Gongyang Jiao halted.
In the howling wind, his dieval costu flapped and snapped wildly.
The scene was bizarre. Had those robes been battle armor and a war cape, the mont would have looked devastatingly cool. But in a nobleman's garb with hems flying every which way, the Screaming Earl standing before Da Yi cut an inexplicably comical figure.
Yes — like a clown.
That said, not a single person present would actually mistake him for one.
Because his pressure was overwhelming. Even standing before three opponents, his savage face showed no trace of fear — if anything, he expected to see fear in theirs!
"Da Yi. What, you're in bed with this filthy slut too? Want to protect her?"
Gongyang Jiao's gaze darted between the three of them. When he noticed Cheng Shi was a priest, a shadow of displeasure crossed his eyes.
Encountering a priest of unknown allegiance during a hunt was never good news. Healing prolonged the chase and made assassinations exponentially more troubleso.
Da Yi snorted coldly and spat:
"Hot damn, as if!
"I've got business with her. Today's not convenient. Gongyang, do
a favor — co after her so other ti."
"Favor?" Gongyang Jiao's eerie grin stretched to its limits. The muscles in his neck rippled, and he made a series of exaggerated expressions — like a starving beast aching to feed. "I'm already giving you face by treating you as a person. What, without the Grand Marshal around, you think a re assassin can block my way?"
Cheng Shi's eyes sharpened.
This was his first ti encountering soone this brazenly arrogant in a peak-level trial. Usually, players with this temperant only appeared in mid-tier gas or "fish pond" matches where high-rankers stomped novices — because people this hot-headed typically got killed before reaching high ranks.
Yet here and now, facing a priest, an assassin, and a wounded Chosen One who still had fight in her, this warrior was swaggering straight through Da Yi's warning glare!
'Was he really that powerful?'
'Don't tell
he's the [Corruption] version of Big Cat?'
Expression grave, Cheng Shi shifted his footing and prudently positioned himself behind the line connecting Da Yi and Poison, dodging the Screaming Earl's probing gaze.
Poison rolled her eyes at Gongyang Jiao's words, dipped her head with a derisive snort, then looked up again with keen interest to study Cheng Shi.
Clearly, she was quite curious about this priest "friend" she hadn't seen in so long.
Da Yi, anwhile, was unfazed. He apparently knew this was just how the man was.
He snorted again and flicked an Iron Thorn into the snow at Gongyang Jiao's feet, halting his advance. Then he barked:
"Hot damn, quit the act.
"Gongyang, that crap doesn't work on .
"The trial just started. I don't want to hurt anyone. If you're really this bloodthirsty, co back in three days.
"Once I get what I need from her mouth, I couldn't care less if she dies."
He glanced back at Poison with a frown:
"Hot damn, three days. Can you manage that?"
This was open negotiation.
Under these circumstances, Poison had little room to refuse. She looked badly hurt — without protection, her next mont might be her last. She knew this was Da Yi's way of forcing her to submit, but she bore no grudge. Instead, she curled her lips and nodded:
"Fine. You're the boss."
Seeing her compliant pose, Da Yi felt an inexplicable surge of irritation. He spat forcefully, then turned to shout at the other side — toward the near-invisible [Silence] follower:
"Hot damn, you too — give
a sign. I've matched with you plenty of tis, but this is the first I've seen you this riled up. What, she steal your sweetheart too?"
"?"
"!!!"
The entire plaza fell silent. Only the howling wind remained.
Cheng Shi was dumbstruck. 'Bro, your mouth has absolutely no filter. You're saying that right in front of Gongyang Jiao? Can this negotiation even continue?'
Da Yi himself froze. But he recovered quickly, smacked himself across the mouth, and waved at Gongyang Jiao:
"Hot damn, slip of the tongue. Gongyang, that's not what I ant—"
But before he could explain, the prone Poison failed to suppress her amusent and let out a soft, tinkling laugh.
That laugh shattered the wind-scoured silence like a spark dropped into a munitions warehouse. The entire front line detonated in an instant!
The Screaming Earl was furious!
He whipped toward Da Yi, veins bulging from his neck, breath scalding from his nostrils, every feature twisted into a grotesque mask. His entire being turned rabid.
He dropped low, coiling to charge. Before Da Yi could utter a single "sorry," a bone-chilling shriek erupted from Gongyang Jiao's throat. Like a hurricane, he barreled toward the three of them.
Da Yi's eyes darkened. He swore — "Hot damn!" — didn't even try to dodge, and threw himself forward in a head-on collision.
This [War] assassin's opening stance was indistinguishable from a front-line berserker's. When faced with a warrior's charge, he actually mimicked the man's rushing posture and plowed straight into him!
Cheng Shi's jaw nearly hit the ground.
'What is wrong with you [War] people—'
But there was no ti for spectating. Because the instant Gongyang Jiao attacked, the other hunter moved as well.
The near-invisible Chaleon had sohow circled behind Da Yi and materialized in front of Cheng Shi. Before Cheng Shi could react, a short bolt was already streaking toward his left leg.
This wasn't a kill shot — rely a threatening blow to drive the priest away. The Chaleon didn't want complications; he just wanted a clean kill on Poison.
He'd even revealed his position beforehand, specifically so the target would recognize futility and retreat.
But the target didn't seem to move.
In truth, Cheng Shi was on full alert. But against a peak [Silence] hunter's decisive strike, a re priest was still half a beat too slow.
Between masters, half a beat ant everything.
The shot that most peak players would have dodged wasn't avoided by the priest — and it even looked poised to punch clean through both legs.
Seeing this, even the Chaleon who'd fired the bolt paused in surprise. He'd never imagined anyone on the field could be this "weak." His shock even disrupted his tempo for engaging Poison.
Cheng Shi felt the danger. But he wasn't afraid. He knew the bolt wouldn't kill him — at worst, it was a wound.
And the one thing a priest feared least was getting wounded. His priority right now wasn't dodging the bolt, nor was it protecting Poison for so vague promise of intel. He was calculating how to disengage from the battlefield after being hit.
Yes — he was pragmatic. He knew he couldn't dodge.
And he also knew: the deal with Poison had been struck by Da Yi alone. He himself had said nothing.
Cheng Shi's condition had been "talk first, heal second." Since Poison hadn't talked, the transaction existed only between her and Da Yi.
So he wouldn't waste his strength. At most, he'd make a ntal note about this hard-to-spot Chaleon, and once he understood the trial's details and background, he'd settle the score at leisure.
With that thought, the hand gripping his ring quietly relaxed.
Now was not the ti to reveal his true capabilities. In this chaotic opening, preserving every ounce of his strength was the top priority.
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