I Have a Golden Crow

”Ding~”

The arrow tip landed right on the spear tip, insanely precise.

Yang Mingyu’s expression changed drastically!

He had planned to use his spear to deflect the bamboo stick, but a surge of force suddenly shot through his spear tip, wrenching the weapon out of his control and swinging it into the earth wall behind him.

”Bang!”

The spear tip exploded against the earth wall, plunging deep into the surface.

And before him, Chi Bear’s bamboo stick had already fallen.

”Ying!” Little Tai Sui slammed the stick onto Yang Mingyu’s shoulder, the head of the staff glowing with a blinding light.

Glory Gold Tai Sui Flame!

A surge of energy poured into the fine sand, the flames exploded, erupting with a roar!

”Wong...” Finally, Du Yu heard the trembling sound of the Demon Breath Battle Robe!

Du Yu couldn’t help but click his tongue secretly.

A Heavenly Level·Great Success Little Tai Sui—the output of its demon skill had already surpassed its grade, reaching the Xuan Platinum Grade.

It took output at this level to blast through fine sand, to smash into an enemy’s Demon Breath Battle Robe?

Just how tough is Yang Mingyu’s defense?

”Xiang Ying!” Du Yu sensed the ready-to-strike Desolate Shadow Wolf and hastened to say, ”Look closely, Yang Mingyu has a layer of fine sand on him.”

Xiang Ying’s palm hung down naturally, and her fingertip pressed lightly.

The Desolate Shadow Wolf, poised in hunting stance, immediately calmed down quite a bit.

”This must be Ancient Wilderness City’s doing!” Du Yu nocked another arrow, ”He must be one of Ancient Wilderness City’s people!

Just earlier, he ambushed us at the inn and took away a bunch of our students!”

Xiang Ying glanced at the battlefield and said, ”Just like how you and Lin Shiwei ambushed us.”

”Not the same!” Du Yu released his fingers and fired another Fire Arrow, ”Lin Shiwei and I charged in head-on—and besides, we weren’t targeting you Guandong Army guys!

We were openly fighting the Ancient Desolate General. He, on the other hand, was sneaky and despicable, backstabbing students in secret...”

”Woof!” The Desolate Shadow Wolf immediately took offense. Who are you calling sneaky and despicable?

So what if it’s a sneak attack?

Ambush tactics are techniques too!

”No, Dog Bro.” Du Yu’s face stiffened, quickly explaining, ”Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, I’m treacherous and sly too, I also love playing dirty—what I meant was...”

”Woof! Woof!!” The Desolate Shadow Wolf was furious, tail thrashing wildly, smacking the ground.

If not for its master’s clear orders, it would have already pounced.

Who are you calling dog!?

I’m a wolf—a bona fide Desolate Shadow Wolf!

”Oh no~ Doggy’s unhappy now~” Little Fen Yang teased, laughing.

”Heh.” Unexpectedly, the usually cold Guandong Girl actually let out a soft laugh.

A heterochromatic Desolate Shadow Wolf was indeed rare.

Growing up, people always mistook it for a little black dog and wanted to pet it.

After reaching Spirit Level, the Desolate Shadow Wolf had grown much more fierce in appearance, so there was less confusion.

But it’s still an inky black lump, and it’s always barking woof-woof, so people’s first impression is hard to shake.

”Ying!” Little Tai Sui, anxious to protect its master, dropped Yang Mingyu and dashed straight back.

Du Yu hurriedly cried, ”No! Hold him!”

”Ying?” Little Tai Sui skidded to a halt.

Behind them, Yang Mingyu, organs racked from the explosion, his face flushed, was stumbling away to one side.

Xiang Ying spoke up with the same words: ”Hold him.”

”Awoo!” A dog’s bark shifted smoothly into a wolf’s howl.

The big black dog sprinted at breakneck speed; its 2.5-meter-long massive body tackled the staggered Yang Mingyu to the ground.

Xiang Ying strode over, gesturing at Du Yu with a hook of her finger.

Du Yu understood instantly, immediately drew the knife from his waist and tossed it over.

Xiang Ying caught it effortlessly, giving Du Yu a silent glance—you catch on quick.

Indeed, Prince Du was very tactful.

After all, he’d spent too much time around Master Qing.

He could generally read all kinds of little signals from women.

His filial piety meter was maxed out~

So, for Du Yu, this really was nothing!

I’ve wrangled the unfathomable Immortal Master till she’s in the palm of my hand. So you—a little lass like this—how hard could it possibly be for me, the Prince?

