Chapter 26: Endless Time, a Real Man
The raid channel filled with a wave of 1s.
Endless Time said, "The Light Boat Has Passed, mute your stream audio so we don't have to worry about spies on the other side."
Xiao Chi quickly muted it.
The viewers could only watch a silent movie now, but the chat was flooded with 666s.
[Raid] Blue Sky Beyond: I hereby name this righteous gathering Operation Save Xiao Chi.
[Raid] Resilient Heron: This is unexpectedly getting my blood pumping!
[Raid] Broken Autumn: Wait, wasn't I told we were helping some streamer named Xiao Chi? Where is he?
[Raid] Parting Sorrow: Raid leader, put a marker on him.
[Raid] Chilly Night: If I'm not mistaken, the one lying on the ground in the back is Xiao Chi.
[Raid] Thousand Feathers: [The Light Boat Has Passed] That's Xiao Chi. As far as I know, he streams on Pineapple Live. His channel is called CZ Xiao Chi.
[Raid] The Light Boat Has Passed: ...
Endless Time continued: "When we start, I'll count down from three. The Light Boat Has Passed, get up. Team One's healer, top him off immediately. Sword cultivators, spirit cultivators, and medical cultivators, apply your buffs. Blue Sky Beyond, pay attention. The enemy will definitely assign a focus-fire squad to The Light Boat Has Passed. If his health gets dangerous, cast Diamond Body on him."
"A full-scale raid battle is impossible. They have more people than we do. We can't win a head-on fight. Listen to my commands. Remember your team number. Don't throw out skills randomly."
"But that doesn't mean we can't fight. Just keep the objective small. We're only killing one person. When I call for burst damage, focus entirely on that target. Ignore everyone else."
It sounded perfectly reasonable. Everyone felt Endless Time's analysis made sense. Members of Way of Heaven were still arriving nonstop. Their few dozen players charging headfirst into a thousand-member guild that specialized in guild warfare would be suicide.
Far better to pick off one or two valuable kills and then run.
The only question was—Whose head did Endless Time want them to take?
The raid fell silent as Endless Time calmly announced the unfortunate victim.
"Cold Sword Shadow."
Everyone almost spat out their drinks.
The guild leader of the number-one guild on the server?
But after thinking about it carefully… It actually made perfect sense. No kill would intimidate Way of Heaven more, feel more satisfying, or be more exhilarating than killing Cold Sword Shadow.
The viewers couldn't hear a single word of Endless Time's strategy. By now, their curiosity had reached critical levels.
How was this hastily assembled thirty-man group supposed to fight against Way of Heaven's increasingly numerous, highly coordinated teams?
If they could just get Little Chi revived and teleported safely back to a main city or guild sanctuary, that would already count as a success. But somehow… Since Endless Time was leading, everyone felt things wouldn't be that simple.
PvP players adding each other to revenge lists and fighting back and forth was completely normal. Calling friends to help was normal too. But using overwhelming numbers to crush a lone player and force him to quit the game altogether, like Way of Heaven was doing—That was going too far.
Even random bystanders couldn't stand it anymore.
The stream's viewer count had already exploded past three thousand. People from all sorts of servers had come to watch the spectacle.
Since Xiao Chi couldn't use voice chat, several veteran viewers started rallying the crowd on his behalf.
[Everyone, if you're here in the front row for the drama, you can't skip the dried fruit snacks! Come on, let's get a wave of dried-fruit gifts going~]
Immediately, the screen was flooded with dried-fruit gift animations.
"Three—two—one—"
Before Endless Time even finished speaking, The Light Boat Has Passed had already sprung to his feet. The healer's ultimate landed immediately afterward, instantly restoring his health bar to full.
The Light Boat Has Passed drank a Spirit-Nurturing Elixir and recovered a quarter of his mana.
"Team Two's alchemy cultivator, cast Fresh Rain Over Empty Mountains on The Light Boat Has Passed."
Fresh Rain Over Empty Mountains was a sect-exclusive skill for alchemy cultivators. It restored mana over ten seconds, recovering roughly one-third of a mana bar. The cooldown was thirty minutes and it only worked on a single target.
