Constant ringing sounds of metal clashing against metal echoed throughout the entire area. The disciples of the Thousand Swords Sect looked bloody and injured, but numerous Ape Vampires could also be seen sprawled on the ground, forming a mountain of corpses which protected them from the intensifying light of the sun.
The disciples of the Thousand Swords Sect stared at a distant handsome figure that kept on dancing on the battlefield. His strikes were precise and each of them would execute an Ape Vampire. Clad in the remarkable azure-robe of the Thousand Swords Sect and with his jet-black hair placed on a bun, Senior Brother One Strike looked like a lone general.
Senior Brother One Strike was one of the geniuses of the Thousand Swords Sect. If placed within the Core Disciples he was nothing, but the achievements that he achieved without using any Divine Art gave him quite the reputation throughout the entire Thousand Swords Sect.
Despite not having any Divine Art in his arsenal, Senior Brother One Strike could fight toe to toe with any Core Disciple using only his understanding of the Sword Laws. He was a genius that could be compared with Charlotte. But despite his handsome and upright appearance. Senior Brother One Strike was a despicable young man that placed his benefits above any.
Since he possessed average talent when it comes to cultivation, Senior Brother One Strike frequently deflowered women and used their Virginal Yin Essence in boosting his cultivation base. These actions of his could be considered as demonic. Fortunately, the Thousand Swords Sect didn't discriminate and only used strength as a basis of respect.
You're a cultivator of the righteous path? Okay, but you're weak, so scram!
You're a cultivator of the Demonic Path? That's despicable, but since you're strong, you're welcome anyway...
Senior Brother One Strike stood tall amidst the mountain of corpses, his expression indifferent, but the smile of anticipation and excitement that lifted on his lips as he stared at the distance gave him the sensation of a lone Emperor looking down on the world.
~Roaaarrr!~
A bestial scream reverberated across the entire forest, everyone's blood went cold and the rampaging Ape Vampires around the campsite temporarily stopped and stared at the distance with respectful lights within their eyes.
Senior Brother One Strike stood still, beside him were the seven disciples whom he temporarily called as Brother One until Seven. Their expressions looked tranquil, but the hand that they used to hold their swords, slightly trembled.
A surge of Spiritual Qi battered their bodies and their expressions went solemn. The Ape Vampire Count had a cultivation of a Peak Spirit Tempering Realm cultivator. However, beasts could normally jump realms and fight against humans with higher cultivation base than them, so the net power of this Ape Vampire Count should be higher than him.
But still, Senior Brother One Strike and his companions didn't come unprepared. They brought an Earth Grade Formation, Seven Stars Slaughtering Asura with them.
~Roaaar~
The Ape Vampire count that looked bigger than an average Ape and had a constant crimson mist surrounding its body immediately ran towards Senior Brother One Strike's direction. The latter calmly dished out his orders, "Brother One, take the Northern Position, Two, you go and get the opposite side while three until Seven shall rotate their cultivation bases in the same order!"
The eight disciples of the Thousand Swords Sect displayed their brilliance when it comes to team play. Without wasting any movements nor words. Everyone positioned themselves accordingly and clashed against the Ape Vampire!
The colossal wind generated upon collision sent everyone flying as those who stayed inside the campsite ducked their heads and lowered their bodies on the ground.
Senior Brother Kwydin clicked his tongue as blood dripped down from the edges of his lips. Glancing at his fellow disciples that tried their best in keeping themselves alive. His determination surged and he crawled his way towards the center of the campsite.
"Senior Brother Kwydin, please go and destroy that seal, you're our only hope..." His fellow disciples left these words as they faced the Ape Vampires behind. Using their understanding of the laws, they could temporarily hold the Ape's back.
Senior Brother Kwydin couldn't help but feel somewhat emotional. Gritting his teeth, he mumbled under his breath, "I swear with my cultivation as the stake that I will definitely avenge those who died, I will definitely avenge them!" He declared in his heart and continued his painstaking journey towards the center.
Several hundreds of meters, above a certain tree branch, Dan and Annie could be seen staring at the battlefield with curious lights within their eyes. Annie's expression indicated her worry and she focused her gaze at the campsite where she found Kwydin's figure crawling towards the floating ball at the center.
"That's it! That should be the formation that sealed our cultivation! Senior, please break that then help us kill everyone from the Thousand Swords Sect!" Annie pleaded, but Dan remained as stiff as a rock as he heard a certain message that directly entered his mind,
"Young master, they are fighting against an Ape Vampire Count! The Beast Core inside that Ape Vampire Count is one of the rarest ingredients needed in concocting the Divine Flash Pill! A necessary Pill in breaking through the Divine Soul Realm!" George's excited voice echoed inside Dan's mind.
At first, Dan didn't want to do anything other than taking some benefits for himself and save his fellow disciples in return. However, George just gave him the motive to do the opposite. Darting his gaze at Annie, his expression glimmered with resolve as he said, "I'll be going down, stay here if you want to live..."
Annie's visage brightened in hope as Dan disappeared from her sight.
