The air around the ancient temple seemed to solidify. The cold moonlight shone down, illuminating the eleven figures surrounding Lam Minh, forming a circle with no gaps.
One Peak Golden Core. Nine Peak Foundation Establishments. And a Peak Foundation Establishment as cunning as Hung Ba.
This was a lineup sufficient to annihilate a battalion of elite soldiers, or even cause significant trouble for an entire fortress. And now, all of them were targeting Lam Minh alone.
Faced with this desperate situation, Lam Minh showed not a hint of panic. On the contrary, a smile appeared on his face.
A very bright smile.
"Oh? So that's how it is," he said, his voice as calm as if he were out for a stroll. "A truly elaborate play. You all must have gone to great lengths to invite me here, haven't you?"
His strangely calm demeanor caused the black-robed Holy Messenger, who had just appeared, to frown. His codename was Eleventh, ranked just above Twelfth, and his strength was a level higher.
"Are you not afraid, human?" Eleventh asked, his voice as hoarse as Twelfth's, but with a slightly deeper tone. "You should know, you have zero chance of escaping from here."
"Afraid?" Lam Minh laughed. "Why should I be afraid? I'm actually finding this quite exciting. One Peak Golden Core, ten Peak Foundation Establishments. A lineup like this will probably give me quite a few 'points,' don't you think?"
Hung Ba and Eleventh exchanged confused glances. "Points"? What was he talking about?
"It seems there's something wrong with your head," Hung Ba sneered. "Scared into talking nonsense?"
Lam Minh ignored him. He looked at Eleventh. "You're a Holy Messenger, right? Number 11? Number 12 was already killed by me. He talked a big game before he died. I wonder about you."
Lam Minh's blatant provocation caused the killing intent in Eleventh's eyes to flare. "You're the one who killed Twelfth?"
"Yes. A rather weak fellow," Lam Minh shrugged. "I hope you won't disappoint me like he did."
"YOU'RE COURTING DEATH!"
Eleventh wasted no more words. He roared. Black energy erupted from his body, transforming into two giant pythons that lunged towards Lam Minh.
At the same time, the other ten Peak Foundation Establishments attacked in unison. A myriad of attacks, from fists and steel whips to various strange energies, rained down on him from all directions.
They wanted to use an all-out assault to crush him instantly.
Faced with this storm of attacks, Lam Minh had no intention of confronting it head-on. He knew that even though he was at the Golden Core realm, dealing with such a formation was no easy task.
He did only one thing.
He stomped his foot hard on the ground.
BOOM!
The entire ancient temple, along with the surrounding ground, suddenly trembled violently.
"What?"
All the enemies were stunned.
Then they saw it. From beneath the earth, hundreds, thousands of turquoise vines, as thick as arms, suddenly shot up. They moved like living snakes, wrapping around the legs of the Foundation Establishment cultivators and binding the two dark pythons.
This was a formation. A Wood Element Formation that Lam Minh had secretly set up before Hung Ba even arrived. He had used the ancient trees surrounding the temple as the formation's eyes.
He hadn't just come to wait. He had come to prepare for a battle. He had anticipated the possibility of being surrounded.
This surprise threw the enemy's attack formation into momentary chaos.
And Lam Minh seized that very moment.
He didn't attack; he retreated.
He dashed towards the dense forest, where the terrain was complex and most advantageous for him.
"Don't let him escape!" Eleventh roared. He waved his hand, and the two Ya Ying short swords reappeared, slashing through the vines that bound his pythons.
Hung Ba and the others also quickly broke free from the formation's grasp.
"After him!"
A chase began again. But this time, the roles were different.
Lam Minh wasn't fleeing. He was "kiting."
He plunged into the forest, using his movement techniques and understanding of the terrain to navigate. The enemy group, though powerful, was forced to stretch out their formation upon entering the dense woods.
This was exactly what Lam Minh wanted.
He suddenly stopped behind an ancient tree. A Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, having chased too hastily, had gotten ahead of his comrades.
Lam Minh appeared behind him like a ghost.
The newly strengthened Thuan Thien Sword, incredibly sharp, swung out in a light arc.
SWISH!
The "Saint Child's" head flew into the air, his eyes still wide open in confusion as to why he was dead.
[Eliminated a Peak Foundation Establishment Saint Child. Received 8,500 Immortality Points.]
"ONE!"
Lam Minh didn't stop. He vanished back into the darkness, leaving behind a headless corpse and the bewildered pursuers.
"Be careful! He's ambushing us!" Hung Ba shouted, trying to stabilize the formation.
But in this dark and treacherous forest, his words had little effect. The fear of an invisible assassin had begun to creep into the minds of every "Saint Child."
The hunt had turned into a deadly game of hide-and-seek.
And Lam Minh was the one who controlled the rules of this game.
...
