Chapter 43: Shifting Targets

"Cup of Wine Traps the Hero" stared at the armor on his body, momentarily stunned. He clearly had not expected the armor to fail to withstand the attack, resulting in cracks appearing from the sheer force of the Slaughter Armored Knight's strike. It was a testament to just how formidable that offensive power truly was.

The other three groups were similarly repelled by their respective armored knights, each suffering a reduction in health points. This was primarily because they had not anticipated that these knights would be so terrifying.

Boom!

At this moment, Night Feather, previously shrouded in raging flames, broke free. A faint, flowing purple radiance swirled around him; evidently, he had managed to withstand the fierce fire attack, and given that his health remained at seventy percent, the flames had not inflicted any critical damage.

"These four armored knights are extremely troublesome. I was almost one-shot by the Slaughter Armored Knight just now," Night Feather said, exhaling in relief, though his heart still raced at the memory of the previous encounter.

Luo Feng, who had been pushed back by the palm wind of the War Armored Knight, steadied himself and frowned. "Indeed. In terms of level 50 to 70 content, this dungeon might rank in the top three for difficulty. Their attributes are already super-tier among leader-level bosses, comparable even to standard level 80 bosses. Both their skills and their AI have reached the peak of what we can currently handle."

"I assume this is a fixed dungeon, right? Once occupied, our faction will be able to gain access to it," Old Hu asked, having just recovered his footing after being blasted away.

"Cup of Wine Traps the Hero" shrugged helplessly and asked aloud, "So, does anyone have a good plan?"

When the eight of them retreated to the entrance of the room, the four armored knights stopped moving. Their glowing, piercing eyes suddenly dimmed, and they slowly returned to their respective corners. An identical, cold voice rang out through the entire chamber in unison:

"The throne of the Rebel King's tomb—none shall pass!"

The four knights reverted to their original state, as if they had never moved at all, appearing no different from mere statues.

Night Feather wiped the blood from his face and addressed the others. "These four are incredibly tricky, even more so than any we have faced before. One slip-up and we could be instantly killed. Their attributes are not uniform, so we can only discern their weaknesses through direct combat."

"For now, we must unleash our most powerful techniques because they possess high-level AI. The trump cards we prepared for leveling might only be useful here against these knights—they make for excellent whetstones," Night Feather said, a slight arc forming on his lips.

Indeed, in the Xuantian server, finding suitable "whetstones" was no easy task, especially for Night Feather’s group, who were ahead of the rest of the server. These four top-tier leader-level bosses were exactly the kind of challenges they craved; turning them into whetstones would lead to a qualitative leap in their own skills.

Luo Feng smiled. "Indeed. If we don't take this opportunity to hone ourselves now, we might not get another chance."

"That's true. Whetstones like these aren't found just anywhere!" "Cup of Wine Traps the Hero" nodded. He knew that the pressure exerted by these knights would lead to a significant improvement in their technical proficiency if they could survive the encounter.

Old Hu remained silent, but his greatsword began to hum with an incredibly sharp aura, as if it could cut through anything. His eyes burned with intense battle intent.

Night Feather retracted his ancient zither, and purple radiance surged around him. A faint, ink-like purple mark, shaped vaguely like a zither, began to shimmer between his brows. His entire demeanor underwent a sea change, radiating the haughty, indomitable aura of a monarch.

Except for "Cup of Wine Traps the Hero," everyone else clearly recognized this state; it was identical to the one Night Feather used when facing the "Ink Soul." The residual purple energy in the air flowed into his body, making the scene feel as vivid as the original battle. Night Feather became an invisible vortex, instantly absorbing all the purple energy lingering in the room.

"Purple Pole String Path."

This was Night Feather's strongest skill. Once activated, it granted him a suite of related abilities, and his existing skills gained a passive amplification from the "Purple Pole String Path." His mana was instantly depleted, leaving only five percent.

