World’s End: My Keyword is One More Than Others

Chapter 370: Who restrains whom?

Inside Wei Jiuchou's central tent, seven people were seated.

They varied in age, gender, height, and build. Apart from them, there were no other deputies present.

"Brother Wei, Pei Ma'er should be in Linyang," a gaunt, fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy lazily reclined in his chair, said. "He might be planning to ambush us!"

"I'm not afraid of him coming; I'm afraid he won't come," a middle-aged woman in her thirties, dressed in red with most of her cleavage exposed and her legs bare, covered her mouth and giggled. "Brother Wei's keyword is 'Order,' the ultimate nemesis of chaos. Whether it's Xiang Li, Ge Zong, or Pei Ma'er, they all fall one by one."

"Pei Ma'er is second, Leng Shi is first. The real tough ones are Leng Shi and Yunyao. Up to now, we still don't know what Leng Shi's keyword is, and Yunyao's destructive power is unexpectedly high."

A middle-aged man with a mustache, holding a young woman in his arms, shamelessly slid his hand up and down her skirt in front of everyone.

The woman showed a pained expression, trying her best to restrain herself from making a sound.

"No matter how powerful Yunyao is, she's no match for Brother Wei's Dance of Order," the gaunt boy yawned. "Qu Liandong was so formidable, but once Brother Wei controlled him, he was at our mercy."

"Anyone who thinks Leng Shi is a pushover after holding the top spot for so many days is truly foolish," Wei Jiuchou said, a flickering flame hovering in his palm as he surveyed the group. "Ignore Pei Ma'er. Stick to the original plan and attack Leng Shi's territory from behind.

No matter what Leng Shi's keyword is, it must be tied to the kingdom he's built. So far, he's been focused on helping Luo Shuang restore her kingdom. If we shrink his territory and disrupt his restoration efforts, his attributes will definitely drop.

As long as the Chu army doesn't retreat, there will come a day when we can flank them. Either Du Ge fights them first, or we do. Whether he defeats Chu or is defeated by Chu, in the end, whoever faces us head-on will surely lose..."

...

Two days later.

Du Ge, the imperial teacher, Cao Lin, Gao Ming, Xiang Li, Ge Zong, Wu Chang, and several martial grandmasters arrived at Dongling Pass.

Luo Shuang was also brought along by Du Ge.

Even though loyalty skills were maxed out.

This time, with all the experts mobilized, Du Ge still had to ensure Luo Shuang wasn't assassinated.

Better safe than sorry.

A newly crowned emperor being assassinated within days would severely damage everyone's morale.

Du Ge couldn't allow that to happen.

In these two days, Pei Ma'er had struck three more cities, causing chaos and plague just like in Linyang.

But unlike Linyang.

Because of the warnings from the Linyang Daily, many people were evacuated in advance, resulting in fewer casualties. Even when someone set fires, a timely rain extinguished them.

The plague came quickly and left just as fast. Many who were infected and awaiting death recovered miraculously the next day, becoming lively again.

"The plague didn't work either!" Gao Ming was excited upon hearing the latest intel. "In just two days, the disease cured itself. Du Ge, your zodiac fortune-telling is amazing; no keyword can stop it!"

"The plague was already spreading; changing the fortune wouldn't cure it so quickly. People at Dongling Pass are still sick!" Du Ge said. "Someone must be helping us in secret."

"Our people?" Gao Ming raised an eyebrow.

"Nine out of ten," Du Ge said. "It's been so many days; we should have new recruits by now. Old Gao, gather the garrison, raise our flags, and prepare to face Wei Jiuchou. Let's see if we can attract a few more of our people..."

That day.

Dongling Pass raised Luo Shuang's royal flag, Du Ge's Heavenly Assistant Star flag, the imperial teacher's Heavenly Assistant Star flag... and an even larger flag surpassing the royal flag, inscribed with five words: "Celestial King Overpowers All."

Bold and eye-catching.

...

Not long after the flags were raised at Dongling Pass.

A green figure darted into Wei Jiuchou's central tent like a flash of lightning.

The green figure stopped abruptly, transforming into a young man in his twenties.

The young man looked excited. "Brother Wei, Leng Shi suddenly appeared at Dongling Pass, without any troops."

"Really?" Wei Jiuchou stood up abruptly.

"I saw it with my own eyes," the young man said. "And when I was spying on him, he seemed to notice me, but he didn't chase me, probably because he couldn't catch up."

"Dongling Pass was disrupted by Pei Ma'er; there shouldn't be many soldiers left," the seductive middle-aged woman said, her eyes lighting up.

"Wei Tingjiang originally had eighty thousand soldiers. After Pei Maer's chaos, at least a third were killed or injured. Then came the plague, so there shouldn't be many left to fight," the young man said.

"Brother Wei, Leng Shi is underestimating us!" The gaunt boy yawned again, his sleepy eyes half-closed. "Coming without troops, does he think he has us in the bag?"

"Leng Shi is more clear-headed than anyone," Wei Jiuchou glanced at him. "Pei Ma'er is nearby. Bringing troops would just give Pei Ma'er an opportunity. It's better to come alone. As long as Ge Zong's skills are in play, Leng Shi can take us down one by one. Whether he brings troops or not makes little difference. He doesn't need to seize territory; he might even plan to consume our forty thousand troops."

"Wishful thinking," the middle-aged man still playing with the woman snorted.

"Maybe Leng Shi wants to lure Pei Ma'er out for a decisive battle," Wei Jiuchou laughed.

"So, Leng Shi also has skills to counter chaos," the seductive woman said.

"Nine out of ten," Wei Jiuchou said. "There should be plenty of keywords and skills to counter chaos. Let's go, everyone. Let's meet those top ten."

"No troops?" the young man asked.

"If Leng Shi doesn't bring troops, why should we?" Wei Jiuchou said. "Marching slowly with an army, if Ge Zong ambushes us and I get hit, I won't be able to use Dance of Order, and we'll be in trouble. Skill battles are all about striking first. Du Ge thinks we'll bring troops, but we'll launch a surprise attack instead."

...

At a tea stall outside Xinglong County.

Pei Ma'er twirled his teacup, looking towards Dongling Pass. "Interesting."

Beside him sat a young man with one leg, carrying a gourd at his waist. He took a sip of tea. "Brother Pei, Leng Shi suddenly appeared at Dongling Pass, definitely trying to lure you over."

"Then let's go!" Pei Ma'er chuckled.

"Go?" The one-legged young man was stunned. "You know he's luring you, and you still go..."

"What else?" Pei Ma'er said. "I went through all this trouble to create chaos and boost my attributes. Do you think I did it to hide in the shadows like a rat, causing trouble everywhere?"

"..." The one-legged young man was speechless.

"There are over four hundred people on the battlefield. If Leng Shi finds someone to counter me or scouts me out, where can I hide?" Pei Ma'er said. "Besides, my keyword is already leaked. Not only Leng Shi wants me dead, but people from other planets won't be kind either.

Sooner or later, everyone will be after me. I have to strike first, take down a few. Leng Shi has five top ten, plus Wei Jiuchou, making six. If I consume all their attributes, the rest will be easy prey."

"Brother Pei, if Leng Shi dares to lure you, he must have skills or keywords to counter you!" the one-legged young man said.

"Counter me? Order? Clarity? Purity?" Pei Ma'er scoffed and shook his head. "These words counter chaos, but chaos also counters them. The enemy is in the open, I'm in the dark. Who counters whom is still uncertain! If it were that easy to suppress, chaos wouldn't be everyone's target."