On the third day after Wu Sheng punished the attendants in the squad under Li Hu, all the members of the Blood River Squad and their attendants had gathered outside the cave.
He Na stood at the front, glancing at her Optical Computer from time to time, as if she were waiting for someone.
Wu Sheng occasionally glanced at the Three-Eyed Freak not far to his right, calculating how he should make his move.
The young lady had offered one billion Cosmic Crystals, all so he could kill Li Hu without anyone finding out.
If an ordinary Trial Taker had been given this task, even one skilled in Soul Illusion, it would have been difficult to ensure their identity wasn't exposed through their Optical Computer before Li Hu died. But Wu Sheng was quite confident he could manage it.
He was only a Planetary Level Nine martial artist, after all!
And Wu Sheng was a great Special Lifeform. (Haha, weak as he was, he was still weak even by Special Lifeform standards!)
After learning that the Trial Ground had no high-tech surveillance equipment, Wu Sheng's thoughts had become much more active.
He had been an assassin in his previous life, and now he was a Special Lifeform. Even if he was among the weakest of them, he still possessed three Innate Secret Arts.
With his assassination skills, he would dare to fight not only Li Hu, but even Li Long, a Special Elite.
"Why hasn't he arrived yet? Li Hu, nothing's happened to your big brother, has it?"
He Na looked at Li Hu. Though she was filled with loathing, a faint smile still graced her delicate face. But when she saw the masked woman leaning closely against Li Hu's striking figure, a trace of hatred still slipped into her eyes.
Fortunately, she hid it well and quickly looked away.
"My big brother is a Special Elite, and he's already reached Sky Grade. He's invincible throughout the Eastern Domain. How could anything happen to him?"
"If anything did happen, it would be to someone else!"
Whenever Li Hu mentioned his big brother, his expression grew even more arrogant.
Every Special Elite born into a great clan was treated as a future successor and carefully groomed.
Once they came into their own, they would be a Domain Lord at the very least.
And becoming a Realm Lord, protecting the whole family for millions of years and ensuring it never fell into decline, was entirely possible.
So Li Hu had every reason to be proud. With a biological older brother of such potential, his own future strength and status were bound to be extraordinary.
That was also why he remained so confident despite knowing that He Na's father was a Realm Lord.
After all, He Na's father was already more than nine million years old. Among the many branches of the Imperial Clan, he was like the setting sun, his reputation far diminished from what it once was. Li Long's brilliant life, by contrast, had only just begun. He was like a blazing sun at dawn, about to shine with all his brilliance.
Everyone, whether in the Nine Spirits Society or among the various powers of the Blood Sun Tribe, knew exactly which of them mattered more.
The Imperial Clan of Blood Sun City had even tried to curry favor with this rising star by arranging for He Na and Li Hu to become a couple.
As for betrothing He Na to Li Long? To put it bluntly, a descendant of the Imperial Clan like He Na, who hadn't even comprehended a Domain, wasn't qualified—especially with her father's days now numbered.
"Oh, my big brother's here! Haha!"
Li Hu looked at his Optical Computer and shouted excitedly, then gazed into the distance in a certain direction.
Sure enough, three nimble figures soon appeared in that direction, moving quickly. They slowed down only when they drew near.
Wu Sheng took a closer look. One of them was a familiar face he had seen before: Di Fei. At the moment, Di Fei seemed more like an escort, constantly introducing things to a man in silver armor.
The man beside the Silver-Armored Man was also a Star Grade Trial Taker. But judging from how increasingly respectful he was toward the Silver-Armored Man, his status was probably about the same as Jin An's now.
That alone showed how high the Silver-Armored Man's status was. Even a Star Grade Elite Trial Taker could only serve as a squad member, indirectly highlighting the man's standing.
"Haha, Brother Li Long, these are the members of our Blood River Squad. Your younger brother is in our squad too, serving as a member!"
Di Fei introduced the Silver-Armored Man with a smile.
Only when he came closer did Wu Sheng get a clear look at him. His face bore a seven- or eight-tenths resemblance to Li Hu's, and he was about the same height. The difference lay in his bearing.
Especially after he arrived, it was as if that patch of sky and earth had gained a master. The air, already quite hot, instantly condensed into a thin layer of mist, and the temperature dropped considerably.
