Chapter 255 - 81: Mountain Splitting Tiger

Words : 2235 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

Chapter 255: Chapter 81: Mountain Splitting TigerAt this moment, without the suppression of the mountain bandits’ archers on the village wall, the close-combat team finally stormed into the entrance of the village. Hidden Dragon led the charge, arranging eighteen cavalry in a line inside the wall. "Maintain formation, advance slowly, don’t scatter!" he shouted loudly. Meanwhile, the remote weapon group began to climb the ladders onto the village wall and started providing firepower from above. Xiao Jie looked towards the inside of the village. The size of this village was not large, much smaller than Ginkgo Village. Standing on the village wall, one could see everything at a glance. At this moment, the close-combat team had already started attacking inside the village. With the wave of mountain bandits at the village entrance defeated, the bandits fled toward the village in twos and threes, lacking any semblance of organization. However, as they ventured deeper, the formation of the close-combat team began to disarray. Although everyone had agreed before the battle started to follow the commands, players, as a species, never behaved predictably—disorganization was normal, and acting independently was commonplace, especially when they saw benefits. At this very moment, many members of the outer circle had this problem. Many players began moving in groups of three or five, either straying from the main group to gang up on isolated bandits to snatch loot, or simply darting into nearby buildings, hoping to find some valuables. In this game, one often could find spoils inside boxes and cabinets in residential buildings; sometimes, one might even stumble upon special treasures worth as much as monsters. Xiao Jie initially found quite a few good items in the Tian family mansion. Among the players, there were even specialized door-kicking teams, tasked with scavenging through abandoned residences in the wilderness, and they too could come upon valuables if lucky. Clearly, faced with an entire village of unclaimed buildings, many were tempted. Xiao Jie performed a somersault and landed by the gate, asking Hidden Dragon beside him, "Brother Hidden Dragon, the close-combat team is in disarray. Aren’t you going to manage them? It could get dangerous if this continues." Not just the close-combat team, some from the remote weapon group and support group had also started contemplating joining in for a share. Only the cavalry, however, still maintained a strict formation. Hidden Dragon, poised with his spear on his horse, responded indifferently, "I’ve already ordered them to maintain formation. There’s nothing I can do if they don’t listen. Nice words can’t convince the damned ghosts." Although Hidden Dragon said this, his tone held no anger, appearing as if he had anticipated such a scenario. Xiao Jie understood immediately. This village raid was not just a coordination exercise but also a kind of hidden test. Joining the Dragon Soaring Knights seemed to have no barriers; anyone could sign up. But at the end of the day, every organization surely had its expectations of its members. If a player’s skills were strong, a bit of recklessness could be acceptable. Or if your skills were lacking, but you were obedient and followed commands, that could be acceptable too. The fear was those whose abilities were lacking yet disobeyed and acted independently; such people were not uncommon in real life. And to weed these people out in the game, the best method was to wait for them to show their true colors. Now that so many had broken formation, some would inevitably face danger. If they truly lacked skills and did not follow orders, then if they died, they died. At least for the guild, losing such a person was not at all a bad thing. It could also serve as a warning to others—look, this is what happens if you don’t follow orders. Xiao Jie said nothing more and just waited to watch the unfolding drama. "Not good, there’s a BOSS!" "War Ghost has fallen, War Ghost has fallen!" "Run!" A few people were seen frantically escaping from the largest mansion in the village, shouting as they ran. Xiao Jie opened the team interface and glanced at it, and indeed, the name "Unyielding Battle Ghost" had dimmed. There are really such idiots? Even he managed to play himself to death... Logically speaking, with so many people moving together and so many experts