Chapter 331: The Bystander
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"Lord Gu Ai!"
"Whoa~ What's with all the shouting? Xiao Ai isn't dead yet!"
Xiao Ai rolled her eyes, looking utterly disgusted.
"Lord Gu Ai, you're injured!"
"Duh, don't I know it hurts? Why do I need you to tell me?"
"Amber will bandage you up!"
"No need. Just stand there and spout your cold remarks!"
"How could you be so careless?"
"I'd love to sew your mouth shut!"
After all, she was facing the Godslayer King. Even with thorough preparation and wielding three divine powers, victory came far from easily.
Beneath the black armor, Xiao Ai's abdomen was pierced by a spear, leaving only half her body intact. For anyone else, death would have been inevitable, with barely a breath left.
Yet even with such a severe wound, Xiao Ai managed to kill two Godslaying Kings with her last breath.
"You should have called Amber for help."
"If Amber had intervened, Xiao Ai might not have prevailed."
"Lord Gu Ai, we have a better plan, don't we? Amber could send the Valkyrie squad to eliminate them…"
"Bullshit! Who do you think they are? You can call them bad, but you can't call them weak."
Clutching her freshly bandaged abdomen, damn it—just talking made the pain flare up again…
"Besides Xiao Ai, do you really think you're their match?"
"This authority is a dimensional attack against you. Only Xiao Ai, who also wields authority, remains unaffected. Just getting close will require every trick in your bag."
Yeah, no matter what, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. After all, they're the genuine article—the Godslaying King. Their strength is no illusion.
"Enough talk. Go retrieve the authority…"
"Call in reinforcements. Flush out every rat hiding nearby. I can smell them—there are plenty."
【Heguang, have Sister Hui come find me. We need to move.】
【Zhanlong acknowledged. Estimated arrival at target location in 173 seconds.】
【No need to call. Yu Meng can hear me. I'll arrive before Dragon Slayer.】
Amber pursed her lips. "Lord Gu Ai, I'll escort you out first."
Xiao Ai, who had just been helped to her feet, froze upon hearing this and glared at Amber.
"You're itching for a beating today, aren't you? If you—"
"Wait…"
"What do you mean?"
Xiao Ai sensed something was off too. Amber today…
"Lady Gu Ai, Amber meant nothing by it."
Xiao Ai couldn't shake the feeling something was off. Amber had never been this rude before.
Playful as she was, Amber wasn't stupid—she'd earned her position as Xiao Ai's personal attendant.
Whether it was reading people or work skills, she was top-notch.
"Sister Hui… shouldn't Sister Hui be with Li Shiyao? Why did you call her back?"
"Gu Ai, most of the Thirteen Valkyries have returned to the inner city to assist Mengdie and Her Highness the Princess with the suppression mission. Only Zhanlong and Yu Meng remain on standby in this dungeon world."
Xiao Ai stared at Amber, who acted as if nothing was amiss. After all, both logically and emotionally, her deployment decisions were sound.
"No, where is Li Shiyu now?"
"Miss Shiyu is currently with His Highness the Sovereign, accompanied by several of his personal disciples."
"I asked where she is!"
"In the depression at coordinates 273 in the Southern Region, adjacent to the Tea Mountains. It appears she's clearing the Dead Ground."
[Sister Hui, you need not come. Remain on standby at your current location.]
【I obey your command, my esteemed Lord Gu Ai.】
【Scout the surrounding area. Report immediately if hostile units are detected…】
Fifteen seconds later…
【Yu Menghui reporting to Lord Gu Ai: Suspected hostile unit traces detected. Target possesses spatial-level camouflage capabilities, only faint traces discernible. Requesting mansion's visual coverage.】
Xiao Ai shot Amber a vicious glare before turning and walking away.
"Leave this to you. Clean up the mess and come kneel in my office."
Amber looked utterly dejected—she'd been found out after all. "…Yes."
【Xiao Ai has granted permission. Surveillance coverage will sync to you within three minutes.】
On Su Cheng's end, regardless of how peculiar it seemed, this deadly trap had to be cleared.
In other words, this battle was unavoidable.
Cheng Liang and Shangguan Rou stared at the Faceless One before them, both visibly startled.
Like a Western knight's armor possessed by a specter, the Faceless One stood in the center of the clearing, a long sword in hand, seemingly awaiting challengers.
"What is this?" Cheng Liang did not initiate an attack. Compared to the Hunters, this Faceless One seemed to possess little offensive intent.
"We call this type of Apostle the Faceless One. They wield all kinds of weapons."
"Though tall and sturdy, trust me—he's far more agile than you'd expect."
Cheng Liang didn't doubt Su Cheng's words. The hunter's agility had already far exceeded his expectations.
Such a massive frame, yet capable of high-speed maneuvering with minimal noise—it defied logic.
But what could he do about it?
This black mist was equally unreasonable.
"Based on what you said earlier, this should be the mother entity. Killing it will disperse the black mist, right?"
"Yes, but it's strange. I feel like someone else is here, or that someone else has been here."
"Why do you say that?"
Su Cheng stopped Ye Qinghan and the others behind him, preventing them from advancing further. This place was too clean.
This didn't align with the hunting standards of either the Hunters or the Faceless Ones.
Hunters always conceal themselves—that's the nature of the game.
"I sense someone was here—cleaned up any hunters in the vicinity, then left."
Li Shiyao glanced at her senior and junior sisters beside her. Seeing neither had spoken, she voiced her thoughts.
"Master, but there are no signs of a struggle here. If someone had come, facing such a monster, could they have killed it without a trace and left?"
Dongfang Jue's heart skipped a beat—Master had spotted the flaw!
Su Cheng nodded. Li Shiyu was right.
[To eliminate so many hunters without leaving a trace… that's not something an ordinary cultivator could accomplish…]
【Wait…】
【Not an ordinary cultivator…】
"Qinghan, go to Lingxian Hall and fetch something for your master."
Ye Qinghan: What's going on?
Sending her away whenever a fight breaks out—isn't Master being a bit biased?
Though this kind of favoritism warms her heart, she…
"Master, why not send Little Junior Sister instead? Qinghan can stay here and assist you."
Junior Sister: ?
Dongfang Jue thought to herself: I came here to rescue Master, so why am I suddenly being sent to fetch something?
Master clearly sensed something was amiss now. Could it be he was going to fetch some countermeasure artifact?
But that didn't make sense either!
While some of Master's treasures couldn't be stored in the Moon-Wielding Pavilion, he could usually summon them effortlessly. I've never seen him go to fetch anything before…
【Help? If it truly is them, I doubt anyone can save me…】
"Qinghan, you all return first. Help your master search the Lingxian Hall. I have a magical artifact there that might counter this black mist."
Ye Qinghan knew the Master was about to deceive the child again and immediately protested.
"Master, Qinghan isn't good at finding things."
"Master is so careless. Shiyu will help you search. What is it?"
Su Cheng thought to himself, Just as expected—it always comes down to Shiyu! Sometimes being too clever isn't a good thing!
"This artifact is called the Super Invincible Whirling Rainbow Lamp. It resembles a candlestick yet resembles a teapot. If we have this…"
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