Chapter 139: Melee

"Twenty leader-level monsters are not something any single party can handle alone. I suggest we kill the monsters first. As for what happens afterward, we'll see who emerges victorious. What do you all think?" Feng Wuxue narrowed his eyes at the group, his voice low.

"Fine, I agree." "I agree as well. Let's do it that way."

The other teams chimed in one after another, though their eyes darted around shiftily; no one knew what they were really thinking.

"And what about Miss Shura? Any objections?" Since the other teams had agreed and only Ye Chen and his companion remained silent, Feng Wuxue naturally had to ask. However, he clearly ignored Ye Chen, narrowing his eyes only at Leng Yueshuang.

"No problem." Leng Yueshuang’s husky, seductive voice resonated, making the male players feel as if a kitten were scratching at their hearts, yet the icy aura radiating from her kept them from daring to meet her gaze directly.

"Very well. Since that's settled, let's make a pact: before the monsters are dead, we shall not attack one another. Otherwise, the other teams will join forces to strike down the offender. How does that sound?" A warm, seemingly sincere smile hung on Feng Wuxue’s face.

The other teams nodded in succession. Leng Yueshuang consulted with Ye Chen and also expressed no objection. Ye Chen, however, sneered inwardly. Feng Wuxue was no saint; anyone who trusted him wouldn't even know how they died. There was no telling what sinister schemes he was brewing.

Once the agreement was set, the groups dispersed to fight the monsters. There were only twenty monsters but five teams, and everyone knew there wouldn't be enough soul crystals to go around. Thus, each team fought with all their might. The fastest were undoubtedly Feng Wuxue’s team and Ye Chen’s team. Ye Chen’s team, in particular, was exceptionally efficient, with the four massive Soul Pilgrims acting as tanks. Their damage output was high, and by focusing four of them on a single target, combined with the formidable prowess of Leng Yueshuang and Ye Chen—whose attack power exceeded 400 points even with his Rare-grade staff—they easily took the lead.

*Boom.* -516. Ye Chen’s black fireball struck a Soul Renegade. Several players who noticed this let out a soft sound of surprise.

"Hey, that little Shadow Priest has decent attack power. He’s top-tier among players who haven't undergone their second class advancement."

"Doesn't matter. Without the powerful skills of a second advancement, he won't be a match for us."

Though the players from the other teams were slightly taken aback, they didn't take it to heart. Each of them had an attack power exceeding 400, and they all possessed second-advancement skills, so they didn't consider Ye Chen a threat.

Feng Wuxue, however, narrowed his eyes slightly upon seeing the black fireball. But when he saw the damage output, he shook his head with a mocking laugh, thinking he was overthinking things. With so many people in Lieshan City, it couldn't possibly be that same person receiving this quest. This Shadow Priest before him was merely a slightly stronger first-advancement player.

Time ticked by, and the Soul Renegades fell one by one. Ye Chen intentionally slowed his pace, staying just a bit faster than the other teams and even deliberately lagging behind Feng Wuxue’s team at times. He wasn't anxious, because no matter what, the speed of one team couldn't surpass the combined total of four others; no one would manage to collect ten soul crystals before the slaughter began.

Leng Yueshuang didn't show any dissatisfaction with Ye Chen’s slacking off. In fact, flickering flames of excitement danced in her eyes; she seemed even more eager for combat than Ye Chen. Ye Chen inwardly cursed her for being a PK addict—he killed with a purpose, but this woman seemed to kill simply for the sake of killing.

Half an hour later, by coincidence, only five monsters remained in the hall. A strange atmosphere permeated the air. Exchanges of glances and whispered secrets were everywhere. Everyone tensed their bodies, preparing to launch or deflect an attack.

Ye Chen’s heart stirred. He secretly called out to 2058, whispering, "Intercept their private messages."

2058 didn't hesitate and replied, "Understood."

With a soft *ding*, all team chat messages were diverted to Ye Chen’s ears as if they were on a public channel; there were no secrets left.

*Zhuifeng Shaonian:* "Jian Kuang, have you contacted the other two teams?"

*Jian Kuang:* "Yes. They’ve agreed to join forces with us to deal with those two strongest teams."

*Zhuifeng Shaonian:* "Can they be trusted? What if they go back on their word?"

*Jian Kuang:* "Don't worry. Among the five teams, we three are the weakest. If we don't join forces, we’ll definitely be consumed by the other two. Only by uniting do we have a chance."

*Zhuifeng Shaonian:* "How do we split the loot?"

*Jian Kuang:* "Heh, neither of those teams are pushovers. Except for the rookie Shadow Priest beside Shura Blade, they’re all hard to deal with. There will definitely be casualties. Whoever survives gets the loot. It’s up to luck."

*Zhuifeng Shaonian* was silent for a moment before nodding. "That’s the only way. When do we strike, and which team do we target first?"

*Jian Kuang:* "We take out Kang Fu and Feng Wuxue first. As soon as the monsters are dead, we strike!"

*Zhuifeng Shaonian:* "Why not go after Shura Blade and her team first? Those giant skeletons scare me; they seem like a bigger threat." He subconsciously glanced at the four Soul Pilgrims fighting in the distance, only to see the cloaked Shadow Priest smile at him. Feeling as though he had been seen through completely, he shivered, quickly turned away, and typed into the team channel, "I don't like that Shadow Priest. I’m going to kill him with my own hands later."

