Level Twenty-Two, Is That High?

Yue Zheng had originally wanted to leave too.

But just as he retreated behind a tree, he saw Mo Yifan flying over the distant ridge through a gap in the trees. Mo Yifan was descending, pointing out a slope that would let the people traveling below bypass the ravine.

The reinforcements were still on the other side of a deep gully and couldn't get there immediately, but the route Yue Zheng had originally planned to take happened to be the direction they were coming from.

If he ran straight into them now, how would that be any different from delivering himself into their hands?

He looked back and saw that Luo Xiao hadn't escaped either. Instead, those people had pinned him down again.

Yue Zheng's heart went cold.

There were people ahead to meet them, someone who could fly behind him, and both sides already knew this area. If they really wanted to catch him, he might not get away no matter which way he went.

His eyes hardened, and he turned his gaze on Jiang Shi.

Jiang Shi had only just obtained his first ring, hadn't recovered his Soul Power, and had a bow Martial Soul.

Seizing one of them was better than coming away empty-handed!

"Follow me. Let's get out first!"

Yue Zheng barked the order and lunged around the tree trunk.

But of the four people who had originally followed him, only two came along. The other two had taken one look at Luo Xiao and fled to the side in fright, unwilling to charge in for Yue Zheng again.

One of them even shouted at Yue Zheng.

"Didn't you say he was just helping us find the way?"

Yue Zheng didn't so much as look back.

The man looked at the fallen Luo Xiao, then at the direction Yue Zheng was charging, and his heart sank halfway to the bottom.

They had agreed to come Soul Hunting, but instead of snatching the final blow, they'd ended up fighting people from Spirit Hall first. Now Yue Zheng wanted to seize the player who had just absorbed a Soul Ring.

What was this supposed to be?

He loosened his grip on his Martial Soul, caught the other man by the sleeve, and retreated behind a tree farther away.

They had only been willing to follow Yue Zheng because he'd been able to lead them to Soul Beasts over the past few days. But no one had agreed to take the fall for his dealings with a wanted man, and no one wanted to lose the levels they'd worked so hard to accumulate.

Yue Zheng heard fewer footsteps behind him and grew even angrier.

They'd all called him so affectionately before, but when it was time to put in the effort, they were the first to hide!

He didn't shout again. As long as he seized Jiang Shi first, there would still be room to negotiate the rest.

Bai Ji saw them first.

The smoke had only just cleared, and she wasn't far from Jiang Shi. The moment she saw the gray-black scales and armor charging out from behind a tree, she shouted a warning, grabbed Jiang Shi by the collar, and yanked him hard to the side.

Jiang Shi fell forward and slid away, his shoulder scraping past a tree root.

Yue Zheng grabbed empty air. His right foot slammed into the ground, and he turned to lunge again.

Bai Ji's First Soul Ring lit up, and her remaining Soul Power surged out. A thick cloud of smoke rapidly rose between them.

She couldn't see Yue Zheng either.

But she knew where Jiang Shi had fallen, and she also knew which tree the thin cord behind and to the side led to.

"Grab my sleeve. Don't let go!"

The two felt their way backward along the cord. Yue Zheng chased them into the smoke, only to grab a handful of dispersing haze.

"Come out!"

He roared, and his First Soul Ring lit up. His scales and armor grew thicker. Then he raised his scale-covered arms and charged toward the edge of the smoke, forcing his way through the branches.

The moment he burst out, a streak of crimson sword light slashed straight at him.

Xu Sheng had arrived!

Yue Zheng hurriedly raised an arm. The sword edge scraped down his scales, leaving a deep crack.

He backed away in pain, but when he looked up and saw the blood on Xu Sheng's shoulder, he regained a little confidence.

"You can still fight?"

Xu Sheng didn't answer.

His white wings beat, and he advanced with his sword. The second strike was already upon Yue Zheng!

Yue Zheng had no choice but to activate his Second Soul Skill. Soul Power gathered between his hands, forming the phantom image of a pair of crocodile jaws that opened and snapped viciously at the blade.

Jaw Split!

This was the attack he was most confident in.

It closed at close range and had tremendous destructive power. Over the past few days, he'd hardly suffered any setbacks using it against other two-ring players.

As long as he trapped the sword, no matter how well those wings could fly, Xu Sheng would have to stay put first!

But Xu Sheng's sword suddenly withdrew half an inch.

The crocodile jaws bit down outside the blade, failing to close where Yue Zheng had expected. Xu Sheng turned his wrist, slid the sword sideways, and used the motion to cut toward the base of Yue Zheng's thumb.

Yue Zheng was shocked and immediately pulled his hands back.

By the time he tried to follow up, Xu Sheng had already stepped in front of him.

A shoulder ram, an arm pinned down, and a sword hilt smashed into his face!

