The Song Switched Shows Midway

On the opera stage.

The long-legged Gu Nian pulled away from Mr. He's attack and landed with both feet on a gong stand, her brows tightly knitted.

She was a player with a Spell Type profession. Anyone who received this inheritance was invariably intelligent and rigorous in their thinking. Among the New Year's Watchers of Qingfu District, she had always served as the team's commander.

The fight had been brief, perhaps less than two minutes in total, but Gu Nian had already realized that their approach was flawed.

Everyone had only thought about focusing their attacks on Mr. He and taking him out. Now, however, it was clear that wouldn't work.

The overwhelming advantage a second-tier player held over a first-tier player couldn't be offset by combat technique. Their supernatural abilities were worlds apart, too. Take Red Dog's absurd offensive power, or Mr. He's ability to erect an opera stage...

Their side had numbers, but almost all of them were first-tier players. They couldn't inflict any meaningful damage on Mr. He, and that included her. Meanwhile, Red Dog, the only one with second-tier profession traits, had explosive combat power but lost his reason the moment he entered combat...

The fiercer the flames formed from his murderous aura burned, the more recklessly Red Dog fought. Against a profession that favored agility, he began to struggle.

Mr. He had displayed two supernatural abilities so far:

Fearless Courage-this made him more focused and utterly fearless. Fear simply didn't exist for him, and illusion-based attacks couldn't distract him.

Seven In, Seven Out-the defining feature of this ability was its immunity to control effects. Most first-tier players' control methods had no effect on him whatsoever. Gu Nian had cast Binding Cage twice, and he had shattered both with a flick of his spear. Neither had slowed him down at all.

Whoosh, whoosh...!

Gu Nian's eyes darted across the stage, tracking the battle. She watched Mr. He dodge Red Dog's Heavy Sword again and flick his spearhead into the small of his back.

Squelch!

Blood flowed from Huang Wei's lower back. He drew his sword back and leaped two meters away, then roared again, "Bloodbath!"

Bang!

Blood burst from his waist and flew into the air, where the enormous crimson sword gathered and absorbed it all.

"Blood Sacrifice-Annihilation!"

Hummm!

The enormous crimson sword trembled violently. Even his thick arms could barely hold on to its hilt.

All human liveliness had vanished from Huang Wei's eyes. He simply stared viciously at his target.

A phantom surged out of his body, roughly four or five meters tall. It was the image of a demonic god with crimson bloodlines, seemingly the ancestor of a tribe.

Wearing a hide skirt and wielding a great axe, the figure merged with Huang Wei's will in an instant.

Phantom and flesh swung axe and sword together.

Mr. He's pupils contracted. He sprang straight onto a roof beam and held his Opera Spear across himself to block.

Rumble...!

The sword swept across, smashing through everything in its path.

The entire stage cracked apart. Walls, red drapery, and the stage scenery all disintegrated in a chaotic spray of debris.

Thud!

Ren Ye lay flat on the ground, shielding his father, and swore through gritted teeth. "You're a fucking brainless brute... I really can't take you into a Star Gate. You'd just get yourself killed."

With that single swing, everyone nearby was knocked sprawling. Both friend and foe were caught in the blast.

Xu Peng lay on the ground, wiping blood from his cheek and cursing. "I told you... this fight was bad news. We're screwed, screwed...!"

The stage had cracked apart and suffered severe damage.

Up on the beam, Mr. He suddenly felt his concentration falter and fatigue creep into his body.

His current-tier bound item had been damaged, and that inevitably affected him.

"The villain Cao's forces are mighty! I shall rescue the young lord at once...!"

Mr. He thrust straight toward Ren Ye.

Although Red Dog had lost his reason, he had activated his profession's challenge trait. Once he faced his target, he would fight to the death.

Clang!

His sword swept across to block, and the two resumed fighting.

Beside them, Ren Ye got up and tossed his father behind the curtain, then shouted through gritted teeth, "Long Legs, take out that dwarf and the big dumb bastard first! Clear out the small fry. My dad's back, so we've got plenty of time to play with that opera singer."

Gu Nian had reached the same conclusion.

Standing on the gong stand, Long Legs let her hair stream behind her as her Magic Wand shone brilliantly.

Her eyes were half closed, her lovely face serene, like a little fairy.

"Psychic Magic-Levitation!"

Her clear voice rang out as Long Legs swept both arms upward.

Whoosh!

The centipedes and venomous insects on the stage, along with the Predator Type player and the little dwarf, all lifted off the ground without warning.

Spell Type inheritance professions possessed many tier-specific forbidden arts. Once used, they left the caster drained.

But to bring the situation under control quickly, Gu Nian had no choice but to unleash her strongest move early.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her slender body trembled.

Everyone suspended in the air briefly froze in place.

This was the chance!

Ren Ye sidestepped and activated the Nine-Story Buddhist Pagoda with his mind. "Stupid demon spirit, get to work!"

Awooo!

A venomous howl rang out from the pagoda. An enormous phantom green snake rushed out and lunged open-mouthed at the suspended plunder-class player.

Gulp!

Its cavernous maw swallowed the Predator Type player whole.

Thump, thump...!

The sounds of fists and feet striking the green snake's belly rang out. The powerful Predator Type player was struggling inside its body.

Hiss!

The phantom green snake raised its neck and flicked out its red tongue. An emerald glow swept down its neck at tremendous speed, pouring into its belly.

The sound of acid eating through flesh followed. About a second later, the green snake spat out a human skeleton, then shot away along the stage.

"You little bastard... You dare call me stupid? I'll remember this!" The phantom green snake actually cursed with remarkably human indignation before disappearing into the air.

