Chapter 9: The First Assault

Just as the wyvern charged toward Li Mingxing, he noticed something else. Raising his longsword above his head, he shouted, "Aisha, Storm Strike! Target the largest threat, and make it quick!"

At that moment, Aisha and Zheng were locked in combat with the hydra. Upon hearing Li Mingxing’s command, Aisha immediately took a step back. This movement left Zheng in the front, but Zheng did not hesitate; instead, she drew a black spear and engaged the hydra directly.

Seeing that Zheng was not in immediate danger, Aisha began preparing her Storm Strike. She was much more proficient than before, and the thunderclouds gathered with impressive speed. Soon, countless bolts of lightning rained down from the sky, accompanied by a barrage of wind blades that materialized in the air.

The moment the lightning struck, Zheng and Li Mingxing threw themselves to the ground, leaving only Aisha standing. Under this dual onslaught of lightning and wind, both the hydra and the wyvern were severely wounded, though not killed.

What shocked Li Mingxing most was that an assassin holding a dagger had appeared within the range of the Storm Strike. Initially, Li Mingxing thought this was an assassin sent by the God of Shadows, but he quickly realized something was off. The power radiating from the assassin was not dark; he belonged to the Light Alliance. Without a second thought, Li Mingxing leaped up and thrust his sword into the man’s chest.

Just then, a sound came from the distance, and another patch of thunderclouds formed above them. Li Mingxing had only just pierced the assassin's chest and had not yet grasped what was happening, but Aisha recognized the threat. She shouted, "It’s a Lightning Storm! A skill with the same attribute as my Storm Strike—everyone, be careful!"

Li Mingxing glanced at the sky, then shoved his sword deeper and roared, "Hide under the bodies of the hydra and the wyvern!"

Aisha and Zheng obeyed without question, diving beneath the still-living, heavily wounded beasts. At that instant, lightning poured down from the sky. Li Mingxing stood upright, staring at the clouds without the slightest intention of dodging. He kept his eyes fixed on the origin of the storm.

Because he remained standing, he was struck by at least seven bolts of lightning in an instant. This terrified Zheng, who was hiding beneath the hydra; she tried to rush out to save him, only to see Li Mingxing struggling to raise his sword. As he did, six more bolts struck him, and he could actually smell his own flesh burning.

Only then did Li Mingxing signal to Zheng. She immediately used the "Spring Rain" technique to heal him. Once the energy of the technique fully infused his body, the lightning storm ceased. Li Mingxing’s skin remained charred black, and from the outside, no one would have guessed he had already fully recovered.

Three figures charged from the distance. Li Mingxing took one look and realized their composition was very similar to his own. The leader, wielding a spear made of pure light, appeared to be a formidable warrior, followed by a mage and a priest. Adding the assassin who had tried to ambush him earlier, it was a textbook adventuring party.

Seeing Li Mingxing charred black, the group did not suspect a thing. The leading warrior shouted, "Go check if those two women are still alive! Who would have thought they’d have the sense to hide under those large beasts?"

The mage and priest behind the warrior immediately headed toward the hydra and wyvern. Suddenly, a cold flash erupted from behind Li Mingxing, streaking toward the mage. The mage reacted quickly, using a teleportation spell to dodge, causing Li Mingxing’s sword-pill attack to miss.

The priest was not so lucky. Li Mingxing had targeted him from the start. As the priest approached the wyvern, Li Mingxing lunged and drove his longsword through the man’s back. The priest looked down at his wound, attempting to use his own healing arts, but Li Mingxing had engaged him specifically to prevent such a scenario. With a flick of his wrist, Li Mingxing severed the priest in two.

After the priest fell, Li Mingxing turned to face the warrior, but to his surprise, the warrior abandoned the chance to attack and fled with the mage. Their retreat made Li Mingxing anxious. He had intended to have Aisha and Zheng tie up the mage while he finished the warrior, but the warrior’s decisiveness in escaping made things much harder for their future encounters. They had been caught off guard this time, but they would not be so easily deceived again.

Staring at the two white incandescent stones on the ground, Li Mingxing stomped his foot in frustration. He wanted to pursue them, but he had no idea which direction they had fled. Sighing, he turned back to Zheng and Aisha. "Scavenge the bodies for anything useful and stow it away."

Li Mingxing walked over to the dead priest and rummaged through his belongings, finding a spellbook. He was used to finding such things on enemy casters, but this one was significant: besides two basic combat spells, it contained a mid-level strategic spell called "Mass Blessing."

Li Mingxing examined it; the spell could boost the morale and combat power of all friendly soldiers within a radius of five hundred meters, and its range and efficacy would grow as his life or water-based magic skills improved. He was highly satisfied and tucked the book away.

Zheng and Aisha had found little of value, save for a decent short sword, the venom sacs from the hydra and wyvern, and some strange, honey-like substance from the dragon flies. Li Mingxing took the venom sacs and noted, "These are excellent. They’re still active and can generate toxins naturally. I won't have to worry about running out of poison."

Zheng and Aisha just smiled. They had been watching Li Mingxing with deep concern, knowing he had narrowly escaped death. They didn't care about the loot; they cared about his safety. Li Mingxing, realizing his enthusiasm was met with silence, laughed awkwardly and led them toward the domain of the Forest Goddess.

Li Mingxing did not know that half an hour after they left, the ground shifted, and the mage emerged, shielding the warrior who held the Spear of the Sun. The warrior’s face was livid. He slammed the spear into the ground and hissed, "Dark Alliance scum, I will tear you to pieces."

The mage stepped forward. "My lord, what should we do? Should we continue the ambush?"

"An ambush is necessary, but we cannot attack like that again," the warrior said, suppressing his rage. "That member of the Dark Alliance has a skill that has reached level seven. If we remain this impulsive, we will be the ones who die."

"Then we should..."

"Go contact those who wish to join Apollo’s ranks. I will wait here. Once he finishes talking to the Forest Goddess, we will ambush them again. I refuse to believe that ten high-level seventh-tier warriors cannot finish them off."

But could he really find ten high-level seventh-tier warriors? It was impossible. Most seventh-tier elites already had masters, and even if he found them, they would not necessarily obey him. Furthermore, anyone with any sense knew that the gods were about to clash, and those at the seventh tier knew better than to act recklessly.

The mage eventually used the name of Apollo to hire eleven sixth-tier helpers, the strongest of whom were only at the high-sixth tier. Despite his dissatisfaction, the Light Alliance trainee had no other choice. They lay in ambush outside the Forest Goddess’s territory, waiting for Li Mingxing and his companions to emerge.