The war drums thundered across Twilight Fortress like roaring beasts.
Lu Feng swung his arm fiercely, bellowing, "Brothers, fall back!"
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A piercing whistle shattered the forest’s silence, reverberating until ears rang. The crude whistle, scavenged from the Lord’s Realm, proved unexpectedly vital in this desperate hour.
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"Shadowcat, scout ahead! Tark, guard our rear—don’t let them flank us!" Lu Feng barked orders mid-sprint.
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The Blood Fiend Sect’s disciples clung to their heels like sharks scenting blood.
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Aelia followed closely, her staff glowing with faint moonlight that cast a protective aura over the group. "Lu Feng, their numbers are overwhelming. This isn’t sustainable."
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"I know! Damn it, they’re like rabid dogs!" Lu Feng spat, eyes darting across the jagged terrain—a maze of twisted boulders offering meager cover.
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"Raphael! How’s the barrier?!"
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"Almost done, sir! Ten minutes—just ten more!" Raphael’s voice crackled through the comms, strained and dripping with sweat.
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*Ten minutes? We don’t have ten minutes.* Lu Feng gritted his teeth. "Tark! Buy us five! Hold the line!" He unsheathed his steel sword, its edge glinting coldly.
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"On it, Boss!" Tark roared, hefting his warhammer like a charging tank.
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"Ares, with me!" Lu Feng hissed, ducking behind a boulder. His lips curled into a feral grin. "Blood Fiend trash! Been waiting for this!"
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*Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!*
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Crossbow bolts sliced through the air. Ares darted through the shadows like a phantom, each arrow finding its mark.
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"Argh!" Blood Fiend disciples collapsed, screams echoing.
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"Not bad." Lu Feng smirked. Most disciples were only at the second level of the Beast Control Art—manageable, for now.
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"Arrogant fool! Today, you die!" A raspy voice cut through the chaos as a crimson-robed elder emerged, reeking of rot.
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*A Blood Fiend elder.* Lu Feng’s eyes narrowed.
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"Surrender now, and I’ll grant you a quick death," the elder sneered.
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"Quick death? Save it for yourself!" Lu Feng spat, sword aimed at the elder’s throat.
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"Fool!" The elder’s hands flickered, summoning a blood-red wave that reeked of decay.
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"Shadowcat, purify this filth!" Lu Feng commanded. The cat’s silver gaze erupted, scattering the miasma.
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"Pathetic tricks!" The elder swiped his bloodied horsetail whisk, unleashing crimson claws that shredded the air.
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Lu Feng ducked, countering with a blade thrust. *Clang!* The whisk deflected his strike.
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"You’ve skill, boy—but not enough!" The elder laughed, a surge of energy blasting Lu Feng backward.
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"Lu Feng!" Aelia shouted, her staff blazing as a crescent moon blade shot forth.
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The elder batted it aside. "Weak!"
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"Careful, Aelia!" Lu Feng warned.
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Ares materialized behind the elder, dagger aimed at his spine—only to be swatted away like a fly.
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*Thud!* Ares crashed to the ground, blood spilling from his lips.
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"ARES!" Lu Feng’s rage spiked. "Raphael, status?!"
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"Almost—!"
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"Damn it!" Lu Feng inhaled sharply, channeling spiritual energy into his blade. "Beast Control Art—First Layer: Spirit Infusion!"
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The sword blazed with runes. "Blood Fiend scum! Today ends here!"
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The elder sneered, summoning a net of bloody claws. "Die struggling!"
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"BREAK!" Lu Feng’s sword clashed with the claws in a blinding explosion. His organs screamed, but he pushed forward.
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"Second Layer: Beast Merge!"
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Shadowcat dissolved into silver light, merging with Lu Feng. His speed tripled.
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"What?!" The elder paled.
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"Die!" Lu Feng’s blade pierced toward his throat. The elder dodged, but the sword gashed his arm.
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"Old fool! This is your end!" Lu Feng pressed the assault, strikes relentless.
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Ares suddenly lunged, locking the elder in a grapple. "NOW, LU FENG!"
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"ARES!" Lu Feng poured every ounce of energy into his sword. "Third Layer: Unity of Man and Steel!"
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He became light—a single lethal thrust.
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*Thunk!*
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The blade pierced the elder’s throat. Blood gushed as the corpse slumped.
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Lu Feng collapsed, heaving.
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"We… won!" Tark roared.
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"Lu Feng!" Aelia rushed to his side.
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"Alive… barely," he croaked.
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"Barrier’s… up," Raphael panted.
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Lu Feng nodded weakly.
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Ares coughed blood. "Sir… their base… in the Cursed Valley… protected by… an ancient barrier… unbreakable…"
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Lu Feng’s eyes snapped open. "Cursed Valley? Barrier?"
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"To destroy them… you must… break it…" Ares fell unconscious.
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Lu Feng’s mind raced. *The Sect’s lair in such a place?*
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"Simulator, activate!" he mentally commanded.
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**[Deduce method to breach the Blood Fiend barrier.]**
**[Cost: 100 Spirit Points.]**
**[Simulating…]**
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Agony lanced his skull as knowledge flooded in.
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"Found it!" Lu Feng gasped. "But the cost…"
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Over the following days, the group trained relentlessly. Tark honed close combat, Aelia purified moonlight, Raphael mapped the valley, and Ares recovered.
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As preparations finalized, a voice boomed in Lu Feng’s mind: *"Boy… turn back from the Cursed Valley…"*
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He ignored it.
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At dusk, they advanced. The valley loomed ahead—a nest of shadows.
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Ares froze. "Sir… something’s—"
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