novelraw Chapter 142: Azure Wave Pavilion Master: The Pursuers Were All Killed?
Chapter 142: Azure Wave Pavilion Master: The Pursuers Were All Killed?
Swish! Swish!
After escaping through the inner city gates, the Azure Wave Pavilion Master and his sole remaining First-Rank companion sprinted toward the outer city gates.
The Capital City was divided into an inner and an outer city, separated by two layers of gates. Only by escaping through the outer gates could one truly leave the Capital City and shake off the tracking effect of the Red-Tier Wanted Order.
"Guest Elder Wu and the others probably will not be able to hold them off for long."
The Azure Wave Pavilion Master knew the situation well. Aside from Su Yuan, the ambush force stationed on Vermilion Bird Avenue consisted of twenty to thirty Third-Rank Masters.
However, they were facing hundreds of pursuing Imperial Citizen Players and powerful Native Residents.
It was entirely foreseeable that every single person blocking the way, including Su Yuan, would be utterly crushed.
'As long as they hold out for five breaths, it will be enough.'
As he fled, the Azure Wave Pavilion Master could already see the South City Gate in the distance.
After fleeing the Imperial Palace, the moment he decided to use Vermilion Bird Avenue to exit the Capital City, he had already set things in motion.He had sent word to the Azure Wave Pavilion members ambushing the other three main avenues, along with the Second-Rank Masters who had previously attacked the Imperial Palace.
He ordered all of them to converge at the South City Gate, forming a second barrier to block the pursuers after Su Yuan's line of defense.
"Pavilion Master!"
"Pavilion Master!"
Over a dozen Second-Rank Masters and dozens of Third-Rank Masters quickly gathered around him.
"Hold off the pursuers!"
The Azure Wave Pavilion Master's orders were brief. Without pausing for even a second, he headed straight for the outer city gate.
"No problem."
Among the Second-Rank Masters was Guest Elder Jian Yu, who stated with unwavering resolve, "Rest assured, Pavilion Master. Unless every last one of us dies, no one will cross the South City Gate."
As Imperial Citizen Players, death in the game was not a massive price to pay. The many Top Three Ranks experts present could easily bear the consequence.
Whoosh!
In the next moment.
The Azure Wave Pavilion Master passed through the South City Gate and vanished into the wilderness beyond the Capital City.
As for the guards at the South City Gate? The Azure Wave Pavilion had entrenched itself in the Capital City for years just for today's plan. Most of their members had already infiltrated the ranks of the soldiers guarding the four major city gates.
With these soldiers acting as inside agents, the Azure Wave Pavilion Master faced no difficulties passing through the South City Gate.
"To think I would end up dying alongside Guest Elder Wu..."
Guest Elder Jian Yu gazed out toward Vermilion Bird Avenue. Naturally, he knew that the one holding the line there was Su Yuan.
The Pavilion Master's successful escape via Vermilion Bird Avenue meant Su Yuan had stayed behind to stall the pursuers. Given the sheer number and strength of their enemies, Su Yuan had likely already been torn to pieces by now.
Once those pursuers crushed Su Yuan, it would naturally be their turn. Guest Elder Jian Yu did not delude himself into thinking their group could actually stop the enemy; at best, they could only buy a little more time.
Outside the Capital City.
Within a hidden dense forest.
The Azure Wave Pavilion Master and his sole remaining First-Rank companion appeared among the trees.
"I will leave the rest to you."
The Azure Wave Pavilion Master looked at his First-Rank companion while handing over the golden Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual.
The Great Yong Dynasty's arrest warrants were highly restrictive against Imperial Citizen Players. Any player on the wanted list was barred from opening their inventory, making trades, or comprehending martial arts manuals.
Carrying the highest-level Red-Tier Wanted Order, the Azure Wave Pavilion Master was naturally subject to these penalties. Even with a Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual right in front of him, he could not comprehend it.
Of course, this game mechanic was not impossible to bypass.
"Do not worry."
The First-Rank companion accepted the golden Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual and gave a solemn nod.
The Azure Wave Pavilion Master closed his eyes, and his life aura rapidly faded.
He had committed suicide.
