At this moment, the haze faded somewhat, and the team of three slowly walked nearer, revealing their true features.

　　They were actually three Chinese. But something was strange. They weren’t walking in a formation, and wounds could be seen all over their bodies, with fatigue on their faces. The smell of blood from their bodies implied that they had just gone through a bitter fight.

　　However, they didn’t dare to pause for rest. They increased their speed as though some dangerous wild beasts were chasing them from the back.

　　“Quickly. Or that Japanese team will catch up to us soon!”

　　“That bunch of bastards! They are truly venomous. After destroying three other teams, even two of our brothers are killed by them!”

　　…

　　They were fearful and angry. Their faces had a look of humiliation and hatred, yet they were helpless to do anything.

　　“Two of them have vitality stats around 300+ and one of them around 500+. Their combat prowess isn’t strong, do you want to act?” Aris sensed their auras as battle intent radiated from her.

　　“No rush.” Feng Lin stared at the wounds of these people. His eyes flashed as he contemplated.

　　“Why?” Aris was reluctant to give up these three pieces of fatty meat that was already in her mouth.

　　Feng Lin calmly spoke, “These three are clearly in a plight with no way out; they don’t have any valuable items on them and their spiritual qi equipment should be all damaged, not worth much at all. It isn’t worth it for us to waste this ambush on them and reveal ourselves. From what they said, there’s still a team chasing after them, and that team—the Japanese team—must have already robbed them earlier. The number of treasures that they have would surely be considerable. If we revealed ourselves and the japanese team spotted us, wouldn’t this ambush be a waste?”

　　His eyes gleamed with sharpness.

　　“That japanese team must be pretty strong, most probably it wouldn’t be easy for us to deal with them,” said Yana.

　　“Let’s watch and see for now,” replied Feng Lin, not in a rush at all. “If things cannot go according to our plan, we will leave first. There’s no need for a head-on clash. Just like what you say, survival is the key to everything in this exam. We must prioritize our survival.”

　　If they were speaking of intelligence, he admitted that he wasn’t a match for Yana. However, he was decisive and had good judgment. Now that this involved himself, how could he not see things clearly?

　　The other four nodded and continued to stay hidden.

　　The crippled three-men team hurriedly fled into the swamp with anxiousness on their faces. They weren’t willing to waste time by slowing down at all. They even had no idea if they would be lucky enough to survive this calamity or not.

　　Feng Lin’s team watched them leave. They were like experienced hunters that knew when to let the smaller prey go. They had their sights on the bigger prey.

　　Swish, swish, swish~

　　Soon after, five figures appeared. Some of the haze was blown away by the speed of their arrival.

　　Feng Lin’s spirit force gushed over as the five figures appeared in his perception. Two of them were ninjas clad in black and had their faces hidden. There were two samurai with katana strapped to their waists, and a lanky man that was clad in divine robes and had a crown on his head. Clearly, this man was the leader of this team.

　　Their cultivation bases were all different according to the auras he felt.

　　The two ninjas had vitality stats around 500, the two samurai had vitality stats around 600, while the leader had vitality stat far surpassing 700.

　　Although that leader, an Onmyoji, had a weak-looking body, his aura was the most terrifying. It was gloomy and ice-like yet as heavy as a mountain. When he exerted his aura, people would feel the heavy pressure bore down on them.

　　Even Feng Lin was no exception. Such an aura indicated that this Onmyoji vitality’s stats should have at least surpassed 900. He was only one step away from becoming a grand cultivator.

　　“This Onmyoji should be the strongest person from this team. His combat prowess is exceedingly high, and his vitality stat surpassed all of us. If we don’t have a way to deal with him, it’s gonna be very tough for us to win against this team,” said Yana.

　　“We can only use the strategy of Tianji Horse Racing!” said Feng Lin coldly. “Use the weakest among us to fight against their strongest, while the other four of us will decimate the rest of their team quickly. After that, we will join forces to obtain victory. The key thing is, who should we send?”

　　He gazed around.

