"Everyone stop attacking! Ding Ye, tank the boss and don't die!"
After all party members were hit by the Fifth Sword Servant's Forbidden Food debuff, Wen Ding Cang Sheng ordered the DPS classes to immediately cease attacking to avoid drawing the boss's aggro without being able to heal. Fortunately, the debuff only lasted five seconds before wearing off. By then, Ding Ye's HP had dropped by a third, still relatively healthy overall.
"Mass Heal!"
Cang Shu Bu Ding cast a group healing spell, instantly topping off everyone's HP!
The Divine Priest class truly lived up to its reputation as a hidden priest subclass—the healing output was absolutely insane!
Taking advantage of the brief window without the debuff, the team unleashed a burst of damage. When the Fifth Sword Servant reapplied the Forbidden Food debuff, everyone stopped attacking again, leaving Ding Ye to tank the boss and take hits.
Due to the stop-and-go rhythm, the team wasted quite a bit of time on the Fifth Sword Servant. By the time they took it down, over ten minutes had passed.
"Two bosses left. We need to speed up—time is running out!"
Only the Third and Fourth Sword Servants remained on the field. Wen Ding Cang Sheng glanced at the remaining dungeon time, his brow furrowing with concern.
"I'll handle the Fourth Sword Servant. Its silence skill shouldn't affect me much. I'll pull it aside and fight it solo while you all focus fire on the Third Sword Servant. That'll save time."
Jiang Yuan summoned a Heaven-tier Dragon-Whisker Tiger, a Heaven-tier Sand River Turtle, and the three sacred beasts—Black Tortoise, Vermilion Bird, and White Tiger—then proposed his plan to Wen Ding Cang Sheng.
"That makes sense. Your damage comes from summons, and silence shouldn't affect them. Let's do it! Once Xiao Yun pulls the Third Sword Servant over, Jiang Yuan, you can engage the Fourth!"
Wen Ding Cang Sheng pondered for a moment, found Jiang Yuan's reasoning sound, and nodded in agreement.
*Smack!*
Chuang Shi Xiao Yun fired an arrow, pulling the Third Sword Servant into the safe zone, leaving only the Fourth Sword Servant on the platform.
Once Ding Ye had positioned the boss properly, Jiang Yuan strode toward the center of the platform. As he neared the Fourth Sword Servant, he activated the "Summon Follow" skill, instantly teleporting all his summons from the safe zone to his side.
Commanding the Black Tortoise to shield him, Jiang Yuan cast "Arcane Mark" on the Fourth Sword Servant and began soloing it.
*Hum!*
After a few exchanges, the Fourth Sword Servant's sword glowed blue, targeting Jiang Yuan. But quickly, the White Tiger's claws flashed, enveloping Jiang Yuan in a golden light, nullifying the silence effect.
"Forgot I had Unstoppable, heh!"
Jiang Yuan suddenly remembered that the White Tiger's special skill granted him an Unstoppable shield, immune to all crowd control. He promptly called out to Ding Ye: "Old Ding, pull the Third Sword Servant over here too. You and Brother Cang Sheng can sit back and watch. Xiao Yun, just help with ranged DPS."
Hearing this, Ding Ye dragged the Third Sword Servant toward Jiang Yuan, entering the platform. Jiang Yuan ordered the Heaven-tier Sand River Turtle to take over aggro from Ding Ye, who quickly retreated, leaving Jiang Yuan to tank both bosses simultaneously.
"Damn! Jiang Yuan even has an Unstoppable shield—what a beast!"
Ding Ye returned to the safe zone, plopped down against the wall, and watched Jiang Yuan, now glowing with golden light, with envy.
"Bu Ding, buff Jiang Yuan with everything you've got. Let's get this done faster."
Seeing Jiang Yuan completely unfazed, Wen Ding Cang Sheng was equally impressed. He turned to Cang Shu Bu Ding and gave the order.
"Mm-hmm!"
Cang Shu Bu Ding nodded, stepped forward from the safe zone, and began applying buffs to Jiang Yuan.
Feeling the extra effects, Jiang Yuan smiled at Cang Shu Bu Ding in thanks, then popped a potion to boost critical damage.
"Soul-Severing Strike!"
"Black Tortoise Art: Flood of Eight Wastelands!"
"Vermilion Bird Art: Blazing Blood Feathers!"
"White Tiger Art: Seven-Slaughter Sword!"
Jiang Yuan hurled his artifact at the Fourth Sword Servant, dealing hundreds of thousands of damage, then commanded the three sacred beasts to unleash their ultimate skills in a barrage on the boss.
Minutes later, the Fourth Sword Servant collapsed, while the Third Sword Servant's HP was down to about half.
"Alright, everyone, focus fire on this one!"
After taking out the silence-inducing Fourth Sword Servant, Jiang Yuan waved over Ding Ye and Wen Ding Cang Sheng from the safe zone. The two rushed onto the platform and joined the assault on the last remaining Third Sword Servant.
Soon, under a storm of relentless attacks, the Third Sword Servant fell, dropping another pile of loot beside the Fourth Sword Servant's corpse.
Having cleared the six Sword Servants of the fourth stage, Wen Ding Cang Sheng led the team onward. Ahead of the platform stretched a long suspension bridge, at least a hundred meters long by the look of it.
As they crossed the bridge, they peered down into the clouds below, unable to discern what lay beneath.
Beyond the bridge was a raised platform with a staircase leading upward. Beside the stairs stood an NPC with a small green light above its head, indicating they could interact with it.
"Fellow cultivators, danger lies ahead. Allow me to escort you through."
After conversing with the NPC, it turned and ascended the stairs, a golden light forming a circular protective barrier behind it.
Following the NPC up the stairs, they were greeted by a dense swarm of mobs. The NPC wielded a sword in one hand, the other behind its back, casually slashing out sword energy that reduced countless approaching mobs to dust.
The party members stayed within the NPC's barrier, advancing slowly. Wen Ding Cang Sheng, finding the pace too sluggish, dashed ahead to help clear the mobs.
*Smack!*
Unexpectedly, a single hit from a mob instantly killed Wen Ding Cang Sheng, leaving his corpse on the ground.
"Bu Ding, revive him!"
Jiang Yuan quickly turned to Cang Shu Bu Ding, who reacted swiftly, raising a hand to resurrect Wen Ding Cang Sheng.
*Whoosh!*
The freshly revived Wen Ding Cang Sheng immediately used a mobility skill, darting back into the NPC's protective barrier, his face pale with fear. "My bad—those mobs can one-shot. Let's all stay put and not wander off."
"Wouldn't it be nice to just coast through this? Why go out and get yourself killed? You're such an idiot!"
Ding Ye couldn't resist mocking Wen Ding Cang Sheng, only to get kicked out of the barrier in retaliation.
"Ahhh! Help!"
Ding Ye flailed and screamed, scrambling back toward the barrier. Thanks to his thick skin, he survived two hits that cost him over 900,000 HP, barely making it inside with a sliver of health left!