Honestly, this was a situation that Cao Yuze had never anticipated.
The strength of the Qiluo people was something he could not have imagined. The moment he was surrounded by these creatures, he knew their defeat was only a matter of time. They would soon be overwhelmed and then devoured. To this day, Cao Yuze had no idea where these Qiluo had even come from. It was as if they had just sprouted from the ground. Not only did they possess immense combat power, but they were also incredibly united. It was impossible to find a single weakness among them.
But just as despair began to set in for Cao Yuze, the appearance of Lin Yun and his group gave him a glimmer of hope. In that single instant, he understood who Lin Yun was and what he intended to do. He noticed that Lin Yun's target was a specific member of the Qiluo. He immediately realized there was a command hierarchy among them, and Lin Yun's goal was to eliminate the leader. Doing so would paralyze their command structure, allowing them to defeat the entire group.
It was, he had to admit, an incredibly clever move. But if there was even the slightest mistake in the process, the entire operation would become extremely dangerous.
"I already told you, there's no guarantee these guys will cooperate with us. Are you really just going to trust them like that?" Zhou Damao was still grumbling on the side. No matter how he looked at it, he felt that Lin Yun was being far too reckless this time, so easily placing his trust in these disciples of the Crimson Ghost Sect. What if those bastards decided to stab them in the back at a critical moment? They would be finished.
Lin Yun just smiled. Everyone wanted to live. Faced with these suddenly-appeared Qiluo, Lin Yun was willing to believe that humanity still had a chance to unite. Besides, if they wanted to get to the bottom of what was happening in this tomb, this was something they had to do. Were they really supposed to just stand by and watch this happen without doing anything? Clearly, Lin Yun was not capable of such a thing.
"Don't worry, Senior Brother," he said. "They may have their doubts about me, but right now, if they want to live, their only choice is to cooperate with us. And even if there are a few individual problems, I believe that man over there can solve them."
Over on the other side, after realizing Lin Yun's objective, Cao Yuze began to command his disciples to coordinate with him. He was a smart man and understood that individual strength was not as formidable as he had imagined. If he could work with Lin Yun in a pincer attack and completely shatter the Qiluo encirclement, they might just be able to escape.
However, in the process, some of his own people voiced their dissent.
"Why should we follow someone else's plan on this? Shouldn't we be the ones in control?"
"That's right! That kid is our enemy! Are you really telling us to trust that an enemy will do what's best for us?"
Although these Crimson Ghost Sect disciples were trapped in the Qiluo's encirclement, judging by their tone, one might think it was they who were surrounding the Qiluo. There wasn't a trace of fear or tension in their voices, as if the creatures before them were nothing but insignificant trash.
Lin Yun, witnessing all of this, had only a look of contempt on his face. Whether this plan would work or not now depended on Cao Yuze's next choice. Of course, if Cao Yuze chose to give up, Lin Yun would immediately lead his own people and retreat.
But it was clear that Lin Yun had made the right bet.
Cao Yuze had originally not wanted to help Lin Yun. In his view, if he could use the Qiluo to get rid of Lin Yun, his own status and power within the Crimson Ghost Sect would rise like a boat with the tide. Helping Lin Yun in this situation was the most foolish thing he could do.
But then he looked at the unyielding resolve in Lin Yun's eyes and instantly understood that his own thoughts were nothing but a joke. The critical problem was the Qiluo right in front of them. Even if he did manage to kill Lin Yun, so what? If he couldn't break out of their encirclement, the end result would be the same.
So, when his disciples began to object, he did not hesitate. He raised his hand and killed them.
"If I hear that same response again, don't blame me for being discourteous," he said, his voice cold. "Look around you! We are surrounded! If we don't protect ourselves now, it wouldn't matter how many extra lives you were given, you still wouldn't survive."
Faced with Cao Yuze's harsh words and ruthless methods, although many disciples were still dissatisfied, they were ultimately frightened by his terrifying aura and didn't dare to act out for the time being.
Lin Yun was very satisfied with Cao Yuze's methods. It seemed this man had a chance of surviving after all.
Even Zhou Damao couldn't help but mutter, "This guy is insane. He's even this ruthless to his own people."
Fang Yu'er just said, "To survive, they probably wouldn't hesitate even if they were asked to kill their own relatives." This kind of situation was nothing special within the Crimson Ghost Sect. If you wanted to survive, you had to be even more ruthless to yourself. This was why the Crimson Ghost Sect had endured for so long. They weren't just ruthless to themselves; they were even more vicious to their enemies. Anyone who became their enemy would never get away with any benefits.
With Lin Yun's coordination, the situation reversed. The Qiluo had originally encircled the Crimson Ghost Sect disciples. But when enemies appeared at their rear, their command structure faltered for a moment. It was clear the Qiluo leader had not expected someone to launch a surprise attack at such a critical moment. And the strength of Lin Yun's group was the greatest on the field, a force they could not ignore. But they were unable to adjust their strategy in time, which exposed a flaw in the Qiluo's combat style.
Zhou Damao charged at the very front. He summoned a colossal giant python. While controlling his spirit beast, he used his own massive body to clear a path for Lin Yun. No matter how powerful the enemy that stood in his way, they were instantly smashed to smithereens.
Even Fang Yu'er couldn't help but marvel. Zhou Damao's strength was incredible, and more importantly, he was utterly devoted to protecting Lin Yun.
Lin Yun did not object, but simply followed behind him. If anyone dared to make a move, he would deal with them instantly.
Just like that, with Cao Yuze and Lin Yun working in a pincer attack, they quickly neutralized the Qiluo's offensive.
At that moment, Lin Yun's eyes locked onto the leader among the Qiluo. The creature looked as if it was preparing to escape. That was not something Lin Yun wanted to see.
This was the first time Lin Yun and the Qiluo leader had faced each other, eye to eye.
And in that instant, Lin Yun saw many things.