Chapter 43: Singing Off Key as the Tune Drifted Away

On the theatrical stage.

Gu Nian, with her long legs, quickly dodged Mr. He's attack, landing both feet on a bronze gong rack with her delicate brows tightly knitted.

She was a player of the spell-casting class. Those who could inherit this path were invariably sharp-witted and rigorously analytical. Among the Keepers of the Qingfu District, she had always served as the tactical commander.

Though the battle just now was brief, lasting probably less than two minutes, Gu Nian already realized that her team's tactical approach was fundamentally flawed.

Earlier, everyone had simply wanted to focus their firepower and take down Mr. He, but now it was clear that this method was unviable.

The suppression power of a Tier 2 player over a Tier 1 player could not be bridged simply through combat techniques, and the mystical abilities between the two tiers were worlds apart. For instance, there was the savagely aggressive Red Dog, and Mr. He, who could conjure a theatrical stage...

Although her side had numbers, they were mostly Tier 1 players who could fundamentally inflict no substantial damage on Mr. He, herself included. As for the sole person with Tier 2 class traits, Red Dog, his combat power was off the charts, but once he entered combat mode, he completely lost his sanity...

The more fiercely his malevolent, fiery aura burned, the stronger Red Dog's berserker nature became. Yet, the moment he encountered a flexible, agile combat class, he would instantly feel powerless.

The two mystical abilities Mr. He had currently displayed were:

Courageous Heart—which allowed him to become much more focused and fearless, knowing no terror whatsoever, and rendering him immune to illusions and mind-interference attacks.

In and Out Seven Times—the greatest characteristic of this mystical ability was "control immunity." Most control tactics used by Tier 1 players had zero effect on him. Just now, Gu Nian had cast "Imprisoning Cages" twice, but he shattered both with a single thrust of his spear, completely failing to hinder him at all.

"Swish, swish...!"

Gu Nian's eyes darted across the stage, observing the combat. She saw with her own eyes as Mr. He once again evaded Red Dog's greatsword, using the tip of his spear to jab the man in the flank.

"Pfft!"

Blood spurted from Huang Wei's lower back. Drawing his sword and leaping two meters backward, he roared once more, "Blood Bath!"

"Bang!"

Blood burst from his waist and shot into the air, entirely gathered and absorbed by the crimson greatsword.

"Blood Sacrifice—Annihilation!"

"Hum!"

The crimson greatsword shook wildly, and his thick arms could barely maintain their grip on the hilt.

Huang Wei's eyes had lost all human agility, leaving only a ferocious glare fixed on his target.

A phantom surged forth from his body, standing some four or five meters tall. It was the image of a demon god with crimson bloodlines, resembling the ancestral spirit of an ancient tribe.

Clad in a leather skirt and wielding a giant axe, the phantom merged with Huang Wei's will in an instant.

True body and phantom alike swung sword and axe together.

Mr. He's pupils constricted. With a single spring, he leaped directly onto a roof beam, holding his theatrical spear horizontally to block.

"Rumble...!"

A single horizontal sweep carried an unstoppable, destructive force.

The entire stage shattered. The walls, the red silk drapes, along with the stage's scenery, completely disintegrated in a chaotic storm of flying debris.

"Thud!"

Ren Ye dropped flat to the ground, shielding his old man, and gritted his teeth, cursing, "This fucking guy is a brainless brute... You really can't take him into the Star Gate; going there is just suicide."

With a single blow, everyone around was overturned, friend and foe alike caught in the shockwave.

Xu Peng lay on the ground, wiping blood from his cheek, grumbling curses, "I told you... this is bad, we're goners, absolute goners...!"

The stage had collapsed and suffered severe damage.

Up on the roof beam, Mr. He suddenly felt his intense focus break, accompanied by a wave of physical fatigue.

Since his stage-bound natal artifact was damaged, he was inevitably suffering the consequences.

"Cao's thief is too powerful! I must go save the young lord...!"

Mr. He lunged straight toward Ren Ye with his spear.

Though Red Dog had lost his reason, he had triggered his class's "Challenge" trait, fighting his target to the death.

"Clang!"

