C18 The Shadow Suddenly Appeared

"Humanity? That's a myth. If you don't step up, you'll be the sacrifice."

Wang Yipao unleashed the Demonic Light, his voice steady and composed.

Then,

Jian Laiguang's sword flashed.

In a blink, the BOSS was down to half health.

The Immortal Sword quartet stood there, stunned.

"What are you dawdling for? Get in there and show off—no, I mean, take down the BOSS! Ouyang Jue, get a grip on it. I'm the one with all the aggro here!" Wang Yipao began to backpedal, trying to shake off the BOSS's attention.

But the Sand Demon Bug King's aggro range was vast.

And Immortal Sword Jiulong wasn't quite up to the task of pinning down the BOSS.

Consequently, Wang Yipao found himself the target of a relentless pursuit by the Sand Demon Bug King.

"Seriously, what's your deal? Aren't you going to help me with the BOSS? Or are you planning to let me be the sacrificial lamb for a shot at the Foundation Building Pill? Don't think I won't hunt you down at the Immortal Sword headquarters," Wang Yipao grumbled, seeing no one coming to his aid.

His view of the rear was completely obscured.

The colossal Sand Demon Bug King was in the way.

With no other choice,

he dodged and weaved past the Sand Demon Bug King.

"Brother Yipao, it's not that we're unwilling, it's just that..."

The Immortal Sword team was entangled.

Not with a creature, but with another player.

Indeed, they were ambushed by an unexpected squad.

Shadow Rain!

They were held up.

"Jian Yipao, bet you didn't see this coming," Shadow Rain said with a smirk. He glanced at the Sand Demon Bug King and then greedily eyed the Demonic Light in Wang Yipao's hand, "You're quite formidable, slashing the BOSS's health in half with a single strike. You gave me quite the scare last time, but now it's clear your weapon is extraordinary."

"Whether my sword is any good is none of your business. It's bound exclusively to me, so dream on about looting it," Wang Yipao retorted and charged with the Sand Demon Bug King into the fray.

"I'll hold him off. He's definitely going to exhaust himself against this boss," Shadow Rain declared, stepping up to the challenge.

But before he could even react,

Wang Yipao had vanished from his view.

Ghost Shadow Pursuit!

A derivative spell of the Ghost Shadow Technique, it allowed for instant teleportation to a target within sight.

"Attack!"

Wang Yipao's abrupt appearance took Shadow Pear by surprise.

Simultaneously, Immortal Sword Shui Jing coordinated her assault with Wang Yipao, launching a counterattack on Shadow Pear.

Wang Yipao's sudden strike had the Sand Demon Bug King nearly overwhelming Shadow Rain.

Shadow Rain was on the verge of exploding with rage.

That's just too much!

How could you be so destructive!

"Hey Pear, how did you lot get here?"

Wang Yipao appeared to know this member of the Shadow Club quite well.

"Pfft! You're the Pear."

"Oh dear, Pear's spitting at me. Should I catch it with my mouth?"

"You're a freak!"

Shadow Pear wasn't the only one taken aback; even Immortal Sword Shui Jing couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Come on, we're in the middle of a boss fight here.

Did you just come to flirt with the young lady?

Both women were close to laying into Wang Yipao.

But Wang Yipao was quick on his feet.

After his playful banter, he wielded the Demon Light and closed in on Shadow Pear.

His aim was to capture her attention completely.

As for Immortal Sword Shui Jing's potential attacks, he wasn't concerned.

With teammate mode activated, damage immunity was a given.

"I'm done playing with you guys," Shadow Pear said, sticking out her tongue.

Her speed picked up, likely one of her special techniques.

She was widening the gap between herself, Wang Yipao, and Immortal Sword Shui Jing.

Don't be fooled by Shadow Pear's petite size; she was no slouch in the smarts department.

Realizing Wang Yipao's intention to corner her and go for the kill, she wasn't about to let him have his way.

"Quite the player, aren't you, little miss? But take a look at your teammates."

Almost in unison, Wang Yipao and Immortal Sword Shui Jing made a beeline for another Shadow player nearby.

"You're despicable!"

Shadow Pear, fuming, had no choice but to double back.

Sadly, the distance she had created was now enough to turn what was a two-on-one into a three-on-two situation.

In the midst of battle, Shadow Rain had yet to concede defeat to the boss.

"Let's call it quits, everyone. How about we part ways peacefully? We're no longer interested in this boss," suggested the Shadow Club's leader, breaking the tense silence.

Before Immortal Sword Jiulong could even respond, Wang Yipao snapped back, "No deal. It's too late to back out now."

The Immortal Sword crew couldn't help but roll their eyes in exasperation.

Come on, you're not our leader!

Yet, their sentiment wasn't misplaced.

"Attack!" commanded Immortal Sword Jiulong.

They held the upper hand, and crucially, they were equipped with potions.

It was imperative to prevent the Shadow Club from spreading any information about the boss, especially since the Foundation Building Pill was at stake.

"Flee!" The Shadow Club's leader was resolute. Sensing Immortal Sword's formidable presence, he ordered his team to scatter and save themselves.

"Running away? Stay and shine my shoes!" Wang Yipao taunted, his figure darting forward, leveraging the Ghost Shadow Technique's passive speed boost to pin down two Shadow players, leaving them no chance to escape.

"Jian Yipao, you're crossing the line!" Shadow Rain finally broke free from the boss's grasp, though his health had plummeted by 20%, even as he evaded the boss's blows.

The boss's attacks were, of course, far more damaging than he had anticipated.

As Shadow Rain reentered the fray, Wang Yipao abandoned his pursuit of the other two, directing his Demon Light straight at him.

"The damage is incredible!" Shadow Rain took the hit and was forced to defend desperately.

Everyone speculated about the potential power of Wang Yipao's weapon.

In truth, Wang Yipao's Demon Light was merely a low-grade Qi Refining weapon, not the fabled Immortal Artifact he was rumored to wield. The weapon, still in need of repair, dealt damage comparable to an ordinary low-grade Qi Refining weapon.

His significant damage output was primarily due to the escalating damage ratios of each tier in the Three Sword Technique.

It was significantly more powerful than other damaging techniques.

This was merely the second tier of the Three Sword Technique. Should it reach the third tier, the damage output would see a further increase.

Yet, whether Wang Yipao could develop a derivative spell remained uncertain, given the technique's incomplete nature.

The cooldown for Ghost Shadow Pursuit had just elapsed.

Wang Yipao activated it once more.

"Hold them back!"

Immortal Sword Jiulong, witnessing Wang Yipao's fervent defense against the Shadow Rain, was keen not to miss this chance.

But someone, or rather, a BOSS, couldn't stand idly by.

"Roar!"

The Sand Demon Bug King was enraged.

Unleashing a wide-reaching ability, Dragon Breath, it stirred up a fierce sandstorm, engulfing the surrounding sands!