Soon, the yellow team's two disciples approached the box. Just as they were about to open it, the box
suddenly opened, and the item in it disappeared in an instant. It happened so fast that it caught the two
masters completely off-guard, so much so that they didn't even see the other side's appearance. They
were left at a loss and empty-handed.
The other three disciples of the yellow team were also outraged when they saw that someone had
stolen the task item right from under their noses. They frantically looked around but didn't even see a
shadow.
While this was happening, Rocky had already gotten back to his team with the item he had grabbed in
tow.
But his happiness was short-lived because he found that while he was gone, his team had fallen to a
disadvantage. Although Carla was powerful, Drake, the yellow team's leader, was also quite
formidable, and before long, she had lost control of their team.
Rocky knew that if the battle went on like that, the red team wouldn't be able to hold out for much
longer. The yellow team would soon overrun them. Therefore, he instantly moved to Carla's side with
his eyes narrowed sternly.
"Tell everyone to retreat to the west right now!"
he urgently told her.
"But if we retreat, we will lose the third item to the yellow team!"
Carla replied, frowning uncertainly.
"Don't worry. I already got it!"
he insisted pressingly, showing her the third item in his care.
"What?! When did you—"
Carla looked at him with her eyes widened in shock. She was completely absorbed in the battle, so she
didn't notice what Rocky had done. Hell, she didn't even notice when he returned!
"Here," Rocky commanded and shoved the item in her direction.
"Take it and retreat! I'll deal with the rest of these guys. I'll heed them off to buy some time."
"Can you do that?" Carla glanced at Rocky, hesitation written all over his face.
"I can't, but the Purple-flaming Phoenix can..." answered Rocky with a reassuring smile.
"Oh, I almost forgot you had that demonic spiritual beast. Be careful!" Due to the high tension on the
battlefield, the Purple-flaming Phoenix had completely slipped from her mind. She then turned to her
men and ordered, "Red team, eyes and ears on me! Basil has already got the item for us, so we don't
have to keep on fighting anymore. Everybody, retreat immediately!"
A triumphant cheer resounded as soon as the rest of the red team heard Carla's announcement. They
promptly retreated as they fought back, hastily retreating west under Carla's lead.
"Leader, didn't we send someone there too? How did the red team get ahead of us?" Of course, the
yellow team overhead the cheering and became confused because as far as they knew, their team had
also sent representatives to get the item.
"How do I know? Stop them!" Drake shouted at once as his face contorted in anger.
However, just as the yellow team was about to catch up, they saw Rocky open his Magic Spiritual
Space. The Purple-flaming Phoenix spread its wings and flew off, and its intense demonic spiritual aura
instantly stunned the whole place.
"What the hell is that?! Is that a demonic spiritual beast? No way!"
"Why does he have a demonic spiritual beast?"
"Wait a minute. Isn't that the beast from the Phantom Valley last time? Was he the one who managed
to tame it?"
For a moment, the yellow team stopped in their tracks, holding their breath in fear. The aura of the
demonic spiritual beast was too strong, so they could do nothing but stand still, and did not dare to go
any further.
"Enough of this! There are other items up for grabs, so why are you so fixated with us? Is there a need
for you to be so aggressive?" Rocky looked at Drake and asked.
"Boy, this is not over. Let's go!" Overwhelmed by the Purple-flaming Phoenix, Drake and his men had to
give up. It didn't even matter if Rocky had truly tamed it or not. They were afraid that the phoenix could
go berserk any moment, and they would have no way of stopping it. If that happened, they would suffer
a bigger loss, so in the end, they had no choice but to give up this time. Soon, they turned away in
dejection.
After the yellow team had left, Rocky proceeded to the west and joined up with the red team.
"Well done, Basil!" Seeing that Rocky had come back safe and sound, Carla couldn't stop the smile of
relief and happiness that showed on her face.
The other members watched with wide eyes, thumping their chests and stomping their feet in awe and
envy.
"The next steps are going to be difficult. The remaining two items must be grabbed from advanced
spiritual beasts, so there would undoubtedly be a chaotic battle!" Carla reminded them seriously.
"Actually, we don't have to grab the remaining two items," Rocky interrupted suddenly.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Carla immediately turned to Rocky, looking perplexed.
"Let's think of other, better plans. Why don't we wait for the other teams to go first? After all, it isn't a
good idea to covet gains ahead without being aware of the danger behind you," Rocky cryptically
answered.
