Within the thick, sickly-green poisonous fog, the clamor of metal striking metal rang ceaselessly.
"Roar—!"
Ah Zhong let out a furious bellow, but his rage was like punching cotton.
The enemy hidden in the shadows was slippery as an eel, refusing to give this Rank 2 powerhouse any chance for direct confrontation.
Bone needles and poison darts flew from unknown directions like raindrops through the mist, clattering against his broad back in a relentless barrage.
Though the Iron Skin Gu's defense was astonishing, deflecting each projectile, every impact drained his precious Primeval Essence.
"He's Rank 2. His Primeval Essence reserves are deep, but ultimately finite."
Lin Feng listened to Ah Zhong's increasingly labored breathing, his sword-gripping palm slick with cold sweat.
The enemy's tactics were clear and vicious—drain the toughest shield dry, and the rest would be lambs for slaughter.
"Damn it! Where are you?!"
Golden light pulsed along Lin Feng's longsword, yet he dared not strike.
In this fog where one couldn't see their own hand, he had no idea whether the enemy was pressed against a teammate's side, or whether this was a trap designed to bait him into revealing an opening.
Despair spread like wildfire within the small circular formation.
And on the right flank—in the most inconspicuous corner—Lin Mu hunched his back, maintaining a defensive posture.
On the surface, he appeared just as panicked as Lin Wan'er beside him, his body even trembling slightly.
But if anyone could see past his lowered eyelids, they would discover a deathly calm within those pupils.
He was the only "eyes" on the field.
Deep within his aperture, the Blood Scent Gu was vibrating frantically.
Though the poison fog blocked his vision and interfered with his perception of the distant roaming enemy, the situation was entirely different for the one underground who had just gotten blood on his hands.
That Earth Path Gu Master had been drenched in fresh blood when he killed the family servant moments ago.
Now, in Lin Mu's perception, that thick scent of blood was like magma flowing beneath the earth—as clear as lines on his own palm.
"Here he comes."
Lin Mu sensed the underground current rapidly approaching.
He surveyed the battlefield. Ah Zhong was doggedly protecting Lin Feng and Lin Wan'er—the most heavily defended core zone. Despite the Gu Master outside the fog attacking with everything he had, he still hadn't breached Brother Zhong's defense.
Lin Wan'er had also shed her panicked expression by now. The Wood Essence Gu in her hand radiated vitality, adding a layer of green to Brother Zhong's body. This ironclad defense had momentarily left the enemy with no opening.
Moreover, the underground Gu Master had struck ruthlessly earlier, banking on the element of surprise.
Though the current situation appeared chaotic, once the defense was established, attacking Lin Feng or Lin Wan'er would be like pulling chestnuts from fire.
So the available targets were now only himself and the severely wounded Lin Tong.
Lin Mu understood immediately. He shifted his gaze slightly and saw Lin Tong clutching his pus-oozing eyes, wailing in agony, barely able to control the Gu in his hands—utterly defenseless.
That left only himself—appearing to be the weakest and most marginal presence on the field.
"When picking persimmons, choose the soft ones to squeeze."
Lin Mu sneered inwardly. "The next killing blow will definitely target me, or that waste Lin Tong."
The underground tremors grew closer. That murderous intent had locked onto his area.
"Just as I thought."
Lin Mu's eyes turned ice-cold. He didn't sit and wait for death, but cast his gaze toward Lin Tong on the other side.
Lin Tong seemed to have gone mad from the excruciating pain, recklessly throwing iron leaves in all directions without any regard for Primeval Essence consumption.
His entire form was wide open, looking completely unguarded.
At that moment, a bone arrow silently shot through the fog, precisely targeting his heart.
"Perfect."
Lin Mu hesitated no longer and deliberately leaned out.
"Watch out for the bone arrow!"
He suddenly shouted, his voice filled with alarm and urgency.
Immediately after, he lunged forward. On the surface, it looked like he was trying to shield Lin Tong from the deadly projectile, but at the moment of contact, his shoulder slammed hard into the man.
