The moment the party stepped into the cavern, they froze. Their HP was dropping, so slowly it almost looked harmless, but it was definitely falling.
Slow or not, if they let it drain long enough, they'd die even if they stood still and did absolutely nothing.
"This cavern…" Bai Yiran's eyes flashed with shock.
Qin Ping nodded. "The gatekeeping boss has to be the Soul Devouring Demon Spider."
The Soul Devouring Demon Spider, a super spirit beast with both poison and mental attributes, had clearly been used as the blueprint for these data generated spiders crawling all around them.
"That means we've must finish this fast. Dragging it out would be terrible for us," Bai Yiran said.
Yue Zhao kept nodding. He followed right behind the group, but his eyes kept darting toward the poison spiders. No one knew what he was thinking.
By now, most parties had already reached the entrances of their target treasure vaults. Fights were breaking out all over the place.
Yun Jin looked left, then right, completely swamped by how many fights he had to commentate on.
One hour of game time later.
Ji Wusi's Kunlun Sword Sect team was the first to reach the gatekeeping boss of the deep blue zone.
The small monsters on the way had drained a good chunk of their HP, but they still had numbers on their side, and more importantly, Ji Wusi's sword was sharp enough to tear through these mobs like paper.
So, naturally, it didn't take long.
Yun Jin's excited voice echoed again.
"Next up, congratulations to Ji Wusi and the Kunlun Sword Sect's heavenly squad. Not only are they handsome, they strike fast too! Deep Blue Vault Number Three has been cleared! Kunlun Sword Sect obtains the treasure of the Deep Blue Vault, the Recovery Belt. While wearing this belt, your HP slowly regenerates. Its value is seven thousand points. Defeating the gatekeeping boss also earns seven thousand points!"
Ji Wusi couldn't help smiling. They'd earned another five thousand from the small monsters earlier. Their total points were almost at twenty thousand.
He had originally only been thinking about finding Wan Dao for a one on one fight, but now he couldn't help wondering if he should go kill a few more small monsters to make that total a perfect twenty thousand.
He was still enjoying the thought when the next announcement hit.
"While offering congratulations, I also have some unfortunate news. In the Qingxiao Pavilion squad's challenge against the gatekeeping boss Taishan Giant Ape, one player was eliminated. The Four Holy Lands faction loses ten thousand points."
Ji Wusi froze.
The points he'd worked so hard to earn just vanished in an instant.
Not even thirty seconds later, Yun Jin's voice sounded again.
"Another player from Qingxiao Pavilion has been eliminated. Another ten thousand points deducted."
Ji Wusi: "…"
Great. Everything he earned was gone, and now they were in the negative.
Yun Jin spoke in a tone of regret. "The sword cultivators of Kunlun Sword Sect are indeed strong, but this is a team battle. The Four Holy Lands act as a single faction. Compared to the other three sects, Qingxiao Pavilion is a bit weaker. If you want to win, you should've given them additional support. Sadly, the Four Holy Lands stayed scattered and did their own thing. This deduction isn't Qingxiao Pavilion's problem, it's a failure in overall strategy. Heroism can't carry a team!"
Ji Wusi gritted his teeth, trembling with frustration. He didn't know why, but he felt like she was talking about him. This rebellious disciple! He'd settle accounts with her sooner or later!
"Move. We're challenging the next vault," Ji Wusi snapped.
If they sped up and cleared more vaults, they might still recover their losses.
Not long after, another announcement rang out.
"Congratulations to Qingxiao Pavilion for clearing the vault. Reward: Sharp Sword. Its effect adds one hundred attack power. Its value is seven thousand points. Defeating the boss also grants seven thousand points.
We can see that even after losing two valuable teammates, Qingxiao Pavilion still managed to clear the vault. Counting the three thousand points earned from the small monsters, they obtained a total of seventeen thousand points. Their net loss is only three thousand."
Yun Jin concluded.
Only three thousand…
Only…
Lu Sen felt miserable. They'd worked hard for hours, gained nothing, and even ended up losing points. Their squad was down to two people, and challenging another vault was nearly impossible.
Thankfully, there was faction chat.
The Four Holy Lands faction discussed for a moment, then decided Lu Sen and his teammate should temporarily join the Beastmaster Sect team and the Xuandan Gate team to boost their battle strength.
So Lu Sen and his teammate hurried off again. But just as they set off, someone in faction chat suddenly cried out.
"Wait! Why has Wushuang Sect already cleared five orange yellow vaults?! They must've gone all in on that region!"
Everyone quickly checked the game log. The deep blue zone still only had two vaults cleared, but in the orange yellow zone, five vaults had already fallen. Wushuang Sect's disciples might've even started their second round of clearing.
The points for orange yellow vaults weren't as high, but each one still gave seven thousand. Since they hadn't lost a single person, their total score was shooting up, and they were now far ahead of the Four Holy Lands faction.
Panic spread instantly.
Faction chat exploded with heated debate.
Before Lu Sen and his teammate even moved, they were reassigned to protect Cang Li and Shen Yanye in the orange yellow zone.
"At this clearance speed, Wushuang Sect's definitely all in the orange yellow zone! Cang Li and the others are in danger! Sect Master Lu, you must protect them!"
Lu Sen sighed deeply and changed direction again.
Faction chat kept buzzing.
"They just cleared a vault, so their HP must've dropped a lot! If we manage to hunt a few Tribulation stage disciples, each kill gives ten thousand points!"
"Sure, but all their Mahayana experts are in that zone too! If Cang Li and the others show themselves, they won't be the hunters, they'll be the hunted!"
"The vault areas they cleared will be dimmed on the map. Wushuang Sect must've already located them! Leave the vault immediately, or hide in different directions! Sect Master Lu is already on the way. You must hold on!"
"Lu Sen and his teammate won't be enough! If my guess is right, Wushuang Sect must've already gathered everyone and rushed toward Cang Li's group! Unless we gather everyone too, it'll be a slaughter!"
"Cang Li's five man squad will probably have to give up completely! Lu Sen, maybe don't even go."
Lu Sen and his teammate halted again, both looking miserable.
Should they go or not?
The Four Holy Lands might be one faction, but the four sects had no unified command. Every time a decision needed to be made, the channel turned into chaos, and nothing got decided for ages.
Meanwhile, the Wushuang Sect faction chat was just as lively.
"Everyone listen up. Six regions have dimmed. Our sect cleared five, the last one must've been cleared by the Four Holy Lands squad. They're nearby. Since they already cleared two deep blue vaults, their focus has been on that side. Their squad in the orange yellow zone won't be many or strong. Everyone move. Surround the region from all directions. Not a single one of them leaves."
While Wushuang Sect organized a full encirclement of the isolated Four Holy Lands squad…
The Beastmaster Sect team and the Xuandan Gate team finally arrived at the gatekeeping boss after surviving countless dangers.