Following his death in the game, the Azure Wave Pavilion Master's consciousness swiftly returned to reality.
"Re-enter the game."
The Azure Wave Pavilion Master spent one hundred thousand Azure Surge Coins to log back into the Shattered Void World.
Having experienced death once, the effects of the wanted order on him naturally vanished upon re-entering the game.
"This is too far from the Capital City. Let's try again."
The Azure Wave Pavilion Master opened his eyes, only to find himself in the southernmost reaches of the Great Yong Dynasty. Without hesitation, he chose to commit suicide once more.
Just like that, in the short span of a single minute, the Azure Wave Pavilion Master committed suicide and re-entered the game over a hundred times, finally respawning in a small village near the Capital City.
Meanwhile.
His First-Rank companion received his message and immediately rushed toward that village at top speed.
Inside the village.
A few minutes later, the Azure Wave Pavilion Master was reunited with his First-Rank companion.
"The Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual."
The Azure Wave Pavilion Master stared at the golden manual that was now back in his hands.
As a newly respawned player, his physical attributes were only that of an ordinary person, but this did not hinder his ability to comprehend martial arts manuals.
The penalties of the Red-Tier Wanted Order were gone. He was now perfectly free to study the text.
"Protect me well."
Without any hesitation, the Azure Wave Pavilion Master flipped open the Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual and began to read and comprehend its profound secrets.
The First-Rank companion stood guard beside him. In reality, he was the Pavilion Master's personal bodyguard, someone worthy of absolute trust.
At the end of Vermilion Bird Avenue.
Su Yuan stood tall, resting on his long gun. His gaze calmly swept over the dense, swarming mass of pursuers.
The blood of the Peak First-Rank experts pooling on the ground was still scalding hot, sending a chill through the hearts of the many attackers.
With a single sweep of Su Yuan's spear, several Peak First-Rank masters and numerous First-Rank Masters had been killed instantly, completely unable to block the strike.
Just what kind of strength was this?
"He is 'Wu'."
"A Second-Rank Guest Elder of the Azure Wave Pavilion."
"A Second-Rank Guest Elder? Are you kidding me?"
Among the countless pursuers, many Imperial Citizen Players immediately recognized Su Yuan.
After all, as the number one player faction currently in the Shattered Void World, the Azure Wave Pavilion enjoyed immense fame. Naturally, their Top Three Ranks experts drew a lot of attention.
"It seems you are the Azure Wave Pavilion Master's hidden trump card?"
A dark-skinned Enchanting Beauty stepped forward. She was also an Imperial Citizen Player, but she had spawned in the extreme south of the Great Yong Dynasty, where the natives possessed dark skin just like hers.
"Everyone, if you do not want the Azure Wave Pavilion to continue dominating everything, attack together."
The Enchanting Beauty glanced at the surrounding pursuers, causing the expressions of the Imperial Citizen Players among them to shift.
Ever since news of the wondrous uses of martial arts manuals in the Shattered Void World spread,
More and more Starry Sky Lifeforms had descended upon this realm. Unfortunately, the Azure Wave Pavilion had seized the initiative and monopolized most of the channels to exchange for Superior-grade Martial Arts Manuals.
As a result, even if these newly arrived Initial-Realm and Mid-Realm Starry Sky Lifeforms were willing to spend one hundred million Azure Surge Coins, they still could not buy a Superior-grade Martial Arts Manual.
"The Azure Wave Pavilion is too tyrannical."
"Exactly! And now their Pavilion Master actually dared to break into the Imperial Palace. Who knows what he did to trigger a Red-Tier Wanted Order."
"He definitely snatched a massive fortuitous encounter inside the palace. If we let the Pavilion Master successfully digest his gains, our days will only get harder from now on."
In the blink of an eye, over a dozen figures stepped forward.
These figures radiated profound and terrifying auras. Impressively, they were all Peak First-Rank experts.
Boom!
Without a shred of hesitation, all the Peak First-Rank experts launched their attacks simultaneously.
'This Guest Elder Wu's strength should be above that of an ordinary Peak First-Rank. He only managed to kill those Peak First-Rank masters before because he launched a sudden sneak attack before they could react. But now we are prepared, and with over a dozen of us joining forces...'
