Although Bates asked the question, he actually felt fairly confident. He understood the nature of bandits all too well: they bullied the weak and feared the strong!
Even if bandits had the assurance of killing every last target, they would still consider whether the losses were worth it. And now, with Lin Lei's group, Bates was far too powerful — even Lin Lei, Bei Bei, and Olivier could slaughter Midgods with ease. They were obviously a tough nut to crack.
Wiping out Bates and his group would cost the bandits dearly.
"Nothing will happen. That bandit leader isn't that stupid," the Midgod demon — the green-haired, brawny man called Taim — said, a rare smile appearing on his face.
"We'll definitely survive," another short, stocky man beside him whispered.
Echo's eyes were also filled with hope.
"If we can avoid fighting, that would be the best outcome," Lin Lei thought to himself. But he didn't dare relax, maintaining his vigilant watch on the surrounding bandits. At this moment, the fourteen surviving members of Lin Lei's side were all waiting for the leader, Daiman, to give his answer.
The bandit force was also waiting for Daiman's decision.
"Second Boss? Do we kill them or not?" a Highgod behind Daiman asked quietly.
The bandits were somewhat unwilling to let it go. The enemy was only that handful of people, while they had several thousand, along with over thirty Highgods and a powerful Second Boss. The enemy had killed nearly three hundred Midgods — were they just going to let them walk away? The bandits were reluctant!
Daiman narrowed his eyes, staring at Bates in the distance, then glanced at Olivier.
"A soul mutator…"
Daiman was mulling things over, then looked at Bates again. "This Highgod powerhouse is clearly someone who cultivates the Laws of Darkness, excels in speed, and is skilled at concealing his aura." Daiman was also surprised, because he hadn't detected Bates' hidden strength at first either.
"The Mysteries he comprehends probably lean toward concealment and speed — his offensive capability may be lacking," Daiman reasoned inwardly.
If the other side were truly powerful, there would be no need for negotiation at all.
Several thousand surrounded a mere dozen or so. The scene was silent as everyone awaited Daiman's decision. But suddenly—
"Kill!!!" Daiman bellowed with fury.
Echo, Taim, and several other Midgods froze on the spot, and even Bates' expression changed.
"They're attacking?" Lin Lei's brows furrowed.
Daiman's eyes turned red as he roared, "All brothers, charge together! Kill — kill them all!"
"Kill!" First to move were the Highgods behind Daiman, rushing forward at their fastest speed. In an instant, ocean waves roared, elemental beasts materialized one after another — some standing atop the heads of elemental serpents, others concealed within curtains of water mist.
Over thirty Highgods launching a combined assault — their collective pressure alone made Lin Lei feel suffocated.
In perfect unison, more than thirty Highgods swung their weapons simultaneously, unleashing their soul attacks. Translucent waves of light shot toward Lin Lei's group.
"This is bad!" Lin Lei's face changed drastically.
These thirty-plus Highgods were only a hundred meters from Lin Lei's group. Soul attacks traveled far faster than physical movement — they could barely shift a tiny distance. The thirty-plus Highgods' soul attacks targeted three people—
Bates, Bofe, and Dilia!
"Thud!" "Thud!" "Thud!"…
"Watch out!" In that most dangerous instant, Lin Lei, standing beside Dilia, yanked her toward him forcefully while moving as far out of the way as he could.
"Thud!" "Thud!"…
Despite his best efforts to dodge, six soul attacks still struck Lin Lei's body in succession.
More than thirty Highgods attacking three people — ten soul attacks each targeted Dilia and Bofe, while over a dozen went at Bates. Lin Lei had done his best to evade, yet he still took six Highgod soul attacks!
"Boom!"
The six soul attacks plunged straight into Lin Lei's mind, slamming violently against his Soul-Defensive Sovereign Artifact. It was like eggs hitting a stone — they all shattered on impact. These Highgods were relatively weak ones, and their soul attacks were quite rudimentary.
Lin Lei finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Lin Lei!" Dilia stared at him without blinking, looking tense.
"I'm fine." A faint smile appeared on Lin Lei's face.
Over six hundred years of cultivation in the Amethyst Mountains — especially the refinement of massive quantities of amethyst and the absorption of soul essence — had been gradually repairing the breach in his Soul-Defensive Sovereign Artifact. After more than six hundred years, that breach had formed a thin membrane.
Though it wasn't as strong as the undamaged portions of the Soul-Defensive Sovereign Artifact, its defensive capability was still decent.
Lin Lei was alright, but Bofe and Bates were faring much worse.
The bald young man Bofe had also been hit by several soul attacks. He fell limply from midair, and simultaneously, another version of Bofe in black robes flew out from within his body — his Midgod clone.
"Whoosh!" Bates moved with blinding speed.
Facing over a dozen soul attacks, he actually dodged most of them, taking only two hits. Those two soul attacks, however, turned Bates' face pale white. He didn't have a soul-defensive artifact.
After all, even a powerhouse as strong as a Seven-Star Demon didn't have a soul much more powerful than an ordinary Highgod's — at best, their defenses were somewhat better. If one took too many soul attacks head-on, it would still be fatal.
Bates, the big-bearded man, glanced at Lin Lei. "This Lin Lei really has been hiding his strength. Taking several soul attacks and still perfectly fine. Truly worthy of being a scion of the Four Divine Beast Families." Having seen Lin Lei transform into his dragon form, Bates had already guessed Lin Lei's identity.
"Brother—!"
A grief-stricken cry rang out from nearby.
Lin Lei turned to look. It was the silver-haired, tall and thin Midgod demon who had been traveling with him — Wilburn — crying out in anguish, tears already streaming down his face.
It turned out that among the soul attacks aimed at Bates earlier, most had been dodged. But one stray soul attack had struck his unfortunate elder brother. A Highgod soul attack — how could Wilburn's brother possibly withstand it?
Moreover, Wilburn's brother had only become a god by refining a divine spark, and he died on the spot.
"This Wilburn must have been very close to his brother," Lin Lei thought, seeing Wilburn's grief.
However, with everyone in mortal danger, no one had time to console Wilburn. Lin Lei immediately refocused his attention on that group of Highgods.
"Haha, didn't expect them to have some fight in them," those Highgods laughed.
"Brothers, let's do it again!"
These thirty-plus Highgods most loved coordinating their attacks.
"Lin Lei, if you don't make your move soon, I'm walking out of here and leaving you to handle this alone," a voice sounded directly in Lin Lei's mind. Lin Lei instantly identified it as the mental transmission of the big-bearded Bates. "Lin Lei, I didn't expect you to be a Highgod too, deliberately hiding your strength. Even I couldn't see through it."
Lin Lei was stunned.
He was a Highgod? Since when?
"A core scion of the Four Divine Beast Families — I recognized you the moment you transformed. And you're still hiding your strength? I, Bates, may not be good at much, but I'm an expert at fleeing. Those thirty-six Highgods, especially with that leader character among them — I can't handle them. If you don't act now, I'm leaving. I'm not the type to sacrifice myself for others!" Bates transmitted via divine sense.
Bates cherished his own life very much.
"Haha, kill them!" Daiman shouted joyfully from the distance.
"Understood, Second Boss."