It had to be said, the Blood Demoness's words greatly tempted Xu Nian. Her sudden appearance today had caught him completely off guard, and in doing so, had thoroughly exposed the Profound Yellow Sect's critical weakness: no true masters to hold the fort. A Seventh-Grade Martial Artist might dominate Liang City, but what about Fengxiang Prefecture as a whole? What right would a mere Seventh-Grade Martial Artist have to speak there? The Profound Yellow Sect desperately needed an absolute master to secure its position. At the very least, this was to ensure the Respawn Points in Yingyang Hall and Gathering Sun Hall remained secret from outsiders. Relying solely on himself, Xu Nian knew advancing his Realm would be far too slow. To progress at a reasonable pace, he needed the Players to undertake a significant number of Tasks. But what came after conquering Liang City? Targeting Fengxiang Prefecture? That region wasn't just home to Jianghu forces. The government offices there also housed experts from the Imperial Court. If he caused too large a commotion and the Imperial Court intervened, wouldn't his identity as the Seventh Prince be completely exposed? Luo Yushu, oh Luo Yushu, you really left me a damnable mess.
Xu Nian exhaled a long, troubled breath. "I can agree to let you stay," he said solemnly. "But news about the Profound Yellow Sect must be known only to you. If I find out anyone else knows, you understand what I'll do."
"Seventh Prince, rest assured, I understand," the Blood Demoness purred, curling up in Xu Nian's arms. She looked up, her beautiful eyes shimmering, and whispered softly, "Does the Seventh Prince desire me to attend to his dressing? It's getting quite late."
"I am not the Seventh Prince!" Xu Nian frowned. "Since you wish to stay at the Profound Yellow Sect, then remember this clearly: I am Xu Nian, the Sect Leader of the Profound Yellow Sect!"
He still didn't want the Players to learn his true identity. This matter couldn't be rushed; in his eyes, the time wasn't right for them to know.
The Blood Demoness nodded gently, a charming smile playing on her lips. "Then, Sect Leader, do you desire me to attend to your bathing and dressing?"
Xu Nian was speechless. What a temptress!
"The battle isn't over yet," Xu Nian said after a moment's thought, regaining his composure. "Since you're now part of the Profound Yellow Sect, go outside and help the Disciples. Don't worry about the others; just focus on the Hall Master of the Black Tiger Hall."
Hearing this, the Blood Demoness stopped teasing Xu Nian. Rising from his embrace, she smiled coquettishly and said softly, "Then, Sect Leader, I'll see you later. I can serve you tonight."
"Get out!" Xu Nian blurted, his face flushing.
Seeing his reaction, the Blood Demoness chuckled, her laughter light and flirtatious. She hadn't expected the distinguished Seventh Prince of the Great Qian Dynasty to have such a flustered side. Still, compared to that, the secrets of the Profound Yellow Sect were far more captivating. As for the Blood Demon Sect... well, there was no immediate rush. The Nine Dragon Key had nine pieces in total, and the one the Profound Yellow Sect held was merely one of them. Besides, as an Elder, she usually had little to do on a daily basis. Given all this, staying at the Profound Yellow Sect didn't seem problematic. If her Sect Leader (from the Blood Demon Sect) were to inquire, she could simply claim she had infiltrated the Profound Yellow Sect to search for the Nine Dragon Key. This excuse would be easy enough to pass off. As for everything else... she'd figure it out when the time came.
The newly resurrected Players, noticing a stunningly beautiful woman walking out from the Great Hall, all stopped in their tracks.
"What's going on? Where did this woman come from? How did she get out of the Great Hall?"
"Is this a new NPC? Why didn't we see her before?"
"No way! Is the Sect Leader hiding a woman from us? Is he playing 'hide the beautiful maiden in a golden chamber' up in the Great Hall?"
"I told you our Sect Leader was no ordinary man! That woman looks incredibly seductive; just one glance and I feel like I can't take it!"
