Chapter 905: Upper and lower vomiting and diarrhea of the mountain guardian

"Charge!""To the peak!"

At the peak of the Fourth Dragon Vein, Luo Yin and the former leader of the attacking force had formed a temporary alliance. However, before the seventh and eighth Dragon Guard Flags could be pulled out, the sounds of charging from below the mountain were already close at hand.

"The Xu Gang is attacking!"

Everyone's heart rate began to accelerate. The defenders knew well that those downhill couldn't stop the onslaught of the Xu Gang members. But the swiftness with which the Xu Gang charged up the mountain still caused panic.

"Is it not ready yet?" Luo Yin's expression was complex as he looked at the two former attacking members diligently pulling out flags behind him. He was already cursing the rules of the Nine Dragon Veins competition. "This is too unfair! Who can withstand a quarter of an hour of this?"

"There are still three minutes," the timekeeper reported, watching the flag-pullers and keeping track of the time.

"Three minutes!"

These three minutes were critical for survival; whether they succeeded and utilized the Dragon Vein depended entirely on this moment. Luo Yin composed himself, unleashed his aura, and roared, "Everyone, prepare to face the enemy!" Both sides on the mountain knew a major battle was imminent. After mentally preparing themselves, they, too, shouted in unison, "Prepare to face the enemy!" For a moment, the mountain wind howled bleakly, and the warriors' resolve to die was absolute.

"Charge!"

In a flash, the shouts of the Xu Gang members were upon them. As the sound arrived, so did the people. The defenders' line on the mountain was fully spread out, but the fearless Xu Gang members, in their peak condition, broke through with immense pressure, surging forward.

"They're here!" someone cried, their heart pounding as they watched Xu Gang members fly up the mountain nearby.

"Everyone, focus your fire and knock these people down! Hold for three minutes!" Luo Yin waved his hand, gathering his spiritual energy. Like playing Whac-A-Mole, as soon as a Xu Gang member appeared, he'd unleash a wave of spiritual energy. The others imitated him, one by one. After all, those on the mountain had the advantage of terrain. Although their condition wasn't optimal, they didn't need to engage in a full-blown fight. Instead, they just needed to knock these "moles" back down the mountain.

"Bang, bang, bang..." Explosions echoed continuously. As soon as the first wave of Xu Gang members appeared, they were indeed sent flying by various spiritual energy attacks, tumbling down from the peak. But there were just too many of them! The Xu Gang members, relying on their numerical superiority, forcefully tore open the defenders' line on the mountain peak. They only secured a small foothold, but these fierce bandits somehow used this slight advantage to gather all their forces.

"Here! Over here!"

"Damn it, Big Head got blasted, but he broke through the defense! Everyone, move towards me; this spot is open for climbing!"

"Quickly! Quickly!"

"They're coming, they're coming..."

"Holy crap, don't hit me! Go blast someone else!"

The scene devolved into chaos. Seeing a breach in their line, the defenders on the mountain immediately focused their fire on that spot. But their numbers were simply too few. As soon as their firepower shifted, the Xu Gang members tore open another gap elsewhere. "Damn it, there are too many of these guys!" The mountain defenders began to curse, fighting and retreating, tightening their defensive line step by step.

The Xu Gang members charged up the mountain but showed no desire to fight. Instead, they began flying erratically, dodging and weaving through the gunfire. Each of them seemed only to want to draw fire for their comrades, flying about ostentatiously, yet their words were full of contradictory "sacrifice others, save myself" sentiments.

"What's going on?" Luo Yin surveyed the situation but frowned slightly, vaguely sensing that something was very wrong. These fierce Xu Gang bandits were clearly in peak condition. Normally, after charging up the mountain, they'd immediately attack the nearest opponents, leaving the defenders severely weakened or dead, and their lines would quickly be overrun. "Why were they taking this extra, unnecessary step, flying and wandering aimlessly around the peak? Admiring the scenery? Are these people insane?"