With a cross-block of his sword, the two clashed once more.

Nearby, Ren Ye stood up, tossed his old man behind a backdrop curtain, and shouted through clenched teeth, "Long Legs, take out that dwarf and the big brute first! Clear the small fry. Once my dad gets back, we'll have plenty of time to play with that opera singer."

This thought coincided perfectly with Gu Nian's plan.

The long-legged woman stood atop the gong rack, her long hair fluttering as her magic wand flashed with brilliant radiance.

She closed her eyes slightly, her pretty face serene, resembling a little fairy.

"Telekinetic Magic—Levitation!"

Her crisp voice echoed across the area as Gu Nian waved both arms upward.

"Whoosh!"

The centipedes and venomous bugs on the stage, along with the Plunder-class player and the little dwarf, all lifted off the ground at that very moment, floating into the air without warning.

Among spell-casting inheritance classes, many high-tier forbidden arts existed; once deployed, the caster would be left drained afterward.

However, if Gu Nian wanted to quickly regain control of the situation, she had no choice but to open with her ultimate ability prematurely.

Fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, and her delicate body trembled slightly.

After everyone floated into the air, their movements paused briefly in mid-air.

This was the chance!

Ren Ye sidestepped and directly used his mind to trigger the Nine-Tiered Buddha Pagoda: "Stupid demon spirit, time to work!"

"Awooo!"

A venomous, shrill roar echoed from within the pagoda, and a massive green snake phantom lunged out, swallowing the floating Plunder-class player whole in a single gulp.

"Pfft!"

A blood-red maw engulfed the Plunder-class player entirely into its belly.

"Thud, thud...!"

Sounds of fists and feet striking and kicking the inside of the green snake's belly rang out as the powerful Plunder-class player struggled fiercely within its body.

"Hiss~!"

The green snake phantom lifted its neck and flicked its red tongue, sending a emerald-green halo sweeping swiftly across its neck before surging down toward its belly.

A sound of acid corrosive to flesh echoed. After about a second, the green snake spat out a human skeleton with a wet pop, which flew off and vanished along the edge of the stage.

"Little bastard... daring to call me stupid? This seat will remember this!" The green snake phantom actually cursed with a very human-like inflection before vanishing into thin air.

"Pop!"

The mystical ability ended, and the Nine-Tiered Buddha Pagoda shattered, turning into drifting powder.

When Ren Ye had seized this item, it had already been used twice; now, expending its final charge, its spiritual essence was gone and the demon spirit had fled.

However, Ren Ye paid no attention to the green snake's threat. Glancing down, he saw that the Plunder-class player had been corroded down to a mere skeleton, dead beyond redemption.

"Bang, bang!"

A series of explosions erupted nearby. Ren Ye turned his head to see the three Keepers, taking advantage of the little dwarf's suspension in the air, each unleashing their offensive mystical abilities.

Yet... the little dwarf possessed formidable combat power, second only to Mr. He among their opponents. He had manipulated venomous insects and centipedes to take the brunt of the attacks. Though he was severely injured, he did not die on the spot.

The other three Keepers were also in rough shape, all sustaining varying degrees of injuries.

After a round of coordinated attacks, Gu Nian was completely emptied. She gracefully floated down from the gong rack, preparing to cast another spell, but managed to conjure only a very crude copper hoop, devoid even of fire...

She was thoroughly drained of strength.

On the other side, Ren Ye had also run out of tricks. His charm ability had already been used and could not be reactivated for twelve hours, while the *Scroll of Spring Breeze and Contentment* had no effect on the hyper-focused Mr. He.

Furthermore, the Nine-Tiered Buddha Pagoda—his only weapon capable of killing—had shattered...

What should he do?

Just as Ren Ye prepared to figure out a way to assist Red Dog, he suddenly caught sight of a flash of chilling light heading straight for his throat.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

The rhythm of the drums and gongs accelerated. Mr. He stared fixedly at Ren Ye with stubborn eyes and shouted, "Young general, leave the Qinggang Sword to me, and let me slay another thirty thousand of Cao's troops!"

With an angry roar.