Hmm... Though I do wonder how my Immortal Master’s doing now. Facing the Mountain Fire Saber, maybe she’ll think of me once in a while...

”Are you one of Ancient Wilderness City’s people?” Xiang Ying walked up to Yang Mingyu, staring at the youth pinned down by the Desolate Shadow Wolf.

Yang Mingyu was panting hard, his chest heaving dramatically.

Even with the fine sand shielding him, defenses cranked to the max, he’d still been roughed up by Little Tai Sui.

Yang Mingyu really hadn’t expected this Great Xia National Treasure could unleash demon skill output beyond its grade!

”I’m asking you a question.” Xiang Ying’s voice turned colder by a shade.

Yang Mingyu said nothing, but his contract let him sense his Coral Flood Dragon was in a perilous state.

Looks like I picked the wrong target for this ambush.

The snowball... didn’t get rolling after all...

”Woof!” Desolate Shadow Wolf let out a bark and snapped its jaws down.

Four wolf fangs suddenly flared into view, forged wholly from earth demon breath, viciously biting down on Yang Mingyu’s arm.

Xuan Platinum Shadow Wolf Fang!

Chrk—a brittle crack rang out.

Yang Mingyu’s fine sand barrier and Demon Breath Battle Robe both shattered spectacularly under the razor fangs!

Xiang Ying crouched, twirling the knife in her hand.

”Cch!”

To Du Yu’s shock, the girl stabbed the knife right into Yang Mingyu’s palm.

Interrogation by torture?

”You’ve defected to Ancient Wilderness City?” Xiang Ying gripped the knife, pinning Yang Mingyu’s hand into the ground.

Even as she inflicted pain, her expression was as usually impassive, as if she was simply carrying out an assignment, with no personal feelings involved at all.

If not for the fact she just laughed, Du Yu really would have believed she had no human emotions.

Yang Mingyu was genuinely tough, jaw clenched tightly, not letting out a scream: ”These are your tactics?”

Xiang Ying: ”Our mission is to eliminate the city’s Commander-in-Chief. Now it seems you’ve defected to the Lord of Desert City.

You’re acting like Ancient Desolate Soldiers, trying to eliminate the other contestants.”

Yang Mingyu stared fixedly at Xiang Ying: ”Just taking his word for it?”

”On the way here, I encountered Shandai students in gold uniforms—just like you.” Xiang Ying said quietly, twisting the knife in her grip, ”Speak.”

”Hiss...” Yang Mingyu sucked in a cold breath. Pain like this had no business being part of a final exam!

”Roar!” Suddenly, a watery silhouette burst from his chest.

Demon Pet·Water Soul Imprisonment!

Water Soul Imprisonment’s claws lashed out fiercely, tearing at the black wolf head.

The Desolate Shadow Wolf showed no fear at all, didn’t even bother dodging—its jaws snapped the Water Soul Imprisonment’s claw clean in half!

How could a dignified Spirit-level Divine Beast be intimidated by a Celestial-level Monster Beast?

”Student violation, please come with me and exit the field.” Not far away, a man’s voice rang out.

Du Yu looked up—in the top of the earth wall, a soldier leapt down briskly, striding over, gesturing for Xiang Ying and her demon pet to move aside.

Xiang Ying pursed her lips, silently rose, leading the Desolate Shadow Wolf back a few steps.

She was not satisfied with the Book House’s organization.

If you want to simulate a battlefield, then make things as real as possible!

But they had to slap an exam shell on top of it, then add all these restrictive rules—what kind of battlefield is that?

A gentleman’s battlefield?

”Worthy of being number one in Shaohai, the rumors are true.” Yang Mingyu was hard as nails!

His palm had been slashed wide open, still oozing blood, yet he didn’t seem to care at all.

Yang Mingyu glanced at Xiang Ying, then at Du Yu from afar: ”You’ve already condensed your Demon Soul?”

Du Yu shrugged, keeping it ambiguous.

Yang Mingyu gave a twisted, but still spirited, smile: ”Guess my tactics failed this time. See you next exam.”

Du Yu nodded, ”See you.”

As the Shandai big guy was taken away by soldiers, the sounds of battle from the inn’s backyard gradually died down.

Du Yu turned to Xiang Ying, ”The exam wasn’t clear before. So, for our side’s sake, we captured your Ancient Desolate General.

But now, we should be teammates. Our enemy is the Shandai Army who entered the city first and sided with the Desert City Lord.”

Xiang Ying remained silent, considering internally.

On the way here, she’d indeed been ambushed and targeted for assassination by Shandai students wearing gold uniforms.

