"Zayen, was that a talent skill of yours just now? It was so cool!" Terra walked over and exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.
"It's nothing special," Zayen replied modestly. "It only worked so easily because these Spirit Monkeys aren't very strong."
The advantage of these Spirit Monkeys lay mainly in their teamwork and their basic intelligence. Individually, however, their combat strength was even weaker than that of some Level 2 magic beasts.
"Too bad you and I aren't teammates. I didn't get any of that experience," Terra said with a look of regret.
Zayen smiled faintly. "It's fine. I'll give you an extra Skyveil Essence Fruit later."
"Really? "Terra's disappointment vanished instantly, replaced by excitement.
"Of course," Zayen nodded. "But for now, let's go collect the fruits. Be careful not to wake the other Spirit Monkeys."
"Okay, then let's hurry," Terra replied eagerly.
Terra took the lead and walked forward.
Just as Zayen was about to take a step as well, Terra suddenly turned around at lightning speed.
"Pfft!"
Zayen only felt a sudden, sharp pain in his abdomen.
Looking at the cold-faced Terra in front of him, he slowly lowered his head to see the dagger buried deep in his stomach. The blade trembled slightly, its edge slick with fresh blood.
Warmth spread beneath his palm.
Zayen reached out and touched the flowing blood, disbelief flashing across his usually calm eyes.
"Why?"
He lifted his gaze and stared at Terra, his voice low and steady despite the pain.
He truly couldn't understand why she would stab him at this moment.
He had not only saved her life… he had even promised to give her an extra Skyveil Essence Fruit.
Was it just because of the Skyveil Essence Fruit?
Moreover,
What surprised him the most was that when he tried to stand up, his body was completely unable to be mobilized.
Terra's face was as cold as ice as she spoke in a chilling tone, "Because you are of no use anymore."
Zayen did not speak. He simply stared at her intently, his dark eyes calm despite the dagger still lodged in his abdomen, waiting for her to continue.
"I really didn't expect that you would have no guard against me at all." Terra smiled, seemingly proud that she had gained Qin Xuan's trust.
"Why did you do this? Is it just for the Skyveil Essence Fruit?" Zayen asks the question that was on his mind.
Terra did not answer but drew out the dagger and struck Zayen with a palm.
"Puff!"
Zayen immediately spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, blood splattering from his abdomen, and he was sent flying backward, falling to the ground and rolling several times.
Zayen slowly struggled, trying to get up from the ground.
Terra, holding the blood-stained long sword in the other, slowly walked up to Zayen.
She lifted her foot and stepped on Zayen's head.
She pressed down slightly with her foot, pushing Zayen's head into the dirt.
"I never thought that a level 7 like you would end up like this. How pathetic."
Terra's ice-cold face carried a hint of arrogance.
"To tell you the truth, we discovered the Skyveil Essence Tree long before you arrived. My team and I found it just five hours before we met you."
"But it was guarded by the Spirit Monkeys… and the Blazemane Crimson Lion. We tried several times to approach. Every time, we were forced back. We simply couldn't take the fruits."
Bang!
Terra suddenly pulled her leg back and kicked out fiercely.
Zayen was sent flying, his body crashing violently against a nearby tree trunk. The impact caused the bark to crack as dust and leaves fell from above.
He coughed and spat out another mouthful of fresh blood, his breathing turning heavier.
Looking up at Terra as she slowly walked toward him, he asked in a weak tone, "Aren't you afraid the other Spirit Monkeys will wake up when they hear commotion here?"
Terra stopped a few steps away, her expression cold and composed.
"Oh, you don't need to worry about that," she said lightly. "We already investigated. As long as no spirit monkey calls for help, the others won't wake up."
Her lips curved slightly.
"And you've already killed all the Spirit Monkeys nearby."
She tilted her head.
"So there's no one left to call for backup."
Saying that, Terra once again picked up her long sword and fiercely stabbed Zayen.
Instantly, blood flowed out again.
Zayen immediately felt dizzy, and his eyes became blurry.
Blood continuously overflowed from the corners of his mouth.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Just then.
Five suddenly appeared at this moment.
It was the same five-player form as before.