Ren Ye's mind gave a booming shock as he felt his entire body locked down by the other's piercing murderous intent. His legs refused to budge, and he couldn't even breathe.

I've been trapped.

"Save Ren Ye...!" Gu Nian screamed in terror.

"Whoosh!"

The chilling light thrust straight toward his throat, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. The surrounding Keepers tried to block it, but it was already too late.

In a single instant, Ren Ye perceived death...

His pupils constricted sharply, the spear tip grew larger and larger, and the entire stage instantly fell silent. Even the rampat, brain-dead Red Dog blankly turned his head to gaze at Ren Ye.

"Step...!"

At that exact moment, Mr. He suddenly halted and took a step back.

He sensed a fierce, sharp aura right beneath his feet.

Huh?

Wait, why is my shadow...

"Swish!"

Beneath the stage lights, a shadow surged up from Mr. He's feet, gripping a spear and thrusting forward directly.

"Clang!"

Mr. He whipped his spear around to parry. Man and shadow met, and instantly retreated upon contact.

The shadow stood up, gradually solidifying. Its physique, costume, and the theatrical spear clutched in its hand turned out to be identical to Mr. He's down to the smallest detail, even matching the tears in their stage robes.

The two stood in a standoff, each holding a spear, like a pair of mirror images.

Mr. He was dumbfounded, a flicker of lucidity finally piercing his stubborn gaze: "What general comes hence?!"

"I am Zhao Zilong of Shanghai!"

The shadow appeared to open its mouth, yet could not truly speak. Instead, a sweet-voiced girl's voice seemed specifically tailored to "dub" for it nearby.

Her voice was slightly naive, somewhat cute, yet tinged with a hint of madness as she turned and shouted to Ren Ye and the others, "You guys stay out of it."

"Battle!"

Mr. He gritted his teeth and gripped his spear, instantly engaging his own shadow in combat.

The surrounding Keepers, Ren Ye, and even Red Dog were all stunned, but simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief, realizing the shadow clearly belonged to their faction.

"Clang, clang...!"

Mr. He and the shadow exchanged blows with terrifying speed, fighting from the ground to the roof beams, and from the beams to the right side of the stage—so fast that even Gu Nian could barely keep up. Yet everyone shared a unanimous consensus: the shadow was utterly freakish.

It could actually mimic Mr. He's offensive moves; however the opponent attacked, it would retaliate in kind.

After barely twenty seconds of trading blows, Mr. He leaped back, covered in sweat, and cursed in a rare moment of breaking character: "Such a fine rendition of Changban Slope, why has it turned into Monkey King's Havoc in Heaven?!"

"Is that so?"

The girl's ethereal shout echoed, brimming with playfulness: "Then how about we switch to a mythological play instead?"

As her voice fell, the shadow standing with its spear suddenly shifted in form. Its spine slowly curved, and thick dark hair sprouted from its arms and torso, while its gaze and expression grew far more lively... Finally, the spear in its hand transformed into a pitch-black, elongated staff...

Its appearance genuinely morphed into that of Sun Wukong, bounding and leaping about like a monkey.

"Watch me blow a handful of hair!" The shadow plucked a tuft of black hair from its head and blew lightly into the air.

"Pfft!"

The black hairs drifted away, bursting open under the stage lights.

"Swish, swish, swish...!"

In an instant, the entire stage was filled with shadows; the entire stage was filled with Sun Wukongs!

True and false were indistinguishable, illusory yet real.

Seeing this, Mr. He felt his scalp tingle instantly. His mind snapped back to absolute clarity, and breaking character once more, he cursed, "You fucking cheat! You're that hunter from the Scam Merchant Guild. Have you reached Tier 3?!"

"Not yet, I'm just much stronger than you."

"Hah, take this old grandson's staff...!"

Countless shouts surged from all directions as every single shadow monkey leaped into the air, smashing straight down toward Mr. He.

"I'm not fucking playing anymore!"

Mr. He retreated in utter disarray, grabbed the heavily injured little dwarf, and roared, "Show's curtain call—Enter the Stage!"

"Swish!"

As his voice fell, a wooden door bearing the four characters "Actors' Entrance" materialized out of thin air at the exit ramp.