Earth Zi swore that he truly saw it coming when Ye Zhongming charged toward him.
It was just too obvious. When Heaven Zi and Heaven Jia slightly retreated, and the King of Cloud Peak’s gaze swept over him, Earth Zi knew he had been targeted.
But he didn’t panic.
Ye Zhongming was indeed powerful. He could suppress two evolved of the same level while still holding the advantage and appeared to have energy to spare. During the fight, it now seemed he had been gradually moving in Earth Zi’s direction.
Earth Zi hadn’t been alert earlier, but he had instinctively adjusted his position, keeping a certain distance from the battlefield.
So when Ye Zhongming made his move, Earth Zi felt that although the distance between them had narrowed, it was still within a safe range.
Even if Ye Zhongming was extremely fast, Earth Zi believed he had enough time to dodge or defend. After that, his two companions would quickly close in on Ye Zhongming, preventing the enemy from getting close to him again.
But in reality, when Earth Zi was about to crush a protective barrier bead he had prepared earlier, he found that Ye Zhongming, who had been some distance away, suddenly disappeared. The next second, Ye Zhongming was right in front of him.
It was too fast. So fast that Earth Zi didn’t even have time to react. Ye Zhongming had just charged toward him, and in the blink of an eye, he was standing right in front of him. The war blade in Ye Zhongming’s hand had somehow vanished, replaced by a blue dagger.
Crack!
The protective barrier activated, shielding Earth Zi behind it. Ye Zhongming stood in front of the barrier, holding the dagger, seemingly blocked.
Heaven Zi and Heaven Jia were frantically rushing back and felt a slight relief. They knew about this barrier bead. Although the barrier’s strength wasn’t much for an eight-star evolved, it could definitely block one attack. As long as Earth Zi wasn’t instantly killed, they would never give Ye Zhongming another chance.
Ye Zhongming stood there strangely, not attacking the barrier that was within arm’s reach and could be shattered with a single strike.
Meanwhile, Earth Zi, who should have been safe, let out a gurgling sound and fell backward, stiff as a board.
It turned out that just before he crushed the bead, Ye Zhongming had already slit his throat with the dagger.
“Ah!”
Seeing this scene, Heaven Zi and Heaven Jia were filled with rage, their minds momentarily blank.
The most solid combination in the Heavenly Stems and Earth Branches was actually a five-person team.
Heaven Zi and Heaven Jia, the two leaders, were responsible for close combat. Heaven Bing handled long-range attacks. Earth Zi was in charge of healing and removing negative statuses. There was also Earth Chou, a specialist in applying various buffs.
The five of them complemented each other, forming the most powerful combat unit of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, and the foundation of their fearlessness against any force.
When Earth Chou had betrayed them earlier, they hadn’t been too concerned because, although space mages were rare, they weren’t irreplaceable.
Similarly, Heaven Bing and Earth Chou could also be replaced, as long-range attackers and buffers with similar functions weren’t too hard to find.
Even Heaven Zi and Heaven Jia themselves could be replaced.
But Earth Zi was irreplaceable. Support Jobs that combined healing and negative status removal were far too rare, and his healing abilities far surpassed those of ordinary healers.
A job scroll like his could now be exchanged for an eight-star evolution potion.
But now, this person, the true core of the Heavenly Stems and Earth Branches, had been killed.
Regret. They regretted being so careless, knowing they were facing the King of Cloud, and still brought Earth Zi along even after Heaven Bing had been killed.
Anger. This one man might have just destroyed everything they had built and everything they had planned for the future.
Fear. With two core members gone in an instant, where would their path lead now?
These complex emotions turned into pure hatred for Ye Zhongming. The two assassins let out furious roars and charged at Ye Zhongming, who was now standing with his back to them.
“Don’t rush. You’re next.”
Ye Zhongming’s words pierced their ears, causing the two assassins, who were already within striking distance of Ye Zhongming’s back, to shudder. Their minds cleared slightly, but their instincts and combat experience drove them to continue their attack.
From this position and angle, even if Ye Zhongming was fast, there was no way he could dodge.
But Ye Zhongming dodged anyway.
Their attacks slammed into the energy barrier Earth Zi had just activated.
Meanwhile, Ye Zhongming had already moved behind the barrier. The moment they shattered it, he turned around.
At the same time, Heaven Zi and Heaven Jia felt a powerful gravitational pull from the ground.
Ye Zhongming disappeared again, reappearing behind Heaven Zi. The dagger, still stained with Earth Zi’s blood, thrust toward his temple.
Heaven Zi gritted his teeth and suddenly lunged forward. The sound of bones cracking echoed as several of his bones broke.
To avoid Ye Zhongming’s fatal strike, he forcibly activated a job skill—Body Swap—which allowed him to instantly switch places with an object in front of him.
However, using this skill came with many restrictions. The user couldn’t be under any negative status effects otherwise, the physical and mental energy consumption would increase dramatically.
Right now, both Heaven Zi and Heaven Jia were affected by the Earth Spirit’s Gravity Leap skill. Forcing the Body Swap under these conditions caused Heaven Zi’s body to suffer excessive damage, breaking several bones.
But he had escaped Ye Zhongming’s attack range.
With his strike missing, Ye Zhongming didn’t stop. He disappeared again, reappearing behind Heaven Jia. This time, instead of using the dagger, he threw a punch.
Cloud Slice activated, and dozens of energy beams shot toward Heaven Jia, who was doing his best to dodge.
Heaven Jia didn’t have a skill like Heaven Zi’s, but his agility was exceptional. The moment he noticed Ye Zhongming’s bizarre teleportation, he didn’t hesitate—he dropped to the ground.
Most of the beams missed him, but a few struck his body.
“Explode!”
Heaven Jia knew this was a life-or-death moment. He didn’t have time to worry about his equipment. With a shout, he activated some ability on his armor, causing it to explode. The fragments transformed into a massive shield, clinging to his body. Not only did it neutralize the Cloud Slice attack, but it also blocked Ye Zhongming’s follow-up dagger strike.
They might not be as strong as Ye Zhongming, but they were still eight-star evolved who had killed and looted countless times. They always had some good items or life-saving tricks up their sleeves.
For now, the two assassins had narrowly escaped death and gained a moment to catch their breath.