"..."
The Blood Demoness remained unconcerned by the Players' possessive gazes. She'd seen such looks countless times. Hadn't even Xu Nian shown a flicker of that same expression just a short while ago? She was thoroughly used to it.
"Greetings, Disciples," the Blood Demoness said, pausing with a smile. "I'm a new... servant girl... here at the Profound Yellow Sect. If any of you need anything in the future, please don't hesitate to ask little old me, teehee."
Smiling sweetly at the Players, she then glided outside, her long, fair legs drawing every eye.
This sight was almost too much for the Players to bear. With such a Female NPC, this game finally has some real motivation! Who wants to stare at the Sect Leader's damn face all day? Looking at a beauty like this is way more interesting! Not to mention, she's so gorgeous you could never get tired of looking at her.
"I can't take it anymore! I'm gonna die! She just smiled at me!"
"The character modeling in this game has finally proven its worth! Just for this young lady, I'm staying in this game forever!"
"What did she say she was? A 'servant girl'? What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means exactly what you think it means! Our Sect finally has a Female NPC! Brothers, follow me! For the young lady! CHARGE!"
"..."
In an instant, the Players surged with energy, as if they'd all been injected with adrenaline. Clearly, the appearance of a Female NPC in their predominantly male ranks had ignited a fierce competitive spirit.
The Blood Demoness herself was somewhat surprised. It seemed her presence was having an unexpectedly powerful effect. These Disciples now appeared even more fearless in the face of death, completely abandoning their previous coordinated tactics. Now, their only goal was to take an enemy down with them, even if it meant dying in the process.
Li Hu had lost count of how many people he'd killed. Fifty? Eighty? A hundred? He didn't understand. He felt like he'd been killing nonstop, yet the Profound Yellow Sect Disciples seemed inexhaustible. As soon as one group fell, another surged forward. His Black Tiger Hall had also inflicted heavy casualties, but what was the result? There still seemed to be nearly a hundred Profound Yellow Sect members left. What in the world was going on? How many people were hiding Inside the Profound Yellow Sect? Damn it all! His stamina was completely drained. All he could do was mechanically lift his hand, draw his saber, slash, turn, and slash again. After a while, he'd even forgotten what he was there for.
The Players, however, weren't worried in the slightest. Human Wave Tactics were their greatest advantage. Kill one of them, and they'd just respawn and charge back into the fight, completely unfazed. Their Newcomer Protection was still active for a while longer, so they had no fear of death!
Gradually, the Disciples of the Black Tiger Hall and the Blood Demon Sect were nearly all wiped out, their minds growing numb from the relentless slaughter. In the end, they were swarmed and beaten to death by the horde of Players. If they had a choice, they would never want to kill another person for the rest of their lives. It was simply too exhausting.
Seeing he was the only one left, Li Hu felt a cold wave of despair wash over him. He was only halfway up the Profound Yellow Sect's mountain; he hadn't even reached the summit! And now, nearly a hundred Profound Yellow Sect Disciples were surrounding him. This crushing despair made it almost impossible to keep his grip on his Five-Ring Saber. Did the Profound Yellow Sect truly hide its strength so deeply?
"Brothers, the Boss is almost dead! Get ready to snag the kill!" someone suddenly shouted.
The next moment, nearly a hundred Players swarmed in. Even if it only meant rushing forward to land a single punch, they were determined to get a piece of the action.
A look of sorrow and indignation filled Li Hu's eyes. Under the relentless assault of nearly a hundred Players, his imposing eight-foot frame gradually began to give way.
THUD!
As the final, overwhelming attacks landed, his life force ebbed away, his despair consuming him.
Relief... he thought. There was something deeply wrong with the Profound Yellow Sect. The sheer number of people here was far beyond what their Black Tiger Hall could ever handle. If he had known... he would never have dreamed of attacking this place. But for him, unfortunately, there were no 'what ifs' left...