But her mind was set on her dagger—on the archer who’d slipped through her fingers.

So, at that time, Xiang Ying had ignored those lurking menaces.

Now, it looked like the exam content really had changed.

Du Yu held out his palm, suggesting, ”Alliance?”

Xiang Ying quietly watched his hand before her eyes, not moving a muscle.

”Woof!” The Desolate Shadow Wolf barked, clearly opposed to this option.

And yet, a faint smile appeared on Xiang Ying’s lips.

As if deliberately, she extended her slender, pale hand, giving Du Yu’s hand a gentle shake.

”Ooo~” The Desolate Shadow Wolf was so disgruntled it turned away and plopped down, sulking like a several-hundred-kilo baby.

The smile in Xiang Ying’s eyes grew more obvious.

She turned and walked toward the pouting Desolate Shadow Wolf, reaching over to stroke its inky black head.

It seemed, most of the girl’s rare emotional ripples came from her beloved pet.

Du Yu watched with curiosity—now this was a strange pair of master and beast.

”Du Yu.”

”You okay?” Du Yu turned to see Liu Juncai, covered in mud.

Liu Juncai shook her head, indicating she was fine. ”You ran Yang Mingyu off?”

Du Yu: ”More or less.”

If Xiang Ying hadn’t intervened, Yang Mingyu without his demon pet would have been beaten back anyway—it was just a matter of time.

”All our teammates are out, and Hu Zi’s Black Pearl is broken too.” Liu Juncai’s face was grim.

Of the team’s eight members, Yang Mingyu’s spear had mowed them down like vegetables.

”Her?” Liu Juncai nodded toward Xiang Ying not far away.

Half a year ago in the final exam, this girl was Guandong’s number two!

As for now...

The last final, the Guandong number one’s demon pet hadn’t advanced to Spirit Level.

In other words, though there’s been no official word, Xiang Ying’s basically taken the top spot already.

Du Yu explained, ”The Shandai Army got into the city first—must have had some deal with the Desert City Lord.

That’s why Yang Mingyu had fine sand shielding him, why he ambushed us.

Given how things have changed, the other three provinces need to unite and fight together. Xiang Ying and I just formed an alliance.”

Liu Juncai nodded quietly, accepting Du Yu’s decision.

Du Yu roughed up Little Tai Sui’s head and went on: ”The enemy’s defense had been boosted to the Great Demon Tamer level.

Only Xuan Platinum quality output could break through Yang Mingyu’s fine sand. Other Shandai students might have fine sand too.”

Liu Juncai’s face was tense—she couldn’t summon the Mud Po Goddess Sculpture too many times.

Given all this, allying with Guandong Army’s Xiang Ying really was necessary.

”Ying?” Little Tai Sui suddenly whined.

Du Yu looked up, following his gaze, and Liu Juncai also turned her head.

High in the northwestern sky, an Electric Little Star was circling and twirling rapidly.

Liu Juncai’s eyes lit up: ”Shiwei found the Commander’s position!”

With that, Xiang Ying turned her head as well to look northwest.

Du Yu: ”Let’s go!”

Meanwhile, in the northwest part of Earth City, inside a grand estate.

Beyond the earthen doors of the main hall—another world awaited.

A Sand General was kneeling on one knee, head bowed, gripping a halberd, leaning on it to keep from collapsing.

The Sand General’s sand armor was torn to shreds—even his arms and thighs were in tatters.

All the yellow sand on the ground had spilled from his once-mighty body.

The scene radiated a deep sense of tragedy.

On either side of the Sand General were two rows of sand chairs, apparently for advisors.

Lin Shiwei and the others stood in the doorway, gazing at the seats and the two clear choices laid out before them!

On the sandy floor, lines of jet-black soil spelled out words.

Li Mengnan frowned, reading softly: ”Trapped Beast’s Last Stand: eliminate the isolated North Commander-in-Chief of Ancient Wilderness City.

Note: eight people must sit on the sand chairs to activate the battlefield.”

The message was easy to understand—officially published exam content. The only difference, it now included the word ”North.”

In other words, there were separate northern and southern commanders in Ancient Wilderness City?

Li Mengnan strode to the chairs on the left, pausing slightly.

”Reinforcements Descend: Join the Northern Corps of Ancient Wilderness City.

Receive the Northern Faction’s bonus. Defeat all other factions in the city and help the Northern Corps’ Commander seize the title of Lord of Ancient Wilderness City.

Northern Corps Faction Bonus:

Each kill increases the soldier’s own output.

Note: This effect is inheritable and stackable.”