"Ow!"
Lin Tong, completely blind and clueless about what was happening, staggered from the collision and stumbled to the right—landing precisely where Lin Mu had been standing.
Lin Mu, using the recoil, rolled smoothly to the inner position.
Diverting disaster eastward.
Better you die than me—this was the Demonic Path's true nature.
Since you, Lin Tong, wanted to step on me to claim that loyal dog position, then taking this disaster for me right now seems only fair.
At the same time, the moment the underground Gu Master struck, the ground would inevitably split open.
If he could unleash a full-power attack into that opening at that instant, even if Lin Tong would also be pierced by ten thousand leaves, the enemy would have no way to dodge such a dense assault and would die alongside him.
This was the killing setup Lin Mu had envisioned!
However, what he hadn't anticipated was that the Gu Master lurking underground possessed perception sharp to an extreme degree—far exceeding his expectations.
The instant the two exchanged positions, the underground tremors bizarrely paused for a moment.
As if a pair of eyes could see through the thick layer of earth and had caught onto the trick above.
Then, that murderous intent which had been charging straight at them didn't attack the oblivious Lin Tong at all. Instead, it traced an incredibly agile arc underground and continued toward Lin Mu's new position!
"What?!"
Lin Mu's heart sank.
The enemy wasn't killing randomly—he had locked onto Lin Mu specifically! Perhaps his earlier "disguise" had been too convincing, making him look like someone truly at the end of his rope.
Or perhaps the enemy possessed some special reconnaissance method that had tracked his qi signature.
Regardless, the scheme had failed.
By now, the underground tremors had closed to within five feet beneath him.
"Since I can't dodge, then I'll kill!"
In that instant, terrifying killing intent erupted in Lin Mu's eyes.
His fingers were already hooked around the trigger mechanism of the Dust Escape Gu hidden in his sleeve. The high-grade Primeval Essence within his aperture surged to a boil, ready to pour in recklessly.
With the explosive power of his current "Killer Move Prototype," plus the fact that this Gu Master had been arrogant enough to close the distance, he was ninety percent certain he could instantly kill the enemy the moment they broke through the surface.
But.
At that critical hair's-breadth moment before striking, his peripheral vision swept across the battlefield.
Though Lin Feng was blinded, his Rank 1 Upper Stage perception remained. That Metal Rend sword qi—drawn but not released—was in a state of high alert.
Though Ah Zhong was being worn down, as a Rank 2 powerhouse, his hearing and sensitivity to Primeval Essence fluctuations remained at their peak.
Once he activated the Dust Escape Gu, that terrifying rate of Primeval Essence consumption, plus the distinctive Earth Path fluctuations, would be impossible to hide from those two in this cramped space.
And after killing the enemy?
His Primeval Essence would be severely depleted—he'd truly be a "three-breath real man."
Facing Lin Feng and Ah Zhong at full strength, how would he explain this bizarre level of power? How could he guarantee the suspicious Lin Feng wouldn't kill him and seize his Gu?
"To keep the secret, I'd have to kill everyone here."
The mad thought flashed through Lin Mu's mind, then was ruthlessly vetoed by reason.
With Rank 1 Middle Stage cultivation, after exhausting his Primeval Essence, counterattacking a full-strength Lin Feng—who was comparable to Rank 1 Peak—plus a Rank 2 meat shield like Brother Zhong? Not to mention the healer Lin Wan'er.
That was pure fantasy!
Caught between a rock and a hard place.
Ahead, an underground assassin about to burst through the surface with a certain-kill strike. Behind, teammates watching like tigers, ready to backstab at any moment.
He couldn't use his Killer Move, couldn't expose his strength, yet had to survive a fatal blow—and even counterattack.
This was an absolute dead end.
Hum—
The soil beneath his feet began to loosen. That suffocating razor-sharp aura had already pierced the surface.
The tremors were now three feet away!