A torrential rain of arrows descended, but Xu Que swiftly swung his black sword in defense.
With each backward slash, he repelled the incoming arrows, while his gaze shifted towards the approaching army of White Ghosts.
As the army drew nearer, Xu Que gathered his strength for a decisive strike.
With a swift draw of his sword, a burst of sword energy shot out, slicing towards the left flank of the White Ghost army.
Upon seeing the overwhelming power of the sword's energy, the White Ghost BOSS let out a furious roar.
"Boom!"
A massive explosion rang out, annihilating thirty-seven White Ghosts in an instant.
Having struck again, Xu Que immediately dashed towards Liang Jinyu, like a wild stallion freed from restraint.
The White Ghost BOSS, thoroughly enraged, erupted in fury. Its wrath was like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
With a piercing scream, it rallied the White Ghosts, who, now ignited with fury, pursued Xu Que relentlessly.
Seeing the army of White Ghosts in full fury, Xu Que grinned with satisfaction—his plan had succeeded.
More than ten minutes later, as Xu Que neared Liang Jinyu and the others, he suddenly changed course.
This time, he had no intention of reuniting with them but instead chose a completely different route.
The White Ghosts, like relentless hunters, followed closely behind him.
...
As time passed, Xu Que's guerrilla tactics were executed with remarkable flair.
Out of the original one hundred and eighty White Ghosts, only about twenty remained.
Leaning against a stone, Xu Que drank a stamina potion before continuing his journey.
When he was nearly at the designated point, Xu Que found a flat stone and sat down to rest.
Before long, the disheveled White Ghost BOSS, with its remaining twenty White Ghosts, slowly emerged into Xu Que's line of sight.
Seeing the detested prey waiting calmly for them, the White Ghost BOSS let out an enraged howl.
Xu Que smiled, picked up a nearby stone, and tossed it casually before mimicking the gesture of slitting his throat.
Provocation!
He returned the challenge, with a deliberate taunt.
Furious, the White Ghost BOSS charged forward, disregarding its own safety, swiftly nocking an arrow and taking aim at Xu Que.
"Whoosh, whoosh!"
Two arrows flew like bullets toward Xu Que.
Xu Que sidestepped, drawing his black sword in one fluid motion.
A sword light, ten meters long, slashed through the air.
This time, Xu Que refrained from using sword intent, relying solely on his most basic draw sword technique.
The White Ghost BOSS, swift as ever, dodged the sword light and fired two final arrows at Xu Que, before discarding its bow and drawing two daggers, charging in close.
Xu Que nimbly avoided the arrows, stepping back several paces. He then drew a wide arc with his sword in midair.
"Clang, clang!"
The return sword technique deflected the White Ghost BOSS's dagger strikes.
Just as Xu Que prepared his Tianzhan-style strike to finish off the White Ghost BOSS, a massive ice ball, larger than a soccer ball, materialized before the BOSS's chest.
"Damn, it's resorting to magic now!"
Xu Que cursed inwardly but quickened his pace.
As the ice ball shot forth with a barrage of ice spikes, Xu Que dodged them in a desperate flurry.
Just as two ice spikes grazed his face, a long shadow appeared to his left.
Xu Que halted, his right hand gripping the black sword and sweeping it behind him in a swift arc.
"Clang, clang, clang..."
The rapid return sword technique blocked the BOSS's dual-dagger assault.
As the White Ghost BOSS attempted to close the distance, Xu Que spun quickly, releasing a sword light that shot forth from his black sword.
The Tianzhan-style sword light was not large, but it was incredibly fast.
Before the White Ghost BOSS could react, the sword light was already heading straight for its head.
Reacting swiftly, the White Ghost BOSS raised its daggers to block, only to display a look of horror a moment later.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
The White Ghost BOSS never anticipated that its defense would be so ineffective; its arms and head were cleaved away by the sword light.
As Xu Que turned to face the approaching White Ghosts, the clear voice of a mechanical woman sounded.
"Congratulations, human Xu Que. You have successfully completed the A-level trial [Snowmist White Ridge C], earning the rights to the [Snowmist White Ridge C] territory, and received twenty-nine Spirit Iron Ore, fifty-five Spirit Crystals, and eight Spirit Stones. Please check the transaction hall for further details."
Xu Que ignored the announcement, swiftly slashing out a draw sword technique at the White Ghosts charging up the small stone hill.
The sword light exploded outward, and before the White Ghosts could react, they were shredded cleanly by the sword's energy.
"Congratulations, human Xu Que. Big Data analysis shows that you already own a corresponding territory. Would you like to fold the [Gate of Hell] into the [Snowmist White Ridge C] territory...?"
"No!"
While rapidly collecting six light orbs, Xu Que dismissed the prompt.
"Big Data analysis shows that you already own a corresponding territory. Your main territory has been set. Would you like to fold the [Snowmist White Ridge C] into the [Gate of Hell]?"
"Yes."
Xu Que could only set his main territory in Magic City, as that was his base of operations. In case of emergencies, he could return there quickly.
Glancing at the dimensional rift that had appeared beside him, Xu Que quickly ran towards the agreed-upon location.
Half an hour later, after great effort, Xu Que finally found Liang Jinyu and the others, hiding as planned.
Before the two women could speak, Xu Que called out, "Hurry, we need to go. The space here has been opened."
"Did you kill that final BOSS?" Han Xiaoyu asked, her voice filled with excitement.
"Yes, but there's no time. Hurry up and follow me."
Xu Que didn't want to explain further, as he still had an important task to complete. Time was running out.
As they arrived at the dimensional rift, Xu Que checked his timer, which had counted down to twenty-seven hours. Without hesitation, he stepped into the rift.
"Buzz!"
When the five of them opened their eyes again, they found themselves in a verdant, lush space.
As Xu Que began removing his clothes, he said, "Check the Return Stones. If all goes well, they should be usable now."
"Yes, they can be used," Han Xiaoyu replied, her voice filled with joy.
For her, the previous space had been nothing short of a nightmare, where she felt completely useless and even became a burden.
"This space... is it the one we're supposed to conquer?" Liang Jinyu asked.
"Yes, but there's no need for you two here," Xu Que smiled as he turned. "Just focus on your cultivation. As for the resources here, I will purchase the territory as per the contract. Everything else is yours."
"Aren't you taking any resources or equipment?" Han Xiaoyu asked in surprise.
Xu Que simply smiled without answering.
Before he could finish giving his instructions, distant howls from wild beasts echoed through the air.
"Alright, I'm off!" Xu Que said, his pace quickening as he dashed into the depths of the dense forest.
Seeing his incredible speed, Liang Jinyu smiled.
Although she didn't know how many secrets Xu Que was hiding, she found herself increasingly intrigued by him.
Meanwhile, Han Xiaoyu, who shared the same thoughts, wondered how she could captivate this man. To her, Xu Que was a powerful weapon.
...
Deep in the forest, Xu Que swiftly dispatched the incoming B-grade abominations.
Facing these creatures, he felt as if he were wielding a sledgehammer to swat flies.
No creature he touched could rise again.
When Xu Que reached a lakeside, he carefully surveyed the surrounding area and then expanded his perception.
"One, five, twelve!"
With a quick withdrawal of his perception, Xu Que dashed towards the twelve abominations hiding near the lake.