Across the endless yellow desert, a group of Prison Clan members of all shapes and sizes ran for their lives. Behind them, a vast cloud of yellow sand billowed across the sky.
Through the dust, enormous brown Rhinobeasts could be seen, glaring at the fleeing Prison Clan members. Their hooves kicked up waves of sand as they charged, eager to trample them into pulp.
"He Na, your Blood River Squad has been completely scattered by this herd of Earth Rock Rhinos. Aside from you few Elite Trial Takers, the only one who's probably still alive is that guy Di Fei."
"How about you give me half the Battle Suit Count you're carrying, and I'll draw the Earth Rock Rhinos behind you away!"
Among the Prison Clan members was a roughly three-meter-tall humanoid man with a pair of enormous pincers for arms. Wearing ochre-colored battle armor, he leisurely followed behind a woman clad in a blood-red battle suit.
He glanced now and then at the herd of Earth Rock Rhinos closing in behind them, then resumed taunting the woman in red, as if he had no idea that he was in danger too.
"Yu Yan, give up on that idea! You're the one who lured these Earth Rock Rhinos here in the first place. Their real target is you, you bastard! You even dragged our Blood River Squad into this. Once I get away from the herd behind us, I'll settle the score with you!"
The woman in red shot the tall man a furious glare, but never slowed her pace. In fact, she ran even faster.
Once they made it out of the desert, the Rhinobeasts probably wouldn't pursue them so relentlessly.
But however you looked at it, the Blood River Squad they had worked so hard to assemble had already been reduced to nothing. The ordinary squad members had been nearly wiped out, and more than half of the Elite Trial Takers had been held up by the maddened Rhinobeasts and trampled to death.
By now, only Di Fei, who had broken through to Sky Grade, and the handful of Elite Trial Takers beside her had probably survived. But they were still in danger. If the frenzied herd caught up with them, they could still be wiped out.
Besides the threat of the Rhinobeasts behind them, the "Yu Yan" from Thunder Star Mountain and the few Elite Trial Takers under his command were also enemies of the Blood River Squad.
If He Na's guess was right, Yu Yan and his people had deliberately brought the Rhinobeasts here to wipe out the Blood River Squad.
The thought gave He Na a headache. Yu Yan was an Elite Trial Taker like her, but he had already broken through to Sky Grade, while she was still at the peak of Earth Grade.
Thanks to his family connections, Yu Yan wouldn't dare do anything to her. But if he kept causing trouble, her side would never be able to recover.
"Haha, settle the score? You don't have anyone left on your side. What can a young lady who hasn't even reached Sky Grade do to me?"
"You're still so green. And they call you the little princess of Blood Sun City? Without that status, do you think you'd have survived this long? If I were you, I'd have slit my own throat by now. Staying alive is useless—you'll only get your teammates killed. Di Fei is the perfect example!"
Yu Yan scoffed. He had taken part in the Blood Trial three times before, and each time he had relied on his own strength to make it out of the Trial Ground.
Now this was his fourth time!
According to his superiors, he no longer had to hold back this time. He could break through to Sky Grade and compete for the "Prize" in the Trial Ground.
Yu Yan was brimming with confidence. Not only had he broken through his bottleneck, but he had also driven his old rival Di Fei into a desperate situation.
What pleased him most was seeing the little princess of Blood Sun City, usually so arrogant, flee in such a sorry state.
He was already more than satisfied with the honor alone, never mind anything else.
Of course, he couldn't openly kill this direct descendant of the Imperial Clan. The Blood Trial allowed competitors to eliminate each other, but once they left, a different set of rules applied.
Besides, the young masters and young ladies who entered the Blood Trial all carried powerful high-tech devices, such as Auxiliary Optical Computers and even intelligent optical computers. If he dared to kill her, some crucial information might get out to the people outside, which would put him in a very bad position.
