Battle the Dark Gold Baboon!

Before the furious roar had even faded, a beastly gale that blotted out the sky came crashing down before them.

The Dark Gold Baboon's three-meter-tall, powerfully built body blocked out most of the light overhead. Nothing remained in its crimson eyes but pure savagery. Its enormous palm, covered in dark golden armor plating and carrying the force of a thousand pounds, tore through the forest air with a piercing howl and explosive crack.

In that instant of danger, Gu Yue no longer had the leisure to worry about the slippery fellow behind her.

Her twenty-first-rank soul power erupted without reservation, and dense, light-brown earth elemental energy instantly spread across the ground before her.

The earth shook violently as soil churned and gathered at high speed. Two thick earthen walls, each several meters tall, rose from the ground. Layer upon layer of rock stacked together and compacted tightly, forcibly blocking the path directly in front of her.

This was earth element's most solid defensive measure—sturdy and heavy enough to withstand the fierce assault of a Soul Master at the same rank.

Gu Yue's slender arm tensed slightly as her spiritual power focused to its limit. She prepared herself to take the impact head-on and use the force to retreat and adjust her stance, her cool features filled with vigilance.

But the power of a top-tier thousand-year Dark Gold Baboon far exceeded her expectations.

"Bang!!"

An incomparably muffled boom exploded!

The dark golden giant palm slammed brutally into the earthen walls. The hard rock barriers could not even hold for half a second before web-like cracks spread across them, followed immediately by a thunderous collapse. Shattered stones flew everywhere alongside fierce shockwaves.

The immense beastly force punched through the rubble and struck Gu Yue's soul power barrier hard, sending her staggering back two steps. Her delicate shoulders went slightly numb, while a faint surge of blood and energy rose in her chest.

The thousand-year Dark Gold Baboon was simply too powerful. Both its strength and agility were maxed out.

Dust from the shattered walls filled the air, obscuring most of the view. Taking advantage of its successful breach, the Dark Gold Baboon kicked off the ground with all four limbs, its body surging forward again. Its savage maw opened wide, fangs gleaming coldly as it lunged in to crush and tear apart the tiny human before it.

At that critical moment, when everyone's attention had been drawn to the fierce battle at the front—

The dim currents of air above the dense forest suddenly stirred. A lean youth burst through layers of shadowed branches and silently hovered directly above the Dark Gold Baboon.

No one had seen when Lin Xun had leaped into the air, nor how he had concealed his presence from the Dark Gold Baboon.

What had seemed like him fleeing at the crucial moment and shoving someone else forward had never been cowardice or avoidance from start to finish. It had been an extraordinarily precise tactical setup.

He had deliberately ceded the frontal battlefield, drawing all the hatred and the beast's full attention firmly onto Gu Yue. Using the brief instant when the earthen walls blocked their sight and concealed the disturbance, he completed every step—charging up, taking to the air, and circling behind it.

A cold, sharp flash of sword light suddenly ripped through the dim sky!

Lin Xun gripped his longsword, without a trace of unnecessary flair. Carrying a straight, air-piercing momentum, he aimed at the Dark Gold Baboon's neck—the point where its defenses were weakest and where its fur and armor joined most vulnerably.

Then he thrust down fiercely!

The sword light was swift as lightning, and the ambush came without warning.

The Dark Gold Baboon's fur stood on end. Its powerful instinct for danger made it throw back its head and twist aside at once.

The sharp light sword ultimately failed to pierce its fatal neck, but it still grazed across the tough fur on its shoulder blade, cutting a shallow bloody gash. Fine droplets of beast blood instantly sprayed into the air.

The searing pain and fury at being ambushed completely ignited the savagery of this top-tier thousand-year soul beast!

"ROAR!!!"

A deafening bestial roar exploded throughout the entire forest!

The Dark Gold Baboon abandoned its pursuit of Gu Yue. Its massive body twisted sharply as its crimson, vicious eyes locked onto Lin Xun above. The violent killing intent around it surged, muscles bulging and knotting across all four limbs, overflowing with monstrous fury that threatened to devour anyone in its path.

A wild gale swept through the woods, sending fallen leaves and shattered stones whirling through the air. The murderous atmosphere instantly reached its peak.

High above, Lin Xun held his sword in one hand and spun lightly as he descended, landing steadily atop a thick branch of an ancient tree.

He stood tall yet relaxed, without the slightest tension of fierce battle. Looking down at the enraged, frenzied Dark Gold Baboon, his expression remained calm. His voice was light, yet it rang clearly through the forest.

"Why are you panicking?"

"This is tactics."

Not far away, Gu Yue, whose breathing had yet to stabilize after taking the fierce attack head-on, froze in place. Her cool eyes widened slightly, and the anger in them abruptly stalled as she instantly understood the entire sequence of events.

He had calculated everything from the very beginning.

