The Return Of The God Level Assassin

Chapter 1217: YUNYUE VS CELESTIALS (I)

LUO YAN kept staring at the floating notification, barely registering the surrounding discussion. Seriously? He was the target? But after the initial surprise and mild annoyance, he forced himself to calm down. It wouldnʼt help their team if the others noticed his odd behavior. Shen Ji Yun would absolutely detect something was off if he kept staring at that damned notification—the man was too observant, especially where Luo Yan was concerned. He couldnʼt risk the system interpreting his actions as hints.

He took a deep breath and joined the conversation as if heʼd been listening all along. ”What if we follow the Duke of Spadesʼ advice?”

Bai Ze tilted his head. ”What do you mean, Xiao Yan?”

”Assign each of us to duel one opponent,” Luo Yan suggested.

”A 1vs1 scenario?” Su Yuqi said, her tone thoughtful. ”Not bad. Straightforward. Though it would probably work best if we can divide them properly first.”

Judging by the expression on their faces, the others seemed to also consider this idea.

”How about using teleportation scrolls?” Luo Jin said. ”The rules didnʼt mention we canʼt teleport out of here. We could move to a place or places where they canʼt fully use their wings.”

”Youʼre right—the system never actually said weʼre confined here,” Bai Ze said, sounding suddenly enlightened. ”But I canʼt think of a single place thatʼd work.”

”The Mooncrystal Caverns,” Shen Ji Yun suddenly said. ”Itʼs an extensive underground network beneath Frostspire Mountain.”

Luo Yan knew Frostspire Mountain well—theyʼd fought there during the quarterfinals—but the Mooncrystal Caverns were unfamiliar to him.

”I know that place,” Su Yuqi said. ”It has those sharp blue and white crystal stalactites. Good choice. Team Celestials wonʼt be able to use their wings properly there, and the glowing crystals give us enough light to see.”

”The only issue is Iʼve never been there,” Luo Yan said. Teleportation scrolls only worked if the user had physically visited the location before or could currently see it within their line of sight. It didnʼt allow one to just teleport blindly.

”The same goes for me,” Luo Jin added.

”Itʼs fine. I have a special teleportation scroll for that location,” Shen Ji Yun assured them.

Luo Yan grinned. ”Well, arenʼt you prepared?”

Shen Ji Yun shrugged. ”My inventory is full of location-specific teleport scrolls. So yes.”

”So itʼs decided? Weʼre luring them to Mooncrystal Caverns?” Bai Ze asked.

Shen Ji Yun gave a single nod. ”If no one objects, then yes.”

”I think everyone is in agreement,” Bai Ze said. ”Then, who will fight who?”

”We should strategize how to catch them off-guard first,” Su Yuqi pointed out. ”Otherwise we wonʼt get the chance to teleport them.”

And so, they spent the rest of the 15 minutes strategizing.

***

When the fifteen minutes elapsed, team Celestials immediately flew east. They understood team Yunyueʼs situation perfectly—only YUN could transport the entire team at once, so the group would need to stick close. Morganite alone could fly separately using her wings, but the others would have no choice but to travel as a single group.

They knew the other team would inevitably use stealth items. YUNʼs qilin form, while powerful, was far too massive and conspicuous—without concealment, theyʼd be instant targets in the open skies. A stealth item would be their only logical choice to mask their movement as a group.

This wasnʼt a problem for their team since they carried a detection orb that triggered an alarm if anyone using stealth items entered its hundred-meter range. The instant it sounded, Song Liuli could cast [Revealing Light]. One of the effects of this skill was instantly dispelling all active stealth item effects in the vicinity.

Their team maintained a scattered formation as they flew—some members surging ahead, others lagging slightly behind, each maintaining a careful distance from one another. While they knew Team Yunyue would likely be clustered together out of necessity, spreading out minimized their vulnerability to ambushes. Better to sacrifice a bit of coordination than risk the entire team getting caught in a surprise attack.

A message from Duan Yu appeared on their team channel:

Uriel:[Weʼre near the halfway mark. Team Yunyue might appear any second now.]

Li Xu Min read the message and responded immediately:

Michael: [Everyone, stay alert.]

The moment his message sent, the orb erupted in a shrill alarm. Every member of their team snapped to attention, as Song Liuli activated her skill: [Revealing Light].

Golden light exploded outward from Song Liuli, washing over the landscape like liquid sunlight. The radiance clung to empty air for one impossible moment—then the outline of a massive qilin materialized within the glow, its mane shimmering into visibility as the stealth effect of whatever item team Yunyue was using dissolved.

”Attack now!” Li Xu Min ordered, his wings beating steadily as he hovered in place, sword in hand.

Everyone immediately reacted, quickly raising their weapons or flying towards YUN. But before they could unleash their assault, YUNʼs qilin form shimmered and shrank back into his humanoid shape mid-flight.

In one sudden burst of speed, YUN shot through the air directly toward Li Xu Min. Before he could react, YUNʼs hand snapped out, gripping his collar tightly. YUNʼs other free hand ripped something—a scroll of some kind, its edges disintegrating into glowing particles.

Thatʼs—!

Li Xu Minʼs eyes widened as he belatedly recognized the teleportation scroll.

”Ah Min!” Zhong Huiʼs voice rang out just as the world around him slowly disappeared.

Before the remaining members of team Celestials could react, the world seemed to lurch violently. An invisible force wrenched them downward, as if the sky itself had turned to lead. Song Liuli barely managed to lift her hands, so she could use a skill to dispel whatever was happening, when a streak of pink light materialized beside her. The last thing she saw was Morganiteʼs Cheshire grin before she vanished with the other.

Still plummeting, Zhong Hui, Duan Yu, and Qiu Ming barely registered the three figures shooting upward from below until it was too late. They met them halfway and the moment those members of team Yunyue touched them, they were also teleported out of there.