The sudden appearance of the Abomination of Abundance greatly boosted the morale of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, while the Cloud Knights, seeing Pei Guang holding Bailu hostage, became visibly tense.
Bailu, the next High Elder of the Vidyadhara, was someone they couldn't afford to risk harming.
As the Cloud Knights hesitated, Pei Guang boldly walked down the stairs with Bailu in hand. He threatened loudly, "Step back, lackeys of the Reignbow Arbiter! Or this little dragon girl's life won't be spared. Hey, you over there! Don't look so confused—I'm on your side."
Bailu played along dramatically, "Help! Save me!"
A Cloud Knight cursed under his breath, "Damn it!"
Pei Guang pressed, "Hurry up and back off, or I'll make good on my threat!"
Bailu echoed him with exaggerated conviction, "Yeah, he'll do it!"
Pei Guang whispered to Bailu, "You're supposed to be the hostage—maybe tone it down a bit?"
Bailu grinned, "Doesn't matter! With how you look, no one's mistaking you for the good guy here."
Reluctantly, the Cloud Knights retreated, allowing Pei Guang to stroll confidently into their ranks.
Holding Bailu in one hand and a bone shield in the other, he taunted them with a smirk, "Well? I'm right here—go on, hit me! Oh wait, you can't, can you?"
From the sidelines, March 7th couldn't help but chuckle. "Classic Ah Guang. No one else could make people's blood boil like that so effortlessly."
Stelle frowned as she surveyed the battlefield. "The enemies are swarming. Are we seriously going to fight them all?"
March 7th nervously added, "So many… Can we really handle this?"
Welt, adjusting his glasses, remarked calmly, "If we're just talking numbers, they're not even enough for the Creation Engine to warm up."
March 7th gasped, "Uncle Yang, you're actually enjoying this, aren't you?"
Welt cleared his throat, feigning innocence.
Meanwhile, Stelle rummaged through her bag, pulling out a package.
March 7th asked curiously, "What are you looking for?"
Grinning mischievously, Stelle revealed a box and said, "You remember when we were at Starskiff Haven? I grabbed a few delivery boxes. One of them had this—a small neutron radiation bomb that's automatically bound to me. If it leaves my range, it explodes. Neat, huh?"
March 7th froze in disbelief. "Excuse me?! What did you just say?!"
Stelle clarified, "A small neutron radiation bomb. Found it in one of the delivery boxes when we fished Bailu out. It's been sitting in my inventory for emergencies."
March 7th's eyes widened. "You WHAT?!"
Stelle laughed. "Relax, it's fine. These delivery items are always useful in some way. If we're unsure, we can let Ah Guang take a look. His sharp eyes can figure out any item's purpose in a second. Anyway, it's not for combat—it's more for… deterrence."
March 7th sighed, "You've been learning way too much from Ah Guang. But hey, if it's from a delivery box, it's probably safe for us. Still, let's save it for later…"
While the two bantered, Pei Guang had already maneuvered past the tense Cloud Knights to approach the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. As he neared, the disciples directed their beasts to clear a path for him.
Pei Guang's apparent alliance boosted the disciples' morale.
"Brother! Well done!"
The lead disciple stepped forward, reaching out to grab Bailu. As a member of the Alchemy Commission, he recognized her immediately. They had planned to use her for rituals, but due to internal betrayal, she had escaped. Attempts to capture her before had failed, with many disciples going missing.
Yet here she was, seemingly brought back by one of their own.
This was a huge boon. With Bailu, not only could they craft potent medicines, but they could also hold her as leverage against the Cloud Knights—a win-win.
As the disciple was basking in his excitement, he suddenly felt something amiss. Instinctively looking down, he saw a bone spear piercing through his chest.
Following the direction of the spear, they saw Pei Guang, who had just been holding Bailu moments ago, now gripping the bone spear and waving at them casually. "How's it feel?"