Luo Yin couldn't quite understand the Xu Gang's strategy for a moment. Suddenly, a Xu Gang bandit dodged and weaved, flying close to the flag-puller. At that moment, Luo Yin had a realization. "These people are looking for the flag-pullers! They plan to focus their fire on one spot?"

"Clever!" Luo Yin was furious. The Xu Gang members had only just reached the mountain; how did they already know how to fight in the Nine Dragon Veins competition? "Everyone, immediately tighten your defensive line! Don't let them get close to the flag-pullers!" Luo Yin immediately bellowed at the top of his lungs. Instantly, everyone's anger was ignited. "Attack us, but don't touch the flag-pullers! That's the final line!"

"Boom!" "Blast that spot!" "These people are trying to steal the flag; we must stop them!" The original defenders on the mountain converged around the flag-pullers, while simultaneously focusing all their firepower on the "flag-stealer." Fireballs, water cannons, lightning strikes, wind blades... The defenders squeezed out their remaining spiritual energy, unleashing low-level spiritual techniques with the highest possible efficiency given their current state, blasting them towards the "flag-stealer."

"Holy crap, that's the Dragon Guard Flag?" The Xu Gang member under concentrated fire was terrified. "Don't blast me! I'm just passing by! I really didn't mean to steal the flag..." With several loud bangs, various spiritual energy impacts directly blasted that person away.

"The Dragon Guard Flag!" "That's where the Dragon Guard Flag is!" The defenders' attack on the mountain was effective, but undoubtedly, they also exposed the location of the Dragon Guard Flag. The Xu Gang members hadn't recognized the Dragon Guard Flag before, but now, one by one, they noticed the commotion around its location.

"We're done for!" Luo Yin's heart sank. He hadn't expected things to go so wrong. If he had known the Xu Gang members truly didn't recognize the Dragon Guard Flag, it would have been so much better to plant fake flags all over the mountain to confuse them. But now... It was too late! "Protect the Dragon Guard Flag! Anyone who tries to get close will be killed on sight!" Luo Yin roared. With the critical location exposed, there was no doubt that the Xu Gang members would rush towards the Dragon Guard Flag one by one, attempting to claim the first merit.

But something unexpected happened. Just as the original defenders on the mountain changed their formation, consolidating around the flag-pullers to resist the Xu Gang's anticipated fierce attack, the Xu Gang members, as if encountering wolves and tigers, fled in all directions as if afraid to be caught. As they ran, they were still chattering.

"So that's the Dragon Guard Flag? It looks like that? I almost lost my life there. Good thing I didn't wander over to that side. I still want to continue the trial."

"Run quickly... No, you go first, I'll cover the rear. That's the Dragon Guard Flag; the first to get it claims the top merit!"

"Top merit, my ass! You dog, if you're not afraid of death, go yourself!"

"No way! If you don't go to hell, who will?"

These fierce bandits, despite their strong charge, merely charged and dodged, showing no intention of engaging in battle at all. They all bypassed the Dragon Guard Flag and went elsewhere to "admire the scenery."

Luo Yin: ???

He was stunned. What kind of tactic was this? Were these people really not planning to fight, but just coming up the mountain to wander around? The original defenders on the mountain, who had just tightened their formation, were utterly bewildered by the Xu Gang members' bizarre actions. Everyone watched the bandits scattering like headless flies and suddenly realized that from the very beginning of the engagement, the opponents hadn't attacked at all, but had only been defending and dodging.

Someone tried to stop attacking. Sure enough, even when passing by, the Xu Gang bandits didn't attack them. Some even offered a goofy smile and said, "Hello there."

Everyone: ???

So... were they even fighting this battle anymore?

The Xu Gang members had become utterly unhinged under their two consecutive gang leaders. But fortunately, some still remained calm. As they ran, they reminded each other, "Everyone, don't forget the main mission! Leader Mu said we need to cover the entire mountain. That means the area around the Dragon Guard Flag needs to be sprinkled too."

