Indeed, Qi Ling's plan was to use Escanor's power to fly out of the Bagua Formation and escape the battle, because now was not a good time for him to decide the outcome.
First of all, even if I win, there will be a lot of trouble and the risk of being exposed will be greater, which will inevitably arouse the suspicion of Qian Xunji and others.
Therefore, it's best to quit while you're ahead! And to be honest, if we keep fighting, it's really hard to say who will win.
Before flying out of the Bagua Formation, Qi Ling had already retrieved the Dragon God Armor, and then landed in a miserable posture, as if he had lost badly.
This scene was, of course, an act for Qian Xunji to see, to tell them, "Look, you lost. The one inside is indeed more powerful. If you have any problems, you should go find him."
Seeing Qi Ling fly out as well, Qian Xunji, though he hadn't held out much hope, still felt a pang of disappointment. This meant that their plan to gang up on one person had completely failed!
"Damn it, there's no other way," Qian Xunji said helplessly. "Let's retreat! Let's split up and run!"
Qian Xunji and Xue Qinghe, along with Cao Yang, were the first to evacuate. The others also fled one after another. Xiaoyu ran to Qi Ling's side worriedly, only to see him stand up as if nothing had happened, looking as energetic as ever.
" Bai Di, are you alright?" Xiaoyu asked in surprise, "Then how come you..."
"Oh, I'll tell you later. Right now, our priority is to escape," Qi Ling said. " Kurumi, let's go, we're not fighting anymore!"
Kurumi then said regretfully, "Huh? Really not going to fight? What a pity, I wanted to see who was stronger."
"Let's talk about that another time," Qi Ling said. "Right now, getting out of here is the most important thing."
The three of them quickly left, and not long after they left, Escanor slowly walked over. His injuries did not seem to cause him any pain; instead, he felt a sense of regret for not having done his best.
"To think that such a formidable opponent couldn't even last until the end is truly outrageous!" Escanor exclaimed. "Trying to escape from Lord Escanor's grasp won't be so easy!"
Then, Escanor assumed a pursuit stance, about to chase after Qi Ling and the others, but at that moment, an incredibly powerful and astonishing aura suddenly emanated from the distant mountaintop, startling Escanor and causing him to involuntarily stop.
Not only Escanor, but everyone on the island at this moment looked on in surprise towards the distant mountaintop, where something incredibly terrifying seemed to have been awakened and was baring its fangs at the islanders.
Its sheer aura was enough to terrify everyone on the island. Such a being was undoubtedly a huge threat to everyone. Qi Ling couldn't help but ask, "What... what is this thing? Can the people on the island really handle such a powerful monster?"
Kurumi, now displaying a rare serious expression, said, "Such an aura can only belong to a top-tier monster, an SSS-rank monster! To be able to deal with such a monster now... I think only that person can do it."
Hearing Kurumi's words, Qi Ling asked in confusion, " Kurumi, what did you mean by what you just said? And who was that person you were referring to?"
"Now is not the time to go into details. Let's go back first and I'll explain it to you in more detail then," Kurumi said. "Otherwise, if that muscular man catches up with us again, we won't be able to leave."
Kurumi's words made sense, so the three of them quickly returned to the safe zone and back to the room Kurumi had opened. Cang Yue remained in the room like a work of art, without any reaction.
After letting out a sigh of relief, Qi Ling said, " Kurumi, tell me, who exactly is the person you were talking about?"
Kurumi then said, "Actually, there are three SSS-class monsters on this island. Each one is incredibly powerful, but precisely because of this, even getting close to them is extremely difficult."
"So, to approach these dangerous beings so early in the season, and to possess enough strength to get close to them, there's only one person I can think of," Kurumi laughed. "That's the only True God- level figure you haven't met yet— Zhen Hong."
Qi Ling, however, asked in confusion, "Why? They're both True God- level figures, isn't it possible it could be Chu Ling?"
Kurumi laughed, "Hehe, no way. Chu Ling knows perfectly well that he has no chance against an SSS-level monster right now. Although he's arrogant, he's actually very calm and can clearly judge the difference in strength between the two sides."
"Oh? So, this Zhen Hong, she has the potential to defeat an SSS-level monster?" Qi Ling couldn't help but ask.
Kurumi sighed and said, "That's right, that's the kind of person he is. If there's anyone on this island who can take down an SSS-rank monster single-handedly, it can only be Zhen Hong."
Qi Ling frowned and said, "This... this is too exaggerated. Does that mean he's stronger than Chu Ling? Chu Ling's strength is already incredibly formidable. Now that Zhen Hong has appeared, it's become even more difficult for me to win the championship."
At this moment, Xiaoyu, who hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise, said, "It's alright, Bai Di, I believe in you! You will definitely achieve final victory!"
"Haha, thank you for your kind words," Qi Ling said with a smile.
Afterwards, Qian Xunji gathered everyone together and explained that although they had suffered a great defeat this time, and were defeated by one person, they also learned some good news: that person was definitely not Qi Ling.
"It seems we mistook him for Qi Ling because he has too many similarities to her," Xue Qinghe said helplessly. "After all, I thought only Qi Ling possessed such superhuman strength."
"But, if he is not Qi Ling, why is there a dragon roar?" Qianxunji wondered at this time, "When Bai Di and he were locked up in the Bagua Array, I clearly heard a dragon roar. What was going on?"
As Qi Ling was pondering an excuse, Xue Qinghe chimed in with a timely intervention. "Oh dear, that must have been Escanor's dragon roar! Honestly, dragon roars aren't Qi Ling's invention; how can you use that to determine someone's identity!"
Qi Ling found it amusing. Xue Qinghe's explanation undoubtedly cleared her name and further elevated her standing in everyone's eyes. After all, Qi Ling was the only one who could fight Escanor for so long, and even though she was defeated in the end, she was still proud enough.