They had entered the Blood Trial mainly to burnish their credentials, while he had entered to obtain resources. Their goals were completely different.
Unless there was no other choice, Yu Yan wouldn't kill the little princess. He might even save her at a critical moment.
That was why Yu Yan was running alongside He Na!
"You should kill yourself! And your whole family should kill themselves too. Yu Yan, don't get cocky. Our Blood River Squad is finished, but you came all the way here with just a few Elite Trial Takers. Aren't you worried your own squad will be wiped out too?"
He Na sneered. She truly hated this despicable bastard. So what if he'd taken part in the Blood Trial a few more times? Did that give him the right to act superior and pick on a newcomer?
I'm drawing a circle to curse you!
"Haha, my squad is perfectly safe. They're probably lounging in the sun right now, just waiting for us to return in triumph!"
"If anything happens to them, I'll kill myself right away. Unlike certain people, I don't need my teammates' help just to escape with my life!"
"Besides, who in the entire Eastern Domain hasn't heard of my reputation as 'Rock Fiend'? Let's see who dares to kill my men! I'd like to see them try!"
Yu Yan radiated an overbearing, invincible aura, as if he alone ruled the world.
And why wouldn't he? Even if Elite Trial Takers who had reached Star Grade weren't as strong as Special Elites, the gap between them had narrowed considerably.
No matter how fierce the competition in this Trial Ground got, Yu Yan figured he'd make it out just fine. He had every reason to be arrogant.
"Boss Yu Yan, we're in trouble! Our squad was attacked by that damn Wolf Beast Pack! It's over, everything's over. Apart from Tuo Meng and a few others, the wolves wiped out everyone!"
A shrill voice suddenly came through Yu Yan's Auxiliary Optical Computer. The message nearly made him stumble and fall.
"What did you say? How could they be attacked by a Wolf Beast Pack? There was only a small pack over there, hiding in the swamp a hundred kilometers away. It didn't dare come out. Are you messing with me?"
Yu Yan's eyes bulged with rage. He stared at the Green-clad Prison Clan Member on his Auxiliary Optical Computer's screen, wishing he could reach through the display on his arm, drag him out, and tear him to pieces.
That was the squad he'd worked so hard to build—the foundation for his campaigns in this Trial Ground over the next few years. How had it suddenly been wiped out?
Worst of all, he'd just made a big boast, and now disaster had struck. Was this meant to force him to kill himself?
"It's true. Almost the entire Wolf Beast Pack came out, and every one of them was bloodthirsty, as if they had a grudge against us. Hurry back, or Tuo Meng and the others might not escape the wolves either!"
The Green-clad Prison Clan Member wore a look of despair. If he hadn't used his innate ability at the critical moment to hide inside a tree, he wouldn't have fared any better.
"Fine. I'll get back as soon as I can." Yu Yan drew a deep breath, trying to calm himself. But when he saw He Na smirking beside him, his anger surged again.
It was obvious she had heard their entire conversation.
"Did you do this?"
He glared viciously at He Na, his killing intent growing stronger by the second.
"What are you talking about? If you hadn't gone off on your own, this wouldn't have happened! Hahaha, Yu Yan, who's laughing now? Didn't you say you'd kill yourself? Go on, then. I'm ready to take a commemorative picture!"
He Na caught on at once. She was delighted, but now wasn't the time to dwell on who had done it. She had to warn the nearly maddened Yu Yan that she had already activated her communications. If he dared attack her, he might make it out of the Trial Ground, but he wouldn't get away with it outside.
Sure enough, He Na's warning brought Yu Yan back to his senses. He drew another deep breath, glared at her, then turned to the five Elite Trial Takers under his command and said:
"Come on, we're heading back right now!"
With that, he took the lead and sprinted off in a certain direction.
Who would have thought? He'd believed he was the one who could pull off a move like this, only to find someone even more capable.
He didn't even know who had done it, but their goals were much the same. They had hit upon the same idea.