The dark-skinned beauty who had first spoken moved like a phantom, closing the distance to Su Yuan.
As a Peak First-Rank master in the game, the dark-skinned beauty was also a Peak Mid-Realm Starry Sky Lifeform in reality. Her Combat Bonus was one hundred and one times, and she specialized in movement techniques and assassinations. 'In a one-on-one fight, I wouldn't dare get close, but right now it's a many-against-one battle. You can't possibly spare enough focus to deal with me...'
The dark-skinned beauty quickly arrived within a few feet of Su Yuan.
At that exact moment, the other dozen-plus Peak First-Rank experts also swarmed him.
Whoosh— The silver spear swept out. In a fraction of a second, the spear tip blurred, its speed violently accelerating to an unimaginably terrifying degree as it thrust toward the dark-skinned beauty at an inconceivable angle.
'What is this?'
The dark-skinned beauty's scalp prickled with sheer terror. Facing this incoming thrust, she felt that no matter how she tried to dodge, the spear tip would follow her like her own shadow.
"No!!"
A look of profound despair crossed her face just before the spear tip pierced clean through her forehead.
Squelch!
In a flash, Su Yuan retracted his long gun and swept it horizontally, forcing back three other Peak First-Rank experts who had charged forward.
'One of us died that quickly?'
The remaining dozen Peak First-Rank attackers felt their hearts clench. They knew exactly how strong the dark-skinned beauty was.
While her head-on combat prowess might have been inferior to theirs, her evasion and survival skills were absolutely top-tier. Yet, she had died by Su Yuan's hands just like that?
Su Yuan stared coldly at the hesitating Peak First-Rank masters.
'I need to hurry up and finish off this group of players before the Great Yong Imperial Guard arrives.'
Su Yuan thought to himself. With his current strength, his true enemy was never these Imperial Citizen Players, but the Great Yong Dynasty itself.
As the strongest faction reigning over the Nine Provinces, the Great Yong Dynasty's hidden reserves were unfathomably deep. Even if their Super Grade-1 ancestor could not personally make a move, they still wielded enough power to sweep away everything in their path.
"Die!"
Su Yuan took a step forward, his figure abruptly exploding with speed as he charged toward a massive Peak First-Rank expert who stood over eight feet tall.
'He actually attacked me first? Does he think I'm the weakest?'
This towering Peak First-Rank expert, measuring over eight feet in height, was named Lahar. In reality, he was a Peak Mid-Realm Starry Sky Lifeform with an extremely resilient physical body.
After descending into the Shattered Void World, he had used his real-world body tempering techniques to cultivate his in-game body to an extraordinarily robust state. His Combat Bonus had reached a staggering one hundred and ten times, far surpassing an ordinary Peak First-Rank master.
"Hah!"
Instead of retreating, Lahar charged straight at Su Yuan. Clad in heavy armor, he looked utterly invulnerable to blades and spears, like a descending war god.
Whoosh— The silver spear swept forward, thrusting directly at Lahar.
Lahar raised his hand and astonishingly caught the tip of the spear barehanded.
However, in the very next instant, the spear tip violently twisted. Emitting extreme, searing heat, it tore free from Lahar's grip and plunged straight through his throat.
'What?'
Despite only possessing the physical attributes of a Level 1 Life Form, having his throat pierced did not instantly kill Lahar. The image of that fatal thrust continuously looped in his mind.
'With my brute strength, how could he break free so easily? And the speed of that strike after escaping my grip... Just how high is this Wu's Combat Bonus? One hundred and fifty times? Or one hundred and sixty times?'
Countless doubts flooded Lahar's mind.
However, those doubts were utterly obliterated when Su Yuan viciously twisted the spear tip again.
The spear impaling Lahar's throat spun like a drill, completely pulverizing his neck.
"You are next."
Su Yuan's figure blurred as he vanished from his spot.
By the time he reappeared, his silver spear had already pierced right through the skull of another Peak First-Rank expert.