At last, The Light Boat Has Passed's mana bar was no longer pitifully empty.
Endless Time's next command followed instantly: "Team One, charge toward Cold Sword Shadow. All other teams follow in sequence. Three—two—one— Team One, use your launch-effect skills!"
In Quest for the Azure Heavens, nearly every class possessed at least one skill with a launch effect. Launching wasn't the same as jumping. Jumping was just a normal leap. Launching was a special effect attached to skills, and some classes could even hover briefly in the air for two seconds afterward.
Apart from Endless Time himself, Team One consisted of Blue Sky Beyond, Thousand Feathers, The Light Boat Has Passed, and a healer named Little Mad Girl. The moment they heard the command, all four immediately activated launch-type skills.
Among ordinary players, Blue Sky Beyond, Thousand Feathers, and The Light Boat Has Passed already had excellent mechanics. As soon as they heard Endless Time's order, they instantly understood what he was trying to do.
Little Mad Girl, meanwhile, was just a random player, so Endless Time had no idea how skilled she was. Fortunately, medical cultivators were clearly the developers' favorite children. The class had been given a floating skill called Soaring Gracefully Beyond Reach.
All five players launched into the air. The next command came immediately.
"Team Two sword cultivators, use Distant Mountain Slash. Ghost cultivators, cast Cloud Mist Drift. Spirit cultivators, use Falling Shadows with the Wind."
Distant Mountain Slash was an AoE attack with a knock-up effect. Cloud Mist Drift inflicted mass stun. The moment those two skills landed, half of the front ranks charging forward collapsed. Then the spirit cultivators' ultimate followed, sending every player within range flying into the air.
Three skills. Three devastating effects. Some Way of Heaven players were knocked down. Some were stunned. Some were launched skyward.
The crowd's control effects lasted only briefly. But Team Two had accomplished exactly what they needed to do— They had carved out precious space and time for the other four teams to surge forward.
The second wave of Way of Heaven players continued pushing forward.
Endless Time ordered Team Three to move up and intercept them.
His objective wasn't for each squad to defeat their opponents. His goal was to have each squad stall wave after wave of reinforcements, creating an opening for Team One to punch through to Cold Sword Shadow's group.
He directed each team to throw out every crowd-control skill they had. Low damage didn't matter. The important thing was tying people down.
Very quickly, Team One charged straight into Cold Sword Shadow's position.
Cold Sword Shadow's squad consisted entirely of Way of Heaven's top-tier experts. Misty Autumn Rain was among them as well.
Although Endless Time wielded the divine weapon Kunwu Blade and dealt terrifying damage, Cold Sword Shadow remained unconcerned.
Using this hastily assembled temporary group to defeat Way of Heaven's veteran team? It was nothing but a fantasy.
Just look at the people in this little alliance. There was even a healer who clearly couldn't land skills accurately in the chaos, blindly mashing buttons and standing in place healing whoever happened to wander close enough.
What kind of ridiculous lineup was this?
Had Endless Time lost his mind?
Seeing Endless Time charging directly at him, Cold Sword Shadow still wanted to give him one more chance. After all, Endless Time was the number-one player on the server. Someone like him would pose a serious threat to Way of Heaven no matter which guild he joined.
What if he joined Dominating the Firmament—
Cold Sword Shadow began typing, his tone earnest. In the chat box, he wrote: "Endless Time, why does it have to come to this? When you helped The Light Boat Has Passed, did you ever think about how Little Rain felt—"
He hadn't even finished typing when The Light Boat Has Passed's spirit cultivator ultimate, Jade Dew Swift Wind, came crashing down on him.
What a joke. He was the guild leader of Way of Heaven. Did they really think a spirit cultivator could hit him with a single skill?
Cold Sword Shadow stopped typing and instantly pressed a movement key, rolling sideways to evade the attack.
Before he could regain his footing—The spirit cultivator suddenly spun in midair and unleashed Wind and Rain Halt, a rooting skill.
