As Can Guang Ru Xue opened his mouth and gave the order to the members of the Warblood Adventure Team to clear the way, every expert from the various factions present—as well as Fan Muran and the others—were completely dumbfounded.
What was going on?
Had Can Guang Ru Xue lost his mind?
At that moment, never mind the outsiders who were present—even the members of the Warblood Adventure Team themselves had their jaws on the floor.
They even suspected that the Can Guang Ru Xue standing before them wasn't really Can Guang Ru Xue at all, but an impostor. How else could he possibly be so deferential to Zero Wing's Guild Master?
After all, Warblood and Zero Wing had been locked in an endless feud. There was no shortage of battles between them in the Earth Heart Mountain Range. It was true that Zero Wing's Guild Master was a Tier 3 class, but Can Guang Ru Xue was now a Tier 3 Battle King as well—hardly the same person he used to be. There was absolutely no need for him to show such face.
They simply couldn't understand why Can Guang Ru Xue was doing this.
"Are you all deaf? Didn't you hear me? Move aside—now!" When Can Guang Ru Xue saw that the Warblood members were still standing there motionless, he barked in fury.
The members of the Warblood Adventure Team stared at the enraged Can Guang Ru Xue. Despite being utterly bewildered, they sprang into action and opened a path for Fan Muran and her group.
This scene left everyone truly stunned. Just moments ago, they had wondered whether they had misheard. But now Warblood had genuinely made way for Fan Muran and the others to pass. No matter how unwilling they were to believe it, this was the reality.
"Then I'll thank Captain Can Guang on their behalf. I have business to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave." Shi Feng was also somewhat surprised by Can Guang Ru Xue's display. Since Can Guang Ru Xue had already cleared the path, he had nothing further to say. After a brief pleasantry, he led Ke Le and the other three toward the Molten Fire Gorge.
Once Shi Feng and his companions had made their way toward the Molten Fire Gorge, Can Guang Ru Xue let out a deep, relieved breath.
Others might not know how formidable Shi Feng truly was, but Can Guang Ru Xue had witnessed it with his own eyes. Before Shi Feng had even advanced to Tier 3, he had already caused a massive upheaval on the Dark Ore Island. Afterward, at the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion's stronghold, Shi Feng had killed Guild Leader Shi Xue Zhan Hun with a single strike—right in front of several bodyguards and vice guild leaders who had been standing guard. And yet he had still succeeded. His strength was beyond human.
Now that Shi Feng was a Tier 3 class, his power must have become even more terrifying. Can Guang Ru Xue had no desire to provoke a monster like that.
After all, there were significant differences even among Tier 3 classes. Reaching Tier 3 didn't make one invincible.
"Captain Can Guang, are you really going to let them go?" A Tier 2 Ranger standing nearby couldn't help but whisper. "Headquarters gave us a dead order—we absolutely must keep Fan Muran and her people here. Even if this Black Flame is a Tier 3 class, we've got plenty of brothers in the area, plus the combined battle formation. Are we really supposed to be afraid of him?"
Tier 3 classes were indeed powerful, but that didn't mean Tier 2 classes couldn't put up any resistance at all. If they assembled a large hundred-person battle formation, they could hold their own against a Tier 3—even if they couldn't win outright. And that was before accounting for Can Guang Ru Xue himself, a Tier 3 Battle King. In that scenario, there might even be a chance to fight to a draw.
Allowing Fan Muran and her group to escape of their own volition—headquarters would absolutely never tolerate that.
"You're right about that," Can Guang Ru Xue admitted. "With the battle formation, I would indeed have some confidence in keeping him occupied. But did you really think he was the only Tier 3 class?" He shot the Tier 2 Ranger a withering look. "Didn't you notice there are three people standing behind him?"
"Even if all three of them are Tier 3, we still have several Tier 3 experts from our side and from Star Ring nearby. When the time comes, who wins and who loses is anyone's guess," the Ranger pressed.
Tier 3 classes might be rare, but both Warblood and Star Ring had a few of their own. To lose without even putting up a fight—it would be the greatest humiliation imaginable.
"And what would their arrival accomplish? They'd just be walking to their deaths," Can Guang Ru Xue laughed. "You should know that when I advanced to Tier 3, I learned a special skill. Even wearing a dark cloak to conceal your data won't hide anything from me. Do you have any idea what level those three are, or what kind of equipment they're wearing?"
"Unless they've reached Level 100 and are wearing a full Level 100 Dark Gold-grade set?" The Ranger scoffed dismissively.