Guiyuan Group

"We can't just sit here and wait for death." An Changqing's eyes flashed with a hint of determination. He quietly activated the distress signal, and then his long sword erupted with dazzling golden light again. He severed the entanglement of the tentacles, and the sword light transformed into a golden torrent, thrusting straight at the core of the giant gelatinous monster.

Li Yuqing also erupted at the same time. The cyan sword light spread out like a peacock displaying its feathers, transforming into countless fine sword auras that sliced through the surrounding gelatinous waves.

Long Ao let out a furious roar. Disregarding his injuries, he gathered his last bit of strength. The crimson aura transformed into a thick beam of light, blasting towards the white-clothed man himself.

He knew that if they didn't deal with the controller, killing more monsters would be useless.

Even though he already knew he was probably no match for him, simply surrendering and calling for backup was not his style.

Facing the desperate counterattack of the three, the corners of the mouth under the White Tiger mask seemed to curl into a mocking arc.

He gently waved the white bone blade in his right hand.

There was no astonishing eruption, no flashy moves.

Just a simple wave.

A pale blade gleam, as if crossing through space, instantly appeared in front of Long Ao's crimson beam of light.

Sizzle!

The crimson beam of light, as if meeting its nemesis, was instantly torn apart by the pale bone gleam. The bone gleam continued with unabated momentum, heading straight for Long Ao's chest.

Long Ao's pupils shrank abruptly. He wanted to dodge, but his body was dragged down by the gelatinous substance, making it too late.

"Long Ao!"

Just in the nick of time.

A dark shadow moved sideways at an inconceivable speed and blocked in front of Long Ao.

It was Chen Guan!

He had somehow forcibly broken free from the restraints of those gelatinous substances. He violently swung the black iron coffin horizontally, using the thickest side of the coffin body to meet the pale bone gleam.

Clang!

Like a massive bell being struck, a deafening collision sound echoed along with blinding sparks.

The black iron coffin vibrated violently, and a shallow white mark was actually slashed onto the coffin wall by the bone gleam. Although it failed to break the defense, the terrifying impact sent the black iron coffin, along with Chen Guan and Long Ao behind it, flying backward. They crashed through a dilapidated wall in the rear, sending rubble flying.

Chen Guan spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling as if his internal organs had shifted, and his arms were so numb they had lost all sensation.

Long Ao was also knocked so hard that his blood and qi churned. But looking at Chen Guan, who was standing in front of him spitting blood, his eyes revealed a look of unbelievable shock for the first time.

This guy... actually stood in front of him and took that blow head-on?!

It wasn't necessary... He clearly still had the protective amulet his grandfather left him... They were clearly just the most ordinary of classmates...

The white-clothed man also let out a slight sound of surprise. For the first time, his gaze carried obvious interest as it landed on that pitch-black, heavy black iron coffin.

"An interesting coffin. Ten-thousand-year black iron, to think it could block my White Bone Lament." His tone remained flat. "It seems you are not an ordinary person either."

The white-clothed man waved the blade in his hand and clapped his hands. "Seeing as you can still put up a decent fight, let me introduce myself. I am White Tiger."

Chen Guan struggled to get up, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, and looked coldly at White Tiger. If the coffin hadn't been hard enough just now, he and Long Ao would probably be dead already. This enemy was too strong.

Moreover... he hadn't even used his full strength yet...

As a Summoning type, could he really only have these gelatinous substances as his summons?

Taking advantage of the moment White Tiger was distracted, An Changqing and Li Yuqing forcibly repelled the entanglement of the gelatinous monsters and regrouped with Huo Qixing, Liu Xiao, and Su Yuehe, retreating to Chen Guan and Long Ao's side.

The seven of them stood back to back, facing the slowly approaching army of gelatinous substances and the unfathomable White Tiger. Every one of them was injured, their auras sluggish.

Chen Guan gasped for breath. Suddenly, he thought of something and turned on the live comments that he had kept closed to avoid affecting his combat.

[Long Ao was getting ready to use his ultimate move, but Chen Guan took the hit for him, leaving Brother Ao completely stunned.]

[But White Tiger is too strong. If they don't summon their families, Little An and the others probably can't beat him.]

[To the person above, be confident, remove the 'probably', they just can't beat him. This White Tiger is Brother Ao's future colleague, an extraordinary twelfth tier, where one tier is a stairway to heaven. As a member of the Origin Return Group, he starts at the eleventh tier. That attack just now was probably as effortless as flicking a booger for him.]

[Crude but true. White Tiger is considered strong even within the Origin Return Group. Looking purely at the paper stats, apart from Zero Sum and Beidou, he is third. It's a pity his three teammates haven't been found yet. Vermilion Bird is the future Brother Ao, but what about Black Tortoise and Azure Dragon?]

[? Are you guys time travelers? What is the Origin Return Group?]

[To the person above, don't you read the forums? The author updates the manga version there and also reveals some world-building. The Origin Return Group is similar to the Akatsuki in Naruto.]

Forums...

Chen Guan looked at the familiar words. Previously, he had never unlocked the forum feature, since he had no need to communicate directly with the audience anyway.

Now it seemed... he couldn't afford to save it.

"Alright, kids, the game should end now."

White Tiger chuckled and twirled the knife in his hand, which was about to fall.

"I know Zero Sum!"

White Tiger's knife paused. He looked with interest at Chen Guan, who had spoken this name. Apart from their own people, no one else knew the name of their boss, Zero Sum.

It should be known that their Origin Return Group had a long history, but their lineage was broken a century ago, and they had vanished without a trace for a long time.

And the current Origin Return Group was only put together by Zero Sum. Moreover, due to the absence of the three seats of Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and Azure Dragon, they had yet to show their faces to the world again.

White smoke curled up, and White Tiger's figure disappeared into the smoke, taking those troublesome gelatinous substances away with him.

As the smoke cleared, the familiar coffin also disappeared.

...

Clang.

The coffin fell to the ground.

Along with it was Chen Guan.

"I have already introduced myself. I am White Tiger. Based on the principle of reciprocity, what is your name?"

White Tiger sat with his legs crossed on the main seat in the center, looking at Chen Guan with interest.

He actually hadn't planned on killing An Changqing and the others; he just wanted to tease the kids and see the strength of the younger generation. He was just a nobody, but An Changqing and these people were not. He recognized them at first glance.

He was genuinely afraid that these people would call their elders, in which case the loss would outweigh the gain, making things worse for the already understaffed Origin Return Group.

"My name is Chen Guan. Chen as in old, Guan as in coffin."

Chen Guan sat on the coffin, trying his best to look at White Tiger at eye level.

"Chen Guan... quite fitting." White Tiger seemed to laugh. "So fitting that... it sounds like a fake name."

Soon, he restrained that momentary smile. "Alright, time to ask my real question. Why do you know the name Zero Sum?"

Chen Guan looked at him calmly. "Can I ask a question first?"

"Go ahead, but I'll answer depending on my mood."

White Tiger didn't seem to be a very serious person, but rather had a bit of a twisted sense of humor. He looked to be in his thirties.

"Is the Origin Return Group short on people?"

White Tiger was taken aback for a moment. He hadn't expected Chen Guan to ask such a question, much less accurately pinpoint the name of the Guiyuan Group.

However, it wasn't a question he couldn't answer. White Tiger's curiosity was growing by the second. He smiled and replied, "We are."

"But we don't need a weakling like you."