Not good. It hit!
The Light Boat Has Passed's hand speed was absurdly fast. The moment Jade Dew Swift Wind ended, he had already turned his character and chained another skill almost instantaneously.
The instant Cold Sword Shadow was rooted, Misty Autumn Rain reacted. She immediately began casting Fragrance from the Orange Well, a healing-over-time spell. But just as she started— Endless Time had already drawn his Kunwu Blade. A single Distant Mountain Slash cut away half her health bar and launched her into the air.
Misty Autumn Rain rolled backward upon landing, using the momentum to stabilize herself before quickly healing.
But in that brief moment— Endless Time had already switched targets. The Kunwu Blade swung wildly as he unleashed a relentless barrage against Cold Sword Shadow. The Light Boat Has Passed immediately applied Cold Qi Condensation, inflicting a weakening debuff.
Thousand Feathers swung his sword mercilessly. Facing his former guild leader, he showed no restraint whatsoever. He poured out damage nonstop, completely ignoring every attack directed at him.
Meanwhile, Blue Sky Beyond was frantically tossing every damage-sharing and protection skill he had onto Endless Time, The Light Boat Has Passed, and Thousand Feathers. Little Mad Girl spammed heals on Blue Sky Beyond, who was absorbing most of the incoming damage, then followed up with group heals to patch up everyone else.
Cold Sword Shadow had never imagined that Endless Time's group would completely ignore every other opponent. Every attack— Every single attack— Was focused entirely on him.
Whenever Cold Sword Shadow tried to retaliate, The Light Boat Has Passed immediately hit him with another spirit cultivator control skill or debuff. The others' ultimates followed right behind. Forced to dodge left and right, block, roll, jump, and evade nonstop, Cold Sword Shadow found himself struggling just to survive. He didn't even have time to attack.
In little more than ten seconds— The well-equipped Cold Sword Shadow finally fell beneath the critical-hit ultimate Hundred Ghosts Slaughter, delivered by the divine weapon Kunwu Blade.
Even after dying, the message he'd been typing never made it out of the chat box.
Cold Sword Shadow was stunned.
The rest of Way of Heaven was stunned as well.
Had anyone else been the first casualty, the psychological impact wouldn't have been nearly as devastating.
Capture the bandits by first capturing their leader. An eternal principle of warfare.
Lying on the ground, Cold Sword Shadow stared at the Kunwu Blade embedded in his chest. He looked at the black-clad sword cultivator standing above him, expression cold and indifferent. His emotions were complicated.
Just as he began convincing himself things shouldn't have turned out this way and started retyping his unfinished speech—
Endless Time's group withdrew immediately.
"Top everyone off! All squads, retreat now! Head toward the main road outside Guangling City—twelve o'clock direction!" Without the slightest hesitation, Endless Time made the call.
Players with speed potions immediately chugged them. All five squads sprinted desperately along the route he indicated.
The Light Boat Has Passed summoned his little azure horse and galloped away at full speed.
Way of Heaven quickly snapped out of their shock. In YY, Cold Sword Shadow immediately roared: "Chase them! They can't get away!"
He instantly chose to revive. The respawn point was right nearby. A healer topped off his health. He was so furious he didn't even wait to recover his mana before summoning his premium cash-shop mount— A 998-yuan mount with a movement speed of 130— And taking off in pursuit.
Naturally, Way of Heaven's elite members also rode top-tier mounts. Most of them were cash-shop mounts with speeds above 120. They were rapidly closing in on Xiao Chi and the righteous bystanders, whose green horses only had a speed of 100.
If they got caught this time, there would be no clever tactics left to save them. They would simply be beaten to death.
Everyone fled for their lives, not daring to look back.
Over YY, Endless Time remained calm. "Just keep riding to the main city. I'll stay behind and cover the retreat. Nobody stays."
Outside Guangling City, dozens of mounts thundered across the road, kicking up clouds of dust that looked chokingly thick.
Endless Time's mount was a Chenghuang Beast, with a movement speed of 130. He had originally been riding at the front of the group. Now, in order to act as the rear guard— He simply stopped.
