Ambush

Neither of them was the type to waste time. Once the decision was made, they set off immediately, led by the knight with the ill-omened name toward Blood Sandbar. Along the way, Fang Zheng also exchanged some words with him—his main goal, of course, was to glean information from the other party, to see how much the search teams actually knew about his former identity.

In response to Fang Zheng's inquiries, Knight Conan answered every question with great respect. In his view, although the Fang Zheng before him was merely an Acolyte Knight, given the combat prowess and healing ability he had displayed earlier, as long as this young man didn't stray from the righteous path, he was bound to have a bright future within the Holy Temple. A youth like this was not someone he would lightly offend.

Under these circumstances, conflict between them was naturally out of the question. Knight Conan spoke freely and exhaustively in answer to Fang Zheng's questions. After all, given his status and position, he couldn't possibly know any Holy Temple secrets, so there was no need to worry on that front. Thus, a rather peculiar situation emerged—a wanted criminal and the man hunting him were chatting amiably, and the latter hadn't even recognized Fang Zheng's identity... How amusing.

Fang Zheng, however, found this perfectly normal. Since he had the confidence to come here, he had naturally prepared in advance. This wasn't because Fang Zheng had learned some Eastern sorcery that could alter his appearance or even gender, but rather... the two of them had completely different temperaments.

The original Williams, in the memories Fang Zheng had fused with, was no different from those idle rich young masters in Wuxia novels who spent their days strolling around with a bird, flirting with any pretty girl they saw, swaggering with a few lackeys in tow, and indulging in brothels and wine. But Fang Zheng was entirely different. First of all, that disheveled long hair had been neatly trimmed by him. Moreover, in terms of both temperament and personality, the two were worlds apart. Compared to that Williams, who was always sneaking around and gave off a furtive vibe, Fang Zheng appeared far more imposing. In his original world, Fang Zheng had been top-tier management, overseeing quite a number of people. Compared to that rich young master who was steeped in debauchery and basically existed in web novels just to give the protagonist experience points, the difference in presence was immense.

Not to mention that after training under Stone, Fang Zheng's once frail body had grown considerably stronger. While he hadn't yet reached the level of a six-pack, he at least looked somewhat presentable now—a far cry from the bean-sprout physique of the original Williams, which seemed like it would collapse at the slightest breeze.

The memories of these knights were probably still stuck on the original Williams, who wore a black robe and looked shifty-eyed and obviously up to no good. Naturally, they wouldn't suspect Fang Zheng, who differed from Williams in every conceivable way.

Of course, the journey wasn't entirely smooth. On the way to Blood Sandbar, they encountered several blockades and attacks from Undead creatures. But with Fang Zheng and that dangerously-named knight working together, they managed to get through without too much trouble.

"It's just ahead."

Pointing forward, Knight Conan wiped his face, panting heavily, before speaking loudly.

"Once we get over this ridge, we'll reach Blood Sandbar!"

As he spoke, he turned around and scrambled up the hill in a few quick steps. But just as Knight Conan opened his eyes wide to look ahead, his expression suddenly changed, and he hurriedly retreated.

"What's wrong? Trouble?"

Seeing the knight's pale face, Fang Zheng was taken aback for a moment, then moved to his side and asked in a low voice. Knight Conan nodded, then drew his longsword from his waist.

"I saw the commander—they're surrounded! The situation is bad!"

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Fang Zheng furrowed his brow. He leaned out and took a look across the way. Sure enough, he soon spotted several knights fighting desperately on the riverbank not far below the hill. But their situation was grim.

Surrounding these knights were giant creatures with iron-blue skin, standing two or three meters tall. They wielded thick, crude wooden clubs and were locked in battle with the Holy Knights alongside Skeleton Warriors. Behind these giants stood several Skeleton Archers, raising their bows and crossbows, firing at the knights through the gaps. On both flanks, three Skeleton Mages in robes were raising their staves, chanting evil incantations under their breath, forming a vast, dim barrier that enveloped the knights.

Clearly, this was a perfectly executed ambush.

"That's a Weakening Barrier!"

Seeing this, Knight Conan's expression turned grave.

"That's one of the Necromancer's most powerful skills. It continuously drains the life of those inside the barrier, and those whose Life Force is absorbed grow weaker and weaker until they die... Damn, this is trouble!"

No sign of Great Knight Stone, and no sign of that Young Girl either.

Fang Zheng narrowed his eyes, carefully surveying the battlefield, then frowned. So he was the first to find these knights? Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

Well, no use thinking about that now.

"I'll take care of those Necromancers."

After roughly assessing the situation on the field, Fang Zheng made his decision. He turned to Knight Conan beside him and spoke.

"There are three of them. I'm confident I can hold off two at once. I'll leave the remaining one to you. Can you handle it?"

"No problem. If it's just one Necromancer, I can manage."

In response to Fang Zheng's question, Knight Conan drew his longsword from his waist and gave it a flourish. After receiving his confirmation, Fang Zheng immediately issued his instructions.

"Then I'll take these two on this side. You circle around to their rear and wait until I make my move before acting. Got it?"

"Leave it to me."

Knight Conan was decisive. He didn't waste time arguing over who should be in command—after all, Fang Zheng had already demonstrated his formidable combat prowess along the way. So upon hearing Fang Zheng's orders, he simply nodded, then quietly circled around from the other side.

"Hah..."

After watching Knight Conan's figure disappear on the other side, Fang Zheng took a deep breath, turned back, and carefully observed the battlefield before him. Clearly, as Knight Conan had said, those Holy Knights were already showing signs of exhaustion. They tried to break out, but the Undead Giants blocked them like moving walls, while other Undead soldiers surrounded them from the outside. They had no chance. At this rate, those Holy Knights were doomed.

But Fang Zheng didn't strike immediately. In the world of Dark Souls, he had learned to act only after reading the battlefield's flow. Though it seemed the Undead creatures were all focused on their prey, Fang Zheng noticed that a few Skeleton Archers near the Necromancers weren't participating in the attack. Instead, they seemed to be idling, guarding the Necromancers while occasionally glancing around. If Fang Zheng went after the Necromancers now, he was certain those Skeleton Archers would counterattack him at once.

He had to find an opening...

Thinking this, Fang Zheng lowered his stance and crept forward slowly. At the same time, his eyes remained fixed on the chaotic battlefield without blinking. He believed an opportunity would come—those Holy Knights wouldn't just resign themselves to death. They would react, and when they did, that would be his moment to strike.

"Boom!"

Sure enough, perhaps sensing their worsening plight, one of the knights roared and raised his sword, slashing fiercely at the Undead Giant before him. The blade in his hand blazed with pure white light, striking the Undead Giant's body heavily. The giant staggered and fell backward. Its massive body crashed to the ground like a stone, momentarily drawing the attention of the other Undead creatures.

Now!

Seeing those Skeleton Archers turn their heads, Fang Zheng suddenly leaped forward. In the next instant, a pure white warhorse materialized before him. Mounted on the horse, Fang Zheng charged down the hill like a hurricane, rushing straight at the Necromancer before him!