Zhang Tao was indeed at the peak of Rank 6 now, a powerful fighter at the level of Essence Blood Unity. Though his control over his strength was a little weak, he also had Golden Bone. A mere Rank 6 fighter probably wouldn't be able to keep him there.
Besides, he'd brought Li Zhen with him. Those people ought to have gotten word of that.
"What are you standing around for?" Li Zhen was currently fighting four Rank 6 opponents. Seeing Zhang Tao still had time to look around, he was instantly furious. The guy had all that strength, and he couldn't even go help Nan Yunyue? Couldn't he see she was about to get beaten to death?
Zhang Tao rolled his eyes. Idiot. He didn't think the Evil Cultists were all fools. There had to be someone stronger waiting for him. Right now, Zhang Tao was afraid an opponent at Rank 8 might show up. If that happened, he'd have no choice but to send Li Zhen off as a sacrifice.
"Not coming out?" Zhang Tao muttered. It seemed the people on the other side figured the Rank 6 fighters could handle them if possible, and if they couldn't, then the one in hiding would step in. That way, they'd reduce the risk of exposing themselves.
After all, Zhang Tao had sealed three gates in one day. In their eyes, his foundation was probably unstable and his control over his strength poor. He wasn't one of those veteran fighters at the level of Essence Blood Unity, so he shouldn't be too difficult to deal with.
Once he'd thought it through, Zhang Tao had a plan. When one of the Rank 6 fighters charged at him with a saber, he took the blow head-on and fought as if he were willing to trade his life for his opponent's.
Zhang Tao could have dodged now, or even calmly killed that Rank 6 fighter, but he didn't. He'd been able to rampage through the Catacombs when he'd just advanced to Rank 6. Now that he'd reached Essence Blood Unity, he was even stronger. He was deliberately giving the person in hiding some false information.
Maybe that would improve their chances of escaping alive.
"You..." Li Zhen was speechless when Zhang Tao immediately threw himself into the fight and got injured. Damn it, had Zhang Tao's strength control gotten so awful because he'd advanced too quickly? Li Zhen had also sealed a gate in one day, but he'd still had a solid foundation behind him. What's more, he had the Void-Breaking Sword Art, so his strength hadn't taken much of a hit.
Li Zhen didn't really understand what Zhang Tao was doing. As far as he was concerned, Zhang Tao couldn't possibly be that useless. The kid had been fierce in the Catacombs. But now wasn't the time to think about that. He had to focus on his enemies.
After killing one of them, Zhang Tao was drenched in blood. Seeing this, the other three Rank 6 fighters charged at him with their sabers. This was a huge achievement! They had to thank their brother who'd died for the cause—he'd actually managed to injure Zhang Tao with his life.
"Blood Blade Art!" Zhang Tao gave a cold snort and unleashed this reckless fighting style. Streaks of blood-red saber light slashed out. The three Rank 6 fighters were instantly horrified. They'd never expected Zhang Tao to try to drag them down with him.
They tried to retreat, but it was too late. Zhang Tao's Blood Blade Art had already engulfed them.
The person watching from the shadows was delighted. The Blood Blade Art! It seemed Zhang Tao would be crippled even if he didn't die.
After all, the Blood Blade Art had always been a style that left both sides injured—or killed them both.
That meant he wouldn't need to expose himself. Whether Li Zhen lived or died didn't matter. Their target this time was Zhang Tao, not Li Zhen.
"Zhang Tao!" Li Zhen roared and unleashed the Void-Breaking Sword Art, killing one of the Rank 6 fighters. He tried to get over to Zhang Tao, but the other three Rank 6 fighters kept him tied up.
Zhang Tao looked almost withered. He glanced at Nan Yunyue in the distance, then threw everything he had into hurling his alloy saber.
The saber glowed blood-red as it pierced straight through the two Rank 6 fighters attacking Nan Yunyue. Zhang Tao immediately fell backward, looking as if he were dead.
The person watching from the shadows released a little spiritual power and reached out to Zhang Tao. He found that Zhang Tao seemed to have completely lost all signs of life, and was overjoyed. He let out a long howl and left first. The three Rank 6 fighters surrounding Li Zhen received the signal and immediately rushed away.
With Zhang Tao on his mind, Li Zhen didn't chase after them. He hurried over to Zhang Tao, his face full of disbelief. Zhang Tao was dead? How was that possible? How could he have died?
Nan Yunyue stumbled over as well, looking just as incredulous. Zhang Tao was dead?
Just then, Zhang Tao's complexion visibly returned to normal, and he sprang back to life.
"You..." Li Zhen and Nan Yunyue stared at him, dumbfounded. Zhang Tao was alive again? More importantly, that had been way too fast!
This was a new function Zhang Tao had just discovered. The Kongtong Seal could communicate with him. Although it couldn't speak, it could suppress his condition until he recovered. He'd looked just like a corpse, and even the person hiding nearby hadn't noticed anything wrong.
Zhang Tao had also memorized that person's spiritual fluctuation. One day, he'd have to settle the score with him.
Li Zhen finally reacted, his expression darkening. "There's a high-ranked fighter hiding nearby?"
Nan Yunyue's eyes widened. A high-ranked fighter? Good grief, the Evil Cultists had already sent one to hunt Zhang Tao down?
No wonder Zhang Tao had pretended to be dead. If he hadn't, and that high-ranked fighter had come out, they'd probably all have died.
"Quick, get in the car and go!" Zhang Tao didn't bother explaining. At a time like this, anyone with a little common sense could figure out what had happened.
Li Zhen didn't waste time either. He punched through the windshield, then climbed into the driver's seat. Once Zhang Tao was in the passenger seat, he turned to Nan Yunyue. "You're still coming with us? It's dangerous!"
Nan Yunyue curled her lip. Dangerous? They'd already made it through the dangerous part. There probably wouldn't be any more danger later. If she went back now, she might run into trouble again.
Zhang Tao said nothing. The three of them traveled without incident and arrived safely in Magic City.
"What exactly are you going to the Magic City Catacombs to do? Tell me. I have a friend who knows the area well. Maybe he can help!" Nan Yunyue said at once.
Zhang Tao nodded. "I'll tell you later. Could you find him for me first? I'm going to buy a few things!"
Nan Yunyue agreed and went to find the person, while Zhang Tao went looking for somewhere to shop.
Li Zhen followed behind Zhang Tao, watching him buy Cat Food in every flavor. He was puzzled. What was he buying that for? Had Zhang Tao gotten a cat? He'd never heard anything about that.
"That's enough. How much have you bought? Don't you have any idea?" Li Zhen snapped. Zhang Tao had a huge pack on his back, and Li Zhen was carrying a sack of Cat Food himself. It really annoyed him. He was a busy man, and Zhang Tao had him lugging Cat Food around?
Li Zhen, the Essence Blood Unity expert, was busy too, all right. Yet after they'd arrived in Magic City, Zhang Tao hadn't revealed a single thing. All he'd done was buy Cat Food. Li Zhen was starting to think he was crazy. Why had he gone along with Zhang Tao's nonsense?
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