He wore a faint smile, but his unique aura, as though he were one with the world, seemed to proclaim at every moment...
He was a god!
An omnipotent god!
None of the Trial Takers present, not even Wu Sheng, felt any desire to resist him. Instead, they felt an indescribable closeness, as if they were willing to serve as his soldiers and die for him.
"How terrifying! No wonder he has comprehended a Domain. Every move he makes seems to blend into the world. Even I can't help being drawn into it!"
Although Wu Sheng broke free of that strange feeling in the next instant with his powerful will, a deep chill still spread through him.
Fighting someone like this was like fighting the whole world. Before the battle had even begun, you had already lost three points of your confidence.
Terrifying!
"Oh? Interesting!" The Silver-Armored Man saw that Wu Sheng had managed to break free of his Domain's influence at once, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Big brother, you're finally here! Haha, I've been thinking about you every single day!"
After Li Long withdrew his Domain, Li Hu laughed and rushed over to give his big brother a bear hug. He looked at the members of the Blood River Squad, his expression growing even more smug.
But when he saw Wu Sheng, he paused briefly, as if deliberately provoking him.
"I just led my squad in wiping out a gathering point, so I'm a little late. Honestly, how old are you now? You're still acting like a child." Li Long discreetly freed himself from Li Hu's bear hug, then looked toward He Na and said:
"Nana, I've already heard about what happened with your squad. That Yu Yan didn't know what was good for him and insisted on targeting you. That's the same as targeting my useless little brother—and undermining the foundation of cooperation between our two powers."
"Heh, I won't let him get away with it! The moment Brother Di Fei invited me, I came right over!"
Li Long always spoke with a smile, but his words carried a born arrogance that seemed to look down on the entire world.
Indeed, with his current strength, he was invincible in the Trial Ground—not just against someone like Yu Yan, but against anyone.
"Th-thank you, Big Brother Li Long!" He Na paused, then replied with a smile.
"Right. Both sides will act together this time. My side has five Sky Grade Elite Trial Takers, and with Brother Di Fei added from your side, that makes six. As for the other Elite Trial Takers, we'll send fifty. Including my foolish little brother, you have twenty on your side."
"These seventy-six will be our main force. The other attendants will assist from the sidelines. They only have three Sky Grade Trial Takers: Xuan Tong, Xuan Ming, and Yu Yan. Their numbers among the other Trial Takers are less than half of ours at the same level."
"So we have a huge advantage in wiping them out. The only thing we need to watch out for is getting dragged down with them if they launch a desperate counterattack. We'll discuss how to assign the specific tasks separately. Brother Di Fei, Nana, do you have anything to add?"
Only after explaining everything in one breath did Li Long ask for the Blood River Squad's opinion. It was obvious that he would lead this operation.
But he had every reason to be confident. In terms of both individual strength and the squad's overall combat power, his side far outclassed the Blood River Squad. It would be strange if things were the other way around.
"No. We'll follow your lead, Brother Li Long!" Di Fei said with a smile.
"I have no objections either!" He Na agreed, though she was genuinely frustrated.
She wasn't even at Sky Grade. They had only bothered to ask her because she was the future bride of the Li Ling Clan.
But that thought only made her more frustrated. Li Long's unexpected arrival had caught her off guard, but she still wanted Li Hu dead.
She wondered whether Wu Sheng would be able to do it this time.
At that thought, He Na couldn't help glancing at Wu Sheng.
Although she hid it well, Li Hu was watching her constantly. His cheerful expression darkened at once.
"Taylor, is the Nine Spirits Society only sending this many people? Our main forces are all concentrated in the Eastern Domain, but this number can't even be seventy percent of our people, can it?"
Li Hu asked the Prison Clan Member who had arrived with Li Long, puzzled.
"Mm. Some of them were injured in the previous battle and aren't fit to fight again so soon," Taylor replied after a moment's thought.
"Then bring them all over. I'm short on manpower. Tell them that I'll give each person who's willing to come a Mystic Spirit Fruit. This treasure is unique to the Li Ling Clan. A single fruit can quickly heal their injuries and even help them break through their bottlenecks." Li Hu chuckled.
"Fine!" Taylor's heart stirred at the offer, and he gritted his teeth and agreed.