"You're always making things complicated!" someone cursed. But despite the crude language, the underlying principle was sound; no one dared to defy Leader Mu's orders. So, someone made a discreet move, grabbing a handful of soil as they flew past a certain spot, mixing in some wood seeds, and throwing it towards the Dragon Guard Flag.

"Splat!" This handful of mud, by sheer coincidence, splattered right onto a bewildered defender's face. That guy wasn't even attacking anymore; he was almost dropping his guard because the Xu Gang members really didn't seem like they were here to fight. He never expected that in that brief moment of distraction, mud would hit his face... Everyone was taken aback by this wave of "attack."

"Psychological humiliation?" This attack caused no real harm. But while it wasn't very damaging, it was extremely insulting.

"You're asking for death!" The person whose face was splattered instantly shot out, but the Xu Gang member just turned and ran, saying, "Don't target me! Go hit the others; they're all doing it too!"

"Splat!"

"Splat!"

As he spoke, other Xu Gang members followed suit, squatting to grab handfuls of dirt and throwing them with precision, all aiming for faces.

"Damn it!" The defenders of the Dragon Guard Flag couldn't take it anymore. If it were a real fight, they'd at least fight to the death and be done with it. But what was the meaning of throwing mud? This was undoubtedly a direct insult! "Don't run!" "If you've got guts, stay and fight to the death!" "Chase them!" Some truly couldn't stand the humiliation and began to chase the Xu Gang members. But the Xu Gang members refused to engage, still dodging and weaving like mice.

Luo Yin, sharp-eyed, noticed that something was amiss in the battle while also observing a small action the Xu Gang members all made when fleeing. Whenever they flew past a certain spot, small, purplish-black objects would drop from their sleeves. Purplish-black. "Disgusting." It looked like they were dropping mud. If one person dropped mud, it might be excusable, but if everyone did, it seemed extremely abnormal. "Surely these people don't just never bathe..." As soon as his thoughts strayed, Luo Yin immediately corrected himself. He discreetly grabbed a handful of this "black mud." A quick spiritual scan revealed that it contained life force! And it was remarkably abundant!

"What in the world is this?" Luo Yin was bewildered. As a successor of the Tai Xu lineage, his knowledge was vast, so he couldn't fail to recognize that mixed within these handfuls of soil were extremely special spiritual herb seeds, and not of low grade either—they were treasures! But... why? "Throwing spiritual herb seeds? What kind of combat method was this?"

"Holy crap, she's here!" "She's here!" "Run!" "Run like hell, get out of here!"

Before the flag defenders on the mountain could react, the Xu Gang members, after wildly throwing mud like giant babies and rampaging across the entire field, suddenly turned and collectively bolted down the mountain as if they had seen some unspeakable horror.

"Who?" Luo Yin already had a bad feeling. He glanced to the side. He saw a very cute little girl slowly floating up in the air not far away. The girl wore a green dress, her hair in twin pigtails, and her small face bore an innocent smile. When she grinned, her sharp, glistening fangs made her look like a tiny, not-yet-grown vampire.

"It's you..." Luo Yin instantly remembered. This was the young woman, Miss Mu, whom he had met by Young Master Xu's side during the Tianluo Battle in Dongtian Royal City. Wood attribute. Back then, she was still at the Xiantian cultivation level; now, she had become a Grandmaster. But whether she was a Grandmaster or not didn't matter. Luo Yin knew that the most dangerous person in the Xu Gang wasn't this leading attacker, but Young Master Xu. Yet, Young Master Xu hadn't appeared, and as soon as Little Mu Gong showed up, the Xu Gang members fled in panic...

"What does this mean? Has this girl mutated?"

