Chapter 326: Meeting Lonely Moon Once Again (2)

Shen Jingbin had long since suspected that Nine Ballads was a part of the Shinra Sect. However, she didn't have any evidence to back it up; it was just a gut feeling. But, looking at it now, it seemed as if Crying Fish and Neverending Journey had joined the Shinra Sect as well. Otherwise, based on their personalities, there was no way they'd let go of such a great opportunity to show off.

Qi Mu shared the same sentiment as Shen Jingbin and abruptly turned to face her. They met each other's gaze for several seconds and understood what the other was thinking. On the other hand, The Winds Of Ximen had been lost from the moment they saw Lonely Moon. His mood soured when he saw that the two of them were casting 'flirtatious' glances at one another.

"Hey, I say, why are the two of you helplessly staring at one another? And is this the time to be reminiscing about the past? There are only six minutes left!"

The Winds Of Ximen's comment snapped everyone back to reality.

"I'm not cut out to be a leader, and neither do I have the guts to lead my guild, so I only brought along a few bros that usually play with me. If you guys don't mind, can we tag along with you? An event like this is a rare occurrence, and none of us wants to meet an early demise," Lonely Moon said.

Shen Jingbin didn't hate Lonely Moon, and they needed more people right now, so she nodded her head in agreement.

When Shen Jingchen, who was recovering his energy within the barrier looked up, he saw his sister rushing about outside the barrier with a large group of players from Life At First Sight in tow.

"What the f*ck, what the f*ck?! What's that girl doing?! Why is there a bunch of players from Life At First Sight following her? Don't tell me that she wants to lead them towards the pinnacle of life?!"

National Treasures heard his outburst and looked in Shen Jingbin's direction as well. She was stunned into silence when she got a good look at what was going on. "Nutty's a god; she's able to win over the hearts of rival guilds with just the snap of her fingers. Her personality and charm are on another level."

Lingering White Clouds clearly had a different opinion. Her slender brows knitted together into a frown when she glanced out of the barrier.

"Something doesn't look quite right."

"Mm? What's wrong, Lingering? What'd you see?" National Treasures asked.

"Take a closer look at the people who are still outside, and then take a look at the people who are inside. There aren't many elite players from Life At First Sight and Sovereign's Descent around. Crying Fish, Nine Ballads, and Neverending Journey are missing as well."

National Treasures wasn't fazed by what she'd said. "They must have either been too busy to log on, or they've already died. It's also quite possible that they didn't participate in this event at all."

Lingering White Clouds' comments helped Shen Jingchen come to a realisation. His expression turned solemn. "No, none of the three scenarios you suggested took place."

Due to their long-standing rivalry with Life At First Sight, they knew exactly who the elite members of Life At First Sight were. A quick glance revealed that not a single one of them was present. Although it hadn't been long since Sovereign's Descent and Jade Sea Pavilion had become enemies, due to Sovereign's Descent's prominence, the players from Jade Sea Pavilion roughly knew who Sovereign's Descent's elite members were. Right now, most of them weren't present either.

"Don't you know how these two guilds go about doing things? Forgetting about everyone else, do you really think Neverending Journey would let go of such a fantastic opportunity to show off? If something wasn't preventing him coming, I reckon that even if he were to die in the process, he'd still claw his way over here. And, them dying and being sent back at such an early stage would be even more impossible. Although the players from both guilds are pretty trashy, they aren't so bad that they'd be beaten by mobs like these. Thus, some exceptional circumstances must have prevented them from coming."

National Treasures thought about it carefully and felt that what Shen Jingchen had said made sense. "Then, what's their reason for not coming?" Shen Jingchen's expression darkened. "I'm afraid things would probably become a little more interesting if I said it out loud…"

Moments later, a system notification rang out in everyone's ears.

"The second stage of the final battle between good and evil is over. The third stage has now officially begun. The Shinra Sect's disciples will reach the battlefield in approximately one minute. You have this one minute to rest and prepare yourselves. Note: The Guardian Monsters will continue their attacks during this time. Players are advised to exercise discretion."

The players who were outside the barrier stopped fighting when they heard the chime of the system notification. When that happened, a good number of survivors were immediately cut down by the mobs.

After the system notification sounded, the Sect Leaders began taking appropriate action.

Distant Tyrant took the broadsword that he held in his hands and smashed it into the ground. He then took a deep breath and bellowed, "All disciples are to return immediately! Disciples of the Lich Palace are to remain where they are and rest for one minute!"

He then shot a mischievous smile at Zhang Wudi and said, "Old man Zhang, it hasn't been easy for this bunch of young fellows to survive up to now; at least let them rest for a while. Why don't you help them to sustain the barrier during this time?"

Zhang Wudi was so furious that his moustache was practically curled up in anger. But, he accepted Distant Tyrant's request all the same.

He pulled out a tiny black furnace from his sleeve and tossed it upwards. The little furnace floated in the air, and a few seconds later, it emitted a dazzling beam of light, enveloping the barrier that was previously formed by the Lich Palace disciples.

"You've got a quarter of an hour. Hurry up!" Zhang Wudi said grumpily.

"You got it!" Distant Tyrant said with a wide smile on his face. "You brats, use this opportunity to rest up!"

The players outside the barrier broke off from the mobs they were fighting against and hastened back to the safety of the barrier. Having lost their targets, the Guardian Monsters shifted their attention to Zhang Wudi's newly erected barrier. But, try as they might, the barrier remained unaffected.