Count Me In as One of the Four

The dense weeds rustled as the four of them raced forward.

At last, around eight o'clock, they reached their destination.

Along the way, he had killed a few more Star Demons, bringing his essence, qi, and spirit to: 10083.

The four of them lay prone in the grass, holding their breath and focusing their minds as they carefully watched the area ahead.

In a place piled high with massive rocks, more than twenty bizarrely shaped Star Demons surrounded the boulders.

"Changkong, are you sure you're here to save people?"

Liu Feng asked in a low voice.

Among those twenty-plus Star Demons, even the weakest were at the Late Star Qi Stage, and quite a few were at Star Qi Peak.

They had also spotted several at the Nebula Level.

Two of them, even from such a long distance, gave off a savage aura they could still feel.

This was supposed to be a rescue?

Was he sure this was not just coming here to feed themselves to the enemy?

If Jiang Changkong had not been here too, and if he had not been quite strong, they probably would have turned around and left.

"Of course we're here to save people. I'll send them a message first and put their minds at ease."

Jiang Changkong took out his phone, shrank back a little, and hid behind the three of them.

His phone had long since been set to silent. He sent Zhou Wen a message: "Brother Wen, we're almost there. Try not to do anything rash."

Zhou Wen sent back a shocked emoji. "You? You came too?"

Jiang Changkong replied, "Yeah. I came one step ahead. Ji Ziling is behind me."

Zhou Wen sent an angry emoji. "What are you butting in for? With that scrawny body of yours, aren't you afraid the Star Demons will eat you?"

Warmth stirred faintly in Jiang Changkong's heart. His trip here had not been in vain.

He was just about to send another message when Zhou Wen added, "If you can get here, then you probably aren't alone. Did the soldiers at the city gate bring you?"

"Yeah."

Zhou Wen grew excited. "How big is the team? Which commander is leading?"

"Counting me, four in total."

Zhou Wen: "..."

Are you messing with me?

You brought three people to save me?

With a trace of unwillingness, Zhou Wen continued asking, "What level of strength?"

"Star Qi Peak."

"Brother, go back..."

Jiang Changkong felt a little awkward. "Ji Ziling should be here soon too. Have you contacted her?"

Zhou Wen: "I got in touch with her. She's coming, but it'll still take another half hour."

Jiang Changkong let out a breath of relief and said, "Then there's no problem. Once we join forces, wiping out these Star Demons won't be an issue."

Zhou Wen: "She came alone. Senior Yanxue may be at Peak Nebula Level, but among the Star Demons here, there are two at the late stage and one at Peak Nebula Level."

Jiang Changkong: "..."

Now this was fucking awkward.

What was Ji Ziling thinking, coming alone?

At least he had brought three people with him.

"Hurry up and leave. Don't wade into this mess. Tell Senior Ziling to leave too."

Jiang Changkong: "No need. The Star Demons haven't launched an attack yet. There's still time, enough for us to hold out until the rescue arrives."

"Before this, the Star Demons already launched an attack. Senior Yanxue has already been injured."

"Then let her hold off the two Late Nebula Level Star Demons. You guys stall the other Nebula Level Star Demons. I'll take care of holding back most of the Star Qi Stage Star Demons. I'm confident we can all get out in one piece," Jiang Changkong said.

"You're confident you can hold back most of the Star Qi Stage Star Demons?" Zhou Wen asked in surprise.

"I'm completely confident. Brother Wen, don't worry. I won't joke around with my own life," Jiang Changkong said.

"Fine, then we'll do that. When Senior Ziling arrives, we'll move together. For now, stay quiet and hidden."

After Zhou Wen said that, he did not reply again.

Jiang Changkong, however, felt deeply pained. Ji Ziling was actually this unreliable?

Wasn't leaving the city supposed to require a four-person team?

How had she run out here alone?

But right now, this was not the time to think about that.

Jiang Changkong looked toward Liu Feng and the other two. If Ji Ziling had brought people with her, their help would have made killing the Star Demons faster.

But now, Ji Ziling had not brought anyone. If they had to break through with all their strength, these three, with only Star Qi Peak strength, might become a burden instead.

Besides, they had agreed on it earlier. If there was no support, they could leave. He could not trick them into risking their lives.

Jiang Changkong patted Liu Feng on the shoulder and said in a low voice, "You three go back. Things have changed."

"What happened?" The three of them looked at him in confusion.

"Senior came out alone. She didn't bring any reinforcements."

Jiang Changkong's expression was heavy. "Now that we've reached this place, your mission is complete. Go back."

"This..."

The three exchanged looks, never expecting this to be the situation.

