Chapter 322: Pathfinder Monsters (2)

With destroying the barrier set by the Lich Palace disciples as their objective, the Pathfinder Monsters would relentlessly throw themselves against it whenever they had the chance; even if doing so meant them dying in the process. The resulting scene was far too graphic, and when the players within the barrier who had yet to fight saw this, their faces turned a sickly green. Some of them, who had a lower tolerance for these things even began to puke. There were also some players from other sects who were getting restless, and entertaining thoughts of jumping into the fray. After all, these Pathfinder Monsters were points!

When Yu Youchen discovered a player trying to sneak past the side of the barrier to join the players battling outside, she shot out an icicle that landed right in front of the player. She then cycled her qi and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. "No one is to act without thinking! This is a fierce battle! What you need to do now is to conserve your energy; you'll have your chance to shine later!"

When they heard that, the players who'd harboured thoughts of sneaking out immediately reined in their impulsiveness.

Players of all skill levels were engaged in the battle. However, the majority of them had some tricks up their sleeves. Only the terribly weak ones and newbies didn't join the battle and instead watched from the sidelines where their sects were.

After about two hours, almost all of the Pathfinder Monsters had been defeated. When the last Pathfinder Monster was eliminated, all the players that were still alive immediately rushed back into the safety of the barrier.

Shen Jingbin looked at Shen Jingchen. Though he was covered in monster blood that had yet to be removed by the system, he was still in pretty good shape. He'd also noticed her, and he shot her a smug smile before obediently returning to his position in the battle lines.

Shen Jingbin did her best to restrain herself.

Gentle Flower and Pure Crane had returned too. They'd formed a two-person team in the first stage and gone on to mercilessly kill all of the Pathfinder Monsters; completely destroying all of the monsters in their path. In the process, they'd even managed to save many players who were on the verge of death.

Pure Crane looked worriedly at The Winds Of Ximen, Shen Jingbin and Qi Mu. "It'll probably be you guys from the White Cloud Temple, Mara Hall, and Dragonkin Tower for the next stage. Be careful."

The three of them nodded back before Shen Jingbin turned and locked eyes with Quiet And Steadfast, who was maintaining the barrier and just so happened to be looking at her as well.

"Be careful," He mouthed.

Shen Jingbin's gaze turned firm, and she silently mouthed her reply, "I will."

Not even two minutes had passed since the players had returned to the area shielded by the barrier when the skies above the ocean began to roll once again. The howling winds grew in intensity, and waves that were half a man high began forming on the ocean's surface. Even though they were standing at the bottom of the sea, the players could hear the howling winds, the crashing thunder, and lightning that looked like it could tear the heavens asunder.

Then, it suddenly rained. The rain smashed down onto the ocean's surface, working with the crashing waves to create endless ripples. The ocean waters grew turbid, and as it did, it began to contaminate the waters beneath it bit by bit.

The clouds that were dark and looked like they'd drip ink at any moment abruptly released densely packed black shadows that were accompanied by an enormous splash when they hit the ocean's surface. Everyone knew that the second stage had begun – the Guardian Monsters were here.

As expected, Yu Youchen, Distant Tyrant and Song Yuqing issued orders to their disciples a moment later.

"Disciples of the Dragonkin Tower, heed my command! Exit the barrier and drive out this filth!"

"Disciples of the Mara Hall, heed my command! Exit the barrier and exterminate these ugly things!"

"Disciples of the White Cloud Temple, heed my command! Aid our comrades from the Mara Hall and Dragonkin Tower in eliminating these monsters!"

"Yes!" The disciples of the three sects replied in unison. Shen Jingbin and The Winds Of Ximen exchanged a glance with one another before the latter gave Qi Mu another stern reminder. "Make sure you take good care of yourself later on. We only have a single life in this battle, so you have to make it to the last stage."

Qi Mu naturally knew of the heavy responsibility that she bore. She nodded and replied, "I know."

After which, the three of them exited the barrier together.

The disciples of Dragonkin Tower, White Cloud Temple and Mara Hall surrounded the barrier, encircling it in a protective formation. All of them wore stern expressions as they knew they'd be facing a far more treacherous situation than that of the first round.

When Yu Youchen saw the Guardian Monsters closing in on them from above, she shouted, "You only have one hour. Do your best to eliminate as much of the filth from the Shinra Sect as possible during this time!"

After voicing a reply, the Dragonkin disciples tightened their grips around their staffs to mask their fear or excitement.

Song Yuqing's brows furrowed in disapproval. "Though time is of the essence and your mission is important, you must remember that protecting yourself comes before anything else!"

In the past, Distant Tyrant would have shared the same opinion as Yu Youchen. However, this time, he chose to support Song Yuqing. "All the lil' brats from my Mara Hall, listen up! Don't worry about killing off all those dregs from the Shinra Sect; focus on staying alive!"

"What do the two of you know! At a time like this, we should be focusing on killing more enemies! Since both of your sects are so afraid, then you can cower in a corner on your own. The Dragonkin Tower…"

Before Yu Youchen could finish, she was interrupted by the sound of something heavy crashing onto the ground, and everyone instinctively looked over.

This was the first time any of them had laid eyes on the Guardian Monsters of the Shinra Sect. When the players finally got a chance to get a good look at them, many players sucked in a breath of cold air. Yu Youchen's expression darkened, and she swallowed down whatever else she was planning to say.

This was nothing like what we'd expected!

That was the only thought in Shen Jingbin's mind when she laid eyes on the Guardian Monsters.