The night forest became the stage for a deadly play. Lam Minh, who should have been the prey, had now completely transformed into a black panther, hiding in the shadows, patiently stalking and slowly tearing apart his prey one by one.
Eleventh and Hung Ba tried to tighten their formation. They no longer dared to chase blindly. They moved as a solid block, back-to-back, advancing slowly, using their spiritual sense to scan every bush, every rock.
"Everyone, stay focused! Don't get separated!" Hung Ba repeatedly growled, trying to calm his subordinates who were beginning to panic.
But in a forest this dense and dark, maintaining a perfect formation was impossible.
Lam Minh was like a phantom. He didn't attack directly. He used incredibly annoying harassment tactics.
One moment, a stone would be thrown from a hidden corner, drawing their attention.
The next, a whistle would echo from another direction, making them jump.
Then, a dry branch would suddenly fall, causing one "Saint Child" to reflexively swing his weapon, nearly striking a comrade.
These actions caused no physical damage, but they wore down their morale terribly. They were forced to remain in a state of extreme tension, never knowing where the enemy would appear or when he would attack.
After a period of this mental "torture," the patience of a few "Saint Children" began to wear thin.
"DAMN IT! COME OUT HERE AND FACE ME! YOU COWARD!" a large-bodied man, mutated into a small rhinoceros, roared in fury. He lost his cool, charged out of the formation, and used his horn to smash a large bush to pieces.
That was the mistake Lam Minh was waiting for.
The moment he separated from the protection of his comrades, a streak of turquoise light shot down from a high branch.
THUD!
The God-Slayer sword, with the power of the Golden Core realm, easily pierced through the rhino-man's thick hide, plunging straight into the top of his head and destroying his brain from within.
The giant rhino-man only managed one final roar before collapsing with a thunderous crash, creating a small tremor.
[Eliminated a Peak Foundation Establishment Saint Child. Received 8,300 Immortality Points.]
"TWO!"
"YOU IDIOT! I TOLD YOU NOT TO GET SEPARATED!" Hung Ba was furious.
Eleventh, however, remained silent, his blood-red eyes scanning the forest. He knew this opponent was too cunning. If they continued this game of hide-and-seek, his subordinates would be picked off one by one.
"Stop!" he suddenly ordered. "Everyone, fall back to the temple!"
He decided to change tactics. Instead of searching for the panther in the forest, he would return to the den, turning the temple into a fortress, forcing the panther to come to him. He wanted to turn Lam Minh's active position into a passive one.
Receiving the order, the remaining "Saint Children" felt as if they'd been granted amnesty and hastily turned back, retreating towards the clearing.
From the shadows, Lam Minh frowned. "Oh? You figured it out? Pretty smart."
He knew he couldn't let them group up again. He had to seize this final opportunity.
He stopped hiding.
He burst out of the darkness, blocking their path of retreat.
"Where's the fire?" he said, holding the God-Slayer sword, the aura of the Golden Core realm exploding forth. "The game isn't over yet."
Seeing Lam Minh finally reveal himself, Eleventh was not afraid, but instead sneered. "Finally decided to come out of your shell, have you?"
"Not really," Lam Minh shook his head. "I just thought you all looked so pathetic running away, so I came out to 'see you off'."
"ARROGANT!"
Eleventh wasted no more words. He knew this was the best chance to finish Lam Minh. He signaled to Hung Ba and the seven remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators. "Surround him! Today, he dies here!"
Lam Minh looked at the tightening circle, but he only smiled.
He looked directly at Eleventh. "You and I are both Golden Core. This fight between shrimp and crabs is getting boring. Why don't we settle this between us, and see who's truly the strongest?"
He was issuing a public challenge.
Eleventh narrowed his eyes. He understood Lam Minh's intention.
"You want a duel?"
"That's right," Lam Minh nodded. "If I win, you have your subordinates kill themselves, then you get lost. If you win, my life is yours. Do you dare?"
This was a psychological gamble. Lam Minh knew that an arrogant person like a Holy Messenger would never refuse such a challenge.
And just as he predicted.
Eleventh burst out laughing. "Haha! Interesting! Very interesting! A mere human dares to challenge a Holy Messenger to a duel. Fine! I accept your challenge!"
He turned to order his subordinates. "All of you, fall back. Without my order, no one is to interfere. This is a battle of honor between him and me."
Hung Ba and the others, though reluctant, had to obey, stepping back to form a large circle, turning the clearing into a deadly arena.
Now, only two remained.
Lam Minh and Eleventh.
Both raised their weapons, their terrifying auras clashing, creating thunderous booms that echoed through the air.
"Let's see," Eleventh said, "if your Dragon race bloodline can withstand my Dark power."
Lam Minh just smiled. "You'll find out soon enough."
The tension reached its absolute peak. An earth-shattering battle, a true confrontation between two Golden Core experts, was about to erupt.