"You…"
The follower attempted to retaliate, but before he could act, Pei Guang twisted the spear with a flourish and mockingly said, "The mercy of Sanctus Medicus, the Ambrosial Arbor's new growth."
The disciple was utterly baffled. That was the secret code of their organization! If the code matched, why the ambush?
Bailu, perched beside Pei Guang, pulled out an identification token marked with the insignia of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. "Look at this—we've got your code and this little badge."
"Why?" The guy's eyes filled with confusion. Weren't they part of the same group?
Pei Guang smiled mischievously. "Because I'm undercover! Did you think I was one of you? Nope! I'm a Trailblazer! I already figured out your codes and stole your tokens. You can rest easy now—you've served your purpose!"
As he spoke, Pei Guang's gear shimmered briefly before most of it vanished, leaving him looking like a regular person apart from his shield and weapon. The realization hit the disciple—they'd been utterly duped!
But it was too late.
Pei Guang switched from his bone spear to his wooden sword, and with swift, deliberate movements, sliced through the disciple from multiple angles. The unfortunate disciple fell, lifeless.
Pei Guang's decisive action served as the signal for the Trailblazers to strike.
Welt wasted no time abandoning the act. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned the Creation Engine, a colossal machine designed for devastation. Against small fry like these, Welt felt that using large-scale robots would make the show even more spectacular.
Four massive Creation Engines materialized, each wielding limbs crafted from the machinery itself. They unleashed a relentless assault, hammering through the ranks of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus with a symphony of crushing blows.
But the true highlight wasn't the giant machines. It was the three diminutive Herta Puppets spinning wildly in the midst of the chaos.
Yes, the Herta Puppets were spinning—with hammers in hand!
Their attacks weren't random either. Puppet No. 1 flung the abundant beasts into the air. Puppet No.2 batted them toward Puppet No. 3, who delivered a finishing strike that sent them hurtling toward Pei Guang.
As for Pei Guang? He stood ready with his wooden sword and bone knife. The moment the beasts landed, he dismantled them with surgical precision. The wolf-like creatures didn't stand a chance. Heads were severed, muscles and bones were stripped, and every usable material was collected.
Teeth, eyes, tails, limbs, fur, skulls—everything was systematically harvested. While Pei Guang wasn't formally trained in dissection, his gamer instincts made dismantling monsters for materials second nature. After his earlier practice with the Abundant Ebon Deer, his speed and efficiency had improved drastically.
Dead material was swiftly processed, and Pei Guang moved like a whirlwind through the battlefield, ensuring nothing was wasted. To him, collecting loot was as natural as breathing.
Meanwhile, Bailu, standing nearby, cracked her knuckles and declared, "Alright, Ah Guang, watch this—I'm strong too! Behold my technique! Everyone… fall down!"
With a theatrical gesture, Bailu summoned a thunderstorm. Bolts of lightning rained down, electrifying the disciples who were either attempting to flee or preparing to fight.
It was a one-sided massacre.
The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were no match. Their reliance on abundant beasts for combat left them ill-prepared for direct confrontation. When faced with a sudden assault, they had no chance to react.
Don't underestimate Bailu, either. She had previously proven capable of taking down three Cloud Knights in a frontal assault. For her, defeating disciples who struggled to handle even one Cloud Knight was child's play.
The nearby Cloud Knights, observing the scene, were completely dumbfounded. One moment, they'd been interacting with Pei Guang's group; the next, they were watching an all-out ambush unfold.
What stunned them even more was Pei Guang's methodical yet terrifyingly efficient dismantling of enemies. Unlike the grotesque and violent practices of Abominations of Abundance, Pei Guang's approach was clean and precise. Yet, there was something deeply unsettling about how quickly and calmly he processed the remains.
Several Cloud Knights instinctively swallowed nervously. While they'd faced Abominations of Abundance before and knew the horrors of creatures that consumed life itself, there was something about Pei Guang and his group's actions that sent a chill down their spines.