"What do you intend to do?" Luo Yin stepped forward, sternly questioning her. He knew that this Miss Mu had a technique to summon ancient trees and detonate them, but these methods were only effective against a dozen or twenty people. How could she, a mere Grandmaster, possibly contend with hundreds of people on the mountain peak by herself?

Yes. It was "one person"!

The moment Little Mu Gong appeared, the Xu Gang members vanished from the mountain peak in the blink of an eye, as if terrified of being targeted by Death itself. The mountain defenders hadn't yet realized what was happening, because the spiritual herb seeds scattered everywhere were of such high quality, and so full of vitality, clearly valuable treasures. Some were even secretly collecting them. Meanwhile, the flag-pullers were still at it. They couldn't really chase the Xu Gang members down the mountain, fearing it might be a diversion.

But then. That dainty, twin-tailed loli slowly extended her hand, giving no one time to think or understand. She clapped her tiny hands.

"Little flowers, grow!"

As everyone watched, Little Mu Gong seemed to be drained in an instant, her face turning incredibly pale. And then. From all directions on the mountain, "patta, patta" sounds erupted, like stir-frying beans.

"This..." Luo Yin's eyes swept the surroundings, and he realized that at some point, the entire mountain was covered with the spiritual herb seeds he had seen earlier. And now, these seeds, summoned by the wood-attribute spirit refiner, were splitting one by one. Some blossomed, others bore fruit.

And then... nothing.

The bizarre actions of the Xu Gang members ended here. After summoning these spiritual herbs and plants, Little Mu Gong showed no hesitation, turning and running immediately.

"Goodbye! Take care!"

The mountain defenders: ???

"That's it?" "It's over already?" Everyone had expected some earth-shattering anomaly next, perhaps an explosion or something else, but surely something momentous? Instead, the Xu Gang's whole performance was a big fuss over nothing. Other than the pervasive fragrance of spiritual herbs all over the mountain... It ended here, with no follow-up? Not even the long-anticipated explosion, which they didn't want to experience, occurred!

They departed as quietly as they came, a silent farewell. In a flash, the Xu Gang members vanished without a trace. Some even left their shoes behind, too afraid to turn back and pick them up.

"Idiots!" The mountain defenders, utterly bewildered, cursed loudly. Luo Yin's mind was blank. In over twenty years of fighting, this was the first time he had encountered such a bewildering situation. He squatted down, picked a spiritual herb, and gently sniffed it. It smelled wonderful. Truly wonderful. It didn't look like a poisonous spiritual herb at all. On the contrary, it felt just as abundant in vitality as the spiritual herb seeds he had picked up earlier. This stuff had an incredibly surging, abundant life force. If one could consume and refine it, their cultivation would surely increase significantly.

But it was too bizarre. The Xu Gang made such a grand show, just to give everyone on the mountain so many spiritual herbs? So, they were actually good people? As he pondered this, Luo Yin suddenly felt a little nauseous. He thought he must have been disgusted by the Xu Gang's inexplicable actions.

The next second. "Ugh." Luo Yin retched. He was startled, his lips trembling, and he abruptly looked at the others.

"Ugh."

"Ugh, ugh, ugh."

Everyone was retching. Some started actually vomiting, turning pale, their lips turning purple, with a pool of vomit before them.

"Brother Luo, your... your mouth... ugh." Someone pointed at Luo Yin's purplish-black lips, their pupils dilated in shock, before black liquid vomit spewed from their own mouth.

"It really is poison!" How could a spiritual herb with such abundant life force be poisonous?! Luo Yin was stunned.

Then, something even more exaggerated happened.

"Holy crap, what's going on? I'm feeling it... Everyone, move away, move away!" Someone suddenly cried out, clutching their stomach. It would have been better if he hadn't cried out. As he cried out, everyone, still retching, turned to look. It was the two flag-pullers!

As Luo Yin realized something terrible was happening, a horrifying sound emerged.

"No, don't..."

"It can't come out! Absolutely not, no!"

"Pffft, pffft, pffft, pffft, pffft..."