"Big brother, they look impressive. It's best we make a run for it!" One pygmy hunkered behind the other three and peeked his head out at Zhuo Fan in fear.
Zhuo Fan was stumped. [The hell, you balked after some hot air?] This never happened before, not once. [What are you doing posing around as our enemy then? Why not just scram in the first place?]
Another pygmy noticed this contradiction and cuffed the shy one over the head, "Coward, you're always cramping our style! We won't take you with us ever again. And our eldest bro was hurt by them. How can we let this slide?"
Zhuo Fan nodded, [That's more like it.] He was sensible to even neglect that part about their style. [This guy's reaction is more like it, that's a proper human response.]
But that thought didn't finish forming as the pygmy added another slap, "And even if we don't get revenge for old bro, how are we going to get compensation for getting his bone staff ruined? They have to pony up!"
The pygmy was then holding the halves of the black staff close to his heart, on the verge of crying.
Zhuo Fan's face twitched and darkened.
His previous thought was wiped clean off his mind. [I stand corrected, they're inhuman. You don't care about your elder bro's wound and yet you cry over some junk?]
[Even if it is a 5th grade spiritual weapon, how can Radiant Stage experts bawl over something like this?]
In the end, the eldest pygmy ignored his moronic brothers' senseless talk and shouted as he hit their heads, "Goddamn it! I didn't call you over to squabble, but to fight! I'll lead and you follow!"
He then charged at Zhuo Fan and Elder Li. But on his second step, his wounds flared and he spat blood. Even so, his eyes were fixed on Zhuo Fan.
"Attack, attack~" The last pygmy thought of making an even bigger scene and was now hopping and skipping from the side, egging them on. Though he showed not an ounce of intent to join the bustle.
Their eyes squinting, the other three turned to this pygmy and started raining kicks and punches on this cheerleader.
"Blast it all to hell! Every single time you stand aside and cheer but are the last one to help!"
"Yeah, third bro. If you don't charge first this time, we won't charge at all…"
"Uh, let's all calm down a bit. Old bro is wounded. It might be best if we make a tactical retreat.."
The cowering pygmy in the back earned a glare from the rest. Then the three started taking it out on him.
"Fourth bro, you butt in every single time and ruin our morale and make us lose!"
"Yeah, we wouldn't have lost the last time if you'd have charged with us! How else could the Sect Leader manage to banish us in that wretched place to suffer so many lightning attacks otherwise?"
The three were quite springy in giving the fourth a run for his money. Then the fourth thought of something and barked, "What of second bro? If not for him being so damn petty, going after the spiritual weapon the enemy dropped, we wouldn't have lost!"
In a blink, the three stopped and turned to the pygmy that wanted compensation. Now the fourth joined the squabble and the three ganged on the second bro…
Zhuo Fan's face was having a field day from all that twitching, [What the hell's wrong with these weirdos? What have they come here for, beat each other up?]
Their enemy was right across yet they were having the time of their lives smacking themselves instead. Zhuo Fan couldn't make out if they were mocking the two or plain dumb as a rock!
"Elder Li, are these guys even strong?" Zhuo Fan sneered.
Li Jingtian sweated, "Should be. I only heard rumors about them and never met them myself. They say these four are quadruplets and fit together like a glove. This is why the Demon Scheming Sect recruited them and taught them a unity tactic! They usually win by numbers, despite being weaker."
"That doesn't look united to me! How do they even fight if all they do is beat each other?" Zhuo Fan scratched his nose.
Li Jingtian laughed wryly, despite the four's fight getting more traction, and explained, "Steward Zhuo, just as you heard, this must've led to their banishment. They may be able to work together flawlessly in battle, but their characters are totally different and hard to reach a consensus!"
"Speaking of the first pygmy, he is the eldest among the Four Scheming Demons. Violent Demon! He is brash, rude, and very much brainless. No matter how strong the opponent he faces, he is the first to charge head first. If his brothers follow or not is another matter entirely. This is also why we didn't sense any soul ripple to scout our level and instead skipped to throwing the black staff at us!"
"Oh, I am well aware of his stupidity!" Zhuo Fan nodded.
Li Jingtian pointed at the pygmy getting a beating, "The one asking for compensation is the second brother, Scrooge Demon! He is the cheapskate of the four, narrow minded, and always forgoes long term profit in favor of short term pocket change. He is a typical case of strain at gnats and swallow camels!"