*Jian Kuang:* "That little Shadow Priest is no threat, don't worry about him. Once we take care of Feng Wuxue and Kang Fu, we’ll deal with him. As for why we target them first—heh, this quest requires two people to complete it. If that little Shadow Priest dies, Shura Blade will either have to quit or join us."

*Zhuifeng Shaonian:* "Then why don't we just kill the Shadow Priest first? Wouldn't it be easier to have Shura Blade join us then?"

*Jian Kuang* replied impatiently, "Are you stupid? That little Shadow Priest can be killed in an instant, but our three teams are still at full strength. How would that persuade Shura Blade to join us? Do you want to go die? By the time she finishes off our teams out of rage with those four monsters, and Feng Wuxue’s group adds fuel to the fire, we’ll all be dead. But if we kill Feng Wuxue’s group first, then kill the Shadow Priest, Shura Blade will be backed into a corner. We’ll surely have empty slots in our teams by then, and recruiting her will be easy. Everyone is here for the quest rewards; who would turn down a reward?"

*Zhuifeng Shaonian* nodded, seemingly understanding, and said nothing more, waiting for Jian Kuang’s signal.

While Jian Kuang and the others plotted, Feng Wuxue and Kang Fu were having a similar conversation. Interestingly, their targets were also those same three teams. According to Kang Fu, one must pick the softest persimmon to squeeze; clashing with Shura Blade and her four monsters would likely result in mutual destruction, whereas any of the other three teams were no match for the two of them. Of course, they didn't realize those three teams had already united to ambush them.

*Boom, boom, boom.* The last few monsters fell in rapid succession. At almost the exact same moment, Jian Kuang let out a furious roar: "Attack! Take them down! Kill Feng Wuxue first!"

"Damn it, Feng Wuxue is gone!"

"When did he go into stealth!?"

Several ranged attackers immediately searched for their target but saw only Kang Fu charging toward them. Where was Feng Wuxue?

"Forget it! Kill Kang Fu!" Jian Kuang, appearing to be the leader, pointed at Kang Fu and charged forward with his sword raised.

"You brats actually dared to team up against your Grandpa Kang Fu? You’re dead!" Kang Fu was slightly surprised to find the three teams united, but his face showed no fear—only a savage, bloodthirsty grin. Red light surged over his body; he had activated Frenzy!

Speed increased by his frenzy, Kang Fu took long strides and charged toward an Elementalist.

"Ice Ring! Freeze him!" Jian Kuang shouted urgently.

The other Elementalist hurriedly moved to cast, but before he could even raise his staff, a reversed dagger smashed into the back of his head.

*Stun.* It was Feng Wuxue!

The mage’s Knight teammate panicked and thrust his lance at Feng Wuxue, hoping to force him back. Feng Wuxue didn't even look at the incoming lance, instead turning his hand for a Backstab, Fire Blade, and Assassination Strike—his speed was blindingly fast.

*Thud.* The Elementalist dropped dead instantly, and the Knight’s lance strike missed because Feng Wuxue had activated Shadow Dance, moving constantly while killing the mage.

"Feng Wuxue’s technique is good. He’s an expert. I’m interested," Leng Yueshuang remarked in the team channel, sounding eager.

"Don't move yet. Let them kill each other. It’s only fun to kill them once they have red names!" Ye Chen stopped her from joining the fray, adding, "Also, Feng Wuxue is mine. If you want to kill someone, you can take Kang Fu later!"

"Kang Fu? Do you know how much I hate tanks? Let those four giant skeletons assist me. Of course, if you can't handle Feng Wuxue without them, just ignore what I said." There was a clear provocation in Leng Yueshuang’s eyes; she wanted to see exactly how much skill this guy, who was pretending to be a rookie while wielding a Rare-grade staff, actually had.

"No problem," Ye Chen said casually, turning his gaze back to the battlefield.

At this point, the melee had reached a fever pitch, filled with shouting and cursing. Yet the situation was ironic: while there was a saying that the few cannot defeat the many, the scene before them was clearly a case of the many failing to defeat the few.

Kang Fu and Feng Wuxue’s ferocity far exceeded the six players' expectations. Feng Wuxue slaughtered the cloth-wearing mages as if they were chickens; his gleaming dagger was clearly a Silver-grade item. The mages, despite their rare sets, couldn't withstand his sneak attacks, and the melee fighters trying to surround him never got an opening. Feng Wuxue utilized his Shadow Dance skill to the limit, and aside from losing a chunk of HP to area-of-effect skills, he remained virtually unscathed.

Kang Fu, after entering his Frenzy, was also performing at an elite level. His single-handed axe swung with terrifying force, and his defense and HP were monstrous. He held off two melee fighters and an archer, eventually hacking one of the melee fighters to death. In less than five minutes, the two of them had slaughtered five people. Only Zhuifeng Shaonian, who had been quick to react, managed to flee far away. He kept running, and Feng Wuxue and Kang Fu couldn't be bothered to chase him.

Feng Wuxue had killed three people alone; his name was now stained a deep, blood-red.

During the chaos, the others had tried to beg Ye Chen and Leng Yueshuang for help, but the two ignored them completely. Seeing this, Kang Fu assumed they were afraid, and after finishing off the others, he let out a wild, arrogant laugh.

"Are you done laughing? If you are, you can go to your death."

As soon as Ye Chen finished speaking, he waved his hand forward. The four Soul Pilgrims roared and charged toward Kang Fu.

Kang Fu’s laughter came to an abrupt end.