Mu Fan escaped and looked around. The sturdy youth had the same idea and had also broken free.
The other two, the skinny man and Old Dao, reacted a bit slower. Only after seeing Mu Fan and the sturdy youth escape did they follow. In the end, they also broke free.
The four of them ran without looking back.
The black armored man paused briefly, then slowly turned toward the larger group.
No matter how that group cursed, they had no choice but to face the three black armored men. Whether they survived depended on their own strength.
After running some distance, the four stopped and looked at each other, standing about two to three meters apart.
The sturdy youth suddenly grinned. "We have good chemistry."
Mu Fan smiled.
The skinny man and Old Dao forced out small smiles.
They had really thought they would fight just now.
Now they could only accept this so-called chemistry. Otherwise, they would look foolish.
Seeing no one made a move, the sturdy youth spoke directly.
"With these black armored men on the island, even for us, passing is much harder. Why not team up?"
Mu Fan nodded. "Alone, we are fine. But against several of them, we may not escape unharmed. And once injured, the danger is not just from them."
Old Dao stood straight and spoke calmly.
"These are Strength Slaves of the sect. Failed disciples from past trials. Their Qi is refined into their bodies, giving them endless stamina. Blades and spears are also not very effective."
He did not say it clearly, but his meaning was obvious.
The three looked at the skinny man.
He cupped his hands and smiled. "If we join forces, we will be much safer."
"Good!" The sturdy youth struck his beast bone into the ground. "Let us introduce ourselves. I am Zhou Long."
"Mu Fan."
"Sun Yun."
"Zheng Wei."
The four formed an alliance.
It was not a strong alliance, and trust was non-existent. If someone weakened, the others might just turn on them.
But together, they were enough to deter most people.
They spread out, forming a square as they moved through the forest.
They avoided unnecessary fights. When they saw black armored men in the distance, they changed direction.
Soon, night fell.
The four increased the distance between each other without speaking.
In the dark, reaction speed dropped. Keeping distance gave a sense of safety.
Under Zhou Long's lead, they kept changing direction, avoiding danger while moving toward the center.
——————x——————
Outside the formation, in the air.
The bald man looked at the projections with dissatisfaction.
"Why watch them? These four will pass for sure by tomorrow."
The man with twin spears waved a token. The scene changed rapidly, showing many killings before stopping at one place.
A group of over twenty people faced thirteen strength slaves.
A battle was about to begin.
The bald man laughed loudly. "This is better. Blood everywhere, much more interesting."
The others watched quietly, their eyes showing faint amusement.
…
The night grew deeper.
The four moved slowly under dim starlight.
Mu Fan held a stone in one hand and a shield in the other.
"This starlight seems dim."
Zhou Long, walking ahead, replied, "The formation probably blocks the sky. The elders should be watching us from above."
Mu Fan chuckled. "Then our group might be rated poorly."
Zheng Wei said calmly, "Strong or weak, it does not matter. Extreme Yin Island does not care about such things."
Sun Yun added, "Then Brother Mu should have the highest evaluation."
Zhou Long nodded. "Of course. Killing a strength slave is more impressive than killing ordinary people."
Mu Fan shrugged. "They are strong, but not smart. You could kill one too."
"Want to find one alone?"
He meant to help the others gain merit.
Just as he finished speaking, heavy footsteps approached.
The four stopped.
Soon, two strength slaves appeared.
Zhou Long grumbled, "Brother Mu speaks and they arrive. Who wants the credit? I willing to step aside."
Zheng Wei said, "No need. We go together."
No one objected.
They charged.
Mu Fan did not use the Gold Rock Technique. He held his shield and began holding back, occasionally blocking attacks before retreating to recover.
The other three also held back, slowly wearing the enemies down.
After some time, Mu Fan retreated again. Then he turned his head.
Noise was approaching.
"Someone is coming."
Zhou Long laughed. "Perfect. Let them deal with these two."
Sun Yun and Zheng Wei guided the strength slaves in that direction.
Mu Fan followed.
Soon, they met another group.
The other side had over twenty people and was fighting ten strength slaves while retreating.
The atmosphere turned tense.
"Brothers, help us!" Zhou Long shouted as he led one over.
A young man in white spoke calmly, "Better to stay separate. It is easy to injure each other in a melee."
'None of them are good people,' Mu Fan thought.
Zhou Long ignored him and kept moving forward.
Sun Yun followed.
The young man's expression darkened. He waved his hand, and his group charged.
Both sides rushed forward.
Mu Fan and Zheng Wei stayed slightly behind.
The moment they clashed, attacks came from all directions.
Mu Fan's eyes turned cold.
He blocked with his shield and smashed forward with his stone.
The melee began.
Mu Fan stayed alert, avoiding the strength slaves and focusing on escape.
Watching closely, he gained insight.
At this level, most relied on close combat. Qi flowed around their bodies, like martial artists with added power.
Occasionally, spells appeared, small elemental attacks flying through the chaos.
In such a fight, injuries were unavoidable.
Some were not accidents.
Some were intentional.
The group led by the young man clearly lacked trust. Many used others as shields.
Mu Fan sighed inwardly.
He had learned something.
Suddenly….a strong force came from behind.
Mu Fan instantly used the Gold Rock Technique to strengthen his body and raised his shield.
Someone crashed into it.
He turned and struck with his stone, sending the person flying back.
He looked at Zhou Long.
Zhou Long raised his hand. "Accident… just an accident…"
Mu Fan forced a smile and said nothing.