"So, to surpass Lin Xiaoran, I have to kill every last ferocious beast, but there isn't enough time."
Yimopu did not think he lacked the strength to kill all the ferocious beasts, because his Heroic Spirit was an evil undying wizard who had been sealed away for thousands of years. Not only could he summon terrifying corpse-eating beetles and mummies, he also possessed the terrifying power to control sandstorms and sand tornadoes!
Thus, he had an inherent advantage in this desert instance, which was why his points were so far ahead.
But although he had enough strength, he did not have enough time!
Even if he took a detour, he could not go too far, or he might not reach the finish line within five days.
Yimopu truly envied Lin Xiaoran's luck. "Still, if I can eliminate Lin Xiaoran, then with my points ranking, I'll be first too. The national fortune rewards definitely won't be low!"
In the previous round, Lin Xiaoran had set an example, so both he and Sophia were doing their best to earn points.
After dealing with the ferocious beasts that attacked him at night, Yimopu began to rest as well.
Although the nights were very cold, as though they were in the depths of winter, fortunately, the National Fortune Game had also given the challengers a chance to survive. Ordinary supplies included tents, quilts, and other items.
None of them were as good as Lin Xiaoran's temperature-controlled tent, though.
The next day, Lin Xiaoran woke up on time.
Bathed in sunlight, she washed up briefly, ate breakfast, and set off again.
Madara said nothing, silently following Lin Xiaoran's arrangements.
Just as Madara and the viewers watching the livestream across the country thought Lin Xiaoran would hunt ferocious beasts as usual, two blurry figures appeared on the horizon ahead.
[Other challengers?]
[Oh, Student Lin's pretty lucky!]
[Is it luck? Have you forgotten Student Lin's perception? I think Student Lin went looking for them herself!]
[I've got it! Defeat them one by one! Student Lin knows they'll team up against her, so she's started eliminating her opponents!]
[That's great, then! All for it!]
The U.S.: [Hmph! What's wrong? Isn't your Lin Xiaoran supposed to be strong? Is she scared now?]
Country R: [Exactly! If she's so capable, don't attack!]
Country A: [This person looks a little familiar... isn't that our challenger!?]
E Country: [Oh? That unlucky, getting targeted by the great demon king? It's over, then!]
Country H: [Country A's? Isn't that Yimopu, who's ranked second?! Seriously, why is he acting alone?! With such a powerful Heroic Spirit, he should've gone to meet up with the others sooner!]
Country A: [Aaaah! Yimopu, run!]
Although they were mocking Lin Xiaoran's actions, the moment they discovered that the challenger Lin Xiaoran had sought out was one of their own, they immediately panicked!
They had not forgotten that Madara still had an ultimate move he had never used!
The people of Country A did not want that opportunity used on their challenger!
Especially since Yimopu's Heroic Spirit this time was quite powerful. As long as Lin Xiaoran's threat was gone, he was strong enough to defeat the other challengers and win this round of the game!
Watching the distance between the two sides shrink, Country A's viewers truly wished they could rush into the game instance right then and shout for Yimopu to leave!
But did Yimopu really want to leave?
No. Not only did he not want to leave, he even wanted to eliminate Lin Xiaoran here! To prove his strength!
Yes, he recognized the girl opposite him, slowly flying over while standing on a rock.
This person was someone no one in the world could forget or ignore now.
She was also the opponent every challenger wanted to defeat!
Soon, standing on their rock, Lin Xiaoran and Madara landed on the sand a dozen or so meters away from Yimopu.
"Another Heroic Spirit who can fly? Can he summon meteorites too?" Yimopu shouted.
Madara froze briefly. Summon meteorites? How did he know?
[Why did Lord Madara freeze for a moment?]
[Maybe he doesn't know what Yimopu's talking about.]
[Heh, surely Lord Madara can't use that move too, right? (Laughs)]
Lin Xiaoran shook her head without explaining, instead asking, "You're confident you can defeat me, so you aren't running?"
Yimopu laughed. "Don't think you're the only one favored by fate! And don't think you're invincible under heaven just because you won once!"
He thought Lin Xiaoran had let success go to her head and become conceited. Otherwise, why would she say something like that?
But that was normal enough. Every challenger who won would have such thoughts.
Especially since Lin Xiaoran looked so young.
Yimopu spoke again. "I'll eliminate you here, then become the sole victor of this round!"
Lin Xiaoran admired his confidence and nodded. "That's why I came looking for you specifically."
It was not because Lin Xiaoran feared him cooperating with the others, nor because she feared the power of his Heroic Spirit. It was simply that Lin Xiaoran had discovered they were very close, and his Heroic Spirit had some supernatural powers she wanted to see for herself.
As for whether she might capsize in a gutter and throw away the enormous advantage she had worked so hard to accumulate, Lin Xiaoran had never considered it, because she had absolute faith in Madara's strength.
If something unexpected really did happen, at worst, she could just have Madara activate his Rinnegan early.
She refused to believe anyone in this round could be stronger than Madara with the Rinnegan!
[See! I knew Student Lin came looking for him on purpose!]
[I'm really curious what caught Student Lin's eye about him.]
[He's in second place! Of course it's best to eliminate him first!]
[I wonder if this challenger from Country A can force Madara to use his ultimate move?]
Yimopu sneered. "Young lady, don't be so hotheaded." Then he looked at the Heroic Spirit beside him. "Lord Wizard, sorry for the trouble."
The bald wizard in black robes nodded silently, then spread his hands.
Rustle, rustle, rustle~
Under the viewers' gazes, the desert between them suddenly stirred. Black specks crawled out of the yellow sand one after another. On closer inspection, they were all black beetles!
[Corpse-eating beetles!]
[These are insects from Country A that specifically devour corpses! They're mostly found in ancient burial chambers, used to deter grave robbers!]
[The most fearsome thing is, they're just like the "Black Storm" Student Lin dealt with before. Anyone they swarm will be eaten down to nothing but a skeleton!]
[Ah! There are so many! My trypophobia's going to flare up!]
Countless corpse-eating beetles crawled out, packed so densely that they covered the desert like a layer of oil.
"Don't think that's all!"
Yimopu shouted, and then bulges emerged one after another from the yellow sand beneath the black beetles, covering an area several times larger than before.
Mummies!
Hundreds of mummies rose out of the sand. Some held spears, some held rusty long sabers, and others held damaged shields.
"This is an army of mummies!"
"Lin Xiaoran! Die!"