17. Divided Pursuit: The Belligerent Crows
“This is no longer just simple control,” Zhou Nanyuan narrowed his eyes, his voice low and grave. “Shared vision, remote reconnaissance…”
“This is practically like having the all-seeing eye!” someone couldn’t help but blurt out. “What’s the difference between this and cheating? She knows where the enemies are, who’s fighting, who’s ambushing, and the escape routes… all the information is at her fingertips!”
Who had said Su Fu’s skills were weak before?!
Who?!
This—this is called weak skills?
Even without any upgrades, this skill is outrageously powerful!
“Look!” someone suddenly pointed to the northeast on the screen. “That trickster crow is approaching the Shen siblings!”
On the screen, the Shen siblings were launching a new round of clearing operations.
Shen Yunxi unleashed her divine skill, Queen’s Dominance, capable of suppressing the trickster crows’ movements—the flock seemed to collide with an invisible barrier.
Next, the Chain of Kin tightened control over the crows, weaving them into a massive net.
Finally, the Judgment of the Empress erupted with a thunderous force, golden power tearing the crows into shreds.
At that moment, Shen Yunling’s Sun God’s Arrow pierced the sky, purifying every last remnant.
Their coordination was flawless! Who wouldn’t commend such harmony?
Yet…
The trickster crow controlled by Su Fu lingered at the periphery.
It pretended to fly around idly but refused to approach.
Like a seasoned streetwise hustler, while waves of crows were being purified, it remained unscathed.
It obediently relayed all information back to Su Fu.
At this moment, Shen Yunxi and Shen Yunling halted their actions.
Shen Yunxi looked up: “There are too many trickster crows; we can’t kill them all. We need to change tactics.”
“First, we meet up with Jiang Yu and Chen Tian, then… take care of those two troublesome ones.”
Shen Yunling naturally agreed. “Sister, leave Su Fu to me.”
He raised his hand, gathering a golden arrow; sunlight shimmered along its shaft. “This time, my skill has reached an epic-level upgrade.”
“The scorching brilliance not only continuously burns but also dispels all her defenses.”
“Combined with the attack boost from the Sunlight Blessing…”
He chuckled lightly, “She won’t even have a chance to resist this time.”
The arrow’s radiance burst forth, dissipating even the surrounding corruption.
His previous defeat had taught him a fundamental truth: absolute power difference is the key to victory.
This time, he would crush Su Fu completely!
Shen Yunxi’s eyes were full of praise. “Good. This test paper is practically tailor-made for you.”
“The divine power of light counters corruption; no one has a greater advantage than you.”
Their immediate priority was to rendezvous; if they could intercept and eliminate Su Fu early, all the better.
Shen Yunxi’s gaze flickered with insight as she analyzed swiftly: “These trickster crows are constantly replenished from the outer rings, spreading toward the core area.”
“That means the safe zone will keep shrinking.”
“In other words, everyone will eventually be forced to move toward the core area.”
---
“We head toward the core; we should encounter others along the way.”
No matter who they met, in this arena, she and Yunling’s combined control and damage output were unbeatable.
The exam proctors watching all the surveillance footage exchanged silent looks.
The conversation between the Shen siblings was clearly transmitted into Su Fu’s ears.
She kept nodding, then suddenly seemed enlightened, murmuring, “So that’s how the skill works…”
“This…” Wang Mingde opened his mouth but was at a loss for words. “Have the Shen siblings just revealed all their cards?”
“Not just their skill strength, but their entire tactical plan…”
Jiang Yuqing covered her forehead. “This…”
Zhou Nanyuan’s tone was calm: “Still inexperienced.”
Divine skills are varied and strange; one should always prepare against reconnaissance and espionage skills.
Perhaps their absolute confidence in their strength made them complacent. Even if it weren’t Su Fu, this habit would eventually cause problems.
At that moment, the screen showing Jiang Qingyu’s area shifted.
The trickster crow controlled by Su Fu landed right before Jiang Qingyu. Corruption spread across the ground, gradually forming a character—
“KILL.”
Then, a series of corrupted traces appeared on the ground.
It was a rough map, starting with “Jiang” and ending with “Jiang.”
Representing the route from the current location to Jiang Yu’s position.
Kill whom?
Kill Jiang Yu.
Jiang Qingyu stared at the marks on the ground, a flash of shock in her eyes.
Just as she suspected!
Su Fu could see the entire battlefield through the trickster crows.
This person was even more terrifying than Jiang Qingyu had imagined.
The crow finished drawing and then flew aside, claws deepening the corrosive marks, clearly waiting for a response.
Jiang Qingyu was silent for a moment, then suddenly raised her hand and drew her bow.
A silver arrow transformed into a streak of light, instantly shooting toward Jiang Yu’s location.
This was an agreement.
…
The exam room fell into dead silence.
Everyone was stunned by Su Fu’s tactical maneuver.
Wang Mingde furrowed his brow. “They’re not planning to meet up first but to each take out one opponent independently?”
Not only was Jiang Qingyu aiming to eliminate Jiang Yu, but Su Fu had also marked Chen Tian’s position on her map.
Clearly, targets had been set.
“It’s a split hunt,” Jiang Yuqing’s expression was complex. “This plan is… insane.”
---
Clearly, less than five minutes into the exam, the battle lines were drawn.
On one side, the Shen siblings were preparing to join forces with Jiang Yu and Chen Tian to form a family alliance.
On the other, Su Fu and Jiang Qingyu intended to preemptively sever this alliance.
Thus, a divide-and-conquer strategy to weaken the family advantage.
Why do this?
Because the massive number of trickster crows made it impossible to end the exam early through sheer extermination.
So now, the strategy shifted to a game of chess among the candidates.
“But the problem is…” Wang Mingde couldn’t help but speak, “Even if Su Fu can control the trickster crows and has full battlefield vision, that doesn’t mean she can beat Chen Tian!”
Chen Tian’s mobility was ridiculously high.
His flying skill, Wings of the Divine Bird, combined with the acceleration skill Gale Mark, made him as fast as a streak of golden lightning.
“Moreover, Chen Tian’s Golden Wing Slash deals terrifying damage,” Jiang Yuqing frowned as she analyzed. “He’s nearly invincible in the air. What can Su Fu use to fight him? Just a few controlled trickster crows?”
Having aerial superiority wasn’t just talk; Su Fu couldn’t fly. How could she fight?
Charge with her head?
“What on earth is she thinking…” Wang Mingde muttered.
Forget about killing Chen Tian; if they met, Su Fu would probably be the first to fall.
“Su Fu is moving!” someone suddenly shouted.
Everyone turned to her exam paper screen and then…
They were all stunned.
The trickster crow controlled by Su Fu suddenly charged wildly through the sky as if pumped with adrenaline, crashing into everything.
It seemed to take offense at everything, headbutting relentlessly.
Like a skybound street thug.
When it was surrounded and attacked to death by other trickster crows, Su Fu immediately took control of another to continue the “provocations.”
In the blink of an eye, the previously orderly flock circling above Su Fu’s head descended into chaos.
She could barely protect herself, let alone be discovered.
The proctors were speechless.
Was this reconnaissance or a provocation skill?
“One feisty trickster crow falls,” one proctor couldn’t help but comment, “but there are thousands more just as feisty standing up.”
Everyone exchanged glances, unsure what to say.
The originally orderly patrol formation of trickster crows was utterly disrupted, and the chaos was spreading.
To see a reconnaissance skill used like this…
“Incredible…” Wang Mingde murmured, “Absolutely incredible!”
A divine skill that stirs up chaos!