Chapter 20: The Leap of Faith

The journey was fraught with minor scares yet remained largely uneventful; we never encountered the legendary high-level monsters until we reached the mountain peak.

It seemed as if all life on the mountain had been swept away by some irresistible force, leaving only Yingning and me, sprinting frantically, and the pursuing player squad hot on our heels.

The mountaintop was a clean, smooth platform, with bare rocks exposed, devoid of trees or weeds, merely a desolate expanse.

I whispered a few words to Yingning, and her eyes immediately widened, gazing at me with disbelief.

“You’re insane! No! This is suicide! Absolutely not… With the terrain on our side, we still have a fighting chance, but doing that would be pure folly, a needless sacrifice!”

Offering no explanation, I simply fixed my gaze upon her.

“Master, do you trust me?”

“I do, but…” Yingning’s eyes reddened with urgency, her warrior persona from moments before crumbling once more, revealing the vulnerable, girlish demeanor I knew so well.

“If you trust me, then please do as I say. Since death is inevitable either way, wouldn’t it be better to trust my judgment?”

We were both locked into combat status; unless we annihilated every member of the opposing party, or they willingly disengaged, we would remain trapped.

Unable to exit combat, we couldn’t return to the city, nor could we dismiss summoned pets, effectively eliminating any chance of escape.

“Though that’s true… how could I possibly stand by and watch you die in vain!” Yingning clenched her fists tightly, her gaze burning with defiance as she looked back at our pursuers.

“You saved my life; I can’t let you do something so reckless! Something… so utterly fatal!”

“Master, please trust me.” I looked at her with unwavering conviction, though to her, my resolve likely appeared as nothing more than a desperate plea.

“No! Absolutely not!” Yingning shook her head, her refusal unequivocal.

“Master, please trust me.” I met her gaze with even greater resolve, yet this unwavering certainty seemed to melt into a tender, almost pleading request in her eyes.

“No…” Yingning’s heart softened, but she still refused.

“Master, please trust me.” I strained my eyes wide, infusing my gaze with even more determination, to the point where my eyes felt dry and strained.

Yet, to her, it seemed like a tearful, desperate entreaty.

Well, it was a fortunate accident, then.

Finally, Yingning relented.

“Sigh…” She let out a long sigh.

“There’s no time left; let’s do this!”

I casually cast a Priest’s Speed Buff on myself; while it couldn’t quite match a Warrior’s acceleration, the difference was negligible.

Immediately afterward, as our pursuers gasped in shock, Yingning and I sprinted with all our might towards the edge of the cliff!

“Oh my god, they’re insane!”

“Guild Leader! They’ve committed suicide!”

“Haha… Run, I told you to run, but in the end, won’t you just splat into a pile of flesh? What a waste of time!”

The pursuers naturally halted, standing on the cliff-top platform, pointing and jeering at us.

The mountain soared three to four hundred meters high, easily equivalent to a hundred-story building!

Its slopes were steep and sheer, with no protruding trees on the cliff face, offering absolutely no footholds.

Leaping from the cliff’s edge presented only one path: an unobstructed plummet to the abyss below!

Yujian Lin curved his lips into a cruel smile, savoring the chaotic chatter and laughter echoing through his team’s voice chat.

With a light tap of his finger, he opened the enemy communication channel.

This channel was open to both combatants: Yujian Lin’s entire pursuit team, and Yingning and me.

Even though Yujian Lin had been utterly humiliated (TL Note: The phrase ‘身无片缕’ literally means ‘without a stitch of clothing,’ often used metaphorically to imply being stripped of all dignity, power, or possessions, or being utterly exposed), a surge of immense confidence and pride now swelled within his chest.

He first disabled his team members’ speaking privileges, then began.

“Surrender now; there’s no need for us both to suffer heavy losses, especially with such a precious pet involved. We can still negotiate.”

Yingning offered no reply.

Yujian Lin scoffed, then gestured for his guild members on the cliff edge to press closer.

‘Since you refuse the toast, you’ll have to drink the forfeit!’ (TL Note: A common Chinese idiom meaning ‘If you don’t accept polite offers, you’ll face harsher consequences.’)

Just as he was about to speak, a soft, delicate voice reached his ears, causing him to momentarily freeze.

– Hello everyone, I am MC Ice Crystal Butterfly Spirit · Q · Purple Dream Snow Elegance Sorrow Snow. You can call me by my nickname, MC Mary Sue. –

Not only Yujian Lin, but everyone present was stunned into silence.

This was clearly not Yingning’s voice, and all his guild members had their speaking privileges disabled by the Guild Leader… So whose voice could it be?

The answer became blindingly obvious.

A fervent heat flared within Yujian Lin’s heart!

This was a Super-Tier Pet! A special existence about which the officials had revealed very little!

To think it could even participate in its master’s conversation!

And listening to that voice… heavens, it was practically luring every man in the world to commit sin!

The chat channel fell into a deathly silence, but it wasn’t long before the soft female voice resonated once more.

– I offer you all a song titled ‘Mountains of Corpses and Seas of Blood.’ I hope you enjoy it. –

Simultaneously, Yingning and I had already sprinted to the very edge of the cliff!

Weapon-attached skills required their names to be shouted aloud for activation.

Yingning, her voice hoarse, screamed with all her might.

“Dragon Pounce Moon!”

The single-handed sword in her grip immediately emitted a clear, sharp dragon’s roar!

Its hilt, moving from bottom to top, struck my backside with a heavy thud, following the arc of a golf swing!

Propelled by the accumulated momentum of my sprint and Yingning’s full-force knockback skill, I instantly transformed into a sharp arrow, rocketing straight off the cliff!

Above, a sky full of stars glittered.

Below, the cliff bottom promised to pulverize anyone who fell.

“My… God…”

Yujian Lin mumbled, swallowing hard.

All around, gasps of astonishment rose and fell ceaselessly.

Upon the pale, silvery moon, nine massive, slender tails slowly unfurled, seemingly extending from the moon’s very core, gradually engulfing it entirely.

It resembled a celestial dog devouring the moon (TL Note: ‘天狗蚀月’ is a Chinese myth referring to a solar or lunar eclipse), yet it was far more heart-stopping and visually striking.

Swiftly, the entire moon was consumed by the expanding form, leaving behind only a reluctant halo of light.

I crushed the pea pods I held in both hands, and the tip of my originally curled tail slowly unfurled, revealing the glowing white peas hidden within its fur.

That soft, alluring voice once again filled the ears of every person present.

As if to fulfill the promised performance, it began to speak, in a manner that was both narrative and rap-like.

“Justice Descends!”