"What we need to consider now is where to fight in order to lure them over," Bei Bei said with a frown. "After all, the Planar Battlefield is far too vast—this side of the Star River alone spans a million li. If we pick a bad location, too far from Montero, they won't be able to detect us."
Lei Sijing nodded slightly. "Where exactly are Montero and the others?"
If they knew where, things wouldn't be so complicated.
"Let me think," Lin Lei said, musing. "After Montero's group of eight failed to hunt us down back then, I'd guess they probably found somewhere to rest. And their resting place wouldn't be too far from where the original battle took place."
"I've already searched an area of ten thousand li around there," Lei Sijing said, shaking his head.
It had taken them three full days to sweep through that ten-thousand-li region, and they'd relied on Lord God's Power to do it. That should give some indication of how difficult the search was.
"My guess is they're resting somewhere within a hundred thousand li of the original battlefield," Lin Lei speculated. "In that case, let's fight right here beneath our feet! We're only about ten thousand li from that old battlefield. We'll make a big commotion—everyone use Lord God's Power—and they might just detect us."
Lei Sijing hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Fine, let's pick this spot. If it doesn't work, we'll try two or three more locations, each tens of thousands of li apart."
"Knowing Montero's personality, once he finds out, he'll definitely come." A smile crept back onto Lei Sijing's face.
"Lei Hong, put on a show with me." Lei Sijing grinned at Lei Hong.
About twenty thousand li from where Lei Sijing was fighting, at the base of a low hill less than a thousand meters tall, a cave had been carved into the mountainside. Montero and the other four were inside.
Inside the cave.
The burly man in golden robes, Wuman, sat in silence on one side of the cave, cross-legged with his eyes closed in meditation. The aloof middle-aged man, Xiaswei, sat beside him, quietly cultivating as well. Montero and the green-haired girl faced each other, chatting and laughing. "Young Master, our haul this time isn't bad at all. If we get lucky during the final battle, you might just accumulate enough military merits."
Montero chuckled softly. "How about this, Green Robe—give me your military merits, and I'll have enough."
"How could I do that?" The green-haired girl's laughter rang out like clear bells. "You should share some of your military merits with me, Young Master. Maybe I could reach the target too."
"You really are something." Montero shook his head with a smile.
Montero knew full well that although everyone called him "Young Master," in truth only the silver-haired elder standing nearby was his old servant. The silver-haired elder was also the weakest of the five, without a single Lord God Artifact. He had come along solely to serve Montero and the others.
As for the other three—whether Wuman, Xiaswei, or the green-robed girl before him—calling him "Young Master" was merely giving him face. The military merits were still distributed according to their earlier agreement.
A faint, barely perceptible ripple of energy wafted toward them.
Montero, the green-haired girl, and the silver-haired elder all turned their heads toward the cave entrance at the same time. Even Wuman and Xiaswei, who had been deep in meditation, opened their eyes simultaneously and looked outward.
The Planar Battlefield wasn't particularly large, and battles were rare, so any major fight would stand out clearly.
"An energy fluctuation! Lord God's Power!" Montero was the first to dash out.
"Maybe we can get our hands on a Commander's badge." The green-haired girl laughed sweetly as she followed him out. Right behind her, the silver-haired elder, the golden-robed giant "Wuman," and the aloof middle-aged man "Xiaswei" transformed into three phantoms and shot out of the cave.
After exiting the cave, the five immediately flew at maximum speed toward the source of the energy fluctuation.
Because the Planar Battlefield was flat, even over great distances, as long as no mountains blocked the line of sight, Commander-level experts could spot objects tens of thousands of li away. Of course, the larger the object, the easier it was to see.
Whistling cold winds howled past as the five flew at breakneck speed.
In just moments, the five of them clearly spotted a black, net-like barrier hanging in the distant sky. The dark barrier spanned several hundred meters, its surface laced with shimmering purple light. A barrier several hundred meters wide—Commanders would have to be blind to miss it.
The silver-haired elder exclaimed in surprise, "The Purple Crystal Barrier? Lei Sijing's Purple Crystal Barrier?"
A look of delighted surprise spread across Montero's face, and he burst out laughing. "It really is Lei Sijing's innate divine ability! Last time I let him slip away—who would have thought I'd find him again? Everyone, pick up the pace! Get to the battle site quickly. Don't let this opportunity slip!"
"It's too far!" Wuman said with a cold expression. "At this distance, by the time we get there, the fight might already be over and Lei Sijing long gone."
Montero understood this as well—even at top speed, covering nearly twenty thousand li would take a considerable amount of time.
"We can't miss this chance! Everyone, use Lord God's Power!" Montero immediately sent through divine transmission. "A single drop should be enough to get us there in time. If we push hard, we might even be able to kill Lei Sijing's companion. I wonder if it's just the two of them this time, or all four."
Montero turned to Wuman. "Wuman, last time you failed to kill those two—don't miss again this time."
"Don't worry," Wuman said confidently.
"Let's go!"
Lord God's Power erupted from Montero's body with a roar, and the other four ignited theirs as well. Ordinary Commanders might need to be cautious with their Lord God's Power, but Montero hailed from the Augustus family and was one of its foremost experts. The supply he'd been allocated, while not as extravagant as Lei Sijing's, was still considerable.
Burning through a few drops was well within his means.
With Lord God's Power blazing around them, the five of them rocketed to an absurd speed.
Like five phantoms, they streaked across the sky in an instant, hurtling toward Lei Sijing's battle site.
At that moment, Lei Sijing and Lei Hong were locked in fierce combat, their clashes sending continuous booms echoing across the battlefield. The earth cracked and shattered beneath them, and violent waves of Lord God's Power radiated outward in all directions.
"Five streams of Lord God's Power are approaching at high speed," Lin Lei sensed.
"It's Light-type Lord God's Power," Bei Bei added.
A faint smile appeared on Lin Lei's face. "Not eight—only five. But coming in this brazenly, it must be Montero and his group." Lin Lei knew that ordinary Commanders attempting an ambush would never make such a conspicuous approach. Only Montero, who knew the true strength of Lei Sijing's side, would dare come flying in this way.
"Can't believe they got here so fast—we've only been fighting for a little while." Lei Sijing and Lei Hong also ceased their battle.