Chu Sheng Beast

"Golden armor? Golden blade??"

Zhou Yue pointed at Taoist Wanzi, sucking in a cold breath.

"Bro, did you loot a red supply pile or something?"

"What red one? Aren't there only blue supply piles in this illusion realm?"

Taoist Wanzi looked equally baffled.

Just like the map, the drop rates of supply piles had been partially modified by Lu Ze in this terrain.

Whether it was the spawn locations or the item drop chances, randomness played a huge role.

"Fine, consider this me going easy on you… wouldn’t want to be accused of bullying a junior!"

Zhou Yue drew his white longsword, his gaze resolute.

His skills were indeed a cut above Taoist Wanzi’s by more than a small margin.

After a few fierce exchanges, he had somehow managed to whittle down a full third of the opponent’s armor bar!

"Seriously, bro… are you mocking me?"

Taoist Wanzi’s face flushed red with anger.

Losing in blade clashes was one thing, but the way Zhou Yue seemed to be holding back, barely scratching his health, felt downright insulting.

It was like he was being used as a training dummy.

"You’re the one mocking me!!!"

Zhou Yue’s face darkened with fury.

His white sword was practically chipped to hell, and this guy had the nerve to complain about losing just a sliver of armor??

That broadsword of his was ridiculously overpowered.

Every time they clashed, Zhou Yue’s strikes were mysteriously parried. If not for his nimble footwork allowing him to dodge in time, he’d have long been shredded by the golden gale-force winds.

The longsword’s charged attack released sword energy.

Zhou Yue, quick to adapt, immediately shifted tactics, creating distance and pelting his opponent with ranged slashes.

The good news? He was unharmed—Taoist Wanzi couldn’t land a hit.

The bad news? Neither was Taoist Wanzi.

This damn white sword was basically giving that golden armor a light massage!!

Add to that the earlier deflections, and his white sword was now on its last legs…

Every swing came with a clunk of warning.

"Hey, buddy… mind if I sharpen my sword right in front of you?"

"Take a guess!"

……

One swing from Taoist Wanzi later, Zhou Yue was humbled.

Not only was his armor shattered, but his health bar was nearly wiped out in one hit.

Thankfully, Zhou Yue’s agility saved him. He backpedaled frantically, retreating all the way out of the courtyard.

"Prepare to die!"

Taoist Wanzi grew more confident with each strike.

Zhou Yue, however, smirked.

He had lured his opponent here for a reason—Zhong Yi and Mu Yawen were nearby!

With weapons in hand, he refused to believe they could lose a three-on-one.

"Hmph… don’t get cocky, friend. You might not know this, but I still have—"

Before Zhou Yue could finish, desperate cries echoed through the party chat.

Zhong Yi: "Old Zhou, save me, save me!"

Mu Yawen: "Senior Zhou, save me, save me!"

Zhou Yue: "…"

……

……

One minute later.

Now in spirit form, the trio stared blankly at their opponent’s soul cairn.

Each had met their end in different ways.

Mu Yawen, already critically low on health, had been ganged up on and finished off.

Zhou Yue had fallen victim to sheer misfortune—white sword versus golden blade.

As for Zhong Yi? Pure skill issue. Wielding a purple spear, he’d been skewered by a blue katana…

"According to the guide, we need to find that… Soul Return Altar thing?"

Eyeing the system prompt before him, Zhong Yi immediately scanned their surroundings.

In their vision, several lotus symbols materialized.

The system explained that deaths occurring before a fixed time allowed one chance at revival.

All they had to do was reach a Soul Return Altar to respawn with a set of basic gear.

"The nearest altar… is packed!"

Zhong Yi looked up at the covered bridge spanning the river valley.

The lotus markers pointed there as the closest revival point.

But the place was swarming with figures, blades flashing and energy erupting—a full-on free-for-all.

"Let’s play it safe and pick another spot."

After some deliberation, Zhong Yi made his call.

He turned and sprinted toward Tianren City’s outskirts.

Behind a terraced hillside, another Soul Return Altar stood.

"Good call… regroup, then fight our way back!"

Zhou Yue wholeheartedly agreed.

Basic gear meant white weapons and armor.

He’d already learned the hard way how useless those were against higher-tier equipment.

"We have to take Tianren City!!"

Mu Yawen was the most fired up.

Though still figuring things out, the combat-heavy nature of this illusion realm had his blood boiling with excitement.

United in purpose, the trio bolted for the terraced altar.

Mid-sprint, they spotted a familiar face near the revival point.

Chu Feiyu—the guy who’d chased them at the start.

Now a spirit like them, he lurked by the altar, seemingly hiding from something, too afraid to respawn.

"Well, well, if it isn’t Brother Chu? How’d you end up dead so soon?"

Zhou Yue grinned, giving a mocking wave with his foot.

"You—!"

Chu Feiyu glared but bit back his words.

"You bastard! You’re the one who weakened me and got me killed… come out and fight me fair and square!"

Mu Yawen clenched his fists, fuming.

"Pfft! Who’s scared?! Just don’t gang up on me, fight me one-on-one, and I’ll smash your skulls in!!"

Chu Feiyu retorted, face red with rage.

"Alright then, let’s see what you’ve got, hotshot!"

Zhou Yue never backed down from a challenge.

He strode to the altar and resurrected on the spot.

Once revived, spirits became invisible.

So he waved at empty air. "Where you at? Come get wrecked!"

Zhong Yi and Mu Yawen soon followed suit.

But upon respawning, Zhong Yi frowned at the numerous soul cairns littering the ground. "Weird… why so many deaths here…?"

Just then, two grappling hooks shot from the purple grass behind them, snagging Zhou Yue and Mu Yawen.

Two players clad in purple armor, wielding purple-grade weapons, zipped along the ropes toward them.

"Hahaha, Old Chu’s ambush tactic works like a charm!!"

"Three more idiots delivering themselves to us!"

They cackled between themselves.

Zhong Yi instantly understood.

No wonder there were so many cairns…

Chu Feiyu had baited them here by pretending to be alone, only for his fully-geared teammates to farm easy kills!

"Damn… this is some next-level deception, straight out of Junior Lu’s playbook!!"

Even the usually naive Mu Yawen gasped at Zhong Yi’s explanation.

"Who cares? It’s just purple gear! Three versus two, we’ve got a shot!"

Zhou Yue gritted his teeth, unwilling to back down.

"Zhou’s right, we might still—"

Before Zhong Yi could finish, one of the enemies—a leather-clad fighter with torso tattoos—leapt forward, hands swirling with sand.

"Sandstorm Wrath!"

A violent tornado erupted, trapping all three of them.

"Crimson Lotus Oblivion!"

The other, a blindfolded man, summoned the phantom of Kunlun’s Dark Maiden behind him, locking them in place with violet beams.

The trio froze.

These two weren’t just packing purple gear—they had ultimate abilities ready to go!!

Zhong Yi’s lips twitched. "Mind telling us… what’s this ‘Old Chu’ guy’s full name?"

"Chu Sheng!"

"More like Chu (beast) Sheng (life)—you mean animal!!!"

[Hero tropes, weapon tropes, soul jade tropes—feel free to leave comments. Funny clichés or gameplay moves are also welcome. Crossover characters like Zhang Qiling are a no-go; this isn't the place for nostalgia.]