Chapter 215: Hidden Rival, Slaying the Elder

“Gu Qu Xilai had a big loss on you, and this was no secret anymore.”

Dharmaraja Kumaraja sat down, with circles of Buddha Light spinning behind his head, full of mystery.

“Three days ago, someone sold a video to Jiuyu Pavilion. If you were one of their top-level members, you would have been able to watch it right away. It was footage of your fight with Gu Qu Xilai and later, other members of the Tsunami Longevity Pavilion. Even though from the video he was not at his best, the strength you showed still surprised me.”

“What? Someone sold the fight video to Jiuyu Pavilion!” Ye Rong was shocked.

“No need to be surprised, it was very normal. Jiuyu Pavilion was not content to only be a ranking creator. Trading information was what they were best at; before long, they would launch this service for all Players.”

Ye Rong’s heart was stormy; Dharmaraja Kumaraja’s words had revealed too much.

It was the full video, not just up to when Gu Qu Xilai was killed, which narrowed down the group who could have recorded it—

Aside from Long-Legged Lady and himself, that left Taotaole, Ji Wuhuang, Liu Tiya, Long Wushuang, and that expert who used System Sword Moves.

Only one of these few people had the time and ability to record the whole video. If he could get the video, maybe he could find out who did it by the angle it was shot.

Also, Jiuyu Pavilion was not willing to stay idle and wanted to do more than just be a ranking setter.

Thanks to the trust and influence it had built up lately, he believed many were willing to pay. If he himself ran into a tough problem and could not decide, or needed rare info, he would be willing to spend some money at Jiuyu Pavilion, as long as the information was accurate and timely.

All signs showed Jiuyu Pavilion was not just a group formed out of Players’ interests; it was almost certain that the Star Information Company was behind it, as their methods were very similar.

“But since Jiuyu Pavilion had that video, why didn’t they raise Yijian’s rank on the Heavenly Ranking?”

Blood Colored Poppy, who was listening nearby with a changing expression, frowned and asked in confusion.

“If the public Heavenly Ranking included such secret information and showed it directly, who would Jiuyu Pavilion sell their secrets to, and how much value would they have?”

Ye Rong spoke lightly, seeing Jiuyu Pavilion’s move clearly and understanding it.

“For us, the Heavenly Ranking meant very little; only what you saw with your own eyes could be trusted. Since you showed such strength, you could stand alongside me and were worth knowing.”

Dharmaraja Kumaraja’s tone was proud, as if only such strength was enough to be on his level; ordinary Players were not worth his notice.

“Meeting was fate; perhaps we had chances to work together later. I will give you a hint—don’t think you were already Qingcheng’s top person and could rest easy. Qingcheng still had a super expert, though they had never shown up.”

“What!”

“This person was one of the five top experts outside the Heavenly Ranking, alongside Miss Graceful Dream Butterfly—the most mysterious Wandering Shadow, one of the top ten during the Closed Beta. It was only known that after the Open Beta Test, he joined Qingcheng. Even with Jiuyu Pavilion’s ability, they hadn’t found out which master he followed.”

Even Dharmaraja Kumaraja showed caution when mentioning this name, and his proud look faded a lot.

“Wandering Shadow!”

Ye Rong firmly remembered this name, not daring to forget. If not for Dharmaraja Kumaraja telling him, he would not have known Qingcheng had such a top expert.

If he stayed unprepared and did not consider this person a rival, he would suffer badly when they suddenly appeared.

“Forget it! No matter how mysterious, he had to show up for the Righteous Alliance Grand Competition. Winning even one match gave rewards richer than beating a high-Level boss, comparable to gains from a lesser Immortal Manor.”

Thinking this, he felt a bit calmer; he would see this mysterious person’s true face in a little over a month.

If someone missed the Righteous Alliance Grand Competition and kept their mystery, Ye Rong thought they were not worth paying attention to.

“I did not know much about Wandering Shadow either; I can only remind you.”

“That was enough, thank you.”

Ye Rong nodded in thanks. Whatever Dharmaraja Kumaraja’s motives, this information was very important to him.

…

“Everyone, the east side is struggling; we need your help!”

A Player rushed in anxiously, whispered a few words to Blood Colored Poppy, who stood up right away.

“So, are you interested to see Peach Blossom Fairy’s power?”