Bang!

Yue Zheng's head jerked to one side, and the taste of blood filled his mouth.

He was both shocked and furious.

They were both level twenty-two, and Xu Sheng had just finished fighting a Soul Elder. How could he still be this fast?

Xu Sheng gave him no chance to puzzle it out.

After practicing with Ji Juechen for so long and just having received Luo Xiao's attacks, the movements of the man before him were, to Xu Sheng, as plain as if they'd been laid out right in front of his face.

To grab the sword, he raised his shoulder first.

When he wanted to use his Second Soul Skill, his hands moved together toward the middle.

And after being forced to the side, Yue Zheng actually still wanted to rely on his scales and armor to force his way back in!

Xu Sheng drove his knee up, throwing Yue Zheng off balance, then pressed a wingtip against the ground and used the force to circle around behind him.

The crimson blade slashed down. The scales that had cracked earlier could no longer hold, and blood immediately gushed out.

Yue Zheng screamed and lunged forward.

"Help me!"

He roared at his companions.

But those two had their hands full as well.

One was blocked by Lu Song. He tried to get around the shield, only for Ren Yu's Green Jade Vine to wrap around his ankle. The other had just raised his Martial Soul when Cen Zhao's chain spear swept across, its butt striking his elbow hard enough to make him lose his grip on the spot.

They were all one-ring fighters, but when it came to teamwork, Yue Zheng's men were far behind!

Seeing this, Yue Zheng finally panicked.

Relying on his First Soul Skill still being active, he slammed into a nearby tree, using its thick trunk to block Xu Sheng's sword as he prepared to charge once more in the direction Bai Ji and Jiang Shi had retreated.

Just then, an arrow flew in from the side.

It wasn't fast, and it didn't take any winding path. It struck precisely between the pieces of his arm armor that had already split open.

Pfft!

Yue Zheng's movement stiffened.

Jiang Shi stood between two trees, his face pale and his bow hand still trembling.

His First Soul Ring was glowing.

Snake Kiss Arrow.

Soul Power coated the arrow shaft, giving the shot a mild paralytic venom. If it had struck intact scales, it might not have hurt him, but Xu Sheng had already cleaved that layer of defense open.

Yue Zheng raised his hand to pull out the arrow, but his arm had already grown a little sluggish.

That little delay was enough for Xu Sheng's sword to reach him.

The blade pressed in from the side, forcing his raised hand away. Xu Sheng kicked the back of his knee, and Yue Zheng immediately dropped to his knees.

"Don't move!"

Xu Sheng barked.

Yue Zheng refused to admit defeat.

He still had his Second Soul Skill and a breath left in him! If he was willing to take a hit and then grab Xu Sheng's injured arm, he might still have a chance!

His second yellow ring suddenly lit up.

Xu Sheng's sword fell at the same moment.

This time, he held nothing back.

Before the phantom crocodile jaws could fully close, Yue Zheng fell forward, and the scales and armor on his body rapidly faded away.

Only heavy panting remained in the woods.

Jiang Shi gripped his bow, his eyes wide.

He really had hit someone just now.

The person who had wanted to use him as a shield.

Xu Sheng walked over, first checking his shoulder, then looking at the scrapes on Bai Ji's hands.

"He didn't bite you, did he?"

Bai Ji shook her head. "No."

Jiang Shi opened his mouth. "Brother Xu, I almost missed that shot..."

"A hit's good enough. Call for me sooner next time. Don't wait until he's right in front of you."

After saying that, Xu Sheng reached out and patted him on the shoulder. He was just about to leave when he suddenly turned back.

"Was that arrowhead poisoned?"

Jiang Shi nodded.

"Then don't shoot it around carelessly. I even helped you pick up arrows a few days ago."

"Not when I don't use the Soul Skill!"

"That's good."

Only then did Xu Sheng breathe a sigh of relief.

When Fang Zhan arrived, this was the scene he found.

Luo Xiao, a three-ring fighter, lay in the woods. The Outlanders who had caused trouble were either injured or bound, while the Blood Angels had gathered together and were checking one another's wounds.

Half of Xu Sheng's clothes were soaked in blood, but he still clutched his sword.

Wen Zhao went past Fang Zhan and hurried over to him. He looked Xu Sheng over first, then looked at the gray-robed corpse on the ground.

"You killed him?"

Xu Sheng nodded.

"Three rings?"

"Yeah."

Wen Zhao was silent for a moment before finally forcing out a question.

"Weren't you supposed to wait for us?"

Xu Sheng raised his uninjured hand and spread it toward him.

"I wanted to wait. He insisted on fighting."

After saying that, Xu Sheng was the first to laugh.

One fight, and they'd secured the Soul Ring and kept the vicious man from getting away.

Who could say he hadn't handled this assignment beautifully?