Inside a certain Underground Palace.
Dozens of Tomb-Guarding Beast of various appearances surged in the darkness, the smallest of which was larger than an adult male. Their appearances only became clear when they approached the firelight.
Human-Faced Bat.
Puff--
A sharp sword sliced through it, cleaving it in two without any resistance.
The firelight illuminated the sword's edge in the dark room.
Dozens of sword lights crisscrossed as the people of Cloud-Crossing Sword City used the White Flow Sword Formation to resist the ferocious creatures attacking from all directions.
The sword formation appeared unshakeable.
In reality, almost all the swordsmen were wounded.
"This place is definitely not a place of inheritance."
Blood seeped from Bai Jinghong's chest, and his face turned pale.
"Little Bai, why don't you go into the formation to recuperate? You've been poisoned."
Cao Mu said in a deep voice.
Suddenly, he raised an eyebrow. A dark shadow was approaching from above. He leaped into the air like a spring, crashing into it hard.
It was a four-winged bat that cunningly dodged the sword's light and returned to its hiding place.
"Watch out for overhead!"
Cao Mu roared.
Everyone immediately became serious.
These Tomb-Guarding Beast are disorganized and not particularly strong on their own; however, they are known for their strange methods and extreme cunning.
The Three Heroes of Cloud-Crossing exchanged a glance and took a deep breath.
As soon as they entered, they inexplicably got separated from the elders, and then they encountered these Tomb-Guarding Beasts.
Their original plan was to stay here and wait for the elder to come back, but now it seems that's not going to work.
They'll probably be worn down to death before the elders arrive.
"That Bat King must be killed."
"Only Little White can hurt it."
"We need to wait for an opportunity..."
This was a combined Swordsmanship they had come to understand after listening to Ying Bing's teachings in Sword City. The three of them silently adjusted their breathing and began to practice the sword technique.
Suddenly, Cao Mu, whose ears were the most sensitive, spoke up to give a hint.
The instant he gave the signal, Bai Jinghong was enveloped by a river of Sword Qi, soaring into the sky and instantly approaching the dark figure above.
The enormous, Human-Faced Bat king seemed to sense something, emitting a sound wave that could cause a splitting headache, before trying to disappear into the darkness.
Bai Jinghong was even faster, following closely behind on her sword.
Then, sword light flashed in the darkness, along with the sound of flapping wings and an increasingly mournful death howl.
Several tens of seconds passed.
Bang--
The two severed corpses fell heavily to the ground.
Those surging black shadows finally scattered and fled like headless flies.
"Noob!"
"Senior brother!"
Bai Jinghong's face turned completely green, and her breath was extremely weak. She almost stumbled and fell when she landed.
"It's alright, I'll take my time. This poison isn't a big problem."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; at least the immediate crisis was over.
Once the elders arrive, everything will be resolved...
"We cannot let our guard down."
Wu Chushu slipped a handful of Detoxification Pill to Bai Jinghong, reminding everyone.
"Who knows what else might be there..."
Tread--
Before he could finish speaking, a sudden tremor came from ahead, causing the pebbles on the ground to bounce and jump.
It sounded like footsteps, only much heavier...
Cao Mu's expression changed drastically, and sweat dripped from his forehead:
Something's coming... towards us.
"Those weren't just appetizers, were they...?" Wu Chushu slapped himself on the face before he could finish his sentence.
"!!"
Everyone's face turned pale instantly, and they unconsciously slowed their breathing.
Senior Brother Wu, can you please shut your mouth?!
That's incredibly accurate!
A swordsman, emboldened, threw his flare, dispelling the darkness ahead.
And finally, the outline of that huge shadow gradually became clear.
The dark figure was several times larger than the previous Tomb-Guarding Beast, and was almost identical to the black Year Beast, not only in size but also in species.
This was also a Black Year Beast, and its gaze towards the crowd seemed to carry a human-like quality...
Joke?
Those Calamity Beast just now were released by it.
Of all the people, only Bai Jinghong could injure it, but Bai Jinghong has now almost lost its fighting ability.
"Damn it, let's fight it!"
"So what if he's at the peak of the fourth realm... At worst, we'll both perish!"
Wu Chushu tore his clothes and tied the sword to his hands.
Cao Mu glanced at him silently.
If I manage to get out of here alive, I must find a chance to poison Wu Chushu and make him mute...
Ugh--
A fierce wind swept across its face. The black Year Beast had no intention of toying with its prey; it only wanted to swallow the bloody food as quickly as possible.
The swordsmen were preparing to fight to the death.
In the deserted Underground Palace, a familiar voice suddenly rang out:
"Get out of the way!"
The familiar voice made them subconsciously do as he said.
The next second, a chill came from the darkness behind them, followed by a dazzling yet icy sword light.
Her silhouette flashed through the void, the sword in her hand moving so fast that it was difficult for the naked eye to follow.
Laugh--
The sword light pierced the Black Year Beast's chest.
Ice crystals spread from the wound, as if they would freeze it in an instant.
The Black Year Beast stared in astonishment at the aloof, sword-wielding girl; it had actually spoken human language:
"You're not... dead?"
It suddenly became violent, not even glancing at the people of Cloud-Crossing Sword City, and turned into a black shadow, heading straight for the girl.
And at that very moment.
Several true words suddenly fell from the void, causing its body to freeze for a moment.
A man followed closely behind the girl, raising his hammer. Surging Karmic Fire spread out and crashed down with immense force.
With a muffled thud, it was smashed to the ground.
However, the figure gave the Black Year Beast no chance to catch its breath, and pounced down.
Bang bang bang--
Each hammer blow sent tremors through the Underground Palace.
"Girl."
Wu Chushu swallowed hard.
It's them.
Cao Mu finally relaxed.
Bai Jinghong also felt a great sense of relief.
Gradually, the smashing sounds stopped; the Year Beast had probably been smashed into a pulp.
"As expected of a god..."
"Um?"
"Wow, as expected of Sword Immortal Li!"
Wu Chushu glanced at the bloodstained hammer, raised an eyebrow, and reluctantly changed his tune.
"Thank you so much, Sword Immortal Li, for saving our lives."
The swordsmen, disregarding their pride, showered Little Li with compliments, praising his superb swordsmanship.
"What a coincidence, we actually ran into each other in the Underground Palace."
"Well, it's not exactly a coincidence."
Li Mo deliberately went around this point, and therefore has not yet played the optimal solution to the game.
At this moment, the system also issued a notification sound:
[Congratulations, host! You have successfully invested in 'Wu Chushu,' saving him from certain death.]
[You have an investment feedback report to claim.]
[Congratulations, host! You have successfully invested in 'Bai Jinghong', preventing her from perishing.]
[You have an investment feedback report to claim.]
Fortunately, the person was rescued, and we even received some compensation for our efforts.