"Senior, that's the wrong direction, where are you going?" Annie mumbled as she kept her line of sight on Dan's body. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw that Dan flew towards the direction of the Thousand Swords Sect.
"Senior, you..."
Senior Brother One Strike noticed the sudden arrival of an expert and he couldn't help but feel cautious. A flash of lightning descended and an arc of lightning struck the Ape Vampire Count as it flew backward with a miserable shriek.
Senior Brother One Strike and his fellow disciples looked bloody and bedraggled. Their breathing in disarray and the flow of their Spiritual Qi was in chaos. However, the light of vigilance in their eyes didn't diminish in the slightest.
"Who are you?" Senior Brother One Strike shouted and Dan swept his gaze over the group.
"System, what are the chances of me winning against the Ape Vampire Count in a solo-battle?"
[System Simulation Initiating: 50%]
[System Simulation Completed! Results: The host will have a forty-percent chance of winning!]
Dan clicked his tongue, he expected that his chances of winning would be low, but not this low. He expected to have at least fifty percent chance of winning in a solo-battle.
Sweeping his gaze over the ground, Dan instructed the system.
[System Simulation Completed! Results: Seventy-Percent chance of winning!]
"You guys seem to be in trouble fighting against this Ape Vampire Count, how about we team up and defeat this guy, together?" Dan dished out his proposal and Senior Brother One Strike along with his brothers, frowned. Who the fuck is this guy? He just suddenly appeared then proposed that we work together...
"With your current state, you guys can definitely defeat that Ape Vampire Count. However, casualties will definitely not be avoided..." Dan lifted a mysterious smile and struck directly in the heart of their situation.
Senior Brother One Strike's figure trembled and his fellow disciples beside him mumbled towards each other. They knew more than anyone about their bodies. And they judged that there's a huge chance of them dying under the attacks of the Ape Vampire Count.
Remembering the scene where Dan repelled the Ape Vampire Count with a single strike, Senior Brother One Strike's mind madly spun, 'He doesn't look like he's from the Thousand Sword Sect or the Paradyne Academy...Could he be a rogue cultivator?' His eyes flashed in a critical light, "This one's titled name is One Strike! I hail from the Thousand Swords Sect, may I know your esteemed one's title?"
Senior Brother One Strike acted politely in an act of probing. However, when he noticed that Dan didn't seem to have any reactions when he heard his name and affiliation, his expression turned somber.
"I don't care about which Sect you came from, what I want to ask is do you want to cooperate with me and defeat that Ape, or not?" Dan lifted an eyebrow, his expression looked incensed because of the incessant questions.
Senior Brother One Strike's fellow disciples lifted an eyebrow, but the former waved his hands before they could cause any further commotion.
"Senior's knowledge really is deep and profound, since Senior already knows about our plight and has offered his help. It would be impolite for us to refuse. However, since Senior and we are strangers, can we swear using our cultivation bases that we won't betray each other after everything is done?"
Dan nodded his head, "I understand, however, in the matter about loot distribution, I won't interfere much but I should have the right to choose one loot, no matter what it is..." A small smile lifted on his lips and One Strike's fellow disciples couldn't help but chime in,
"Impossible! How could we let you do that?! That's just bullying!"
Dan's eyebrows locked and One Strike took this as his gesture of displeasure as he immediately said, "Shut up! If you don't want us to waste everything that we worked for earlier, we need to work with him!" One Strike felt somewhat scared, especially when he felt the energy wave fluctuations from Dan's body. His instincts told him that the former could end his life in a strike.
That was one of the reasons why One Strike proposed taking an oath under the heaven's name. So that when everything was done and well. Dan couldn't kill them and take everything for himself.
His fellow disciples closed their mouths as the eight of them swore their oaths with their cultivation bases as the stake. Moving a step forward, Dan lifted his right hand. It was his time to swear his oath. A small ambiguous smile lifted on his lips as he secretly activated three skills at the same moment.
Under the gazes of the eight, Dan swore an oath under the heaven's name as the strange fluctuations from the skies enveloped his body. A system notification floated before his eyes.
[A foreign unknown interference is covering the host's soul! Do you want to expel? Y/N]
"As expected," Dan mumbled under his breath, his previous plan was void since the system could dissipate the heaven's oath on its own.
After taking up the oath, the eight disciples from the Thousand Swords Sect became like brothers to him. They even gave Dan some snacks and some tips regarding the Ape Vampire Count's weaknesses.
Dan swept his gaze over these men and thought in his heart about how comical their actions were. if Dan didn't take an oath, he bet that they would definitely act the opposite.
"These guys are thinking that I'm still under the effects of Heaven's Oath...This is a good chance for me to kill someone with a borrowed knife and leap like a fisherman in the end..." A vicious thought sprung inside his heart and he started formulating his plans.
Annie Thompson who noticed the sudden change of attitude between the two parties kneeled on the ground with both knees. Her expression looked tragic and pale. She didn't expect that Dan would instantly jump ships in the face of benefits!
"What should I do...How can I save them now..." She racked her head, finding any solution that she could find for this dilemma.