"Coldshoulder" has successfully slain the Desert Giant Crab!
He Yucheng froze for a moment. The giant scorpion’s massive corpse was already fading away. On the other side of the dissipating body, a player’s figure slowly materialized.
The player hesitated briefly too—but instantly shifted expression. Without pausing, he charged forward, spear thrusting at He Yucheng!
The boss’s killer wasn’t that player. For ten seconds after a kill, the actual slayer alone could loot drops. Since *he* couldn’t pick up the loot… neither would his enemy!
He Yucheng was stunned by Lengjiang’s move. He’d never imagined she’d do this! Making enemies of major guilds? In this game, that wasn’t just bad—it was catastrophically bad.
But now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. The spear tip was already inches from his chest!
His Displacement Skill cooled down. He swept his gaze over the loot on the ground—a faint golden glimmer caught his eye. He dodged straight toward it.
Yet the boss’s most valuable drop was the Concealment Jade. As a top-tier player, how could that opponent *not* guess He Yucheng’s target?
The player dodged too. Then—an Upper Cut! He Yucheng was launched into the air, locked in suppression status. The attacker surged upward, ready to unleash a burst combo.
"Tch!" He Yucheng checked his skills. Most Displacement Skills were still cooling down. The opponent had mostly used abilities on the boss—he couldn’t calculate exact cooldowns. His Forced Break granted only half a second of Invincibility. Without a displacement skill, he couldn’t reach the loot in that sliver of time.
Just as despair crept in—a beam of blue light crashed down on him!
*Stun cleared!*
*Suppression lifted!*
Lengjiang’s support skill!
He Yucheng’s eyelid twitched. *Lengjiang just saved me!*
No more running. The instant suppression broke, he spun sharply. His blade slammed into the attacker—*Push Strike*—to knock him away. But the guild player was no amateur. The moment He Yucheng’s hit landed, he triggered Forced Break without hesitation, countering with a Rising Dragon Strike!
"Mirror Image is ready…" He Yucheng had dumped nearly all skill points into Mirror Image. Its cooldown was abnormally short. He’d been waiting to use this "god-tier skill."
He didn’t dodge. With no skills left to evade the Rising Dragon Strike, he was slammed back into suppression.
As he prepared to chain Forced Break into Mirror Image—teleporting to the glowing loot—Lengjiang’s whisper crackled in his private chat:
*Daddy, he hasn’t used Flash Strike yet!*
He Yucheng’s eyelid jumped again. Mirror Image’s flight took time. If he used Forced Break now, the opponent would have ample time to unleash his UltimateArt—Flash Strike!
Running out of tricks, if he burned these last skills… even with Lengjiang’s healing, the player could stall him for ten seconds and snatch the loot.
He knew the opponent’s Invincibility and Forced Break were on cooldown. But he couldn’t guarantee locking him down—the Flash Strike granted invincibility mid-cast. With more skills available, the enemy could easily turn the tables.
The opponent knew He Yucheng’s predicament too. He’d spotted Lengjiang descending from the sky. He was saving Flash Strike—the perfect trump card to flip this battle.
*5 seconds…*
*4…*
*…*
*1…*
*Cooldown complete!*
Though the attacker kept shoving He Yucheng backward, the distance meant nothing now.
He Yucheng activated Forced Break. Then—he hurled a shower of petals toward the golden glimmer on the ground: *Mirror Image!*
As the petals flew, a command prompt flared above the opponent’s head. He Yucheng didn’t hesitate—he popped his freshly cooled Invincibility!
*Flash Strike!*
The opponent lunged without pause, aiming to pin He Yucheng down. But He Yucheng had anticipated this.
Invincibility dodged the Flash Strike. Mid-invulnerability, the Mirror Image reached its limit. He Yucheng swapped places with the shadow—then dashed forward with Triple Slash, snatching the glowing item.
*System Alert: You have obtained the rare item "Concealment Jade."*
He Yucheng opened his inventory instantly, equipping the Concealment Jade. Binding it ensured it wouldn’t drop if he was killed by bounty hunters.
