They were from the camp of the Fake Emperor.
Seeing Bai Zihe repel the masked man and seize the key to the Scattered Treasure Rock—the masked man's mask—and coupled with Bai Zihe and his group being utterly exhausted after the great battle, it was the perfect opportunity to strike.
Thus, they could no longer hold back and launched a fierce attack.
"Despicable!"
"Shameless!"
"Young Master, be careful!"
The experts under Bai Zihe were all in a state of panic.
The Fake Emperor was too damn ruthless!
As the Fake Emperor and Liu Wen made their move, their subordinate experts also surged forward, each finding their respective opponents to engage in battle.
In an instant, several screams echoed across the shore.
The experts on Bai Zihe's side were too depleted, no match for their adversaries.
"Swish!"
It happened in the blink of an eye.
Though Bai Zihe was at the end of his strength, he still moved his body with great perseverance, dodging a short distance at the last possible moment.
"Ching..."
A crisp sound rang in his ears.
A piercing, icy wind surged forward and then retreated.
Bai Zihe's black hair at his temples was severed by the beam of light, fluttering down.
Had he been half a second slower...
It would have been Bai Zihe's ear that was sliced off!
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
It was at this moment that Ilina, Satan, Montado, and other experts finally caught up, forming a protective circle around Bai Zihe.
"You... are too despicable!"
"So, you were plotting all along!"
"The extent of your shamelessness is truly eye-opening!"
Everyone cursed in anger.
But the Fake Emperor paid them no mind, instead, he chuckled gleefully.
"Bai Zihe."
Although the attack missed.
The Fake Emperor could see that Bai Zihe's strength was greatly diminished, and he was no match for the guardian Liu Wen.
He immediately spoke arrogantly, "Hand over the mask, and I will mercifully spare your wretched life. If not..."
"You will die, and you won't get the mask. Why bother?"
"Hahahaha..."
His arrogant demeanor infuriated Zhuge Sheng and the others.
But circumstances were against them.
Bai Zihe's strength was compromised, Zhuge Sheng was in a weakened state after using his secret technique, and the remaining experts...
There was still a significant gap between them and Liu Wen.
"Ah..."
"Ugh—"
Screams continued, and experts were being killed every moment.
"Swish!"
Just then, another beam of sword light flashed through the air.
It was Liu Wen making his move!
This Royal City guardian spoke little, but his attacks were exceptionally fierce. Had Bai Zihe not dodged quickly just now, he would have likely been slain.
And now, he unleashed his sword light again, killing without any wasted words.
"Bang..."
In a flash of lightning, Bai Zihe, having fought continuously, had no time to dodge. However, at the critical moment, he controlled a corpse puppet to shield him.
The corpse puppet was sent flying by the sword energy on the spot.
Although it was unharmed, it also sent Bai Zihe, who was behind it, flying backward.
"Puff..."
In mid-air, Bai Zihe vomited a mouthful of blood, which splattered.
It landed on the corpse puppet and was quickly absorbed, slowly disappearing.
"Not dead?"
Liu Wen's eyes narrowed slightly.
He disliked unnecessary talk.
If he could kill his opponent, he would launch a fierce attack with thunderous force, killing them swiftly to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.
He had thought...
That after the sudden sneak attack, Bai Zihe would surely die.
But he hadn't expected that Bai Zihe could still control a corpse puppet to block a fatal blow for him.
It seemed things were not as smooth as he had imagined.
"Young Master!"
"Young Master!"
"Bai Zihe!"
"Are you alright?"
Seeing this, the numerous experts abandoned their opponents.
They all retreated to Bai Zihe's side. Ilina helped him up, guarded against the Fake Emperor's faction, and glared at Liu Wen.
But at this moment, their gazes were utterly powerless.
In fact...
They seemed incredibly amusing to the Fake Emperor, Liu Wen, and the others.
It was as if...
Ants were raging at an elephant; how would the elephant care?
"Hand over the mask."
"Otherwise..."
Liu Wen's face was devoid of emotion, his voice filled with the chill of death. His icy gaze swept over Bai Zihe's experts, unreservedly revealing his killing intent.
"You can control a puppet to protect yourself, but you cannot protect everyone here."
As his words fell...
"Swish!"
"Swish, swish!"
"Swish, swish, swish!"
Brilliant sword lights appeared before him.
The sword lights were dazzling, yet like the Lycoris radiata on the road to the Yellow Springs, tragically beautiful, alluring, and filled with the aura of death.
They rippled, poised for release.
Bai Zihe's eyes twitched fiercely.
First, he was targeted by the Octopus, then he dealt with these corpse puppets, and after a fierce battle with the masked man...
His exhaustion was immense.
Indeed.
He could control corpse puppets, but this was an extremely taxing endeavor for his mental energy. Otherwise, during the struggle for control of the corpse puppets, he wouldn't have needed everyone's protection.
Just as Liu Wen said.
He could protect himself for a while, but not more people.
Gritting his teeth, Bai Zihe slowly extended the hand holding the mask, preparing to compromise.
"Impossible!"
"Lord Bai, this item was obtained through our hardship, we cannot easily... Ah—"
A subordinate expert under Satan, seeing Bai Zihe about to hand over the mask, couldn't help but blurt out a warning.
But before he could finish speaking...
A chilling sword energy suddenly pierced his throat.
"Noisy."
The Sword Saint Liu Wen snorted coldly, a smile of death playing on his lips.
"Damn you!"
"You scoundrel, truly shameless!"
"If you had the guts, why not fight me head-on? What kind of skill is it to attack someone when they're down?"
"..."
The numerous experts erupted in fury, unleashing a torrent of abuse at Liu Wen.
Bai Zihe's expression also became extremely grim.
This Royal City guardian...
His strength was immense, his methods ruthless, and he was not bound by conventions; he was indeed a formidable opponent!
"I'll give it to you!"
Bai Zihe gritted his teeth and threw the mask over.