Not far away, the vice leader of Descent of the One Hundred G.o.ds, an axe-wielding berserker swore in humiliation and fury, "G.o.d dammit! How did this happen? We made this guild solely for the purpose of killing him, but he still managed to escape our clutches! I don't want to think what people will say if they hear about this…"

Beside him, an archer spat on the ground before replying, "None of us needs the reminder, boss. That f.u.c.king boy is very powerful. He managed to kill a dozen or so players even after we surrounded him. Now we're more like 'Descent of the Eighty Plus G.o.ds'..."

The corner of the berserker's mouth twitched once. "No one will think you're mute if you don't speak! Anyway, contact G.o.d's Domain, Era of Strife and Asuka Period and tell them our coordinates. We must annihilate him as soon as possible, or Purple Grape City truly won't have a future anymore."

"I know!"

……

The ground next to me shuddered with horse hooves again, and again, I chose to let them go. I simply moved to the north and away from their search area and waited for my HP to regenerate to full. That sure was a dangerous fight. I was this close from activating my Invincibility skill.

It was a short fight, but one that exhausted much of my Stamina. After looking around and confirming that there was no one around me, I deactivated Earth Escape. This place was about 0.5 or 1 kilometer away from the battlefield, and it was full of trees and leaves. I should be safe enough from discovery.

Swhoos.h.!.+

I crawled out of the earth and stared at the dark sky above my head. I recalled the message Xinran left me a while ago: "I'm heading back to G.o.d's Domain, big brother. Take care…"

It looks like even little sisters are unreliable these days. If Xinran was present during the fight, I would have had a much easier time dealing with the enemy.

Hugging the Purple Ying Sword, I slowly sat down beneath a giant red maple tree and leaned against it. I tilted my head upward and allowed the light drizzle to slide down my cheeks. It was surprisingly cold despite the mild rain, and after observing myself I had to say that a drenched man who just got into a fight moments earlier didn't look good. A sudden sneeze escaped my mouth as I hugged my Purple Ying Sword tighter and s.h.i.+vered.

I thought to myself: There can't be a worse-looking Heavenly King than me right now, can there?

It was at this moment a white horse appeared at the gra.s.sy plains some distance away from me. The master of the white horse was a high-level woman clad in battle armor and wielding a sword with light spinning around it. She stopped when she was about a hundred yards away and watched me with a pair of cool eyes. The ID above her head was "Flowing Cloud”. She was the leader of an Elephant City guild, Natural Flow.

"Heh, you poor fellow. You didn't have to suffer like this."

Flowing Cloud dismounted and looked at me, saying, "To think you would let yourself fall to this state for your so-called national dignity. I've only heard of you in the past, but now I finally know you for who you are, Lu Chen. You… are a most pitiful man!"

I gripped the Purple Ying Sword warily and slowly rose back to my feet. I then buffed myself with a Ghost Chariot Card and activated Great Earth Transformation. The only way to kill an expert at Flowing Cloud's level was to go all out.

"Calm down!"

Flowing Cloud shrugged. "The war of Purple Grape City is over. The reason Elephant City partic.i.p.ated in the first place was to put a dent in China's growth, which we obviously failed to do. But that's not a dealbreaker, is it? Surely you don't consider us mortal enemies just because we fought a war before?"

I smiled. "Is that so? Does that mean you're not here to hunt me?"

Flowing Cloud's shoulders shook as she giggled. "Hah! So wary. The reason Natural Flow partic.i.p.ated in the war was because we were fulfilling our obligations to Elephant City, not because we wanted to kill you personally. Now that the war is over, I have even less of a reason to kill you. And even if I did, do you really think I would come alone? Do I look dumb enough to face China's G.o.d of slaughter, the Little Heavenly King, all by myself?"

I glanced at my surroundings warily with Dark Pupils but saw no one. It seemed like she was telling the truth. As far as I could tell, there wasn't anyone within 1000 yards of me except me, Flowing Cloud, and a couple of random players. Most of the higher-level players had gone to the battle site to search the area like headless flies.

After determining that Flowing Cloud's intentions weren't hostile, I gradually sat back down beneath the red maple tree and planted the Purple Ying Sword next to me. Then, I took out a loaf of bread from my bag, ate about half of it before looking at Flowing Cloud and asking, "You want some?"

Flowing Cloud burst into another giggle. "It's fine, I don't need it. I came here with some other business."

I nodded. "I know."

Flowing Cloud started, "Lu Chen, I understand the loneliness and grief you're feeling right now. You've given up almost everything for the China server, but not only were your efforts not acknowledged by them, you were even kicked out of your server. That's not the kind of humiliation any hero worth their salt can endure. I think—"

I looked up again and interrupted her, "Flowing Cloud, thank you, but I don't need your pity."

"I know."

Flowing Cloud nodded before continuing, "This is just a suggestion. We've done a bit of research on the vice chief of the China VR department Tang Long, and we learned that he is greedy, ruthless, corrupted, and open to any sort of bribery. He attacked you not because he had a beef with you, but because you damaged his interests. According to the rumors, Tang Long had a deal with the j.a.pan VR department. He was promised a great reward if he could protect Purple Grape City from being destroyed, and he would have succeeded if you hadn't wrecked his plans completely. That is why he hates you so much."