　　“Let me do it.” Su Li suddenly spoke. His expression couldn’t be seen under the mask, but his eyes shone with a cold light. “From the words of the elders of my tribe, I heard that the Onmyojis are all capable of controlling ghosts and demons. I want to test his technique out.”

　　He took the initiative to volunteer.

　　Feng Lin and the others didn’t reject it.

　　Although each of their vitality stats couldn’t be considered very high, the paths they were on were all unique ones. Everyone was very confident in themselves.

　　Since Su Li made his decision, if they tried to stop him, that would only be a humiliation to Su Li.

　　The ninja at the lead walked toward the Cloudsmoke Swamp’s entrance. He sniffed the air before speaking in a heavy voice, “Hmmph, they have entered the swamp! Abe-kun, we have to increase our speed. If not, the haze will definitely obstruct our Windchase Technique. By then, we won’t be able to catch up to those three little mice.”

　　“Right. Koshiro Hattori, you should continue chasing them.” The Onmyoji’s eyes flashed with imperviousness as he commanded.

　　“Hai!” That ninja respectfully spoke. He traced the bloody smell in the air as his expression turned malevolent. He then shot forward with his arms trailing at his sides, transforming into shadows as that shot off in pursuit.

　　Sou, sou, sou~

　　Sonic booms could be heard.

　　Ten thousand arrows shot out in unison like how a peacock would spread its wings, filling the sky with their shadows.

　　Yi initiated an attack. The one who attacked first would usually enjoy an advantage.

　　However, the combat strength of these Japanese wasn’t weak. They weren’t ordinary characters either and instantly reacted to it.

　　“What?” They were truly experienced and their reaction speed was extremely fast.

　　The ninja that stood at the front, Koshiro Hattori, formed seal gestures and pressed his palms down on the ground.

　　Earth Element – Earthen Wall.

　　The surface of the earth cracked open as a huge amount of mud rose, forming a layer of earthen wall that protected the five of them.

　　Pu, pu, pu.

　　The sharp arrows contained a spinning force and were like nails being drilled into the earthen wall, penetrating through it. The impact caused clouds of dust to rise.

　　The barrage of ten thousand arrows wasn’t something a single wall could block.

　　Earth Element: Three-layered Earthen Wall!

　　Koshiro Hattori formed seals again, and a three-layer wall manifested. The toughness of these walls was akin to steel, and only then did his technique manage to block the power of the arrows. However, the wall now had many arrows stuck to it and looked like a hedgehog.

　　“Damn, who the hell are you guys? How dare you ambush the noble Yamato Nation!” Another ninja spoke in rage. He formed hand seals and a ghostly sinister air erupted from him.

　　“Ghost Element – Earthbound Spirit!”

　　Wail~

　　The sound of ghosts wailing rang out. It was incomparably mournful.

　　A ghost head as large as a house appeared. The ghost had a malevolent expression that was also filled with agony. Its mouth was like a blackhole, and the skeletons in it danced wildly in the air, leaping from the mouth to the ground.

　　Feng Lin’s team was directly forced out of invisibility.

　　“Hmmph, despicable bastards. How dare you ambush us? You all must be courting death!” roared the ninja.

　　One of the samurai that wore wooden clogs stomped down heavily on the ground as he leaped into the air. Each of his hand wielded a saber, resembling wings.

　　“Flying Twin Saber Technique!”

　　A cold burst of light flashed, slicing through the air.

　　Swish~

　　The saber force fiercely gushed out, wanting to instantly dice Feng Lin’s team into a thousand pieces.

　　BOOM!

　　Black qi gathered.

　　A giant rose from the bottom of the earth, clad in solid armor, protecting Feng Lin’s team within its palm from the saber light.

　　Another black shadow with two sabers leaped into the air. The samurai had a ruthless look on his face as he cleaved down with all his might.

　　“Ghost Wheel One Saber Flash!”

　　Black saber light gleamed with sharpness, capable of splitting everything and actually left behind a clear scar on the body of the battle statue.

　　The samurai’s form flickered in and out of existence; this movement technique was extremely bizarre. He slashed out in all directions with his saber, wanting to tear the battle statue into shreds.

