Luring the Tiger to Devour the Wolf

"I beg you, my lord, for the sake of my friends' hard work, if not their merit—please save their lives!"

Hearing Huang Long's words, Doomsday Guard Azzinoth seemed moved by his tears. A trace of admiration appeared on his face, and he praised him inwardly.

"What I, Azzinoth, admire most are loyal and righteous men like you. For that alone, I have decided—I will help you rescue your friends. Consider it repayment for the debt I owe you for saving me!" Doomsday Guard Azzinoth smiled faintly. The Warglaives of Azzinoth hung at his waist as he planted both hands on his hips, looking every bit the bold hero.

"Thank you for your saving grace, my lord! I thank you on behalf of my friends!" To play along with Doomsday Guard Azzinoth, Huang Long had no choice but to put on an utterly grateful expression and bow repeatedly. Even he felt nauseated by his own act, but Doomsday Guard Azzinoth listened with great interest and seemed quite satisfied. Huang Long could only force himself to keep it up.

"Enough, enough!" Doomsday Guard Azzinoth waved a hand carelessly. "Where are they now? Hurry and lead me there. I still have to return and report to Sargeras, God of the Pantheon."

Hearing that, Huang Long was overjoyed. Perfect. It seemed his plan was already half successful. Now, he only needed to find Ina and Tyrande. He just hoped those who had trapped them were not too powerful. Otherwise, the consequences would be unthinkable. One wrong move, and he might get himself killed as well.

But then again, as the first hero to follow him, Archer Captain Ina held an unquestionable place in Huang Long's heart. Since appearing in this world, Ina had been utterly loyal to him, working tirelessly without a single complaint. In Huang Long's heart, no one could replace her. Within the entire Night Elf faction, aside from Demon Hunter Yudian, whose circumstances were complicated enough to place him on equal footing with her, no other elf could compare to Archer Captain Ina. Perhaps none ever would.

Thus, without even realizing it, Huang Long had come to regard Archer Captain Ina as family. In that respect, even Demon Hunter Yudian was not as close to Huang Long as Ina was.

That was precisely why Huang Long had risked his life to rescue this vanished unit. If only Huntress Captain Elisa, or even Priestess of the Moon Tyrande, had been trapped, Huang Long would have needed a foolproof plan before attempting a rescue. He might even have abandoned them if necessary. Compared to anything else, his own life was more important. Once he died, the entire Night Elf faction would vanish and be destroyed.

Therefore, while it would certainly be a pity to lose ordinary heroes or even elite heroes, such losses would not be crippling. They were not irreplaceable to the Night Elf faction, and giving them up when necessary would not be a big deal.

Without a doubt, Huang Long was somewhat selfish for thinking this way. Yet he was also a deeply emotional person. He would not act blindly, but as long as there was even a sliver of hope, he would do everything in his power to seize it. That was why he had risked his life to rescue Archer Captain Ina.

"Then hurry up and lead the way! And you, brat, what's your name?" Doomsday Guard Azzinoth gave a strange laugh and spread his arms. Two enormous bat wings unfurled from his back, leaving Huang Long staring in shock.

"My lord, my name is Huang Long." To prevent Tyrande and the others from exposing his name when they met later, Huang Long had no choice but to give his real name. By this point, he had accounted for every step. Such schemes were simply the nightmare of all his enemies.

"It's not far ahead. My friends are trapped within a barrier there, so I hope you can save them," Huang Long said offhandedly, having no idea where he had come up with the excuse. Yet Ina and the others' situation was almost exactly as he had casually described. Huang Long's ability to fabricate lies truly was astonishing.

"Heh, no wonder. I sensed that the energy ahead was cut off. So there's a demon barrier there!" Doomsday Guard Azzinoth cackled. His demon wings spread wildly as countless dark auras surged in savage currents, releasing towering demonic energy that made one's tongue click in amazement.

"It's right ahead. Huang Long, follow behind me. I'll break that barrier now. Don't get lost!" Doomsday Guard Azzinoth threw back his head and roared. The Warglaives of Azzinoth in his hands radiated an incomparably bloody glow, and then Azzinoth shot forward, charging swiftly toward the front.

