Chapter 27: Eat my righteous backstab! (Thanks to the reward from the Travel of Petals!)

Yin Hao was shocked, not expecting a response. Without a moment's hesitation, he leapt up from the stone bed and struck a palm at the intruder.

Su Youyi saw the strong enemy strike, and how could she allow her senior brother to take the hit? She drew her longsword and thrust straight at Yin Hao. Beside her, He Zhiqing knew that now was not the time for honor and niceties when facing demons and heretics; starlight flashed in his eyes, and he punched towards Yin Hao's most undefended spot.

"Fuck, who punches right at the kidney," Yin Hao thought, his palm strike blocked. Before he could change his move, he saw the dark-faced burly man's fist coming straight for his kidney. Instinctively, he repelled the scar-faced woman and turned to fend off He Zhiqing's punch.

"Boom!"

The sound of fists colliding echoed endlessly within the underground palace.

Unlike Su Youyi, who was at most level 38, Yin Hao at level 42 could defend somewhat more easily. But He Zhiqing was different; he was already at level 42 and a Chief Disciple of a Super Force, putting immense pressure on Yin Hao.

In Liang Yi's eyes, He Zhiqing's Star Dao Technique unfolded like the never-ending starlight in the sky, not giving the opponent the slightest chance to breathe. Su Youyi's Flawless Sword Skill cycled repeatedly, as if she could foresee Yin Hao's every move, blocking and forcing him back, leaving him frustrated and suffocated.

From Yin Hao's perspective, things were different under the effect of the Mirage Talisman; He Zhiqing and Su Youyi's moves were completely unlike reality, yet their effectiveness was undiminished. Yin Hao also had to spare attention to suppress the disturbance from Zhang Feng in his Sea of Consciousness. His strength was only around seventy percent of his peak, and he was facing the direct disciples of two great Super Forces.

Moreover, there was a pock-faced young man holding a talisman, glancing at his behind now and then. Just sensing the talisman briefly made Yin Hao's hairs stand on end; if it were released, he estimated he would be reduced to ashes.

"Where did this bunch of freaks come from! And just when the sect's guards are away!" Yin Hao, continuously beaten back and increasingly heavily wounded, grew more and more anxious.

After a brief coordination, He Zhiqing and Su Youyi worked together more seamlessly, sealing off all of Yin Hao's escape routes, resolved to keep him there that day.

He Zhiqing took advantage of Yin Hao's focus on Su Youyi's longsword to neglect his back defense and struck him with a "Waning Moon from the West", making Yin Hao spit blood and fly backward with a single hit.

Upon seeing that his two junior fellows had firmly suppressed the enemy, Liang Yi no longer paid attention. Without interference from outside forces, this imposter was undoubtedly dead.

What he concerned himself with now was whether there were any ambushes nearby. What sort of boss didn't have minions? And this wasn't a real game; this imposter had no reason to be so foolish as to remain unprotected while being in a weakened state, waiting for them to come and collect his head, right?

But the talisman Liang Yi was holding, which appeared to Yin Hao, was actually the Immaculate Sword Jade. Even after searching the entire underground palace, Liang Yi found no trace of anyone else.

"Is he really such an idiot?" Liang Yi was somewhat perplexed, but he wished that all the elite monsters in the world were this dumb.

Turning back to the battlefield, he continued to be an onlooker. Not daring to risk approaching a level 41 enemy beast, lest a single surprise attack from the weakened enemy would be the end of him.

So, even though that imposter was now bloodied and collapsed, the trio didn't rashly move forward but became even more cautious, fearing a ruse.

"What kind of trick could there be!" Yin Hao cursed in his heart—he just had incredibly bad luck. With Zhang Feng causing chaos within his Sea of Consciousness and facing two powerful enemies he couldn't defeat, not to mention a sneaky little thief distracting him.

"No choice, if I can't win, I'll have to run."

Actually, Yin Hao still had a few last-ditch Dharma methods he hadn't used, but he felt that considering the relentless tactics of the opponents, they might just be able to counter them. It might be better to just use an escape skill that had no counter to make an escape, and wait for his superiors to come back for revenge.

"Great Dark Escape Technique!" Yin Hao shouted loudly, and the volume, combined with the echo in the underground palace, startled Liang Yi and the others.

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Only to see the imposter on the ground spewing out trails of dark energy, which wrapped around his body in an instant, slowly rising into the air.

"Hit me! Why don't you hit me! Hahaha!" A proud and arrogant laughter echoed in the underground palace, making Su Youyi frown and cover her ears.

Yin Hao enjoyed watching the helpless and angry expressions of his opponents the most when he used his Escape Skill, which always brought him great pleasure.

But this time, the three people in front of him just watched him use the Escape Skill without making a move.

"They're probably scared stiff," Yin Hao dismissed them, deciding that making a getaway was the best option, especially since the talisman in the hands of the gaunt man with the pockmarked face was somewhat unsettling.

Su Youyi and He Zhiqing turned their heads to look at Liang Yi.

Liang Yi sighed; he had not expected that investigating an imposter would end up involving the Devouring Spirit Sect. He abandoned the idea of using the Immaculate Sword Jade to attack and took out the perfect nemesis to the Great Dark Escape Technique from his backpack: a rolling pin!

Seeing the black fog about to fly out of the altar, Liang Yi no longer hesitated. Holding the unparalleled artifact, he leaped and chopped down from behind, his righteous voice resounding through the underground palace:

"Eat my righteous backstab!"

His embarrassingly cringe-worthy line caused He Zhiqing and Su Youyi to cover their eyes, unable to bear watching.

Feeling the wind on his back, Yin Hao was not panicked but instead felt a glimmer of schadenfreude: Was he about to see the despair and disbelief in the eyes of the person behind him again? He had witnessed it himself when a Sect member using the Escape Skill successfully escaped from a great enemy at the Great Perfection level without a scratch.

But just as he was about to turn around to enjoy the expression of the person behind him, darkness immediately engulfed him, a familiar feeling: the aftereffects of the Escape Skill being broken or dispelled.

"How is this possible!?" This was the last thought Yin Hao had before fainting.

"Ah, the rolling pin really does the trick." Liang Yi put the artifact back into the backpack, specifically placing it in the first slot.

"Senior brother, what you shouted just now was so embarrassing!" Su Youyi came over and slapped Liang Yi on the back.

"HP-1!"

"I am ashamed, even though junior brother Liang has already informed me of the weakness of the Escape Skill, I was still unable to do anything about it." He Zhiqing's face showed embarrassment; it would have been a big disgrace if the imposter had escaped.

Liang Yi saw his junior sister gearing up to hit him a few more times and quickly grabbed her little hand to keep her in check.

After being grabbed by him, Su Youyi didn't struggle but instead stood beside Liang Yi like a little mouse that has snuck a taste of honey.

"There's no need for that, senior brother He. No one expected that this imposter would have a connection with the mysterious force that attacked me. This cannot be blamed on you," Liang Yi said with a smile, comforting him; indeed, this outcome was beyond everyone's expectations.

"Even so, after getting out, I'll have to make preparations."

"Yes, but for now, let's wake him up and ask some questions!"

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