Zhang Pingfan frowned, having watched every battle.
It was truly regrettable that the White Tiger Demon Emperor couldn't be kept.
The main reason was the White Tiger Demon Emperor's incredible speed; it was practically impossible to retain him unless he intervened personally. However, there were restrictions on his involvement, preventing him from taking direct action.
Compared to the lightning power Zhang Pingfan commanded, the lightning controlled by the White Tiger was incomparable to his own.
The monsters were slowly repelled, but the mission hadn't registered as complete. Clearly, not everyone had seen the ultimate escape.
"It's a shame that big boss got away, otherwise, the mission would have been completed today!"
"Yeah, why didn't the Village Chief make a move today? Just like that phoenix, he could have easily taken it as his own pet!"
"Right, I forgot until you mentioned it. Why didn't the Village Chief act today? Could there be some restriction?"
"Who knows? The Village Chief's actions are always unpredictable. I guess there must be some limiting condition, otherwise, why would the Village Chief let that White Tiger go so easily?"
"First the phoenix, then the White Tiger, could it be the Vermillion Bird and Azure Dragon next? Four Divine Beasts and Four Demon Emperors???"
"Damn, now that you mention it, it's quite possible. I was wondering why the mission difficulty was so high, it couldn't be this easy to complete. As expected, it's not that simple!"
At this moment, Zhang Pingfan's disciples, along with the three city lords and the phoenix, had all returned to Zhang Pingfan's side.
Zhang Pingfan was very dissatisfied with their performance today, especially the City Lord of the Barrens and the Phoenix. Both were at the peak of the ninth rank, yet they couldn't subdue a single White Tiger.
"Everyone else performed acceptably, but the two of you, a two-on-one situation and you couldn't take him down. Why don't you go eat shit?"
They dared not retort or make any excuses, having witnessed Zhang Pingfan's power. He didn't want to bring trouble upon himself.
The City Lord of the Barrens spoke defensively, "My lord, you don't know, but this White Tiger Demon Emperor is known for his speed, and his attack power ranks second among the Four Demon Emperors. It's understandable that we couldn't keep him!"
Zhang Pingfan raised his foot and delivered a flying kick.
"Knowing his speed, why didn't you try to intercept him? And you, you can fly, yet you couldn't outrun a four-legged creature. What's the use of your wings? Might as well chop them off and make grilled wings for me!"
Frightened, the Phoenix retreated repeatedly, desperately covering its wings.
Dou Youyou looked at the terrified Phoenix and quickly tried to comfort him.
"Master, don't scare him anymore. Look how he's trembling. This mission is already difficult, and we still need him!"
Need him my ass. If my skills didn't have a 24-hour cooldown, why would I need him? Useless.
Thinking about how he was parading chickens in the square, Zhang Pingfan felt a surge of annoyance.
"Didn't I ask you to tell me who this 'Dominator' he mentioned is? You haven't even told me that. Are you betraying me?"
Meeting Zhang Pingfan's murderous gaze, the Phoenix trembled.
"Master, it's not that I didn't say, but it's useless even if I did. We've never even seen the appearance of that Dominator. We just know he's very powerful!"
"What's his origin?"
"Unclear. It's as if he appeared out of nowhere. I've never seen such a person before!"
Zhang Pingfan frowned. How could this be? The game's settings were fixed. They were established from the beginning and evolved with the plot, but there were no overall deviations. Now it seemed the game's framework had gone awry.
"System miss, what's going on? And who is that Dominator?"
【Ding! Still querying, no related information found at the moment!】
"Damn it, is this game even yours? You're useless!"
【Ding! Divine Punishment is being prepared...】
"Damn it, there are so many people here, give me some face..."
"Whoosh!"
To everyone's stunned expression, Zhang Pingfan was struck by a purple divine lightning bolt and fell straight to the ground.
"Face... face..."
Dou Youyou looked at Zhang Pingfan with a heartbroken expression.
Even though she knew her master was often struck by lightning, she still felt heartbroken every time she saw it.
Dou Youyou held Zhang Pingfan's head, tenderly stroking his face.
"Master, what heavenly condemned thing did you do again?"
The Phoenix and the City Lord of the Barrens were stunned. Such terrifying divine lightning, if it had struck them, they would probably have turned into skeletons.
Yet, after being struck by such divine lightning, their master had merely fainted.
A moment later, Zhang Pingfan recovered.
"You really don't give me any face!"
Zhang Pingfan patted the char on his clothes and tidied his hair, which had been standing on end from the lightning strike.
"What are you looking at? Haven't you seen someone struck by lightning? When will that White Tiger return, and will it bring reinforcements?"
The Phoenix cautiously said, "Master, are you alright?"
"Do I look like someone who's not alright? A mere heavenly lightning? If I'm not struck a few times a day, I feel itchy all over!"
The Phoenix swallowed heavily.
His master really knew how to show off.
"Master, the difficulty is likely to increase from now on. The White Tiger will definitely request assistance after returning. If nothing unexpected happens, my elder brothers Azure Dragon and Vermillion Bird will surely come. This would create a two-against-three situation, and the Barren City is likely to suffer!"
Zhang Pingfan frowned. If that were the case, it would be a huge problem. The Barren City absolutely could not fall, otherwise, everything he had done so far would be in vain.
He looked at the "Enemy to Friend" skill. There were still over three hours left. He hoped they wouldn't attack the Barren City within these three hours, or it would truly be over.
As the saying goes, what you fear the most will come to pass.
After the White Tiger returned to its camp, it immediately began contacting the leader. After all, it couldn't defeat the combined forces of the City Lord of the Barrens and the Phoenix alone, so it needed to find help.
"Big Brother, the Phoenix has betrayed us!"
The Azure Dragon Demon Emperor's face changed drastically upon hearing this.
"What's going on?"
"I'm not sure, but he's now attacking me in league with the City Lord of the Barrens. I couldn't defeat them both alone and fled back!"
"Damn it, has third brother been bewitched by them? Has he been enticed and controlled by them?"
"He hasn't been controlled. Third brother tried to get me to join them, but I didn't agree. From the looks of it, someone must have incited the Phoenix!"
The Azure Dragon Demon Emperor's face contorted with rage.
"I want to see who it is! White Tiger, gather your subordinates and prepare to head to the Barren City!"
"Yes, Big Brother!"
The White Tiger, accompanied by the Azure Dragon Demon Emperor, the Vermillion Bird Demon Emperor, and their subordinates, arrived outside the Barren City in full force.
Less than two hours had passed since the last battle.
Looking at the dark mass of monster troops outside the city, Zhang Pingfan's expression turned grim. Was heaven trying to destroy him?