Three Against One

The black shadow arrow instantly pierced through the thick concrete slab.

Boom!

Gravel flew across the open ground in the distance as violent energy blasted a charred crater into the earth.

Behind the concrete wall, cold sweat seeped down the back of the curse user in a star-chart robe.

He stared fixedly at the impact crater less than half a foot from his feet, his throat bobbing hard.

If that arrow had been just a little closer, it would have blown off his head.

"Kid, your cursed technique is related to shooting accuracy, isn't it?" The curse user rapidly moved sideways while staring at the shadow cast by the load-bearing wall. He raised his voice and said,

"Being able to nearly hit me in terrain where you can't see me means you've got some skill."

At the same time, he pressed a standard earpiece to his ear and spoke in a low, hurried voice. "This one's tough. He's an elite from Jujutsu High. Requesting reinforcements!"

There was silence in the earpiece for a moment before a cold male voice replied, "Approved. Someone's already on the way."

There was not a trace of warmth in that voice, only the confidence of someone in complete control.

Lu Ping stood on the muddy ground without saying a word.

Against an ordinary Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer, he had no need to gain a power boost by "revealing his cursed technique."

By withholding information about himself, he could still use the information gap to catch his opponent off guard.

Deep within the underground pipes, another curse user sat in a dark corner. He was gaunt, with ribbons wrapped around his eyes.

His hands formed a complex seal, his eyes tightly shut. Yet the white ribbon faintly revealed the outline of a ghastly pale eyeball.

This barrier-technique expert from the Pan Star Religious Group possessed a cursed technique called [Fivefold Eyes].

At that moment, this section of the sewers had already been completely shrouded by a concealed barrier.

Five invisible [Cursed Eyes] floated at the upper, lower, left, right, and center points of the barrier.

Like cameras without blind spots, these Cursed Eyes turned every movement Lu Ping made—even every adjustment to his breathing rhythm—into live visuals that were continuously shared with the curse user using the [Mountain-Piercing Quake] technique to fight with his fists.

This was a top-tier support technique, allowing allies inside the barrier to directly gain full-map vision.

However, its weaknesses were equally obvious—the Cursed Eyes' vision could not penetrate beyond the barrier, and the sorcerer himself had no offensive ability whatsoever.

He continuously transmitted the images seen through the [Cursed Eyes], linking the vision of the two curse users fighting on the front lines.

Upon learning that reinforcements were on the way, the fist-fighting curse user's confidence surged.

He kicked off the slippery ground, his body becoming an afterimage as he circled behind the load-bearing wall at Lu Ping's side again.

Bang!

A dull shockwave penetrated the concrete and accurately blasted toward Lu Ping's ribs.

Lu Ping rolled nimbly across the ground, the [Piercing Ox Horn Bow] in his hand drawn to full tension once more.

Twng.

The second shadow arrow roared forth, blasting a large section of concrete wall into powder.

However, there was no one left behind the wall.

It had missed.

"Still one step too slow." Lu Ping steadied himself, his brows knitting together.

Within these tangled pipes, he was temporarily unable to accurately pinpoint his opponent's location.

Yet strangely, whenever he set foot down, the opponent's shockwave attacks always precisely blocked his inevitable path.

It felt as if a pair of eyes above his head were watching him intently.

There's some special reconnaissance method, or someone else is hiding in the dark and providing vision.

Lu Ping came to a decision.

The Three Corpses within him began to pulse rhythmically, gradually drawing in his overflowing cursed energy and strengthening his close-range senses.

He did not linger in battle. Turning, he ran toward the monotonous passage he had come through.

The terrain there was simple, making it harder to fall prey to elaborate deceptive ambushes.

However, what he did not know was that the fist-fighting curse user hiding in the shadows had trembling lips.

Lu Ping's second arrow had still missed, but the violent wind pressure kicked up as it passed had directly scraped a layer of flesh from his shoulder.

"This kid's instincts are getting stronger... If I let him fire two more arrows, I'm dead for sure!"

A flicker of fear crossed the curse user's eyes, and he hurriedly pursued him.

Lu Ping sprinted through the dim pipe, and the exit ahead was already faintly visible.

Suddenly.

Riiip.

A cold black shadow tore through the air without warning.

Rumble—

Another dull crash rang out.

The underground pipe ahead suddenly collapsed violently.

Tons of concrete blocks crashed down like torrential rain, kicking up dust that filled the air and completely sealed off Lu Ping's only retreat route.

Before the dust had even dispersed, a burly figure slowly emerged from behind the collapsed rubble.

The newcomer carried a jet-black scythe formed from pure shadow, radiating a chilling gleam.

"Pan Star Religious Group, Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer." The man looked at Lu Ping expressionlessly and spoke in an even tone. "My cursed technique is [Shadow Scythe]. It can turn shadows within a ten-meter radius into scythes that cut through flesh."

The moment he finished speaking, the cursed energy around him surged like boiling black water.

He gave Lu Ping no chance to catch his breath. His body shifted as his arm swung, and the massive black shadow scythe tore through the air, screaming as it slashed straight toward Lu Ping's neck.

Step, step, step.

Dense footsteps came from behind as the fist-fighting curse user caught up as well.

Looking at the sealed-off passage, the flesh on his face twisted violently as he burst into laughter.

"Kid, we've already destroyed your way out! This sewer will be your coffin today. Die obediently!"

Even while facing the pincer attack of two Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerers, Lu Ping's expression remained calm.

A cold wind howled from the depths of the pipes, stirring the ends of his hair.

This apparent "dead end" instead made his mind incomparably clear.

The enemy's tactical arrangement completely matched his deductions.

Using his towering build and long reach, the curse user raised the Shadow Scythe high and charged through the air.

Rather than retreat, Lu Ping advanced. His body strangely tilted to the left, brushing past the edge of the black scythe.

At the instant their bodies passed each other, Lu Ping seemingly carelessly took half a step forward with his right foot, but he had in fact stepped precisely onto the scythe-wielding curse user's elongated shadow.

Snap.

An extremely faint crisp sound rang out.

A wisp of Lu Ping's shadow cursed energy silently branded itself into the other man's shadow like a parasite clinging to bone.

Lu Ping used the momentum to leap backward, landing steadily in the sewage.

He looked coldly at the two enemies closing in on him. Feeling the fluctuations of cursed energy coming from afar, the corner of his mouth suddenly curved upward.

He had not expected that in just two short days, he had already grown strong enough to fight three Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerers at once.

"The shockwave fist handles frontal assaults, while the shadow scythe handles flanking, restraint, and cutting off escape routes."

Lu Ping slowly rolled his neck. "Two against one? No, three against one."

His faint voice echoed through the empty sewer.

"There's also that guy hiding in the rear, feeding you information. Your lineup is rather complete."

The two curse users currently attacking him exchanged glances, each seeing confusion and incomprehension in the other's eyes.

How had a lone Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer deduced so much information from barely more than ten minutes of continuous attacks?