As The Light Boat Has Passed passed by him, he hesitated for a moment, and his little azure horse slowed down.
Immediately, Endless Time said, "Light Boat, go. Don't stay behind."
Instinctively following Endless Time's command, The Light Boat Has Passed continued riding forward. But every so often, he glanced back, worriedly checking the situation.
The viewers could only see through The Light Boat Has Passed's perspective. They watched the members of the temporary alliance race ahead without looking back, while Endless Time remained behind. Standing silently by the roadside. One hand gripping the Kunwu Blade. The blade tip pointed toward the ground. Ready to strike at any moment. Ready to cover his teammates' retreat.
The Light Boat Has Passed kept looking back.
And so everyone saw—
The long road stretched endlessly into the distance. Trees lined both sides.
The sword cultivator's solemn silhouette. The dark, imposing Kunwu Blade. Amid the clouds of dust kicked up by countless mounts, there was somehow a sense of tragic grandeur to his figure, like boundless falling leaves drifting down in desolation.
The stream chat exploded so quickly that the text became unreadable.
[ENDLESS TIME! A REAL MAN! RESPECT!]
[Endless Time, I'm crying! Even if you're the man with a divine weapon, how can you possibly stop dozens of Way of Heaven players by yourself?!]
[This can of fruit snacks is opened today in Endless Time's honor.]
[Now I finally understand why Xiao Chi is so obsessed! Endless Time, your damned charm is lethal!]
When the last member of the raid had passed him, Endless Time finally mounted his Chenghuang Beast and started moving.
Then, everyone saw the blade cultivator put away the Kunwu Blade. He reached into his sleeve and pulled something out.
A Firebomb Talisman.
With a flick of his wrist, Endless Time threw it.
The pursuing Way of Heaven players jumped in alarm and instinctively raised defensive skills. But the expected explosion never came.
BOOM!
The talisman exploded—
Yet the sound seemed strangely distant.
Had Endless Time missed? Was that possible?
Of course not.
Craaash—
A massive roadside tree slowly toppled over, crashing across the middle of the road.
Then Endless Time rode forward and threw another Firebomb Talisman.
BOOM! Another tree fell.
Only then did Way of Heaven finally realize what was happening. Endless Time was using Firebomb Talismans to blow up trees. Making them collapse across the road. Blocking Way of Heaven's pursuit.
No matter how powerful your mount was, when a giant tree blocked the path, you only had two options: Either ride around it, or jump over it.
But whichever option you chose— You had already lost time.
And worse—
Endless Time just kept blowing up more trees.
Within mere seconds, he had already thrown out dozens of Firebomb Talismans.
The road outside the city had become a complete mess. Fallen trunks lay everywhere.
The road was crisscrossed with obstacles, making travel nearly impossible. Mounts could no longer run at full speed.
Even if Way of Heaven detoured through the woods and continued the chase, there was no way they could catch The Light Boat Has Passed's group, who were racing in a straight line along the main road toward the city.
All Way of Heaven could do was stop and watch helplessly as Endless Time rode farther and farther away.
Every Quest for the Azure Heavens player knew that trees were an important resource for the Construction profession. They could be chopped down. They could be blown up. The problem was that a Firebomb Talisman cost 60,000 spirit stones. Most players would rather spend ten minutes hacking away with an axe than waste a Firebomb Talisman on a tree.
But Endless Time— In less than a minute— Had used dozens of them.
The forest and roads outside the city had been reduced to utter chaos. One talisman could only destroy one tree.
Which meant Endless Time had casually pulled out at least sixty or seventy Firebomb Talismans.
Firebomb Talismans were powerful. They had no skill cooldown. And there was no usage limit when using them to destroy trees.
Never mind how terrifying it was that he had already anticipated the retreat route and prepared this tactic in advance.
A single Firebomb Talisman cost 60,000 spirit stones.
This wasn't a strategy ordinary players could afford to use.
He wasn't blowing up trees. He was blowing up money.
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