to retreat and no way to advance, the steps were engulfed in flames. The players in the speed squad were mostly dead, with white light blossoming everywhere.

However, despite how tragic it looked, not many people actually died, as the steps couldn't hold that many people. But after this group of people died, the players behind them didn't dare to move forward. They shouted to the players behind them: "Retreat, retreat quickly!!!"

The steps were in chaos. The players in the front row desperately wanted to turn back, but turning back wasn't as simple as saying it. The guild leaders were hurriedly coordinating in the guild channel, instructing everyone to retreat and take the other route.

Gu Fei wanted to chase after them, but he saw that in the area he had burned with his two spells, there was still one person standing. He raised his hand and with a series of sounds, five short arrows flew towards him. There was no way to dodge on the steps, and the same was true for Gu Fei. Helplessly, he turned and jumped off the steps. He looked up and saw that the light from the electrical wall illuminated a grimace on Duanshui Jian who was rushing out and loading short arrows into his short crossbow.

"This guy actually didn't die," Gu Fei muttered to himself, but he wasn't too surprised. Ye Xiaowu and his group were determined to treat him as an opponent, and since he was the only target, Duanshui Jian would naturally prepare himself with fire resistance equipment.

Gu Fei avoided the five consecutive arrows and turned to go back up, but Duanshui Jian turned around and shouted to the chaotic players: "Don't panic, archers, come out and shoot! He can't get up here!!!"

The narrow steps were a disadvantage for both sides. However, Gu Fei had initially used this to his advantage to strike at his opponents, causing the players to temporarily short-circuit, as if only they were facing this predicament. Duanshui Jian remained calm. Qianli Yizui was also restricted by this terrain. He had fired five consecutive arrows, and as expected, he had no choice but to jump off the steps to dodge.

The players woke up after hearing this reminder. Gu Fei's two spells had tragically killed some thieves and archers, but there were still some left. They quickly turned back.

"Don't care where he is! Keep shooting forward, mages come up and carpet bomb our sides, those in the back keep up." Duanshui Jian commanded loudly, leading the way. The players' confidence was boosted, and they steadied their formation and advanced again. Several archers followed behind him, constantly firing arrows to prevent Qianli Yizui from jumping up.

As a result, a bolt of lightning struck from overhead, instantly killing an archer. The archer was stunned and then burst into tears: Qianli Yizui was a mage, a ranged attacker. Who said he had to get on the steps to attack? He could carpet bomb from below.

"Jump with me!!!" Duanshui Jian shouted and jumped off the steps. The archers hesitated slightly, closed their eyes, and followed. The mages had already received instructions to expand their attack range. After hiding themselves within the range of the spells, Duanshui Jian saw Gu Fei raise his longsword again in the red flames behind him. He quickly raised his hand and attacked, and Gu Fei quickly dodged to the side.

"Tracking Arrows, continuous attacks!!" Duanshui Jian roared, but the cooperation of the archers didn't have the effect he expected. These five archers came from four different guilds and didn't even know each other. How could there be any coordination? Hearing Duanshui Jian's command, they all focused on the words "Tracking Arrow", but ignored the word "continuous". The five of them drew their bows together and fired simultaneously, five streaks of white light chasing after Gu Fei.

"..." Duanshui Jian was speechless. He realized that it was unrealistic to expect these players to have the tactical coordination and quality of his old comrades. He had no choice but to endure.

"Quick, hurry up, jump if you can!!" Duanshui Jian called out to the players behind him. There were still a few archers, and rogue-type classes had always been at the front of the line. They all rushed down together.

"Continuous!! Tracking Arrows!" This time, Duanshui Jian emphasized the word "continuous" with gritted teeth, hoping that the new reinforcements would understand. The new archers happened to all be from Zongheng Sihai (Across the Four Seas), with backgrounds in archery formations, and their cooperation was truly tacit. Following the command, they took turns firing. Gu Fei was caught by the Tracking Arrows, and with the mages' magic array in front of him, he was truly helpless. The players still on the steps hurried down. The mages from Duijiu Dangge (Singing to Wine) and the archers from Zongheng Sihai, two teams with distinct characteristics, gradually formed a tacit cooperation. Gu Fei jumped left and right behind the sea of fire, unable to find a chance to get close. He also had no chance to cast area spells. The only thing he could use while moving was Lightning, but with the priests of the opposing side arriving, Lightning was useless.

After all, this was the weakest lightning spell, and not everyone would be instantly killed by it. Now that there were priests to heal, Lightning was basically just an itch.

"Advance, advance forward!" Duanshui Jian shouted. He was communicating his tactical arrangements through sound. He wasn't afraid of Gu Fei hearing it, because his tactics were all on the surface. Even if Gu Fei couldn't hear, he could understand them with a glance.

"Professional talent is indeed different," Gu Fei said helplessly. Unable to find an opportunity and suppressed, he looked around and found a dark spot. He teleported to it and disappeared into the darkness.

"He's gone!!" the players shouted.

"He's nearby!" Duanshui Jian was very alert. "Pay attention to those dark corners."