"Yes!" Huang Long lowered his head and smiled faintly, a gleam of smugness flashing through his eyes. This guy may be powerful, but isn't he still being played in the palm of my hand? In this world, you still need brains.

Though Huang Long thought so, he closely followed Doomsday Guard Azzinoth without daring to slack off in the slightest. Although he was far slower than the other party, he at least would not be left behind.

"Whew." Huang Long let out a soft breath and came to an abrupt stop behind Doomsday Guard Azzinoth. He stared at Azzinoth, unable to understand why he had stopped here.

"What is it, Lord Azzinoth?"

"There's a demon barrier ahead. This should be the one you mentioned, right? But it seems to have been set up by an ordinary Level 7 demon. It's nothing to fear." Azzinoth grinned broadly, contempt flashing in his eyes.

Although Azzinoth currently appeared to be only at Level 5, he possessed Demon Hunter Yudian's body. The power Yudian could unleash had long surpassed Level 7. Combined with the many powerful secret arts he possessed as a high-ranking demon, he had no fear of an ordinary Level 7 demon, or even an elite demon.

"Huh?" Huang Long hesitated, feeling uneasy. He did not know whether the thing before them was truly what had trapped Archer Captain Ina. If he was wrong, Doomsday Guard Azzinoth would certainly become suspicious of him. Then his situation would become dangerous. Thus, Huang Long remained extremely hesitant and did not dare offer any opinion, fearing he might make a mistake.

"Never mind. I'll break it first! I haven't stretched my limbs in a long time. Now, I'm going to have a good fight!" Before Huang Long could come up with an excuse, Doomsday Guard Azzinoth spoke. From his tone, he was clearly just looking for some entertainment; helping Huang Long was merely incidental.

Huang Long gave a bitter smile, feeling somewhat displeased, but he quickly got over it. Back when the Burning Legion invaded the Ainoston Continent, Doomsday Guard Azzinoth had been quite a formidable figure. Though he had been killed by Demon Hunter Yudian, that did not mean Azzinoth was weak. The fact that he was remembered at all proved that he had caused Yudian some trouble.

Otherwise, he would have been nothing more than an insignificant passerby, unworthy of anyone's remembrance. Huang Long himself was merely a lowly minor character before such a major boss, not worth mentioning at all. If not for his lies, Azzinoth might not even have had the interest to swat him to death. Although his strength had declined countless times over, his arrogant temperament had not changed in the slightest.

Before Doomsday Guard Azzinoth had even finished speaking, he raised the Warglaives of Azzinoth in his hands. Demonic power flooded into the blades in an instant, making them hum repeatedly like infants crying after finally receiving sweet dew, crazily devouring and absorbing the energy.

Demon Blade Slash!

Azzinoth let out a wild roar. The blood-red blades flashed out in an instant, their edges producing bursts of turbulent air as they slashed at the so-called demon barrier before them, leaving streaks of scarlet afterimages.

"Eee! Eee!"

The demon barrier flashed with blinding light. Intense ripples rolled through countless currents of energy, swaying without end. The sudden disturbance sent wave-like marks spreading outward. Although the commotion was great, the demon barrier still stood there, unbroken by that single strike.

"Huh? It's quite sturdy. It actually took one of my attacks!" A strange expression appeared on Doomsday Guard Azzinoth's face. He was clearly surprised that the barrier was so solid that it had not shattered after taking his blow. The result made him flush with embarrassment at losing face before his junior.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Several whistling sounds cut through the air as a few figures arrived beside Huang Long. They were the Huntress unit that had been trailing behind him.

"Damn it! Demon Frenzy Slash—break for me!" Doomsday Guard Azzinoth roared again. Seeing more people arrive, he no longer dared hold back. The strike that had originally contained only half his strength instantly erupted at full power. A fierce gale rushed toward them, leaving Huang Long and the elves barely able to stand.

Boom!

Under that powerful blow, the sturdy demon barrier instantly collapsed into annihilation and vanished without a trace. In the next instant, surging demonic energy swept over Huang Long and the others, enveloping them all.

"Roar! You dare destroy the demon barrier of my Realmshaping Demon King? You're courting death!"

A thunderous roar rang out at once. As the words fell, a massive figure appeared before Huang Long and the others.