Before, Jiang Changkong had sworn that reinforcements were right behind them.

In the end, the reinforcements were just one person?

Ji Ziling was at Peak Nebula Level.

Should they keep going or not?

If they did, they might lose their lives. If they did not, they could return with everything they had gained along the way.

And what they had gained on this journey was already quite a lot.

They had no duty to follow Jiang Changkong to his death.

"The soldiers from the city have come to rescue us! Kill our way out and regroup with them!"

A startled cry came from the pile of boulders, tearing through the sky.

Roar.

The Star Demons instantly grew restless. Growling low, they charged toward the boulder pile.

"Fuck."

Jiang Changkong cursed outright. Where the hell had this pig teammate come from?

The three of them were dumbfounded. There was no need to court death like this.

Boom.

A thunderous sound rang out. The two sides had clashed.

Jiang Changkong did not dare delay. His body shot out like a leopard. "You three go back."

Zhang Mo and Xiao Hu looked at Liu Feng. "What do we do?"

"What else can we do? We leave. Or are we supposed to go die?" Liu Feng turned and left.

"What a shame about little brother Changkong." The two sighed and followed him away.

Roar.

More than twenty Star Demons roared at the same time. Star Power surged, and thick waves of air swept out, destroying the weeds around them.

Shattered weeds drifted through the air, and mud splashed everywhere, obscuring their vision.

From within the jumble of rocks, seven or eight figures rushed out to meet the Star Demons.

The person leading them wore bloodstained white clothes, her face pale, and an icy aura emanated from her body.

Her sword light was like snow, and her shoulder-length black hair was somewhat disheveled as she held off two Late Nebula Level Star Demons.

The others dealt with the remaining Nebula Level Star Demons.

Sword edges trembled, and blade qi swept out, forcing back the Star Demons below Nebula Level.

Jiang Changkong sprinted over, his gaze falling on the bloodstained white-clad figure. That should be Ying Yanxue.

Zhou Wen was among them too, fighting a Mid Nebula Level Star Demon.

Jiang Changkong was not far from the Star Demons. Running at full speed, he arrived in just a moment.

He reached a Star Qi Peak Star Demon and threw a punch.

Boom.

The punch pierced straight through its skull, killing it instantly.

With one lethal strike, he rushed toward the next Star Demon.

"Changkong."

Zhou Wen spotted him and was somewhat shocked, but in the next instant, he grew furious. "Who told you to come? Hurry up and leave."

"Brother Wen, I might not have much strength, but I can still help you deal with Star Qi Star Demons."

Jiang Changkong replied, then said, "Focus on killing the Star Demons."

Zhou Wen was just about to speak when the Star Demon had already pounced at him, leaving him no choice but to meet it head-on.

All kinds of light intertwined as Star Power collided, and waves of terrifying force blasted into the surroundings.

A bronze sheen rose over Jiang Changkong's skin as several Star Demons charged at him at the same time, all of them at Star Qi Peak.

"Changkong, be careful!" Zhou Wen cried out.

He had seen Jiang Changkong punch a Star Demon to death.

But with several of them surrounding and attacking at once, even an ordinary Early Nebula Level fighter would have to handle it carefully.

"Don't worry about me. I can deal with Star Qi Star Demons."

Jiang Changkong answered, neither dodging nor retreating. Taiji manifested, both yielding and unyielding.

Clang, clang.

The attacks of several Star Demons landed at the same time, yet they rang out with a series of loud metallic impacts.

Jiang Changkong's body swayed, the ground beneath his feet cracking, while several Star Demons surrounded him on all sides.

Their foul breath and sharp fangs came gnawing toward him.

In an instant, he was besieged by several Star Demons. Even with Taiji dispersing the force and his copper skin and iron bones, he still could not withstand it completely.

Though there were no wounds on the surface, the impact of those forces had already shaken his internal organs.

A trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Jiang Changkong's face turned slightly pale, but what followed was an even fiercer fist.

With a hard, explosive burst of power, his punch pierced through a skull.

Roar!

Around the Star Demons, more than twenty massive Star Demons had all but surrounded everyone tightly.

Fortunately, Zhou Wen and the others were not weak. There were only two at Star Qi Peak and six Nebula martial artists.

For the moment, they could hold them off without issue.

Boom!

Jiang Changkong stamped off the ground, cracking the earth and sending dust flying as his fist shot straight toward the fangs inside a Star Demon's huge mouth.

Crack!

His punch landed, snapping the fangs. Then it blasted into the Star Demon's mouth and punched straight through.

But immediately after, even more attacks came crashing down. The tremendous force sent him flying out, rolling again and again across the ground.