Shen Ying and the others watched as Caomu Yiqiu Teleported away, each of them glaring so hard their eyes were about to split. They longed to charge at him and fight to the death, but the chains binding them were unbreakable, leaving them with nothing to do but stare helplessly at what was unfolding.
"Damn it!"
Shen Ying still couldn't quite understand how Caomu Yiqiu had managed to advance to Tier 4.
In terms of combat ability, Caomu Yiqiu wouldn't even crack the top twenty on all of Dragon Heart Island. His only advantage was that, as a Half-Elf, he had higher Magic Affinity — yet the difficulty of a Half-Elf advancing to Tier 4 was actually greater than that of a human.
Powerful innate talents often became the heaviest shackles, which was why very few players were willing to reincarnate as other races. Unless someone possessed extraordinary resolve, they would never dare take that risk.
But Caomu Yiqiu's class change to Half-Elf had been an accident — he hadn't chosen it voluntarily. Rather, it had something to do with a Hidden Class legacy.
When Caomu Yiqiu had advanced to Tier 3, he'd been slower than everyone else. Now, advancing to Tier 4, he'd become the fastest on the entire island. No matter how you looked at it, it was unbelievable.
"Vice Leader, the adventure team hasn't obtained many Hippogriffs. Subtracting the two Vice Leaders still on Dragon Heart Island, the only remaining one is Captain Yuluo, who's been missing all this time." Fan Muran watched the Hippogriffs drawing ever closer, and a thought struck her, filling her with worry. "Could the person flying over there be Captain Yuluo?"
"Most likely, but it doesn't matter anymore," Shen Ying replied with a bitter, helpless laugh. "Caomu Yiqiu's strength right now isn't something we can contend with, let alone Yuluo…"
He had already abandoned all hope. If Yuluo were some other scouting Class, there might have been a sliver of a chance. But as a Priest, there was simply no way she could detect and catch up to Caomu Yiqiu in time.
"Shen Ying, you're absolutely right. Vice Leader Caomu personally took action — they never stood a chance. You'd better come back with us quietly and try to talk some sense into your team leader." At that moment, a blue-robed woman suddenly appeared beside Shen Ying and the others, startling Fan Muran and her companions.
The woman ranger was none other than Mo Xinyu, one of the four Vice Leaders of the Blood War Adventure Team.
"I have to say, for the Blood War Adventure Team to send two Vice Leaders personally just to cut us off — what an honor," Shen Ying said, looking at Mo Xinyu with undisguised mockery in his eyes.
"Taunting me won't help you, Shen Ying," Mo Xinyu replied with disdain. "Even without Caomu Yiqiu coming, do you really think you could escape from me? You know full well that in a straight fight, I have the advantage — not to mention I'm a specialist in pursuit."
At her words, Shen Ying fell silent.
As a peak expert who had mastered a Domain, he had to admit Mo Xinyu's formidable strength. Back when she hadn't yet mastered a Domain, he could still suppress her. Now that she had not only mastered a Domain but reportedly acquired a bow — a fragment of a Legendary-grade item — her power was rapidly approaching that of a Tier 4 Class holder.
In a genuine one-on-one confrontation, his odds of losing were indeed high.
"Don't worry," Mo Xinyu glanced at Shen Ying and the others and offered a faint smile. "That Yuluo won't suffer much pain. Because she'll be joining you very shortly — no one can escape within Vice Leader Caomu's line of sight."
After that, Mo Xinyu and the others turned their attention to the approaching Hippogriffs and to Caomu Yiqiu, who now stood before them.
The moment Caomu Yiqiu — a Tier 4 powerhouse radiating overwhelming pressure — appeared, the Hippogriffs in flight grew visibly agitated. They even came to an involuntary halt, their eyes filled with dread.
"Flying straight here on a Hippogriff belonging to Sky Edge — I don't know whether to call you brave or painfully stupid." Caomu Yiqiu looked down at the four figures cloaked in black hoods, their information and auras completely concealed, and spoke with a smile. "Right now, only three people in Sky Edge possess Hippogriffs. Two of them are Vice Leaders, and they're still hiding somewhere on Dragon Heart Island. You clearly aren't them — so you must be the Captain Yuluo who's been missing all this time?"
Blood War had conducted a thorough investigation of every detail regarding Sky Edge. Before moving to dismantle the team, they had already combed through all of its records.
Yuluo's sudden disappearance as a captain was noted in their intelligence files.
Caomu Yiqiu's interrogation drew no rebuttal from Yuluo. She simply looked up at him, hovering in midair, and spoke in an even tone. "I genuinely didn't expect you'd be the first person on Dragon Heart Island to reach Tier 4."
"Indeed! But there are plenty of things you didn't expect — like the dissolution of your Sky Edge Adventure Team, or the fact that you've all become prisoners of our Blood War." Caomu Yiqiu showed no anger; instead, he sneered coldly. "So — will you make me do this myself, or will you all come quietly?"
But the moment Caomu Yiqiu finished speaking, a light laugh drifted from behind Yuluo.
"Vice Leader Caomu, it's been a while. Your bark has certainly gotten louder than before."
As the voice carried through the air, Caomu Yiqiu's expression shifted instantly. His gaze hardened as he locked onto a hooded young man standing behind Yuluo.
"You're…" Caomu Yiqiu could hardly believe his own ears. He knew that voice — knew it intimately, knew it to the point of revulsion. The sound that escaped his own throat came out strained and hoarse. "Black… Flame!"
It was this very person who had made Blood War lose face on Dragon Heart Island, who had nearly turned Blood War into a laughingstock among the major superpowers, and who was the person their leader, Zhanxue Zhanhun, wanted dead above all others.
"That's right." Shi Feng nodded and removed the hood obscuring his head, regarding Caomu Yiqiu with a faint smile. "Vice Leader Caomu — we meet again."
The instant Shi Feng unveiled himself, a wave of commotion rippled through the ranks of Blood War's members watching from afar. Even Shen Ying and the others, bound though they were, stared in sheer disbelief.