"Were you able to trace the whereabouts of the other Godly Geniuses' guard teams?" Vivian asked.
"Not yet."
"It seems that someone is, indeed, plotting against us," Vivian declared with confidence. "Judging from
the strength displayed by the Primitive Fief, I believe we won't be able to break in—even if we charged
with full force."
"There's no need for that. I've figured out a way to break in on my own. The problem is that I can't bring
Valeria with me," Rocky explained. The Earth-diving Skill enabled him to travel through various types of
terrains without any hassle. Its only downside was that others couldn't tag along.
"Do you mean I'm dragging you down?" Valeria shot him a hostile glare upon hearing his words.
"That's not what I meant," Rocky shot her a wry grin back.
"It seems we'll need to figure out a way to get Valeria inside. But considering her injury, we can't force
our way through yet," Vivian pointed out carefully.
"Perhaps we just have to distract the Primitive Fief so that they won't notice her when she enters,"
Rocky remarked. It seemed he had already come up with a plan.
"How can we do that?" Vivian and the rest looked to Rocky immediately.
"The Primitive Fief set up an enchanted barrier around the Nether Dragon King's lair. If we want to
attract their attention, we can try breaking through it," Rocky explained as he shared his plan.
"It appears the enchanted barrier has been set up by a Spiritual Emperor at the premium stage. Even if
you possessed the same strength, it will be quite challenging to break through it quickly," the Spiritual
Emperor who was sent to collect information earlier pointed out.
"That won't be a problem if I summon the Potent Force Rune that Leader Gilbert gave me," Rocky
assured the Spiritual Emperor.
"That rune was bestowed to you only for emergencies inside the Nether Dragon King's lair. Using it to
break through the enchanted barrier will be a total waste!" Vivian knew how powerful and precious the
Potent Force Rune was, which was why she was against his plan.
"I assure you, it won't be a waste. Our top priority is to ensure that Valeria can enter the Nether Dragon
King's lair safely," Rocky reminded her as he locked eyes with Valeria.
At that moment, Valeria's expression morphed into something difficult to read. She was aware of how
precious the rune was and Rocky's insistence on using it to help her touched her dearly. After all, she
humiliated him in public several times before, and yet he didn't seem to mind lending her a hand. His
act of kindness both humbled and shamed her.
"Well, it's clear you've made up your mind. Let's do it!" Vivian knew Rocky's decision was final so she
didn't bother trying to persuade him further. Still, she added, "We can't possibly break through the
barrier when they're on their guard. We'll need to catch them off it."
"That's easy. You'll lead that one hundred guards to attack them with mysterious military arrays. That
will definitely get their attention. You only need to distract them for a little while. That will be more than
enough time for me," Rocky said.
"But I know nothing about military arrays!" Vivian proclaimed helplessly.
"Well, you'll have no problem learning it quickly since you're so smart. I'll teach you a set of military
arrays later," Rocky replied flatly.
"Alright." Vivian was greatly interested in learning more about Rocky's mysterious military arrays after
she witnessed him use them in battle. Now that he was willing to teach her, she swiftly agreed with no
hesitation.
"So what am I supposed to do?" Valeria asked.
"You just need to follow me. I'll be in charge of your disguise. I'll be disguising a female subordinate as
you tomorrow as well."
Rocky's words made Valeria feel like she was nothing more than a burden on their shoulders. She was,
after all, a Godly Genius, but she could barely do anything at the moment due to her injury.
"Godly Genius Valeria, your mission is to enter the Nether Dragon King's lair and subdue the beast.
We'll take care of the rest," Vivian added once she noticed the look of dejection on Valeria's face.
"Yes, I know. But I want to help out and do my part!" the latter insisted.
"Since you're so keen to help, you can summon your wooden giant tomorrow. That should be enough
to make a lot of trouble for our enemies," Rocky suggested after thinking for a while.
"Alright, I see." Valeria felt slightly better with this slight change to the plan.
"Now let's go to rest and get ready!" Vivian ordered with a loud clap of her hands.
Just as the Ghost Fief's and the Flower Fief's joint guard team were making their preparations to enter
the Nether Dragon King's lair, the Purgatory Fief's guard team—which had been secretly clearing the
route for them—approached the lair's entrance as well. The location was hidden relatively well which
made it difficult to detect.
"Sir, the Ghost Fief's guard team has arrived," one of the subordinates reported.
"Well, everything is turning out just as I expected. Next, they'll try to break through the enchanted
barrier surrounding the Nether Dragon King's lair. A fierce battle will be inevitable!" Quentin predicted.
"Should we continue helping them in secret?"
"There's no rush. I suspect breaking through the barrier quickly will be difficult for them. Let's wait and
see," Quentin replied with a wave of his hand. He then asked, "The Elite Fief's guard team is about to
arrive, correct?"
"Yes, they're almost here."
"Send a message to Drew and ask him if he would like to enter the lair with me. It would be better if we
could unite powers with another Godly Genius to ensure our success," Quentin ordered his
subordinate, a look of confidence all across his face.
The subordinate then left immediately.
Two hours later, he returned to his master with Drew's message.
"Sir, Godly Genius Drew said he is willing to join you while entering the lair. But upon finding the Nether
Dragon King, the alliance will be renounced," the subordinate swiftly reported.
"No problem. We have everything ready now. Let's see if the Ghost Fief can stir up some trouble for the
Primitive Fief as I suspected earlier,"
Quentin replied assuredly.
The next day, the joint guard team of the Ghost Fief and the Flower Fief made their way towards the
entrance to the Nether Dragon King's lair under Vivian's lead. Not long after, they finally arrived.
The Primitive Fief's guard team had already formed a line of defense in front of the lair. They became
more alert once they saw the united guard team inching closer towards them assertively.
Since Israel entered the cave, Jordy was tasked with leading the guard team. Not only was he a senior
official of the Primitive Fief but he was also a Spiritual Emperor at the premium stage.
Jordy was caught off guard by the early arrival of the joint guard team. The other guard teams, despite
entering the Nether Fire Land at nearly the exact moment, had yet to make their appearance.
Nevertheless, the news greatly excited him. His friend, Tobias, had been slaughtered by Vivian. He was
more than eager to avenge him.
Jordy made his way to the front of the team he was leading. As he faced the joint guard team, he
shouted furiously, "You imbecile from the Ghost Fief murdered my friend! Today, I will have my
vengeance!"
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