Vice-Chairman Yang wasn’t feeling great.
It wasn’t that he thought he was losing—rather, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the King of Cloud Peak wasn’t fighting at full strength.
At first, he thought it was just his imagination. But as time passed, it became increasingly clear: this guy was toying with him.
When Vice-Chairman Yang arrived, he hadn’t brought many people. Even with the Soul Merchant squad left behind to guard Ye Zhongming and the others, his forces numbered fewer than fifty. Ye Zhongming’s side, even counting the largely non-combatant “livestock,” had more bodies than his own.
But after a short skirmish—especially after the distress signal was sent—Ye Zhongming and his people began to retreat.
Vice-Chairman Yang knew he’d do the same in their position. The Soul Merchant’s base wasn’t far, and if they kept fighting, they’d only be slaughtered by the arriving reinforcements.
Yet, as they retreated, Vice-Chairman Yang noticed something odd.
The dozen or so elite evolved under Ye Zhongming were protecting the “livestock,” while Ye Zhongming himself was covering their retreat.
At first, it didn’t seem unusual. Soon, Vice-Chairman Yang realized that if Ye Zhongming had wanted to, he could have held them all off.
No matter how he racked his brain, it never occurred to him that Ye Zhongming was using himself as bait—lingering just enough to keep Vice-Chairman Yang tracking him.
An hour of fighting and retreating passed. Then, Ye Zhongming sensed it—a monstrous killing intent coalescing in the direction they’d come from, surging toward them like a tidal wave.
Ye Zhongming surveyed the terrain. They were in hilly woodland—not the ideal place for his plan.
If he was taking this risk, he wanted maximum payoff.
The enemy was arriving faster than he’d expected. It seemed Soul Merchant, Pin Palace, and God Hall were dead set on capturing him, mobilizing an army of this scale so quickly.
That level of killing intent could only come from hundreds of thousands of gathered warriors.
Ye Zhongming launched a sudden, ferocious assault.
In one move, he killed five of the enemy evolved. Vice-Chairman Yang immediately changed tactics, no longer engaging directly but trailing at a distance, waiting for an opening while coordinating with the approaching reinforcements.
As they crested a hill, Ye Zhongming saw that Vice-Chairman Yang’s group had fallen over five hundred meters behind. He quickly gathered his people and pulled out a hand-drawn map.
“My team will take you to safety. See that hill? Go around it, then follow this route. They’ll get you to Cloud Peak.”
The Chameleon operatives would follow his orders without question. Ye Zhongming was only explaining to Xiao Hua, Wang Xiaorui, and the others to ease their minds. Their part in his plan was over—what came next was his fight alone.
“But we—”
“I’m not asking for your opinion.” Ye Zhongming cut Xiao Hua off without hesitation, then handed the map to the Chameleon squad leader.
“Stay safe, boss.” The squad leader, thrilled to have fought alongside Ye Zhongming, accepted the order without question. Worry? None.
To them, Ye Zhongming was invincible.
With that, he led his team and the women away. Ye Zhongming turned and climbed back up the hill. Vice-Chairman Yang, now within a hundred meters, halted.
Ye Zhongming’s sudden earlier assault had left a deep impression.
When Ye Zhongming drew his blade, Vice-Chairman Yang and his men instinctively retreated.
“Y-you can’t escape!” one of the Soul Merchant members shouted, though his bravado rang hollow.
None of them wanted to keep chasing, but without orders to retreat, they had no choice.
“Our army is coming! Surrender now if you know what’s good for you!”
The cringe-inducing line made Vice-Chairman Yang and the others want to crawl into a hole.
Is this a bad movie? Are we playing cartoon villains now?
Ye Zhongming smirked and swung his blade.
Vice-Chairman Yang and his men scrambled back dozens of meters.
But the strike merely carved a deep fissure into the ground where they’d stood.
“Cross this line, and I’ll stop holding back.”
With that, Ye Zhongming sat cross-legged on the ground, watching as spectral undead began crawling out of the gouge left by the Undead Sand Moon Blade.
Vice-Chairman Yang’s face burned with humiliation. He knew he’d lost face in front of Ye Zhongming, but he could do nothing—the King of Cloud Peak’s sudden burst of power had undeniably surpassed his own.
The undead emerging from the fissure were low-level, easily dispatched by Vice-Chairman Yang’s forces. They hacked them apart with extra fervor, as if imagining they were Ye Zhongming himself.
Ye Zhongming watched calmly, his expression unreadable, keeping the Soul Merchant members on edge. In truth, his mind was already on the next phase of his plan.
I need to hold out until we reach the plains. I need to draw as many enemies there as possible. That means I have to reach that spot.
A location marked itself in his mental map.
A glance over his shoulder confirmed that the Chameleon team and the women had already rounded the distant hill, vanishing from sight. The timing was perfect. Ye Zhongming stood and gestured at Vice-Chairman Yang before sprinting down the hill.
After hesitating, Vice-Chairman Yang gritted his teeth and led his men across the line.
The chase was back on.
When the Soul Merchant squad realized Ye Zhongming was now alone, they relayed the news.
Deep within the approaching tide of soldiers, a ten-meter-tall black twin-bodied elephant strode forward, each step covering fifteen meters.
Clad head to toe in iron armor, the colossal beast resembled a moving metal fortress, its footfalls shaking the earth.
On its back, an exquisitely crafted wooden pavilion was anchored to the armor, its sides draped in pale blue gauze. The intricate carvings and patterns on its pillars made it a sight to behold.
Nearby evolved frequently glanced at it, their expressions a mix of awe, envy, and curiosity.
It was impossible to ignore—this twin-bodied elephant was an eight-level lifeform, and the pavilion housed the leadership of the tripartite alliance.
The same figures who’d been negotiating at God Hall—Wen Yan, Bo Jie, and Dr. Ziche—were present, along with several others.
Two stood out most: a gaunt man wearing a mask, sitting silently in a corner, and a jovial, rotund middle-aged man with a ruddy complexion.
The masked man’s prominence came from the three men and one woman seated before him, along with Dr. Ziche. Even his chair was specially designed.
This was none other than the God Hall’s enigmatic Director.
As for the portly man, his unassuming appearance was itself a surprise.
He was the Great Chairman of Soul Merchant.