Volume Two, The Devil’s Game Chapter Forty: Skill Exchange

Time flew by swiftly, and the resurrection countdown of the Guardian soon came to an end.

"Damn it, to catch me off guard like this—this grudge must be avenged! Ah!" With the Guardian's roar, scattered fragments of crystal slowly floated into the air, gradually converging and seamlessly reassembling into a whole as if never shattered.

"Come on, all of you, gather!" The blue crystals trembled in the air, sending out ripples of blue waves.

Before long, groundwater surged forth, converging toward the blue crystals. The flow of water circled around the crystals continuously in midair.

"Not enough, still not enough," the Guardian's voice continued. As his words fell, the blue crystals suddenly erupted with dazzling light.

When the light subsided, the Guardian was once again standing firmly on the ground. All the lush grass and trees around had withered, clearly drained of moisture by the Guardian.

The Guardian glanced around and quickly locked onto a direction. "Found you—there’s no escape!"

"Shen Yixue, how’s Reinforcement Plan A coming along?" Lu Yi asked urgently through his communication device while running.

"Lu Yi, what’s going on? Why are you suddenly rushing to use that plan?" Shen Yixue’s tone was full of surprise.

"This Guardian is quite troublesome. An unexpected situation has already occurred, and there will be more surprises ahead," Lu Yi said solemnly.

"Lu Yi, what exactly are you doing? If it’s not feasible, then forget it. Don’t be reckless; know when to let go," Shen Yixue urged anxiously.

Lu Yi felt moved. "Thank you, Shen Yixue. But once the bow is drawn, there’s no turning back. I’ve already toppled the first domino. If I can’t stop this, everyone is doomed."

After a moment of silence, Shen Yixue clearly sensed the gravity of the situation from Lu Yi’s words. "Be careful."

Lu Yi nodded. "I know. You move the stuff for the other plan first."

No sooner had he ended the call than a furious roar echoed through the air: "Found you!"

Lu Yi looked up to see a streak of blue water slicing through the sky, landing right in front of him. The swirling water soon revealed the form of the Guardian.

"You brat, don’t think you can run just because you got lucky. Take this!" The Guardian suddenly stretched out his right hand and swiftly unleashed an attack.

Lu Yi’s expression changed instantly. He immediately applied a speed talisman and activated his Wind Pendant.

As Lu Yi retreated rapidly, rows of water bullets slammed near him, closing in fast.

Facing backward as he fled, Lu Yi couldn’t move very fast, and his speed slowed further. Just as the water bullets were about to hit him, he gritted his teeth and pulled out a talisman.

With a wave, a shield of energy appeared before him. Several water bullets struck the shield simultaneously, dissipating together.

The ground around Lu Yi was riddled with small craters from the water bullets—this entire scene was created by just one flick of the Guardian’s finger.

"Heilong-chan: This Guardian’s a bit too powerful, isn’t he?"

"Sweetheart Yiyi: Yeah, such a high-attack, wide-range skill is just unfair."

"Yandere Fairy: The streamer’s in danger!"

"Sweetheart Yueyue: How does the streamer fight this? Better just run."

"Feng: No running. Like the streamer said earlier, he’s already at the muzzle of the Guardian’s gun. Escape is impossible now."

"You’re not performing well," the Guardian said with dissatisfaction, flicking his fingers again to launch another water bullet.

When the attack paused, Lu Yi took the chance to turn and shift the battlefield, vaulting nimbly into a nearby house to evade.

"Come on! Use that attack method you had before and face me head-on! Or are you only good at sneaky tricks like ambushes?" The Guardian raised a large water bullet and smashed it into the wall, breaking it.

Frowning, Lu Yi thought, "This Guardian, with long-range attacks and such strong power, is really troublesome."

"Fine, if you won’t fight fairly, I’ll leave you no choice," the Guardian floated up, lifting both hands as streams of water converged between his palms.

Soon, a massive, jet-black water sphere appeared above him. "Ze State: Hundred-Mile Torrent," the Guardian slowly pronounced the name of his move.

Hearing this, Lu Yi’s face changed drastically. "Are you kidding me? Using an ultimate move right from the start?"

Lu Yi truly wanted to stop the Guardian, but he was severely lacking in ranged options. His only usable weapons were six trinity throwing knives—each one precious. Moreover, these knives were not explosive attacks, so whether they could halt the ultimate move was uncertain.

"Stop running—you won’t get away! Turning to fight is your only hope!" The Guardian roared, slamming the massive water sphere down onto the ground.

The sphere struck with a thunderous crash. The surrounding earth cracked instantly, and torrents of water splashed violently in all directions.

Lu Yi felt the ground tremble beneath his feet. In less than a second, two high-speed water streams rushed past him, lifting the earth beneath him like a floating raft.

Despite the tremendous force, the black water sphere had only shrunk slightly.

Suspended in midair, Lu Yi sensed the dire situation and without hesitation leapt forward. Below him, no—it was more accurate to say on the water—waves surged, and the small patch of earth he stood on was just a drifting piece lifted by the currents.

"Still dreaming of escape? You think you can swim through my attack?" The Guardian bellowed, raising his left hand as water solidified into countless long blades and huge hands reaching out toward Lu Yi.

"Sweetheart Yiyi: The streamer’s in danger!"

"I’m Husky: Danger? So what? It’s all water around. Where can he hide? Might as well jump into it, right?"

"A Fish: Yeah, waves crashing over dozens of meters. The streamer’s definitely doomed this time."

Seeing the attack closing in, Lu Yi’s face turned grave as he placed his hand on the trinity throwing knife case. With a glance, he noticed a faint black aura emanating from his body. "Right, I still have that skill."

Lu Yi lowered his stance. "With such strict conditions, this skill must be formidable. Shadow Phantom Assault."

As soon as he spoke, Lu Yi transformed into a shadowy figure and dashed forward. The water blades, giant hands, and waves parted instantly as he sliced through them, and in the blink of an eye, he was beyond the ultimate move’s range.

"Ninety-plus meters—almost at the skill’s maximum range. Lucky," Lu Yi thought, continuing his sprint.

The Guardian, caught off guard by Lu Yi’s move, froze briefly before erupting with rage. "You look down on me? Fine! I want to see how much skill you really have—I want to know if I can hurt you or not!"