I licked my lips while smiling. "I knew it. I thought that something was fishy when he made me that offer. I'm a hothead sometimes, but I haven't made that choice because of my brothers and sisters' sacrifices only. I had a feeling that we would be dragged into a whirlpool of greed if we gave in to him."

Flowing Cloud said, "Lu Chen, I've discussed with G.o.d of War and Breeze and Rain before coming to you. If you agree to our conditions, we will mobilize our intelligence agency, dig out the evidence of Tang Long's corruption, root him out once and for all, and clear your name."

I looked up. "Oh? What kind of conditions are we talking about?"

Flowing Cloud opened her palms. "Long story short, the India server would like to employ your services for half a year. We will pay you 5 million USD for your troubles. If you agree, Elephant City will dispatch their troops and rescue you from Final Duel Valley right now!"

I let out a chuckle before leaning back against the tree. I replied lazily, "Thank you for the offer, but I don't think that the dignity in my bones or the Yanhuang blood flowing in my veins will allow me to accept the offer. I'm sorry for being so old-fas.h.i.+oned, but I will never, ever betray my country, not for half a year, an hour, or even fifteen minutes. It's my bottom line, and it is one I will never cross in my lifetime."

Flowing Cloud let out a snort of exasperation and helplessness, "Poor, poor Lu Chen. For what reason do you think you are trapped here? The only reward for your persistence is endless betrayal."

Pa!

I abruptly gripped the handle of my weapon and declared, "The ones who betrayed me are my enemies, not my brothers and sisters. Everyone is working hard in their own way so I can return to them one day. That is why I persist even now.

You are right. There are a lot of people in China, and their hearts are never truly united. In any time or place, you will always find a great number of greedy bureaucrats and traitorous villains. But equally, there will always be a group of people who truly love their country and will not hesitate to defend the dignity of their people even to the death. I am no Yue Fei, I'm not the type of person who endures when a vile person attempts to persecute me. Just watch. One day, I and my millions and millions of brothers and sisters will sweep through the Center and cleanse it of all its impurities. I am loyal to this country, but I am not loyal to any one ruler!"

Flowing Cloud stared blankly at me for a moment, seemingly not noticing the rainwater sliding down her hair. Eventually, she broke into a sudden smile and returned her sword back to her sheathe. "I understand now why you're loved and supported by so many people in the China server. I didn't even think that charisma is a real thing until now… hehe. Very well. Then we shall pretend that I have never made you this offer. I will be taking my leave, Lu Chen!"

I said to her, "Don't come back, or I will treat you like any other enemy."

Flowing Cloud chuckled. "Of course. Elephant City and Cyan Earth City may accept j.a.pan's invitation and hunt you, but I guarantee that you will never find me or Natural Flow's players in this map. If I didn't want to make you the offer, I would have never entered this accursed map in the first place…"

I smiled. "Very well. I won't be seeing you off."

"No problem. See you again somewhere in this world!"

The white horse departed, and Flowing Cloud vanished from my vision just like that.

……

I checked the items and equipment in my bag. Alright, I've decided. I'm going to exchange my bag of equipment for refinement points first before coming back to Final Duel Valley!

Half an hour later, the deed was done, and I was back in the dangerous map once more.

Rustle rustle…

The weather grew worse as the Armored Ice Qilin Horse cantered across the rain-drenched leaves, greatly reducing every player's vision range. The good news was that Dark Pupils allowed me to see through obstacles almost as if I had infrared vision, so the downpour didn't affect me too much. I looked in a certain direction where a large group of red dots was gathered on the map.

I calculated my next move carefully. The normal players couldn't really threaten me, but Descent of the One Hundred G.o.ds definitely could. Since they were the biggest threat, it made sense for me to eliminate them first. I bet that no one will dare to make such a bombastic name anymore after I've wiped out the entire guild!

I chuckled to myself. Too bad for the enemy, I was very good at guerilla warfare. It didn't matter how strong my opponent was because a chance was all I needed, and it would always present itself, eventually...……

I summoned my pet, and we both entered stealth once more.

After we entered the forest, we circled around an area with a large group of cavalry and ran into a canyon full of archers and mages. Hot d.a.m.n, the j.a.panese players had gone completely bonkers after all the damage they had suffered in my hands. I counted at least a hundred thousand players in this section alone. However, the players of Descent of the One Hundred G.o.ds were nowhere to be seen, so I moved on without bothering them.

About an hour later, I finally found a small Descent of the One Hundred G.o.ds party on a small hill at the back of the mountain range. There were a total of 24 players, and a large majority of them were mounted players. They were resting, so at least seven of them were dismounted and chatting about nothing in particular. They weren't defenseless, of course. The archers were keeping an eye on their surroundings, and my Dark Pupils revealed three stealthed a.s.sa.s.sins guarding each corner of the hill. The seemingly relaxing mages also had their Magic s.h.i.+elds turned on, not letting down their guard for even a moment.

It didn't matter though. A dangerous smile crossed my lips as I quietly unsheathed the Purple Ying Sword. Stay alert all you want, you can't do anything to stop me from killing you!