Chapter 87: Super Chaotic Battle

Ye Rong watched Tianshui Yifang’s expression shift from clear to cloudy, then to dark overcast, until now it had become a downpour of rain.

“Wow, that guy’s skill at changing expressions is well-practiced!”

Ye Rong scanned the surroundings, pulling Manzhu Lver back two steps to a spot further away from the dueling stage.

“What’s wrong?”

“If the Emei Tianshui Division smoothly won ten matches and basked in the glory, Tianshui Yifang would naturally withdraw with his players. But now, with one loss and one draw, Tianshui Yifang himself also lost a bit of face. He definitely wouldn’t just let it end here. There’s bound to be a chaotic battle soon.”

Ye Rong thought back to Ethereal Green Robe’s deliberate act of going easy and seeking peace, and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly at his lack of wisdom. Wanting to neither lose his own face nor offend Emei, adopting such a compromise approach pleased no one on either side. It would have been better to just decisively kill the Emei players, which could have built a formidable image in the hearts of the Qingcheng Players.

Ye Rong also hadn’t expected that Ethereal Green Robe’s going easy would indirectly benefit him. As the only one among the ten Qingcheng representatives to win a match, his current fame had far surpassed that of the other faction leaders and he was subtly seen as Qingcheng’s top expert.

After all, among the hundred thousand Qingcheng Disciples, lone wolves or small party players were still the mainstream. Most weren’t particularly interested in joining unofficial factions.

“What? Didn’t they say winning or losing would be decided by ten matches?”

“Yeah, now that we lost, it’s exactly the chance for them to do whatever they want to us. They aren’t breaking any rules.”

Seeing Manzhu Lver’s adorable, sulky expression, Ye Rong couldn’t help but reach out with his index finger and give her delicate, upturned nose a playful little flick.

“My apologies, my apologies. The Emei Players are indeed exceptionally powerful.”

After what felt like an eternity, the protracted match on the dueling stage finally ended in a draw.

Although the Emei Player felt frustrated inside, facing Ethereal Green Robe’s beaming smile and sincere expression, coupled with his words of flattery and praise, it was genuinely hard for him to show a bad attitude. He could only step down from the stage without a word.

Watching Ethereal Green Robe’s actions clearly from the side, Ye Rong clicked his tongue repeatedly. Being able to handle pleasantries to such an extent explained his extensive network of connections.

Like watching a play, he saw Dongliu Cangshui and a few other leaders step forward to negotiate with Tianshui Yifang. As expected, they failed. The Emei side threw out impossible, unreasonable conditions specifically designed to provoke a fight.

“Bloodbath Qingcheng!”

Tianshui Yifang gave a clear shout. Behind him came an echoing roar like a crashing mountain and churning sea. The players of the Emei Tianshui Division unleashed wild blasts of sword light. Nearly ten thousand Qingcheng Players surged out beyond the mountain gate’s Defensive Restriction. In the very first clash, dozens were immediately struck down and killed.

Thankfully, Ye Rong had pulled Manzhu Lver to a more rearward position, so neither of them suffered any harm.

A chaotic battle involving over ten thousand people, especially without any factions being formally established, made it extremely difficult to issue any coherent commands. The moment forces collided, formations instantly dissolved into chaos. Qingcheng and Emei Players became hopelessly tangled together.

“Good, good, good! My Casting Snow depends on you guys now!”

Instead, Ye Rong felt slightly excited. He instructed Manzhu Lver to stick close behind him. With a shake of his shoulders, two shades of white Sword Light shot out from his Sword Case. Grasping the Taixuan Ice Soul Sword in one hand and the Chuyun Sword in the other, he wielding both blades as he charged into the maelstrom of Players.

In a situation like this, a single moment of carelessness and you’d find enemies in every direction—up, down, left, right, front, back. Relying solely on one Flying Sword, Ye Rong wasn’t very confident, especially while needing to protect Manzhu Lver behind him.

“I need to kill a hundred people. Two Flying Swords still feel too few. If I could manage three swords flying simultaneously, I bet I could rack up the headcount for the Chain Quest much faster!”

The number of Qingcheng Players on the field was probably over ten times that of the Emei Players. Although slightly stronger individually on average, it couldn’t make up for the sheer numerical gap. However, the Emei Players tended to group in sevens or eights, cooperating fluidly, able to unleash several times their normal combat power compared to scattered fighting. There was also the group led by Tianshui Yifang. Each held a Xuanming Yin Water Banner. When combined, a turbulent dark river surge burst forth, knocking the Qingcheng Players around them off-balance. A single sweep of Sword Light could then easily claim their lives.

“If this trend continues… relying on the advantage of the Resurrection Point being right behind us… we could literally wear down the Emei Players to death just through casualties. At worst, it would only cost each of us dying once on average. But not everyone has that clear sense of direction. When they see victory remaining elusive, Qingcheng Disciples’ enthusiasm to fight will probably plummet dramatically.”

For the sake of venting pure anger, having to pay the price of dying once, or even more, would cause eighty or ninety percent of Players to waver. Leveling in Far Shore wasn’t easy. For an ordinary Player around level thirty, even if dedicating all gained experience to character level, it still took about two days just to level up once.

Rushing to the front for advantages while shoving others forward to suffer – this is simple human nature. Without a structured system of rewards and punishments, very few highly conscious Players would keep fighting on as huge numbers of their comrade’s bodies piled up around them.

It was precisely because Ye Rong understood this that he was determined to inflict as much damage as possible. Emei Players were limited in number; each death meant one gone for good, with no chance of reinforcements rushing over from Mount Emei.

Even if his individual contribution was tiny, accumulating them together was still meaningful—a case of many grains making a heap, gathering fur to make a robe. It wouldn’t betray his identity as a Third-Generation Disciple of his Sect.

His two Third-Rank Flying Swords were already somewhat outdated for a player of his level. Luckily, with the Sword Case’s enhancements, it wasn’t too glaringly obvious. He directed both blades at one Emei Player. They struck with a continuous clang and clatter of impacts. The opponent’s protective Flying Sword was blasted open by Ye Rong’s relentless Sword Light. A single, swift stroke of the Taixuan Ice Soul Sword easily took a life.

“Wow! This is so intense!”

Watching as Ye Rong’s dual swords danced like nimble fish, he had already dispatched three opponents in a row. Of course, it also involved lurking behind others and delivering surprise attacks. Finally seeming to snap out of it, Manzhu Lver let out an excited cry and waved her hand, unleashing her set of fire-based Magic Treasures.

Ye Rong breathed a small sigh of relief. Seeing Manzhu Lver staying silent behind him, he had started to worry she was scared stiff by the commotion.

“Don’t use your Sparkling Fireworks spell! Just stick to basic attacks.”

Thinking about the large-scale offensive Magic spell attached to Manzhu Lver’s set of fire Magic Treasures, Ye Rong quickly stopped her eager attempt.

Such wide-area offensive Magic was indeed a powerful weapon during large-scale faction battles, but right now, with players from both sides mixed together, if Manzhu Lver unleashed several bursts of the Sparkling Fireworks spell, her Karma Points would probably plummet straight into the negative on the spot, putting her at risk of being expelled from the Sect.