This group of people went straight to Terra.
The leading man saw Terra and said, "Terra."
Terra calmed herself, pulled the long sword from Zayen, and turned to face everyone.
"Wave, you guys are late." Terra said calmly, completely unlike her demeanor when facing Zayen just now.
Wave didn't say anything but simply scanned the area and suddenly saw Zayen lying to the side, then asked Terra, "How did you ever manage to kill that guy?"
Everyone looked in the direction Wabe pointed with a shocked expression.
Before a broken tree, a man with dozens of sword holes all over his body lay there disheveled.
Terra nodded: "Hmm, I also didn't expect this guy to have no guard against me at all, which allowed me to succeed so easily."
"Heh heh, I didn't expect this guy to turn into such a state. Terra, you are truly amazing."
"Heh, I didn't expect that guy to end up like this," one of the teammates laughed. "Terra, you're truly amazing."
Terra's expression remained cold, but a faint trace of pride flickered in her eyes.
"Okay, now that this guy has been dealt with, let's hurry up and get the fruit before the Spirit Monkey King and the others wake up," Wave said as he stepped forward.
Whoosh—!
Suddenly an extremely fast shadow flashed across the ground.
When an extremely fast shadow instantly appeared, rushing to Terra with lightning speed and suddenly extending a palm towards her.
"What?!"
Wave and the long-haired teammate beside her reacted instantly, unleashing their attacks toward the dark figure.
But their strikes hit nothing but empty air.
They had completely missed their target.
"Ah! Let me go, you monster!"
Everyone spun around at the scream.
A figure was standing several meters away, holding Terra by the throat and lifting her into the air as if she weighed nothing.
When they saw that face clearly, their expressions froze in horror.
"It's actually you?!"
"How is this possible?! I clearly killed you, Zayen! How are you still alive?!"
Terra's voice trembled as she stared at Zayen, a hint of genuine fear flashing in her eyes.
She simply couldn't understand it.
The man who had been pierced, kicked away, and left covered in blood…
Was now standing before them completely intact.
Not a single wound could be seen on his body.
Zayen looked at her calmly, his eyes cold and devoid of emotion.
"Did you really think that I would trust you so easily?" Zayen said softly, as he tightened his grip slightly,
"What… what do you mean?" Terra stammered.
Zayen's lips curled slightly. "What you killed was just my clone."
"Clone?"
Terra and the others froze, their faces pale with shock.
Their eyes immediately darted to the body on the ground.
Before their eyes, the corpse began to shiver, then slowly dissolved into a dark, viscous liquid.
It slithered and flowed unnaturally across the ground, racing toward Zayen's feet.
Within seconds, it merged seamlessly with him, disappearing as if it had never existed.
The scene left everyone completely stunned, their jaws dropping in disbelief.
No one had expected… The man they thought was defeated was, in truth, just a clone.
That's right.
What Terra had killed just now was nothing more than his clone.
Earlier, when he and Terra had approached the Skyveil Essence Tree, Zayen had already sensed the auras of several powerful Spirit Monkeys. At that moment, something felt off—Terra had only mentioned six or seven Spirit Monkeys guarding the tree.
To ensure his absolute safety, Zayen had naturally swapped places with his clone and activated [Voidbound Flash Step].
Terra, who had been leading the way, failed to notice the subtle switch. She had no idea that the Zayen beside her was not the real one.
The clone had taken the hit, leaving Zayen free to observe and act without risk.
After taking a steadying breath, Wave slowly opened his eyes, fixating on the real Zayen with a mixture of disbelief and growing hatred.
He bellowed, "Zayen!" Let go of Terra right now! We can even share some of the Skyveil Essence with you… but if you don't, we'll tear you into ten thousand pieces!"
Zayen's lips curled into a cold sneer. "Are you even worthy?"
He raised his right hand, pointing directly at them. "Or do you really think that with this pile of trash, you have any confidence?"
"Damn it! Zayen, you're too arrogant!" the long-haired teammate roared, veins bulging in his neck. "So what if you didn't die? There are five of us—do you really think you can survive against all of us?"
"Heh heh, very good. Since you want to die so bad. Today, I will let you know what despair is!"