Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Stratagem

Wu Xun was dead, his eyes wide open in death as he collapsed to the ground.

Yan Dao did not stop even after Wu Xun's death. Gripping his blade, he began slaughtering the people of the Sandstorm Encampment.

At first, his massacre was simply to allow his life card, the Phantom Mantis, to complete its evolution.

Now... he simply wanted to kill.

Li Tai stood calmly in the center of the encampment, watching Yan Dao unleash his carnage, with no intention of stopping him.

Li Tai had been prepared to close his eyes and wait for a while, but in the next instant, he looked in a certain direction.

A formidable opponent was approaching from there.

Amidst the night-shrouded forest, Gu Quan charged forward like a rampaging beast, his foot stamping the ground with explosive force as he shot into the Sandstorm Encampment.

With a thunderous crash, he landed directly in front of Yan Dao.

Gu Quan drew the broadsword from his back, a cold gleam flashing like lightning in the swirling dust.

The very instant Gu Quan arrived, Yan Dao had already leapt backward, so Gu Quan’s strike failed to land.

A flicker of fear flashed in Yan Dao’s eyes. “The Third Gatekeeper of the Gate of Frozen Ice, Gu Quan.”

Li Tai moved to Yan Dao’s side, his expression darkening. “Why is the Gate of Frozen Ice hunting you?”

Li Tai was unaware of the situation, as was Fang Wen’an; otherwise, Fang Wen’an would never have sent him alone to shadow Yan Dao.

Yan Dao shrugged indifferently. “Maybe I killed a few people before, and the Gate of Frozen Ice took notice.”

Li Tai’s gaze sharpened. “Then why didn’t you say so earlier?”

Yan Dao chuckled. “Don’t be angry. I didn’t know they’d send someone to kill me either. If I had, would I have dragged you all into this?”

Li Tai snorted coldly. “You can explain yourself to the boss later.”

He had no mind to bicker with Yan Dao; the immediate concern was dealing with Gu Quan.

Gu Quan hefted his broadsword and stepped up to the pair, eyeing Li Tai’s attire. “Mad God Cult?”

Gu Quan frowned, finding things troublesome. Though the Mad God Cult called itself a cult, it operated on an elite system, and each member’s strength was formidable.

Most importantly, the Mad God Cult never acted alone—at the very least, a team of five or more would be dispatched for any mission.

Yet there were no other Mad God Cult members in sight. This eased Gu Quan’s mind slightly.

Li Tai spoke evenly. “I think you should leave.”

Gu Quan showed no intention of retreating. “Hand over the man beside you, and I’ll leave of my own accord.”

“He’s now a member of the Mad God Cult.”

“So, you refuse?”

“I can’t give him up.”

“Enough talk, then!”

Gu Quan erupted on the spot, unleashing his full power. Countless resilient vines burst from the ground, lashing toward the two men.

This was Gu Quan’s life card: the Devil’s Vine.

In battle, it could bind enemies; the vines were extremely tough, impervious even to flames.

Li Tai snorted coldly. “You think I’m afraid of you?”

A spectral image of an insect materialized behind him. In an instant, his body was encased in a layer of armor.

This was his life card, the Stone-Armored Beetle, and he now invoked its “Chrysalis Armor” skill.

A card then shimmered into existence, transforming mid-air into a glowing, serrated blade.

The weapon was enormous, its edge jagged like teeth.

Facing the onrushing Devil’s Vine, Li Tai swept the serrated blade with blinding speed, its afterimages slicing through the air.

The space around him became an impenetrable defense; every incoming vine was cleaved apart.

Gu Quan was unconcerned—the severed vines were merely offshoots, and their destruction meant nothing to the Devil’s Vine’s core.

At the same time, he gauged Li Tai’s strength—early fifth tier.

In its normal state, the Devil’s Vine was not effective in same-tier battles.

It could be easily destroyed unless empowered by skills.

Gu Quan activated the Devil’s Vine’s abilities, and a torrent of emerald vines shot forth from his back, each one gleaming with green light.

Li Tai, seeing this, no longer held back, unleashing the full might of the Stone-Armored Beetle.

This time, he could not intercept all of Gu Quan’s vines. He was forced to keep shifting position, dodging attacks while counterattacking in turn.

Their ferocious battle ravaged the surrounding buildings.

Many structures were reduced to rubble by Gu Quan’s vines.

While dodging, Li Tai was searching for an opening—a chance to kill Gu Quan.

He’d realized that unless Gu Quan was killed, cutting down the vines was pointless.

Gu Quan, in turn, was also watching for a chance to finish his opponent.

Now, he felt the opportunity was near; his adversary’s stamina was nearly spent. Even though the life card was of the possession type, its current state wouldn’t be much better than his own.

His Devil’s Vine couldn’t possess his body, only be summoned to aid in combat.

Fortunately, every level-up of a life card strengthened one’s physique; even without a possession-type card, he still had considerable fighting power.

As their duel raged, neither noticed that one figure had already slipped away.

Yan Dao quietly slipped out of the Sandstorm Encampment.

Everything had gone exactly as he planned; he’d known all along that the Gate of Frozen Ice would come for him.

Given their character and his own actions, he more than deserved to die a hundred times over.

When he encountered the Mad God Cult, Yan Dao had not intended to join them. But he saw that if he refused, they would kill him.

With no choice, he joined. Slaughtering the encampment was both for revenge and to lure out the Gate of Frozen Ice—and to entangle the Mad God Cult’s watchdog sent to monitor him.

Of course, his plan depended on luck.

He survived, so his gamble paid off.

He would have his revenge, but not now. Survival came first; only the living could speak of the future.

The wilderness was his only escape. There he could hunt monsters and train, evade the Mad God Cult, and elude the Gate of Frozen Ice.

Under cover of night, Yan Dao fled desperately into the wilds.

Gu Quan and Li Tai’s battle dragged on, their strengths nearly matched.

Barring a fight to the death, neither could quickly end the duel.

By the end, the entire Sandstorm Encampment was engulfed by vines.

Green tendrils had reduced every building to ruins.

Gu Quan now appeared more like a destroyer than an avenger.

The people of the encampment had fled at the very start of the battle.

The remaining survivors scattered in all directions, each running toward whatever hope of safety they could find.

In the devastated Sandstorm Encampment, Li Tai gasped for breath, a ghastly wound stretching from his left shoulder across his chest.

“Yan Dao has escaped. Are we still going to continue?”

Gu Quan was not unscathed either; his body was covered in fine cuts and grazes, the result of Li Tai’s hidden weapons.

He had not expected the broad, open-style Li Tai to resort to sneak attacks, but the timing had been perfect, leaving him no chance to evade.

The main purpose of these wounds was to make him bleed. On the surface, he was soaked in blood, looking even more grievously injured than Li Tai.

If they continued, it would be a battle to the death—and by now, both understood the other’s strength.

Who would survive such a fight was far from certain.

Gu Quan drew a deep breath. “Go on, then. But your Mad God Cult isn’t so impressive—being used so easily. If he hadn’t run, I might well have died here.”

Li Tai’s expression was sour. He snorted coldly. “Once I find that bastard, it will be his death day.”