His skill bar was empty. But he’d achieved his goal. No need to overthink. Unless…
He turned. A petite figure drifted down from the sky—Lengjiang, floating gently under a parasol.
He Yucheng casually scooped up a few decent-looking drops. *Might as well die on a full stomach.* With no skills left, he was as helpless as livestock awaiting slaughter. Death was inevitable.
He glanced up. The opponent hadn’t pursued.
In the distant storm, dozens of silhouettes emerged. Reinforcements—someone had summoned the Guards.
The player who’d fought him so fiercely approached, face dark. Lengjiang folded her parasol and stepped beside He Yucheng.
"He Yucheng? Coldshoulder? Fancy meeting *you two* here!" The player sneered. Seeing his ID—*A Dirge for Parting Sorrow*—He Yucheng’s expression hardened.
Recomposed Words had mentioned this man: Shen Junyao’s new boyfriend. His tone matched the one who’d mocked He Yucheng alongside Shen that day.
*This was him.*
He Yucheng calmly surveyed the encircling players. They weren’t rushing to attack. Neither was he.
Real identities were strictly confidential in-game. Unless leaked, no one could know who "Parting Sorrow" truly was.
He Yucheng stepped forward, shielding Lengjiang. His voice stayed level: "Your big guilds still don’t believe in fairness, huh?"
Parting Sorrow smirked, emboldened by numbers. Every player here was a skilled PVP veteran. Escape was impossible.
"Fairness? This is a dog-eat-dog world. Get real." He looked down at He Yucheng like a cat playing with a mouse. Who held the power was obvious.
He Yucheng noted the title beneath Parting Sorrow’s name: *Butterfly Shadow Elder*.
Butterfly Shadow ranked fifth among guilds. Elders stood just below the Guild Master and Vice Masters. This man’s status was sky-high.
Guilds held around a hundred members: one Master, two Vices, five Elders, the rest mere Members. With thousands of guilds in existence, Butterfly Shadow’s top-five rank spoke volumes.
He Yucheng scanned the perimeter—nearly a hundred players from top guilds had encircled them. Even as basic Members, their skill levels were far from trash.
Escaping with Lengjiang was impossible. He’d fall here. But he couldn’t let her be dragged down with him.
"Well, little Coldshoulder," Parting Sorrow turned to Lengjiang, his sneer replaced by a smile. "How about joining my guild? We’d treat you well."
Lengjiang’s face remained blank, her voice icy: "Bad man. Baby hates you!"
Parting Sorrow chuckled. "What a shame."
"You really have no shame," He Yucheng said flatly. This man had a girlfriend yet still flirted shamelessly.
"I wasn’t talking to *you*," Parting Sorrow snapped, eyes glacial. "Who do you think you are? Some big shot just because you made a name for yourself?" He was a top-100 PVP player—he could see He Yucheng’s skill level clearly.
But He Yucheng’s limited skill set hid his true potential. Micro-plays alone couldn’t showcase elite mastery.
He Yucheng knew this too. His real problem was level progression. Late-game leveling relied on dungeons and mobs—but constant harassment left no room to grind.
That’s why he needed the Concealment Jade.
He didn’t fear more enemies. His game had already become a parkour survival sim. But if Lengjiang got caught in the crossfire… he’d never forgive himself.
He’d hoped she’d just watch from the sidelines. He never expected her to openly aid him—declaring war on these guilds!
Too late to change anything now. He wouldn’t blame her. He was grateful she’d risked it for him.
"Since you stole what’s mine," Parting Sorrow hissed, snapping his fingers, "I’ll make your life in this game… unbearable." The Guards surged forward.
He Yucheng’s brow furrowed. Surrendering meekly was out of the question… but defeating a top-100 PVP player? With his level and gear gap? Impossible.
Death was certain. Dying like a moth flinging itself at a flame would only humiliate him.
*What now…*
…
As He Yucheng weighed risking everything to humiliate Parting Sorrow with sheer skill—Lengjiang stepped forward.
"This baby won’t let you bully Daddy!"