"That guy deserves to be beaten. He ignores his elder bro and laments the loss of a spiritual weapon. One look at him and it makes me want to smack him too." Zhuo Fan watched him get clobbered without remorse.
Li Jingtian chuckled, pointing at the cheering, yet the least one to do anything, like a mascot, "That is the third brother, Sly Demon. He is sharp and expert in sneak attacks. Rumor has it that each time the four fight, he always stands at the sideline doing nothing. But every time heads come rolling on the enemy's sides, it's all thanks to him. He's your typical opportunist!"
"This guy has at least a redeeming quality, hoodwinking his enemies. And yet he uses his smarts to steal the credit from right under his brothers' noses! At least he's much better than the first two!" Zhuo Fan nodded.
Li Jingtian pointed to the cowardly pygmy, "He is the fourth brother, Wimp Demon! In every fight, he stands behind his first bro. But some say, he is the strongest among the four. Many experts despise his nature and slight him, only to fall at his hands in the end."
Zhuo Fan nodded, "Elder Li, why don't you go and mess with them a bit. Force them to show their skills!"
Li Jingtian shook his head vehemently, "Steward Zhuo, don't joke about this. They may not look like much, but they're dreadful together. I heard that a century ago, they were only in the 9th layer of Profound Heaven Stage but killed a 2nd layer of Radiant Stage expert."
"Just think. Any Radiant Stage expert is hard enough to fight, but these four killed one when they were in the Profound Heaven Stage. Now that they're in the 3rd layer of Radiant Stage, I'm not confident I can come out alive!"
"What's that got to do with anything? Their eldest bro is wounded and their unity tactic's effect will fall sharply." With a snicker, Zhuo Fan got Li Jingtian to see things from a different angle.
Suddenly, Zhuo Fan pointed at Li Jingtian and yelled at the pygmies, "Hey, this old dude said your dad mated with a swine and ended up having you four weirdos!"
The four stopped fighting and turned their vicious eyes on Li Jingtian. Zhuo Fan chuckled and jumped back half a mile, leaving Li Jingtian their sole lone target.
Li Jingtian paled from fright and wiped the sweat of his brow.
[Steward Zhuo, you screwed me over!]
The four got to their feet and walked to Li Jingtian side by side. Their faces lost their dumb looks and eyed him with savagery.
Wimp Demon was no longer cowardly, Sly Demon no longer dodgy, and Scrooge Demon's eyes lost their greed. In that instant, the four became just like Violent Demon, releasing their vile power.
Zhuo Fan's brow shuddered and his eyes shined. All while Li Jingtian's mood sank and his eyes glittered with tears as he cursed Zhuo Fan in his heart to the ends of the earth.
[I may be the Luo clan's elder, but that doesn't mean you get to screw me over!]
But the deal was already done, and Li Jingtian had no choice but to face the music, "That's right. You're all eyesores, so come on!"
"Ha!"
The four howled and, with bloodshot eyes, jumped at him. The four figures merged in midair and caused this Mad Dipper to gasp as he took three steps back.
Overwhelmed with shock, Li Jingtian knew this was their unity tactic, but feeling it on his own skin was far more dreadful than hearing about it. The four's powers combined, but not merely additively, but multiplied.
Li Jingtian had no time to be careless, releasing his all in his next punch, colliding with their attack.
Boom!
With a loud noise, Li Jingtian was thrown a hundred meters into the air, feeling the blood in his heart boiling. Yet the four savage figures didn't stop for a second.
"Curses! You want to go head to head? Fine then, bring it!"
Li Jingtian held the four demons in fear, but once the fight started, his martial fanatic self reared its head. He was no longer afraid, but laughing, "Wraith Style's first move, Soaring Demonic Dragon!"
Roar!
A draconic roar echoed and Li Jingtian was enveloped by a black dragon's image. In his unparalleled state, he charged at the Four Scheming Demons.
This time, Li Jingtian, with the help of his profound ranked martial art, had gained enough power to overwhelm the four's combined vile energy.
The four's eyes widened, not expecting Li Jingtian to be so amazing, "Ah, we're finished…
Despite saying so, when they were about to collide with Li Jingtian, they snickered, "Hi-hi-hi, that's enough playing…"
In that instant, the strange united attack up and vanished before Li Jingtian, making his attack hit naught but air.
At the same time, figures appeared around him that escaped the detection of his Discerning Field. Only a creepy snicker reached his ears, as if to prove he was surrounded.
"This…"
Zhuo Fan's eyes widened from the side and trembled, "Something is definitely off about them…."