After slaughtering all the Peak First-Rank experts, Su Yuan willingly charged straight into the horde of pursuers. With every sweeping motion of his long gun, dozens of people fell dead. In front of Su Yuan, these so-called Top Three Ranks masters were as fragile as wet paper.
"Run!"
"Just what level of strength does this Wu have?!"
"Super Grade-1! He's a Super Grade-1! This Wu is a Super Grade-1!"
"The Great Yong Dynasty expected us to deal with a Super Grade-1?!"
Hundreds, even thousands of pursuers felt their hearts tremble in sheer terror as they broke rank and fled in every direction.
Up on the city walls, Mad Saber Qin Mo and over twenty other Third-Rank Masters stared in absolute shock at the scene unfolding below.
Wielding his silver long gun, Su Yuan slaughtered Top Three Ranks experts as easily as butchering chickens. Even the vaunted Peak First-Rank masters could not withstand a single thrust of his spear.
"Is Guest Elder Wu a man or a ghost?!"
"With such an unparalleled powerhouse in our Azure Wave Pavilion, did the Pavilion Master really even need to flee?"
"He is overwhelmingly strong."
"Even the Super Grade-1 who emerged from the Imperial Palace several years ago was probably only at this level, right?"
These Third-Rank Masters of the Azure Wave Pavilion were burning with excitement. Their complete attention was captivated by the one-sided massacre below, so much so that they momentarily forgot to broadcast this incredible scene to the others.
"The Gang Leader..."
Amidst his trembling shock, Mad Saber Qin Mo inexplicably felt a sense of expected inevitably rising within his heart.
Ever since he had known Su Yuan, he had never once seen the man attempt something he wasn't completely confident in.
When Su Yuan chose to block the inner city gates entirely on his own while ordering all of them to hide on the walls, Mad Saber Qin Mo had faintly suspected that something like this might happen.
It was just that the scene unfolding right before his eyes was far too unbelievable.
Within the Black Jade Sect Ruins, Su Yuan had massacred Fourth-Rank Masters with ease. But the pursuers daring to chase them today were all Top Three Ranks experts, including numerous Peak First-Rank masters among them.
And yet, he could still massacre them just as effortlessly?
At the South City Gate.
Guest Elder Jian Yu and the other Second-Rank Guest Elders had been waiting for a long time. They were fully prepared to die under the relentless assault of countless pursuers.
Except—
"Why haven't they arrived yet?"
Jian Yu wore a strange expression. The Azure Wave Pavilion Master had fled here in a panic, which meant a massive horde of pursuers had to be hot on his trail.
Yet, even up until this moment, they hadn't seen so much as a shadow of the enemy.
Time ticked by.
In the blink of an eye, two hours had passed.
At the village outside the Capital City.
Inside a humble mud hut, the Azure Wave Pavilion Master quietly opened his eyes.
"So that is how it works."
"I should use this kind of Cosmic Force to form a stable cycle..."
After reading and comprehending the Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual, the Azure Wave Pavilion Master no longer had any doubts about which Cosmic Force he should choose.
"A Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual..."
The Azure Wave Pavilion Master's expression was filled with awe. Through his family's connections, he had learned the secrets of the Shattered Void World, including the true utility of Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manuals.
To him, the greatest value of a Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual was its guidance—pointing out exactly which Cosmic Force he was most suited to choose.
"Every single thing we invested has been entirely worth it."
The Azure Wave Pavilion Master slowly stood up and walked out of the mud hut.
"Pavilion Master."
Outside the hut, the sole remaining First-Rank Master stared blankly for a moment before speaking in a low voice.
"What is the matter?"
Noticing the shift in the First-Rank Master's expression, the Azure Wave Pavilion Master asked calmly, "Have the pursuers caught up?"
At this point, he had already completely comprehended the Shattering-tier Martial Arts Manual. So what if the pursuers had caught up?
The worst-case scenario was simply dying again and spending another one hundred thousand Azure Surge Coins to log back in.
The Azure Wave Pavilion Master was completely devoid of fear.
"Pavilion Master, the pursuers... the pursuers didn't catch up."
The First-Rank Master steadied himself, though his voice still trembled with uncontainable disbelief, "The pursuers were all killed by Guest Elder Wu."