"Cup of Wine Traps the Hero" didn't hold back; the black flame armor on his body suddenly surged, and full-body protective gear materialized, including a helmet made of black fire that shrouded his face. The cracks in his armor vanished instantly, as if the previous attack had never happened.

Huang Hong also underwent a transformation. He swung his long spear, and a crimson radiance enveloped him. Within seconds, crimson armor clung to his body, making him look like a god of war, exuding an overbearing, peerless aura.

Luo Wei’s bronze puppets split apart, forming bronze armor that encased his body. He transformed into an armored knight, wielding a heavy axe.

Qu Zheng was shrouded in a faint silver light. The daggers in his hands formed shapes resembling feathers, suggesting he could perform ranged attacks. His attire shifted into that of a Japanese ninja, exposing half his chest, which glowed with silver, moonlit markings.

Tan Cong donned a pitch-black cloak, and his shaman staff took on a ghostly appearance. A hideous, totem-like black mist rose behind him, giving him the terrifying look of a shamanic demon.

Old Hu knelt on one knee, plunging his greatsword into the ground and gripping his shield. A burly figure appeared behind him, clad in similar armor and wielding a massive sword with majestic authority. As the figure swung its blade downward, Old Hu’s own equipment transformed, his armor shimmering like dragon scales.

Luo Feng smiled helplessly, his hands forming seals. His circular weapons hovered above his head, emitting a humming sound and shedding a faint green light. A green cloak appeared behind him, and his robes turned into a verdant garment that pulsed with the breath of life.

Night Feather’s group stepped forward once more. The four armored knights lunged, moving toward their previously chosen targets. However, the group exchanged positions, fighting in a coordinated dance. Since the knights possessed high-level AI, the group had to rely on eye contact to communicate tactics.

Night Feather had already provided the strategy before they entered: if anyone discovered a weakness while fighting a specific knight, they were to call it out so that the others could capitalize on it. Only through this method could they hope to defeat them.

Night Feather, now significantly stronger, moved toward the Doom Armored Knight. He swung his three-foot purple blade, unleashing a sword aura that caught the knight off guard.

"Heh, your opponent is me now," Night Feather and "Cup of Wine Traps the Hero" stood side-by-side. "Let's see what you've got."

The Doom Armored Knight let out a roar and charged, its greatsword sweeping horizontally while its left hand unleashed a palm strike of concentrated air.

"Fast indeed!" Night Feather noted. It was clear that the Doom Armored Knight likely possessed the highest agility of the four, while the War Armored Knight faced by Huang Hong was likely the slowest.

"But this one doesn't seem to have the ability to take flight like we do," "Cup of Wine Traps the Hero" remarked.

As they dodged, Night Feather and his companion lured the knight into a pursuit. When the knight fired sword beams, Night Feather deflected them with his blade. "Cup of Wine Traps the Hero" followed up by launching a sea of black flames. The Doom Armored Knight blocked the flames with its own sword aura, shielding its body.

Suddenly, the knight flashed forward, instantly closing the distance. Night Feather remained calm, and "Cup of Wine Traps the Hero" instinctively shielded them with a barrier of black flame. Night Feather flicked his finger, firing a purple cyclone that struck the knight's chest, creating an opening in the flames.

"Purple Pole String Path: Purple Pole Zither Sound Blade!"

A dazzling beam of purple light struck the knight, forcing it back. As it landed, a rain of purple light-swords descended from the sky, bombarding the knight and leaving its body covered in wounds.

By switching their focus to the Doom Armored Knight, they had exploited its weaknesses. With the synergy of their combined efforts and the "Purple Pole String Path" debuff, they inflicted thirty percent more damage, quickly reducing the knight's health to sixty percent.

"Purple Pole String Path: Seven Swords Sever Heaven and Earth!"

Night Feather unleashed his key skill. Seven purple blades appeared behind him and shot toward the knight, crisscrossing and piercing its body repeatedly.

"Shaman King, it’s your turn!"