With what appeared to be shameless behavior, he had perfectly executed the full set of tactics: luring the enemy, controlling the battlefield, seeking out a weakness, and launching a precise ambush.

Inside the observation room, the atmosphere also fell briefly quiet.

The faintly bright spark that had finally appeared in Leng Yaozhu's previously placid eyes deepened. The corner of her lips curled almost imperceptibly, her gaze full of appreciation.

In a crushing matchup with no chance of victory, meeting force with force meant certain death.

If conventional teamwork offered no solution, then one had to break free of convention.

Abandon the frontal deadlock. Use a lure and restraint in exchange for a lethal ambush.

This boy's mind was far clearer and sharper than he appeared on the surface. It was just that his tactics were somewhat... shameless.

In that regard, he really resembled that person from back then...

Beside her, Di Qiu'er's gaze was deep as she stared fixedly at the boy standing calmly atop the treetop on the screen. Complex emotions churned in her clear eyes and lingered for a long time.

Within the virtual forest.

After her brief astonishment, the anger Gu Yue had only just suppressed began to rise again.

Understanding tactics was one thing.

Accurately controlling the battle and executing a perfect ambush was also true.

But!

He pushed her out to take the thousand-year soul beast's berserk assault head-on while he hid in the back and dealt damage.

This bastard of a tactic was downright begging for a beating!

Gu Yue clenched her pearly teeth and glared at the boy perched on the treetop, who looked utterly calm and unbothered. Her cool voice carried a hint of anger. "Lin Xun, you did that on purpose!"

Lin Xun looked down at her, raised a brow, and smiled. "In real combat, all's fair in war. The best tactic is the one that breaks the situation at the lowest cost."

"Otherwise, with just the two of us, if we fought that fully-equipped thousand-year baboon head-on, we'd both be worn to death here."

"But you should've told me beforehand."

"If I had, would you still have dared to go up?"

"..."

Below them, the enraged Dark Gold Baboon had completely locked onto both targets. Its thick limbs kicked off the ground as it charged fiercely toward Lin Xun on the treetop, carrying an earth-shattering aura of savagery.

"Gu Yue, cover me!"

Hearing that, Gu Yue merely turned her head away, lifting her pale neck as she ignored that bastard.

The wind howled through the forest as the Dark Gold Baboon slammed headfirst into a thick ancient tree.

The trunk, as thick as a bowl, exploded apart. Its scarlet eyes remained glued to Lin Xun as he landed, filled with the frenzied killing intent of a beast that had been toyed with.

There was no doubt that what had just happened had thoroughly enraged this fully-equipped thousand-year soul beast.

Lin Xun lightly tapped the grass with his toes, nimbly retreating and steadily opening up a safe distance. Then he turned and shouted urgently at the sulking Gu Yue.

"Big sis! Stop slacking off! If we don't work together now, we're really going to get smashed into meat patties!"

Gu Yue glanced at him from the corner of her eye, her cool little face still holding a trace of displeasure.

Although she knew perfectly well that Lin Xun's tactic had been sound, being casually pushed out to take the damage without even discussing it first would make anyone angry.

But seeing the Dark Gold Baboon closing in step by step, its murderous aura soaring to the heavens, she knew this was no time to sulk.

Gu Yue took a deep breath and looked at the Dark Gold Baboon across from her.

"Dark Gold Baboon equals Lin Xun. Dark Gold Baboon equals Lin Xun..."

She kept brainwashing herself, imagining the Dark Gold Baboon before her as Lin Xun.

A moment later, the light in the girl's eyes suddenly blazed as the power of four elements erupted at once.

A fierce gale swept across the battlefield first, whirling rapidly around her and kicking up countless stones and fallen leaves from the ground, forming a massive wall of wind pressure.

With the wind as its foundation, the heavy earth element followed close behind. Countless fragments of rock and soil were swept up by the gale, densely filling every corner of the wind field.

Red and blue light flashed in alternation. The fire element condensed into blazing fireballs, while the ice element formed long, sharp icicles. One scorching, one freezing—two completely opposing powers merged flawlessly under the guidance of wind and earth.

In an instant, a massive elemental storm containing wind, earth, fire, and ice abruptly took shape.

The howling storm cut across the entire forest. Hot and cold air currents collided wildly as rocks, soil, fireballs, and ice spikes mixed together, crushing down upon the Dark Gold Baboon like a tidal wave.

This was no simple stacking of soul skills, but an elemental combination attack that only Gu Yue's exceptionally high spiritual power could control.

"Watch carefully. Don't just leave all the work to me."

Gu Yue's cool voice carried a trace of pride as she casually controlled the elemental storm and smashed it viciously toward the beast's silhouette.

Lin Xun moved along the edge of the storm and took the chance to give her a thumbs-up. "That's more like it. You handle the violent damage output, and I'll cheer you on from the side."

"Can't you be serious for once?"

"I am serious. Your elemental storm is hitting much harder than before. Did you mix some personal feelings about me into it?"

"...No."