Crack!

As the supernatural ability ended, the Nine-Story Buddhist Pagoda shattered, turning into drifting powder.

The item had already been used twice when Ren Ye snatched it. Now that its final use was spent, its Buddhist power was gone, and the monster escaped.

Ren Ye ignored the green snake's threat. Looking down, he saw that the Predator Type player had been corroded down to a bare skeleton. It was hard to imagine a more gruesome death...

Bang, bang!

A series of explosions erupted nearby. Ren Ye turned to see three New Year's Watchers unleashing their offensive supernatural abilities while the little dwarf hung in the air.

But... the little dwarf was a powerful fighter, second only to Mr. He on the enemy side. He controlled the venomous insects and centipedes to absorb the killing blows. Though badly injured himself, he hadn't died on the spot.

The other three New Year's Watchers were in rough shape too, each suffering injuries of varying severity.

That coordinated assault had completely drained Gu Nian. She floated gracefully down from the gong stand, but when she tried casting another spell, all she conjured was a crude copper hoop, without even a flame...

She was utterly spent...

Meanwhile, Ren Ye had run out of tricks as well. He had already used Enchantment and couldn't activate it again for twelve hours. The Spring Breeze Wish-Fulfilling Painting had little effect on Mr. He, whose concentration was through the roof.

The Nine-Story Buddhist Pagoda, his only item capable of killing, had shattered too...

What now?

Just as Ren Ye was trying to think of a way to help Red Dog, he suddenly saw a cold glint flash toward his throat.

Clang-clang-clang...

The drumbeats and gong strikes quickened. Mr. He fixed his stubborn gaze on Ren Ye and shouted, "Young warrior, leave the Qinggang Sword to me, and I shall slay another three hundred thousand of Cao's troops!"

The furious shout rang out.

Ren Ye's mind boomed. He felt Mr. He's fierce aura lock down his entire body. His legs wouldn't move. He couldn't even breathe.

I've been trapped.

"Save Ren Ye...!" Gu Nian cried in terror.

Whoosh!

The cold glint thrust toward his neck, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. The nearby New Year's Watchers tried to intervene, but they were already too late.

In that instant, Ren Ye sensed death...

His pupils contracted sharply as the spearhead grew larger and larger. The entire stage fell silent. Even the irrational Red Dog turned his head blankly and stared at Ren Ye.

Step...!

Just then, Mr. He suddenly stopped and took a step back.

He sensed a fierce presence directly beneath his feet.

Hm?

No, why is my shadow...

Whoosh!

Under the lights, a shadow sprang up from beneath Mr. He's feet, wielding a long spear and thrusting straight at him.

Clang!

Mr. He drew his spear back to block. Man and shadow clashed once, then broke apart.

The shadow rose to its feet and gradually became solid. Its build, costume, and the Opera Spear in its hands were all identical to Mr. He's. Even their torn opera robes matched exactly.

They faced each other with spears in hand, like mirror images.

Mr. He was stunned. A flicker of awareness appeared in his stubborn eyes. "What warrior approaches?!"

"I am Zhao Zilong of Shanghai!"

The shadow seemed to open its mouth, but it couldn't actually speak. Somewhere nearby, a girl with a light, lilting voice seemed to be providing its "dub."

Her voice sounded a little goofy, a little cute, and faintly unhinged. She turned toward Ren Ye and the others and said, "You lot, stay out of the way."

"Fight me!"

Mr. He gritted his teeth, gripped his spear, and instantly engaged his own shadow.

The nearby New Year's Watchers, Ren Ye, and even Red Dog were all dumbfounded. Still, they silently breathed sighs of relief. The shadow was clearly on their side.

Clang-clang-clang...!

Mr. He and the shadow exchanged blows at incredible speed, fighting from the ground to the beam, then from the beam to the right side of the stage. They moved so fast that even Gu Nian could barely follow them. But everyone agreed on one thing: the shadow was absurdly powerful.

It could actually imitate Mr. He's attacks. Whatever move he made, it made the same one.

After barely twenty seconds, Mr. He disengaged and retreated, sweat covering his head. "This was supposed to be a proper Battle of Changban! How did it turn into The True and False Monkey Kings?!"

"Really?"

The girl's ethereal voice echoed, brimming with mischief. "Then why don't we make it a mythological opera instead?"

As her words fell, the spear-wielding shadow suddenly began to change. Its spine slowly curved, thick black fur sprouted from its arms and torso, and its eyes and expression became much livelier... Finally, the spear in its hands turned into a long, narrow black staff...

Its appearance truly became that of Sun Wukong, a monkey bounding up and down.

"Watch me blow on a tuft of hair!" The shadow plucked a tuft of black hair from its head and gently blew it into the air.

Poof!

The black hairs drifted outward and burst apart beneath the lights.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!

In an instant, the stage was packed with shadows, packed with Sun Wukongs!

There was no telling the real from the false, illusion from reality.

At the sight, Mr. He's scalp instantly prickled. His mind cleared, and in a rare loss of composure, he swore, "You're fucking cheating! You're that Hunter from the Fraud Merchants' Association! You've reached the third tier?!"

"Not yet. I'm just stronger, that's all."

"Ha! Take a blow from Old Sun's staff...!"

Countless shouts surged in from every direction. All the shadow monkeys leaped into the air and brought their staffs crashing toward Mr. He.

"I'm done with this fucking opera!"

Mr. He staggered back in disarray, grabbed the badly injured little dwarf, and roared, "Curtain call-Enter the Role!"

Whoosh!

As his words fell, a wooden door appeared out of thin air at the stage exit, bearing the words "Actor's Passage."