　　Dang!

　　All of a sudden, a figure with a metal cudgel leaped out, rushing toward the samurai.

　　Sparks flew around wildly.

　　The metal cudgel contained an exceptional force within, and the exchange of every blow caused the samurai to retreat with trembling arms.

　　In just an instant, Feng Lin dominated his opponent.

　　Ka, ka, ka!

　　At the same time, the summoned skeletons chomped down on the battle statue.

　　The ninja controlled the Earthbound Spirit to attack as well. Its mouth that was like a blackhole kept chomping down as it sought to devour everything.

　　Soul Extermination Golden Chain!

　　Yana suddenly acted. She was clad in golden armor and was like a goddess that had descended into the mortal world. Her scepter pointed out and a formless wave of mental energy coalesced into golden light of chains that intertwined in the air, forming a heavy net that bounded the Earthbound Spirit.

　　In an instant, Feng Lin and his team members went all out, fighting against the Japanese team.

　　The Onmyoji who was wearing a crown suddenly opened his eyes. They shone with cold-blooded intention and maliciousness.

　　Ten Ghosts Formation!

　　He flicked his sleeve and ten evil ghosts appeared. Ghosts with long tongues hanging out, ghosts with green face and fangs, ghosts who bled from seven apertures, etc.

　　In the middle of the day, ghost qi ran rampant, causing the atmosphere to become extremely eerie.

　　The ten ghosts spread out, rushing toward Feng Lin and his other members.

　　“Your opponent is me!” A figure flashed, lunging forth and scratching out with his extremely sharp claws.

　　Su Li transformed into a fox demon, tearing two of the ghosts apart.

　　“Demonfire Ten-layered Wave!”

　　Three demonic tails appeared behind him. Waves of black demonfire erupted forth again and again, burning the ghosts into ashes.

　　Those evil ghosts screamed in pain before disintegrating completely.

　　“Who are you?” the Onmyji spoke in a heavy voice. He still assumed a lofty attitude and coldly glanced over.

　　The eyes revealed from Su Li’s mask flashed with coldness. “The small country of Japan loves to boast a lot. I heard that Onmyojis are all proficient in controlling ghosts and demons, using them as slaves. I want to seek some guidance from you today.”

　　“Three-tails loop!”

　　Lightning flashed, ice frozen, demonfire burned…

　　Three different elements revolved in a loop, blasting toward the Onmyoji.

　　“The Nine-tailed Fox Mythological Path?” The Onmyoji was startled.

　　The Japanese had always been very prudent in preserving legends. In any case, there were also myths about a nine-tailed fox in Japanese mythology although it was known as the kyuubi-no-kitsune.

　　Upon seeing the strange appearance of Su Li, the Onmyoji’s eyes flashed with greed. It was like he had just seen a priceless treasure and wanted nothing more than to take it for himself.

　　Cultivators on the nine-tailed fox mythology path was a rarity. If he could obtain the soul of this man, he would be able to refine a nine-tailed fox shikigami.

　　Su Li’s eyes grew colder when he noticed his gaze.

　　“Courting death!” His body shot through the air as he grabbed toward the Onmyoji’s throat.

　　“Hehe.” The Onmyoji let out a sinister laugh. His hands folded seals. “You can kill ten ghosts, but can you kill a hundred? Night of the Hundred Ghosts!”

　　Sinister black qi gushed forth, forming a black screen that enveloped the sky.

　　Hua, hua, hua~

　　The earth split open and countless evil ghosts crawled out. Wood ghosts, mountain children, scarlet tongues…malevolent ghosts gushed out like the tides, wanting to drown Su Li within.

　　….

　　Saber light flashed coldly.

　　The samurai transformed into an asura yaksha. He wielded his katana and traced the shape of a crescent moon, radiating cold killing intent.

　　Feng Lin’s metal cudgel swung out with brute strength. His moves were extremely simple, but they exuded the pressure of mountains, immovable.

　　Using brute strength to break all techniques!