So the mages started acting as flashlights again, throwing fireballs everywhere. They threw them wherever it was dark. The whole space was like a fireworks display, with light everywhere, then dark here, then light there, then dark here again.

Amidst this constant obscuring, the players who had reached the ground finally saw what was in the center... They could only see it clearly; no one knew what it was. It was cylindrical, pointing straight up. Looking more closely, they realized that it didn't seem to be a single cylinder, but rather several cylinders joined together, some thick and some thin. After reaching the top, the players couldn't see what was above.

"How do we do the task?" Yuyi quietly approached Duanshui Jian and asked.

"Uh... I haven't been here before either. I've only heard it described. I have to find the task location too... It's too dark," Duanshui Jian said.

"Is that so?" Nilu Ershang (Going Against the Current) suddenly chimed in. Ever since the ownership of the task had been decided, this guild leader, who always had a lot of ideas, had been lurking, relatively unnoticed.

"What does Nilu Guild Leader mean?" Duanshui Jian replied, because Nilu Ershang wasn't speaking; he had actually sent Duanshui Jian a message.

"Hehe, I understand your intentions," Nilu Ershang said.

"What do you mean by that?" Duanshui Jian asked.

"To blow up that passage doesn't seem like a decisive task. The task has an important follow-up, but it seems that only Caiyun Jian can complete it. Does that mean Caiyun Jian has another item that can only be used now?" Nilu Ershang said.

"Correct," Duanshui Jian replied.

"However, you and that Hongchen Yixiao (Smile Amidst the Mortal Dust) are always prioritizing stopping Qianli Yizui. In fact, to stop his task, besides completing the task one step ahead, there is another option, which is to kill him," Nilu Ershang said.

"That's right."

"And the two of you are very reluctant to reveal information that shouldn't be revealed. So, in the current situation, what you really want to try first is to kill Qianli Yizui to stop his task. Completing our side's task is actually a last resort, am I right?"

"Well..." Duanshui Jian didn't expect Nilu Ershang to see through his intentions, so he didn't deny it. Indeed, if he could kill Qianli Yizui and disrupt his task, Duanshui Jian wouldn't need to reveal any intelligence to the siege side.

"Hehe, I support you," Nilu Ershang said.

"Oh?" Duanshui Jian was slightly surprised.

"This is also the result I like the most," Nilu Ershang said. "I've dispatched more manpower here."

After thinking for a moment, Duanshui Jian could only smile wryly. In the end, people always focused on their own interests. Nilu Ershang didn't want Qianli Yizui to complete the task and cause the siege side to lose, but at the same time, he didn't want Caiyun Jian or any guild to benefit from this conflict. So he had been secretly paying attention to the development of the situation. At this moment, he had waited for the opportunity he needed. Duanshui Jian believed that Nilu Ershang's words just now were just a test. He wasn't sure if Duanshui Jian was planning that way, but he had seen through what Duanshui Jian and Ye Xiaowu were pursuing. So, even if Duanshui Jian wasn't thinking that way, Nilu Ershang had given him a hint at that moment.

And the large team would arrive soon, which was also reassuring to Duanshui Jian: he would do his best to make Qianli Yizui die here, so Duanshui Jian didn't need to help Caiyun Jian complete any tasks.

The fireworks-like flames were still being released, but no one noticed where Qianli Yizui was. Duanshui Jian looked at the busy players and suddenly realized: were they really looking for Qianli Yizui?

Everyone was running towards the light, touching here, looking there, knocking on this, and turning that...

They weren't looking for Qianli Yizui; they were looking for the task... They hadn't given up on snatching the task at this final moment.

And those who were sincerely looking for Qianli Yizui? They were all from Caiyun Jian. They knew that the task was in their hands, so they focused on finding the biggest obstacle in front of them. But in reality? If they found Qianli Yizui and killed him, they wouldn't reveal any information about the task to them... Thinking of this, Duanshui Jian really wanted to slap himself. He suddenly felt that his role was so disgusting.

"What are you doing?" Suddenly, someone came to his side and spoke to him. Duanshui Jian turned his head and saw Han Jia Gongzi (Young Master Han). After a moment of hesitation, he said, "I haven't been here before either. I've only heard it described. I have to find where the task is too... It's too dark."

He had to stay away from this person... Duanshui Jian thought. After saying this, he ran to the side, asked someone for a torch, and pretended to be observing the terrain and searching for the task.

"What's wrong?" Gu Xiaoshang walked to Han Jia Gongzi's side and asked.

"Have all the people arrived?" Han Jia Gongzi asked her.

"They're all rushing here. What's the problem?" Gu Xiaoshang said.

"That guy! Do you think he's looking for the task? What he's looking for is Qianli Yizui," Han Jia Gongzi said.

"Why?"

"Because disrupting Qianli Yizui's task is his real purpose. Helping us complete the task is just one option for disrupting Qianli Yizui's task. It seems he doesn't like this option anymore," Han Jia Gongzi said.

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Unknowingly, it seems like it's been almost two years. The collection count passed 50,000 today, but in these long years of gradual increase, why hasn't the subscription count increased along with it? I'm very puzzled...