present, being just a little careful, there should be no dangers. But encountering someone who ’leads with their face,’ indeed, good words could not persuade the doomed ghost. "Who dares to provoke Mountain Splitting Tiger?" A loud roar was heard, and a fierce and brawny giant man burst out of the mansion, his face covered in a big beard, wearing Iron Mountain Pattern Armor and a Bull Horn Wolf Tooth Helmet. He was holding a Tiger Head Big Saber in one hand and an iron shield in the other, and charged out roaring. This was the typical hot-headed type of Boss. ’Mountain Splitting Tiger’ Li Qing (Black Wind Mountain leader) Level 19 Boss, Life Value 1400. When the Boss appeared, players who were originally advancing in formation abruptly stopped, looking towards Salted Fish. But Salted Fish decisively stopped, "Melee group, retreat!" Those around were stunned, you’re at least a level 31 big shot, aren’t you going to show off at this moment? Who knew Salted Fish had no desire to show off, "What are you dazing for, retreat quickly." He said, taking the lead to run back. The tactics had been arranged beforehand, if they encountered a Boss, they must lead it to the ranged group. Despite Salted Fish’s high level, he didn’t hesitate to carry out the tactical arrangement. Seeing him, the players in the melee group no longer hesitated and retreated backwards. In contrast, the mountain bandits who had been suppressed shouted and cheered upon seeing their leader appear. They quickly regrouped, still numbering about twenty or thirty. In the blink of an eye, Salted Fish led everyone back to below the village wall. "Boss, the Boss is here, how do we fight it?" Seeing Salted Fish leading people back, Hidden Dragon Do Not Use breathed a sigh of relief, glad that this guy didn’t mess up. He didn’t want to suffer too many casualties. "Tighten the formation, reorganize the formation, melee group spread out aside the gates on alert, ranged group get ready!" By this time, the ranged group had already fully set up their positions, one row on the wall, another row below it, crossbows ready, and awaiting orders. At that moment, the Boss led the mountain bandits charging over. Little White Dragon gave the command, "Fire arrows!" Immediately arrows rained down chaotically. Although Li Qing looked like a reckless man, his movements were quite exceptional. He raised his large shield in front of him, instantly absorbing most of the arrows, with only a few striking his legs, inflicting a few tens of points worth of damage. However, the mountain bandits behind him were not so fortunate and were shot down within moments. Just as Li Qing was about to reach the ranged group, wielding his big saber. "I’ll draw the Boss’s attention, melee group attack the rear small monsters!" Hidden Dragon Do Not Use suddenly accelerated, utilizing the speed of his horse, and thrust vigorously with his spear. Clang! Li Qing easily blocked the strike with his shield, then counterattacked with a slash aimed at the horse’s legs. Hidden Dragon pulled on the reins, and the warhorse suddenly leapt into the air! It vaulted over Li Qing’s head and landed fiercely with a powerful kick of its hind hooves. Bang! It kicked Li Qing hard to the ground. Without the protection of his shield, the players of the long-range group seized the opportunity to unleash a barrage of arrows, and the melee group, not to be outdone, also switched to remote weapons, shooting regardless of whether they could hit the target. Arrows fell like rain, and in an instant, Li Qing was struck by dozens of arrows, his body becoming much like that of a porcupine. This guy truly deserved to be a boss—his Blood Volume was substantial, and his defensive power was high enough that all those arrows only deducted a quarter of his Blood Volume. Xiao Jie saw his chance. One Cut, Two Pieces—Sky Splitting Flash! Combat Skills—Meteor Chasing the Moon! The latter was a secret technique released by Little White Dragon. Just as Li Qing rose to his feet, he was struck squarely by the sword energy, followed by an arrow piercing his chest. -56! -63! The two heavy blows made him let out a furious roar. Combat Skills—Fierce Charge! Shield raised and saber in hand, he charged furiously towards Xiao Jie. But Xiao Jie was not at all nervous. Phantom Traceless! He easily dodged this fierce attack and counterattacked from behind Li Qing with a move, One Cut, Two Pieces. Another hit of over sixty damage, just as he was about to deal a few more blows, Li