　　No matter how sharp the saber light was, under the powerful cudgel, the saber light was forced to dissipate into saber qi. When the saber qi brushed across Feng Lin’s tough body, sparks flew out but it caused no injuries.

　　Bang, bang, bang!

　　The cudgel waved about rapidly, smashing down again and again, causing the samurai to be heavily injured and forcing him back in retreat.

　　For a time, Feng Lin occupied the complete advantage. It was only a matter of time before he emerged victorious.

　　However, this was not enough!

　　Demons and devils were dancing in riotous revelry. The aftershocks of their fight devastated surroundings.

　　….

　　Su Li’s three tails continued moving, protecting himself. He was surrounded by a hundred ghosts and he could barely defend his life. It was too difficult to gain victory.

　　The three-tailed loop continued blasting out, destroying the ghosts, but there were simply too many of them. The area around him now was like hell in the mortal world.

　　Su Li continued killing those ghosts; however, his efforts were like throwing a cup of water on a burning cart of firewood. It was completely inadequate. He had no way to break out from the siege.

　　Feng Lin gazed over and his heart fell.

　　Right now, Su Li could only achieve the three-tails transformation. He had yet to understand the true essence of the Nine-tailed Fox Mythological Path.

　　Considering their techniques, his mythological path wouldn’t lose out to Onmyojis. Sadly, the difference in vitality stats between him and his opponent was simply too great.

　　The ghosts danced wildly, intending on slaughtering Su Li. They then slowly moved toward the main battlefield. Everything was in chaos.

　　Now that those ninjas and samurais had received the aid from the Onmyoji guy, they fought increasingly ferociously.

　　Feng Lin and the three others were gradually being suppressed.

　　“Hahaha, these damnable bastards. Now that Onmyoji-sama has personally acted, you guys won’t have any chance of victory at all. Just obediently prepare to die!” The samurai fighting Feng Lin laughed. His katana continuously slashed out, aiming for Feng Lin’s vitals as his killing intent erupted.

　　Feng Lin completely ignored him.

　　This sort of person who could only depend on others was nothing but trash in his eyes.

　　However…

　　Things can’t continue on!

　　Feng Lin knew that they had to stop the Onmyoji no matter what. If not, if the Onmyoji displayed the full extent of his abilities, although Feng Lin could escape, his other team members would surely be in danger.

　　“SCRAM!” He roared. His cudgel smashed toward the katana of the samurai, knocking it aside as he rushed the Onmyoji.

　　“Don’t even think about it!” the samurai roared.

　　“Wind-defying One Saber Slash!”

　　He roared and rushed over, slashing his katana from top to bottom to open up a path. After that, he pierced his katana out, wanting to pierce through Feng Lin.

　　The katana was only an inch away from Feng Lin; the samurai could already see Feng Lin being impaled by it.

　　But at the next moment, a face with a smile that wasn’t a smile appeared before the samurai.

　　“Damn, I got tricked!” The samurai felt terror in his heart and hurriedly retreated.

　　However, a hand shot out, ignoring everything as it grabbed the edge of the katana directly. Blood flowed from Feng Lin’s palm, but he ignored the injury.

　　At the next moment, his other fist slammed out like a heavy hammer, shining with a jade-like luster.

　　A miserable scream echoed out in the air.

　　Pu!

　　Yellowish-white brain spilled onto the ground.

　　The samurai’s head exploded and his body fell onto the ground.

　　Feng Lin intentionally leaked a flaw and killed this samurai in a single move. His body was drenched in the blood of the samurai, and his expression was extremely ruthless.

　　The eyes of the other four members of the Japanese team narrowed. Shock appeared in their hearts.

　　Shriek!

　　At this moment, an intense explosion rang out, breaking the silence.

　　The people of the two teams instinctively stared upward, only to see a giant airship arcing through the air like a northern goshawk. It tossed out a container that glimmered with a red light.

　　The airdrop containing supplies from the Cultivation Association had finally arrived!

　　–

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　　Note:

　　Tianji Horse Racing

Tian Ji’s Horse Racing Strategy – An Ancient Chinese Story based on Game Theory