The Liangshan Stronghold Chief Is Coming! (Third Update)

"Those with body-hardening techniques, get up front and tank the boss's damage. Give everyone else a chance to attack."

"This boss is too high-level. Don't try to tank him alone. Share the damage among several people."

Wang Cheng issued his orders methodically.

Though he sounded confident, inwardly he remained deeply apprehensive.

A major boss at the Martial Entry Eighth Level.

Even he had never truly faced one before.

With the Wang Family's resources, it had taken several thousand players to overwhelm a boss at the Entering Martial Sixth Layer.

However.

Most of the players in that battle had only been around the Entering Martial First Layer. Barely any had reached the Entering Martial Second Layer, and their equipment had been crude in every respect.

They had been far inferior to the team he now commanded.

In terms of numbers, he only had sixty or seventy players before him.

But in terms of quality, they were leagues ahead of the vast majority of current players.

The Martial Entry Eighth Level!

They still had a chance.

Especially since this boss had just fought a fierce battle against an NPC of the same level. His strength must have been severely depleted, and that was Wang Cheng's main source of confidence.

Qin Shujian's expression chilled slightly as he watched the players converge on him.

Although he did not know where these people had come from, he was certain they were not players from Beginner Village 10021.

Because—

The players of Beginner Village 10021 had long been suppressed by his Liangshan Stronghold, unable to make any headway. How could they possibly have produced players whose levels were so obviously high?

Yet as these players surrounded him, he did not act immediately. Instead, he swept his gaze over his surroundings.

While he had been fighting Wei Min, the bandits of the Liangshan Stronghold had already slaughtered all the village guards and NPCs.

But against the endless waves of attacking players, even the powerful bandits could not hold out completely.

So when Qin Shujian looked elsewhere, he saw masses of players and only a handful of bandits still resisting. Even those survivors were badly wounded and could be killed at any moment.

He did not go to rescue those bandits.

First, surrounded by so many players, it would be difficult to get the bandits out.

Second, bandits killed by players could respawn.

By then, the team Wang Cheng had organized was gradually completing its encirclement.

"Attack!"

At Wang Cheng's command, a dozen or so muscular players immediately pushed through the crowd and attacked head-on.

More players circled behind, hoping to ambush him from the sides.

But before their attacks could reach him, Qin Shujian suddenly moved.

Boom!

An intimidating aura erupted instantly. The phantom of a black tiger abruptly appeared, its thunderous roar seeming powerful enough to shatter heaven and earth.

Immediately afterward.

Terrifying saber light burst forth.

Boom!!

The saber light flashed like thunder, slicing through the air with a string of explosive cracks.

Before the dozen players in front could do anything, the terrifying saber light swallowed them, turning them into white light that vanished completely.

The abrupt turn of events startled not only the other players preparing to attack.

Even Wang Cheng's face filled with horror, and he cried out in disbelief, "How is that possible?!"

Every one of those dozen players had been an expert at Martial Entry Third Level. Two had even reached the Fourth Level of Martial Entry, and all practiced defensive body-hardening techniques.

They were also the main force responsible for tanking the boss's attacks.

Even when they had surrounded and killed an Entering Martial Sixth Layer boss, only a few of these players had been lost by the end of the battle.

Yet now—

One slash.

Just one slash!

The dozen players capable of withstanding attacks from an Entering Martial Sixth Layer boss had all been slaughtered.

The loss was so shocking that Wang Cheng had no time even to feel the sting.

He was about to issue another order, but it was already too late.

Whoosh!!

Qin Shujian moved with the footwork of Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, his Tiger Head Saber like the Grim Reaper's scythe as he slaughtered the players who had surrounded him and failed to retreat in time.

Even Wei Min, at Martial Entry Eighth Level, had been no match for him.

These players, whose strongest members were only at Fourth Level of Martial Entry, were utterly worthless opponents in Qin Shujian's eyes.

With a Ninth-Rank Sharp Weapon and his current strength, killing them was barely harder than chopping vegetables.

In just a dozen or so seconds, no fewer than twenty or thirty players died beneath his saber.

Having harvested a batch of Life Source, Qin Shujian could not be bothered to pursue the players scattering in retreat. Instead, he headed toward the center of Novice Village.

Since there was a Core Token, he naturally had no intention of handing it over.

He had killed the boss of Novice Village.

For the players to swoop in now and steal the fruits of his labor was nothing but wishful thinking.

"Quick, stop him!"

Coming to his senses, Wang Cheng turned pale as he watched Qin Shujian leave.

Everyone he had brought this time was an elite trained by the Wang Family.

Every death meant another reduction in their strength.

If he failed to buy enough time for Wang Renbin to obtain the Core Token, he would undoubtedly be punished.

The players who had instinctively retreated snapped out of it upon hearing Wang Cheng's words and launched attacks at Qin Shujian's back.

Sensing the rush of air behind him, Qin Shujian's expression turned cold.

"You're asking to die!"

He halted, and arcs of saber light erupted around him, sweeping in every direction with thunderous force.

Boom!

Before those players could even get close, the terrifying saber light turned every one of them into white light that vanished.

The sight frightened quite a few people into retreating.

Qin Shujian ignored them and strode steadily forward, clearing a path with his saber. With every step, countless flashes of white light faded away.

Any player standing in his way.

Whether they had come to stop him or simply failed to dodge in time.

Qin Shujian killed them all without exception.

The center of Novice Village had once been the village chief's residence.

Now the house had long since been destroyed. Only a bronze Command Token remained suspended in midair, with a pale blue circle of light about three meters across beneath it.

At that moment.

Wang Renbin was standing inside the circle of light.

Of the players he had brought, fewer than ten remained, forming a defensive perimeter around the circle.

Within this small encirclement, the other players watched covetously.

However, none of them made a move.

Although everyone Wang Renbin had brought this time was a high-level player, they still could not make much of a difference against thousands upon thousands of people.

The others refrained from attacking only because he had made them a promise.

The Wang Family had money to spare.

There was no question about that.

Though Wang Renbin appeared calm, he was actually very nervous.

He had paid a considerable price for this opportunity. Even as a direct descendant of the Wang Family, he felt the sting.

To obtain the Core Token, he now needed to occupy the circle of light for ten minutes.

Ten minutes was neither particularly long nor particularly short.

As time ticked away, a savage aura swept toward them from afar, followed by the screams of countless players and innumerable flashes of white light appearing and fading.

"The Liangshan Stronghold chief is coming!"

To thank everyone for your enthusiastic support with your votes, I'm posting three updates today, all at once rather than at separate times. Consider this an advance on the bonus updates. Please keep supporting me with tips and votes during the upcoming recommendation period. Thank you very much!