Above the battlefield, in the VIP observation room.
"Not good—Bai Qingxue's team has been spotted by Qianli Wuya from Divine Miracle," said Liu Qianqian, dressed in dark purple leather, her eyes gleaming like stars, as she watched the dense forest on Island 3. She couldn't help but tense up. "This is bad for Bai Qingxue. Qianli Wuya's side has a thousand-man squad."
"The experts on Qianli Wuya's side are truly astonishing. There are probably over ten top-tier experts alone, and two peak experts who have mastered Domain," said Xinghe Wangxi, the guild master of Star River Alliance, standing nearby with a furrowed brow.
As a fellow guild from the Star Moon Kingdom—and one that hadn't exactly had few run-ins with Bai Qingxue's Snake of the Body in its early days—Xinghe Wangxi had even considered Bai Qingxue a rival. As for Zero Wing's participation in this Seat Tournament, he had been paying very close attention.
His focus on his former rival Bai Qingxue was especially high; he had even set her as a priority on the observation panel, so that any time a battle involving her was detected, he would be notified immediately.
"The gap in strength between the two sides is too vast," sighed Purple Pupil, a third-tier Grand Mage who had already reached Level 117, shaking her head with a hint of regret. "If it were Zero Wing's main raid team, they could still put up a fight. But with Bai Qingxue's strength alone, there's absolutely no chance of winning—she probably can't even escape…"
Although there had been some friction between Star River Alliance, Snake of the Body, and even the current Zero Wing in the past, as guilds that had risen from the Star Moon Kingdom and belonged to the same generation of the kingdom's top experts, they more or less hoped that Bai Qingxue and Zero Wing would put on a good show.
"Damn it—if only we could join the fight."
The other Star River Alliance officials present couldn't help but sigh and fume with frustration. They hadn't expected Bai Qingxue's luck to be so terrible—running into a thousand-man squad right from the start, with absolutely no chance at all.
"Divine Miracle is making their move!"
"Bai Qingxue! Why haven't you noticed them yet?"
Liu Qianqian pointed at the holographic display where Divine Miracle members had already begun closing in on Bai Qingxue and the others. Her small hands clenched together involuntarily, her face filled with anxiety.
A hundred against a thousand was already an overwhelming disadvantage, and Divine Miracle's squad was brimming with experts. The members of Frost Heaven's Sword were clearly outclassed—the strongest among them had only reached the Insight level, and most hadn't even reached half-step Insight.
These third-tier experts of Frost Heaven's Sword, let alone facing Divine Miracle's powerhouses, could be wiped out entirely by Star River Alliance's main raid team alone.
Inside the VIP observation room, regardless of what the Star River Alliance people thought or shouted, the Divine Miracle experts on the display had already silently closed to within less than a hundred yards of Bai Qingxue and her group.
One could say that with a single command, a hundred yards was nothing—for third-tier classes, it would take only a few steps to rush in. Escape would be completely impossible.
"Good! The magic squads begin their incantations!" After reaching the limits of his detection range, Qianli Wuya turned to the two elders beside him. "Elder Peng, Elder Yu—that Bai Qingxue is up to you two. Whatever you do, don't let her get away."
"Rest easy, Vice Leader. Leave that little girl to the two of us," said Elder Peng with a laugh—a white-bearded old man holding a pair of dark-ink short swords, clad in black.
"She won't have a chance to escape once we strike," added Elder Yu, also smiling. He wore dark grey leather armor and carried a white-feathered wing bow on his back, his pupils tinged with a faint golden light.
"I have no doubt about that. You two are among our guild's top ambush specialists. It's just that this Bai Qingxue is no ordinary fighter—her combat strength rivals those who have mastered Domain. Take her out, and it'll be a tremendous blow to Zero Wing," Qianli Wuya said with a grin.
He had every confidence in Elder Peng and Elder Yu. Together, the two of them could hold their own even against monstrous opponents—which was exactly why the guild had sent these two elders into the thousand-man squad.
But even a lion uses its full strength against a rabbit, and he had no intention of repeating past mistakes.
While Qianli Wuya was speaking, several magic squads lying in wait nearby had finished their preparations in the shadows.
"Vice Leader, everything is ready. Just give the order and we'll make them disappear from this island," reported a Level 118 third-tier Grand Mage in a hushed voice.
"Good!"
Qianli Wuya had no doubt whatsoever. A full eight destructive magic formations, each requiring twenty magic-class users to cast simultaneously—even a Level 120 fourth-tier Legendary monster wouldn't survive, let alone third-tier players.
The Divine Miracle magic squads were buzzing with excitement, since opportunities to use such spells were exceedingly rare. In team dungeons, bosses rarely gave them the chance—it was typically only in siege warfare that such magic could be deployed.
Being able to test it on Bai Qingxue and her group had them all quite pleased.
Qianli Wuya then turned to look toward Bai Qingxue's position.
"Hm?"
The instant he turned his head, his entire body stiffened.
Because at some point, Bai Qingxue was already standing right in front of the magic squads, and that third-tier Grand Mage was still smiling, seemingly having never noticed her arrival.
"Watch out! We've been spotted!" Qianli Wuya instinctively shouted.
In truth, it wasn't just Qianli Wuya—all the Divine Miracle members present had seen Bai Qingxue, but for a brief moment, none of them could react.