"You mean we can grab from the other teams after they got it?" Carla asked.
"Not really. We can grab it when no one can grab it," Rocky explained with a confident smile.
"I don't understand..." Carla's eyebrows scrunched in confusion as she tried to pick up what Rocky was
putting down.
"Let me give you a clue then. What do you think will happen if two spiritual beasts gather together?"
Rocky asked.
"You mean you want to lure two spiritual beasts guarding the two items into meeting each other?"
Finally, she seemed to get a clue, but the uncertainty hadn't left her mind. She felt like Rocky's idea
was too reckless.
"Exactly." Rocky nodded.
"Even if that could work, how are you going to lure two high-level spiritual beasts together? That
sounds impossible," disagreed Carla hesitantly.
"Perhaps, others would find it impossible, but not for me," Rocky contradicted her confidently.
"Well, if you really think you can do it, then I won't stop you," Carla replied. This time, she didn't
hesitate anymore because she knew that it was thanks to Rocky that she could lead their team. She
also wouldn't have gotten the important item before the yellow team if Rocky didn't help her.
"Why do you trust me so much?" Rocky asked with a teasing smile.
"Because I know you will do it anyway, even if I do try to stop you!" Carla retorted readily. It seemed
that she had gotten to know him better.
"Ha-ha! Who says women are all breasts without brains?" Rocky glanced at her slender but well-
proportioned figure, a smirk playing on his lips.
"You—!" Carla glared at him and turned around in a hurry.
"Ha-ha, okay, okay. I'll go now." In the next moment, Rocky laughed and disappeared from where he
was standing.
"Although this guy is incredibly annoying, he is quite reliable at critical moments. It seems that it is up to
him whether or not we can enter the second round," Carla muttered quietly to herself.
On the other hand, Rocky didn't rush to the mission site. Instead, he ran all the way through the dense
forest, observing the area as he went. Once he had passed through the forest and entered an area full
of jagged rocks, he found the blue team along the way.
He sneaked into the team without anyone noticing.
"Beauty!" Rocky called out, suddenly appearing beside Eunice like a phantom in the night.
"What are you doing here?" asked Eunice. She looked at him in surprise and looked around as if she
was looking for his team.
"I came to see you!"
"Well, come on! How is your team progressing? Our team has collected three items already, but our
leader said that we need to get one more to put pressure on our opponents," Eunice revealed without
hesitation.
"What a cruel man! For now, we only have two items," Rocky complained.
"It seems that your chances to win are slim," said Eunice with a smirk, adding insult to injuries.
"That's actually the reason I'm here. I'm going to steal one from your team," Rocky told her
straightforwardly.
"Huh, go ahead then, if you dare. Remember that our team leader is Moore!" Eunice knew that Rocky
didn't have the guts to do that.
"I'm not afraid of Moore!" Rocky stubbornly disagreed.
"Whatever. Stop bragging! What do you want from me?"
"I need you to do me a favor," Rocky started earnestly.
"What kind of a favor? Just spit it out already. You'd better not want me to steal for you!" Eunice
grumbled.
"How can I let you do my dirty work? I just want you to open this bottle when you arrive at the task site."
After saying this, Rocky took out a small bottle of the magical saliva.
"What's in the bottle?" Eunice asked curiously and somewhat suspiciously.
"Don't worry. It's a good thing!" Rocky answered mysteriously.
"Tell me!" Eunice urged him insistently.
"This bottle contains a kind of spiritual liquid that can attract spiritual beasts." He finally gave in and
answered honestly.
"Really? Is there even such a thing?" Eunice looked at the bottle with surprise. She had never heard of
such a thing in the Ethereal Region before.
"You don't have to be so surprised. This world is full of wonders!"
"And then? What will happen after?" Eunice asked again, pressing him for answers to sate her
curiosity.
"Sorry, but all that happens after that would be my business alone," Rocky answered promptly.
"Is that all? Can't you tell me more?" Eunice insisted with a small frown.
"No! I'm afraid that you'll spoil my plan because you're too stupid," Rocky retorted sarcastically, making
Eunice angry on purpose.
"You need a spanking, don't you?" Eunice instantly bit his bait, as she grew angry from embarrassment
and finally stopped asking him unnecessary questions.
"Once you have finished this task, you can do whatever you like. I'll leave it to you." Now that they
reached an understanding, Rocky handed the bottle to her without hesitation.
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