Luo Yan reacted quickly, crossing his daggers to block the iing sword strike. The impact sent a slight shock through his arms, but he deflected the de to the side. He shifted his stance, stepping back just enough to avoid the follow-up attack while staying ready for whatever came next.


    As the attacker stepped into view, Luo Yan recognized him immediately—Zephyr, grinning wildly with his sword still raised. His chaotic grin and reckless stance made it clear he was ready for another strike. His eyes were gleaming with excitement as he prepared to continue the fight.


    "Hello there," Zephyr greeted with a wild grin. "I''ve been looking forward to this—finally, a chance to fight you."


    Luo Yan narrowed his eyes. He had suspected Zephyr would be one of the members of Team Mozu trailing them, especially after the strange look he gave him yesterday. What he didn''t expect was for Zephyr to show up at this moment.


    Luo Yan moved quickly, his twin daggers shing as he aimed for Zephyr''s side. Zephyr blocked the strike with his sword, metal shing sharply. Luo Yan disappeared into the shadows, reappearing behind Zephyr to strike again, but Zephyr spun around, intercepting the attack just in time.


    Zephyr moved like a serpent, twisting and turning to avoid the next attack, his sword swinging in wide arcs. Luo Yan ducked under a strike and darted to the side, but Zephyr anticipated it, quickly bringing his sword back around to block another blow. The two continued exchanging fast-paced strikes, neither gaining the upper hand.


    As the fight progressed, Zephyr''s form shifted slightly, his movements bing more fluid and snake-like. Heunched a series of rapid strikes, forcing Luo Yan to block and dodge, his daggers deflecting each blow. They were evenly matched, with neither fighter able tond a clean hit as they continued to push and counter each other''s moves, locked in a fierce contest of skill and speed.


    "I''m so d you can actually fight! Imagine the disappointment if you couldn''t!" Zephyr cackled as he jumped back, his eyes wide with excitement. "Come on, show me more! Let''s see what you really got!"


    Luo Yan clicked his tongue. This lunatic. Because of fighting the other, he couldn''t read all the messages that were shing by the team channel. Something important might have happened and he didn''t even know.


    He tried to contact Shen Ji Yun through the earring, but there was no response. It could only mean one thing—it had been destroyed. Realizing this, Luo Yan knew he had to end the fight quickly if he wanted to find out what happened to the others.


    As he was preparing to use a skill, he suddenly received a telepathic message from Eclipse.


    [Master! Captain told Uncle Dusk to ask me if you''re okay.]


    Eclipse''s sudden voice in his mind nearly caused Luo Yan to miss dodging Zephyr''s iing attack.


    "Is this the time for you to get distracted?" Zephyr asked, shing non-stop. "Am I not entertaining enough?"


    Luo Yan quickly regained his footing and deflected the sword swinging down at him. "Yes, you bore me."


    After saying that, he replied to Eclipse. [I''m fighting that annoying snake from team Mozu.]


    He wanted to say more, but Zephyr rushed forward with a wild swing of his sword, forcing Luo Yan to step back. In response, Luo Yan disappeared into the shadows, reappearing behind Zephyr and striking with his daggers. Zephyr turned just in time, blocking the attack, but Luo Yan followed up with a swift kick, sending Zephyr stumbling back.


    Recovering quickly, Zephyr unleashed a wave of energy with a wide sh of his sword, the ground beneath Luo Yan cracking. Luo Yan dodged to the side, vanishing again and closing the distance in a sh. His daggers struck out, aiming for Zephyr''s side, but Zephyr''s body shifted, briefly taking on a serpent-like form as he avoided the attack and swung his sword in a wide arc.


    Luo Yan ducked under the strike and retaliated with a flurry of quick dagger attacks, but Zephyr was ready, deflecting each blow with his sword. The two shed in rapid session, with Luo Yan using his agility to stay ahead of Zephyr''s unpredictable movements, while Zephyr shifted and struck back.


    They continued trading blows, with Zephyr''s sword shing against Luo Yan''s daggers, neither managing tond a decisive hit as the fight continued on.


    But then, a tremor suddenly rocked the cave. As if someone had just thrown a bomb. It made Zephyr suddenly missed a step.


    It was an opening that Luo Yan had been waiting for. The other''s missed step left him exposed, and Luo Yan''s daggers struck, causing Zephyr''s body to pause, as if time itself had stopped for him. He stood frozen in ce, unable to move for a brief moment.


    With a quick, precise motion, he drove his dagger into Zephyr''s chest, hitting a critical spot. Zephyr remained immobilized, unable to react as the blownded.


    He looked down at the dagger on his chest. "This is so not fair..." He looked at Luo Yan. "I want to fight more."


    That''s thest thing he said beforepletely turning into light particles.


    Luo Yan let out a sigh of relief the moment the crazy guy disappeared. He really hated fighting against battle-crazed psychos like that. Aside from being unpredictable, they''re energy draining.


    Eclipse''s voice echoed in his mind once again. [Master, Captain wants to know your location.]


    [Let him know there''s no need to find me. I''m already making my way out of the cave.]


    As he continued to walk, he started checking the messages he hadn''t read on the team channel. When he read the part about Su Yuqi finding the clue, a notification appeared in front of him.


    [Team Yunyue has found the clue for the fourth checkpoint!]


    Luo Yan smiled after seeing that. If he could see Su Yuqi right now, he would definitely give him a thumbs up. He was about to send a message on the team channel when he suddenly collided with someone when he took a turn.