Qing suddenly let out a fierce roar. Combat Skills—Tiger Roar in the Forest! Roaar! This move turned out to be a sonic attack, covering a wide area, leaving no room to dodge. Xiao Jie then saw a vortex-like symbol abruptly appear over his head, stunning him. Li Qing turned around, swinging his sword. Xiao Jie thought to himself that it wasn’t good, his speed reduced by 50% due to the dizziness; he definitely couldn’t dodge in time. And Phantom Tracless was still cooling down—might as well use the Big Move. Secret Technique—Illusion Shattering Bubble Shadow! System prompt: Your Inner Strength is insufficient. Crap! Xiao Jie gasped in shock. The next second—Clang! Li Qing’s big saber was deflected by a spear, it was Hidden Dragon turning his horse around and charging back, just in time to resolve Xiao Jie’s crisis. "Don’t engage him head-on, just contain him, and let the long-range group deal with him!" Hidden Dragon shouted as he dashed past Li Qing to his back. Xiao Jie quickly performed a Hawk Roll to increase the distance, watching as Li Qing, under heavy fire from arrows, turned towards the other side, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief. A moment of embarrassment washed over him; although the chop just now wouldn’t have done much damage—merely a hundred or eighty at most—he realized that he hadn’t calculated his Inner Power Value correctly this time. Admittedly, he was indeed a bit overconfident. Ever since mastering the Illusion Destruction Divine Sword and acquiring the ability to blink, he had felt almost invincible against any boss, which was certainly the wrong mindset in this deadly game. With even a boss posing a significant threat, he needed to treat each one with the utmost seriousness. Fortunately, this time he had his teammates around. If he were alone next time, wouldn’t that spell danger? Xiao Jie quickly adjusted his mindset and refrained from further close combat, merely using his sword energy to harass from the sidelines. But Li Qing had learned his lesson too. Instead of charging recklessly, he raised his shield and sword, adopting a defensive posture. For the moment, even the long-range group couldn’t take him down. "Boss, aren’t you going to fight?" asked a member of the melee group who couldn’t help but inquire of Salted Fish. "Why would I join in? The guild master hasn’t issued any commands yet," Salted Fish responded indifferently, casually throwing a flying knife. Dongfang Sheng, who was beside him shooting arrows with a crossbow, thought to himself that this guy really was a ’Salted Fish’. He figured it out: this guy must be so frustrated with his account that he has chosen to just lie down and take it. Still a Swordman at level 31, it made him wonder just how bad the other two professions were. Was he himself tempted to join in? Dongfang Sheng felt a stirring inside him. Reclaiming the village could earn a massive amount of reputation, but how much one could get depended on one’s performance. The biggest awards were for chopping generals and capturing flags. Killing the boss or chopping down the mountain bandits’ big flag in the village could increase one’s reputation significantly. Capturing the flag was out of reach for him; such benefits were reserved for the higher-ups. But if he could participate in killing the boss and get an assist, or with some luck, snatch the kill... With that thought, he swiftly switched to a melee weapon—Ghost General Iron Spear. "Don’t be rash; it’s a Boss!" a buddy nearby urgently reminded him. "Hmph, a Boss? I’ve fought Boss-level bosses before; what’s there to fear from a mere bandit leader—Feng, I’m coming to help you!" he declared, wielding his iron spear and charging forward. But Dongfang Sheng was not foolish. Combat Skills—Ba Wang’s Pole Slap! He launched his Throwing Skill, aiming not at the boss but at a severely wounded mountain bandit. After stabbing him properly and spinning it around, he violently slammed it towards Li Qing. As Xiao Jie and Hidden Dragon continuously harassed and attacked Li Qing, a mountain bandit suddenly flying towards him caused him to stagger. Great opportunity! Combat Skills—Thrust! Riding Spear Charge! A spear and a sword, piercing the boss simultaneously, with the charge from the warhorse knocking the boss into the air. The long-range group took the opportunity to launch another volley of arrows, finally slaying the boss.

Chapter 255 - 81: Mountain Splitting Tiger

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