“Alright!”

Ye Rong and Long-Legged Lady exchanged a look and agreed happily. They came to Jiuhuan Ridge to test the Purple Centipede Floating Airship’s power and maybe gain benefits, so why avoid the fight?

The battlefield was still tense; the front line kept moving back and forth, with many ordinary NPCs dying every moment and many Players losing their lives too.

Most Players could only afford one Body Substitute Talisman; more was too hard, as they lacked enough Sect Contribution Points.

If unlucky and died twice in a row, these members’ morale dropped sharply and they lost confidence. Though dropped gear was picked up so no loss, losing several Levels meant days of effort wasted, and some could not even wear their Flying Swords or Magic Treasures anymore.

When Ye Rong and the others arrived, that charming Peach Blossom Fairy was showing her might. Her slender fingers were like ghostly claws, ten thin red threads weaving through her hands, taking Players’ lives one by one.

Unless supported by flag formations, ordinary Players could not withstand Peach Blossom Fairy’s strike; a single red thread stab left a bloody hole, and they fell crookedly.

“Where was Gancaozi? If this super expert from the top ten Heavenly Ranking was here, things might be better; at least she alone could hold off one elder, even one of the three who hadn’t died and kept their strength.”

He felt strange, looked around, but did not see this famous female strategist on the battlefield.

On the Clan Ranking, only Herbal Hall was led by a woman.

“How about a contest between us, to see who takes longer to kill an elder?”

Dharmaraja Kumaraja tossed his red robe proudly, pointing at two Peach Blossom Sect elders who had died several times and respawned. Not only were their Levels much lower, but even the Magic Treasures flying around them were fewer.

Even so, Peach Blossom Sect elders were around Level 85 Elite Tier NPCs, yet he treated them as contest targets.

Before Ye Rong and Long-Legged Lady could answer, he flew off with a whoosh toward the elder on the left. Images of a canopy, lotus, conch, and twin fish appeared around him, richly colored and almost like real Magic Treasures.

At the same time, he rubbed his hands and sent down wave after wave of golden blades.

“Hmph, another brute, relying on Dao Spells and Magic Treasures to fight hard!”

Ye Rong saw right away that Dharmaraja Kumaraja’s fighting style did not focus on Flying Swords; they were just for flying.

“Buddhist School Sword Art Forms were profound, no less than Taoist ones. Not using them was a waste!”

“Alright, alright, not everyone was as abnormal as you, able to control Flying Swords that well. If they had better Magic Treasures or strong Dao Spells, they would surely choose what suited them more comfortably!”

Long-Legged Lady clapped her hands and called the Purple Centipede Floating Airship over; the other dozen or so high-Level floating airships joined the fight too.

“This big, bald guy was so arrogant; let me show him what’s what!”

The two jumped onto the Purple Centipede Floating Airship and in a breath, rushed to the Peach Blossom Sect elder on the right.

The number of Herbal Hall Players fighting on both sides was about the same, and the situation was similar. Dharmaraja Kumaraja’s earlier words meant he thought his own strength matched Ye Rong and Long-Legged Lady combined.

Long-Legged Lady was competitive too, especially with the new Purple Centipede Floating Airship; she would not admit defeat.

“I’ll handle the restraint; you use the Yuanyang Divine Thunder Tower to blast him!”

“Not just you alone; I’ll join too. Once the Divine Thunder Tower was set with target and attack time, it needed no control.”

…

Ye Rong did not even look at the few Peach Blossom Sect disciple NPCs in front. His Sword Light sped up, stabbing each seven or eight times. Then his twin swords swept around, cutting them in half, blood spraying the sky.

The Peach Blossom Sect elder before them was called Granny Liufeng, an old woman with silver hair and dry skin.

She waved her hands, sending a group of Flying Needles dancing, yellow and glaring, easily suppressing nearly a hundred Herbal Hall members and taking a Player’s life now and then.

But once Ye Rong and Long-Legged Lady joined the fight, things changed; they took on a lot of the pressure.

“This set of Flying Needles had forty-nine pieces!”

Clashing with the golden Flying Needles, Ye Rong felt a strange force, sometimes strong, sometimes weak, hard to handle. Counting carefully, he found there were forty-nine identical golden Flying Needles, clearly a matched set.