Chapter 69: The Battle Begins!

Deep within the endless snowy plains, the biting winds howled without respite. The earth was shrouded in a pristine mantle of white, snow covering every inch. The deeper one ventured, not only did the monsters grow stronger, but the temperature plunged further still. Even Song Qi, though a professional with a constitution far superior to ordinary men, could not help but shiver in the cold. Fortunately, he had reached his destination.

He could vaguely make out the figures of the Cult of Demon Worship’s followers several hundred meters ahead. Song Qi summoned Lü Bu, dismounted, and cast Life’s Sanctuary upon himself. “Stay alert,” he instructed, “watch for hidden sentries or ambushes.” Facing five advanced professionals, each above level seventy, Song Qi dared not be careless.

The higher a professional’s level, the harder it became to advance. Yet the gap between each level grew ever wider. To ascend from sixty-five to seventy required four to six years of effort. The elite of the Cult of Demon Worship, though deprived of the benefits of Source Water and Demon Elixirs, received the Lord’s Blessings—sometimes several times a year. In four to six years, their base attributes would far outstrip those of a sixty-five-level professional. Their equipment improved, their gold-making abilities grew. At sixty-five, rare gear was standard, with the best pieces merely extraordinary. Heroic equipment was a rarity.

But those at seventy could easily gather a set of extraordinary gear, and possessing a hero’s item or two was not uncommon. Moreover, anyone who reached seventy was unlikely to lack talent; among lower-level professionals, A or S class talents were rare, but among those above seventy, not exceptional.

Song Qi circled with Ying Zheng and Lü Bu, climbing a low hill. “One, two, three… seventeen in total. The numbers match, and their positions are as expected. These must be the cult members.” He lay prone in the snow, observing.

The cultists gathered at the base of a sheer cliff. Suspended in midair was a bizarre item shaped like a potion vial, dripping purple liquid onto the ground below. Each droplet caused a translucent portal to flicker briefly before vanishing. Yet as the drops accumulated, the portals lingered longer. “That vial must be the cult’s artifact for corroding the seal. I’m not too late. So the entrance to the hidden instance lies beneath the cliff?”

He scanned the surroundings. Twelve people clustered near the entrance—likely the twelve level-forty professionals, nothing to worry about. The five level-seventy advanced professionals patrolled the perimeter, their formation tight, ready to react if any one of them was compromised. Four men, one woman, all wielding weapons—making their roles easy to discern. “Warrior, shield warrior, paladin, priest, and ranger. Three frontline tanks, one backline damage dealer, and a healer. The priest and ranger are especially guarded at the center—hard to reach. Even the Seven Deadly Sins can only target one backliner; whether it’s the priest or ranger, both pose serious threats. If I have a backliner constantly healing or harassing me, fighting four at once will be risky.”

Song Qi stroked his chin. “I’ll need a way to eliminate both backliners in one move. As for the three tanks…”

He opened Liu Renfu’s storage ring and counted. “No need to worry about the three tanks. The ring from Elder Liu contains more than enough offensive and defensive items. If it’s just those three, I can simply bombard them with tools.” After some thought, Song Qi took out several talismans and affixed them to his body. “Spell of Concealment… Spell of Fleetness… Spell of Shield… Spell of Burrowing…”

At the cult’s temporary camp beneath the cliff, the shield warrior—towering and muscular—paced aimlessly, wielding a shield as tall as two men. Even in the depths of the snowy plains, he remained bare-chested, unfazed by the cold—a testament to his formidable constitution. After a while, he stifled a yawn and glanced at the priest. “Hey, Ruonan, how much longer until this seal breaks? We’ve been guarding since last night—I’m bored to death.”

The short-haired priestess gazed impassively at the portal. “The seal is highly unstable now. Half an hour at most, ten minutes at least, and it’ll open. Of course, there’s a chance it’ll fail and the whole instance will explode with it.”

The shield warrior groaned. “Hey, don’t jinx it. If it blows, won’t we—?”

“Quiet!” the ranger cut him off, pointing ahead. “Someone’s coming…”

Instantly, the five snapped to alertness, eyes fixed on the direction indicated. Two tall figures trudged through the snow toward them—one in ancient armor, wielding a halberd; the other in black dragon robes, a crown atop his head. “Ancient warriors? Must be a summoner’s spirits. Not only did they not avoid us, they sent their summons right at us?”

The ranger nocked his arrow, ready to fire. “Unfriendly, it seems…”

The shield warrior narrowed his eyes, raising his massive shield and stepping to the fore. His voice boomed. “You two ahead—The Cult of Demon Worship is conducting business here. If you value your lives, clear out!”

Yet the two did not halt, but laughed. “The Cult of Demon Worship? That sect of human traitors? Traitors who’d betray their own race—do you really expect us to yield to such vermin?”

At this, the cultists’ faces darkened. Within the cult, they did not see themselves as traitors. Quite the opposite—they believed they had chosen the most rational path to salvation. The gap between humanity and the outer demons was simply too vast. Their Lord had promised: surrender, and none would be slain; the remaining humans would be granted a land of bliss, properly settled. Why resist to the bitter end, courting needless deaths? Thus, being called traitors was the greatest affront.

“In that case, there’s nothing left to say!” The shield warrior’s body was enveloped in an earthy glow, swelling larger still. His aura grew weighty and oppressive. The paladin and priest began casting, halos descending to grant their team various buffs.

“Go!” With a furious roar, the shield warrior launched himself like a cannonball. His seemingly bulky frame moved with unmatched speed.

Boom! White mists erupted as he shattered the sound barrier, the shockwaves unable to delay him even for a moment. The collision’s power, combined with his incredible velocity, was overwhelming.

“Well met!” “Unmatched… unleash!” Red Hare appeared beneath Lü Bu, his eyes burning crimson. But it wasn’t over. Ying Zheng stepped back, activating Dominion of All Lands and Sweeping Across the Six Directions. Lü Bu’s aura surged once more. With Unmatched and Sweeping Across the Six Directions, an 800% boost sent his attributes to terrifying heights.

“Vermin, prepare to die!” Faced with the shield warrior’s visible momentum, Lü Bu did not flinch—he charged straight ahead! The halberd and shield collided in an instant. Time seemed to freeze.

Then—boom!

The deafening impact echoed to the heavens. Everyone present instinctively covered their ears. The shockwaves shattered nearby peaks, triggering avalanches in several places.

Lü Bu and Red Hare were knocked back, but quickly regained their footing. The shield warrior hissed, staggering backward, blood blooming from his palm. His legendary shield had been battered as if it were thin aluminum, his grip nearly broken.

“What kind of monster spirit is this?! A summoner who can call forth such a being must be at least level eighty! An eighty-level summoner in the Seventh District? Why have we received no word?”

His heart quaked. His proudest strike had only forced the enemy back a few meters—and he himself was pushed back, even with all buffs active. If not for his teammates’ support, might he have been pierced outright?

“When did the Seventh District acquire a summoner this formidable?”