The Strange Elder left, brimming with malice and mockery.
Everyone gritted their teeth, but could only helplessly accept reality.
This was the Bizarre Room, where anything could happen.
This time, it was something bad.
Xiao Ming was out, and the already scarce fighting strength of the Taiming Sect Members had once again been severely reduced.
The already dire situation had become even worse.
On the road ahead, even clearing the Xiao Monster Room would likely be extremely difficult.
Jiang Ke’er calmly raised her head, looking at the three rooms ahead, each glowing with light.
One Xiao Monster, two Bizarre.
“Let’s go.”
Jiang Ke’er walked toward the Bizarre Room.
“Wait!” Xuanyang shouted angrily, “Why do we have to choose such a dangerous room again? Isn’t Xiao Ming being eliminated enough for you?”
“We have to go.”
“What do you mean ‘have to’?” Xuanyang blocked the entrance to the Bizarre Room, looking at Jiang Ke’er in disbelief.
“Other teams would rather fight than choose the Bizarre Room, and there’s a reason for that. You already saw how dangerous it is… and besides, we have to go through it twice, and both times the odds of bad things happening have been increased!”
“That’s actually a good thing,” Jiang Ke’er replied.
“A good thing? Losing fighting power and you say it’s a good thing? I can’t understand your logic!”
“Ah…” For an instant, Jiang Ke’er hesitated, but she steeled herself and said, “Sorry, I can’t explain.”
“You have to explain.”
“I won’t explain. Anyway, you don’t have any other choice now. You can only choose to trust me.” Jiang Ke’er smiled, “Come on, let’s not waste any more time. After all, it’s not like you have another option, right?”
Xuanyang angrily punched the wall, but in the end could only step aside.
So, Jiang Ke’er and the others once again entered the Bizarre Room.
The first Bizarre.
“Do you have money? If you do, this will be a pretty good trip,” the Strange Elder cackled, waving his hand.
The scene shifted, and Jiang Ke’er and the others found themselves in a splendid, lavishly decorated room.
The golden glow of countless treasures made it clear—this was the Shop Room.
She quickly took out the Compass and checked: Shen Position, 12th floor.
This wasn’t just a Shop Room; it was the Public Shop Room.
Because the Heaven’s Gate Team’s Knife was already at their throats.
“You lot are pretty good at snatching things, aren’t you?”
The Captain of Heaven’s Gate Team sneered, clearly still holding a grudge for being beaten up and robbed of the Token Room by the Taiming Sect Members on the first floor.
Jiang Ke’er assessed the situation and noticed that, just like the Taiming Sect, Heaven’s Gate Team was down to four members as well—it seemed they had lost someone too.
“Senior Brother Zhuo Feng, why don’t we just kill them?” one of the Heaven’s Gate Team members asked.
Cold sweat broke out down the backs of the Taiming Sect Members—right now, the Heaven’s Gate Team truly had the power to wipe them out in an instant; their speed was terrifying!
The very moment they were teleported into the Shop Room, before they could even figure out what was happening, a sword was already at their throats.
Looking more closely, it was obvious: the current Heaven’s Gate Team was like monsters!
They wielded Grade Six Artifact Swords, their muscles bulging with destructive strength, their feet clad in Boots with Runes, and every finger was adorned with a Ring… it was as if the Bloodpill Ancestor from the Trial Tower had appeared! Their gear was so luxurious it could scare anyone to death!
This was the power of the Shop Membership Card: the further you went, the stronger it became, and by now, they had stacked who knows how many Artifact Buffs.
But then, why didn’t they just kill them?
“I still don’t feel it’s safe,” said the Captain of Heaven’s Gate Team, Zhuo Feng.
“If I remember right, there are two strong ones in Taiming Sect… one girl, and a young man called Xuanyang.”
As Zhuo Feng spoke, he took out a Switch Team Ring from his sleeve.
“This is a Switch Team Ring. We’re just short of one member here,” Zhuo Feng looked at Qian Yue.
“How about you join? Rather than staying in that trash Taiming Sect and eating dirt, why not join us and claim the ultimate reward together… With your help, we’ll have a real chance of beating the Fireblade Squad.”
“No, thanks.” Qian Yue glanced at Jiang Ke’er and shook her head firmly.
“That’s a real pity. An enemy like you can’t become a teammate, so that means…” Zhuo Feng’s expression was cold as he raised his sword.
“Wait!” Xuanyang spoke up, lifting his head to look at Zhuo Feng. “Take me.”
“You’re quite proactive.” The entire Heaven’s Gate Team burst into laughter, and Zhuo Feng handed over the Ring.
“Very good. Those who know when to bend are true heroes. Welcome to my team, but…”
Zhuo Feng’s sword pressed against Qian Yue’s neck again, sliding lightly along her skin.
“Don’t kill her, or I’ll have trouble explaining to the Sect Leader when we get back,” Xuanyang said anxiously.
“Besides, you don’t need to worry! They got here through the Bizarre Room, so they’re only just reaching the eighth floor. They pose absolutely no threat to Heaven’s Gate Team!”
Zhuo Feng withdrew his sword.
Not because Xuanyang’s words moved him, but because it was obvious the Taiming Sect Members hadn’t acquired any power-up items—no threat at all even if they met again later.
Besides, they did need Xuanyang’s strength, hoping he would serve as a reliable fighter; he didn’t want any friction over such a minor issue.
So, letting Qian Yue and Jiang Ke’er go was more beneficial than harmful.
“Senior Brother Xuanyang…” Xiao Ri stared at Xuanyang in disbelief.
“If you leave, what are we supposed to do?”
Xuanyang’s fighting strength was beyond doubt; it was thanks to him they had quickly cleared several Xiao Monster checkpoints.
Without him, Xiao Ri believed the Taiming Sect Team wouldn’t be able to continue any longer.
“Sorry, but it’s better for one person to get the Secret Realm Reward than for everyone to perish.” Xuanyang turned his back decisively and put on the Ring.
The moment he put on the Ring, his muscles bulged, Boots with Runes appeared on his feet, and his aura skyrocketed.
In an instant, he gained all of Heaven’s Gate Team’s buffs, and had become someone the Taiming Sect could only look up to.
“Jingle jingle—”
Five Shop Tokens dropped in front of the Taiming Sect Team.
This was the compensation from the Switch Team Ring; as Xuanyang’s departure compensation, the Taiming Sect Team received five Shop Tokens.
“Let’s go, make haste,” Zhuo Feng urged, leading his team out of the Shop Room toward the thirteenth floor.
Xiao Ri wiped the corner of his eyes.
Jiang Ke’er, however, calmly picked up the tokens and began browsing the shop’s wares.
“Senior Brother Xuanyang…” Xiao Ri still couldn’t accept reality, feeling a sudden, crushing despair as if all hope had been lost.
“We don’t have much time,” Jiang Ke’er interrupted.
“No time for tears, come help me look for something.”
“Do we still have a chance? They’re already on the thirteenth floor!” Xiao Ri covered his face.
“Little Junior Sister, I’m falling apart, I don’t want to keep fighting.”
“We still have a chance.”
“What kind of chance? Just explain it already!” Even usually cheerful Xiao Ri was angry now.
“If you explained, maybe Senior Brother Xuanyang wouldn’t have left! He definitely left because you made him angry!”
“I can’t explain,” Jiang Ke’er’s gaze never left the stalls.
“Otherwise, what if you decide to leave too?”
“Why would I leave! Are you doubting my character now?”
Xiao Ri was furious, but suddenly froze, mouth agape, staring at Jiang Ke’er.
“You… guessed Senior Brother Xuanyang would leave?”