Compared to Yun Li, Tianheng was much more cautious; he understood that right now, he wasn’t a match for HIM.

But to be fair, Tianheng also didn’t have any trump cards in hand at the moment.

If Tianheng had been the one to summon the Withers, his approach would have been completely different today.

He might have even tried to challenge HIM’s authority, just as Yun Li had.

After Tianheng’s orders were issued, the members of the Eternal Guild grumbled internally when they heard such an outrageous plan.

However, despite their frustration, they dared not voice their complaints. Orders from above had to be carried out, not questioned.

Thanks to Tianheng’s decision, the Eternal Guild established a “Self-Feeding Team.”

Only players with top-tier acting skills were chosen for this special team, which wasn’t a permanent group—its members were rotated regularly.

This demonstrated just how seriously Tianheng took this operation.

———

While the Eternal Guild’s players refined their acting skills daily…

Over at the Cloud Soar Guild, a grand plan was also underway.

On the plains outside Cloud Soar Guild’s research outpost, the terrain was scarred and shattered, filled with deep trenches and craters.

Ten massive Withers hovered menacingly above the plains.

Beneath each Wither stood a single player.

“You all know the abilities of the Withers. Use them wisely and flexibly!” Yun Li addressed the nine elite members before him with a stern expression.

“HIM is cunning. We have to outthink him, anticipate every possibility.”

“That means we cannot reveal ourselves at any point during the battle.”

“If we’re seen, he’ll realize immediately that we’re controlling the Withers, and he’ll shift his attack toward us. If we fall, the threat of the Withers is nullified.”

Yun Li drilled this warning into the heads of his elite team members.

He understood very clearly that without the Withers, they stood no chance against HIM.

Only with their brains and the power of the Withers combined did they have a shot at victory.

The plan had to be flawless.

They would strike from the shadows, ambushing HIM before he had a chance to understand what hit him.

If HIM discovered that the Withers were under their control, he would undoubtedly target them first.

Thus, they needed to stay out of his sight at all costs.

The elite members weren’t rookies; their skills were top-notch.

They knew this battle was a do-or-die situation for their guild.

Victory or total defeat—there was no middle ground.

Their resolve showed in their eyes. Yun Li felt more confident seeing their determination.

These elites were the best of the best, carefully selected for this mission.

Yun Li trusted their capabilities without a doubt.

After finishing his instructions with the elite group, Yun Li moved over to the remaining senior players.

“Though we’re few, each one of you is crucial.”

“I have a mission for all of you.”

“You’ll pair up with the elite group members. During the battle, we’ll be concealed beneath the rocks, and you’ll serve as our eyes. We rely on you to observe and relay enemy movements, so we can control the Withers effectively.”

“Be quick and accurate with your intel!”

Yun Li’s strategy was simple yet effective, inspired by techniques used by Xu Yuan previously.

Xu Yuan would hide his main body within rocks while using clones to scout from high vantage points.

Since Yun Li couldn’t pull off Xu Yuan’s moves alone, he compensated by using numbers to replicate the strategy.

Senior players would hide in elevated spots, observe the battlefield, and relay commands to the elites.

The elites, meanwhile, would remain concealed and control the monsters to attack HIM.

The plan was solid.

———

Xu Yuan, who listened in through a clone, couldn’t help but admire Yun Li’s cunning.

“Not bad. He’s got some tricks up his sleeve.”

Xu Yuan wasn’t sure if he was praising Yun Li or himself.

After all, this scheme was reminiscent of his usual tactics.

While Xu Yuan’s clone eavesdropped on Yun Li’s plotting, his main body searched the area around the research outpost.

He hoped to locate the Cloud Soar Guild’s base.

If he found it, there’d be no need for games; he’d just rack up kill points and leave.

But luck wasn’t on his side. Despite expanding his search radius to 10,000 blocks from the outpost, he found nothing.

Not a trace of the Yun Teng Guild’s base—no players either. It was as if they had vanished, which was, frankly, quite absurd.

“Seems like I’ll have to play along…”

Realizing this, Xu Yuan abandoned the idea of finding the base himself.

From observing Yun Li, it was clear that the man was cautious.

From his words, Xu Yuan gathered that they were already aware of him.

They must’ve hidden their base well, likely underground.

Finding it on his own was almost impossible.

His only choice was to let Yun Li and his group lead him in.

“I must’ve been an actor in a past life…”

Another show was about to begin.

For Yun Li and his people to return to their base, they had to believe they’d defeated HIM.

And this victory would have to be much more convincing than last time with the Triumph Guild.

Yun Li was far more cautious than the players in the plains. A fake escape wouldn’t cut it.

This time, he’d have to make it seem real.

“Looks like I’ll have to play dead.”

To convince Yun Li and his men, they had to believe they’d actually killed HIM.

Fortunately, Xu Yuan had clones.

His clone could die without affecting his main body.

Letting a clone take the fall was a simple solution.

With this plan in mind, Xu Yuan began strategizing.

“Hmm… I’ll need some flashy loot.”

If he died without dropping anything, it would raise suspicion.

Yun Li wouldn’t buy it.

He needed to drop something valuable.

“Enchanted books, diamonds, a Nether Star…”

“And a treasure map to top it off…”

Xu Yuan meticulously planned his ‘death loot.’

The drops would be so impressive, even the Ender Dragon would be jealous.

In the entire MC world, such loot was practically legendary.

He chose items that would make players drool.

Enchanted books were rare, as players hadn’t yet accessed enchanting tables. To them, it was priceless.

Diamonds were self-explanatory.

As a demon lord, he needed a treasure to protect. A treasure map added the perfect touch of flair.

Plus, since Yun Li hadn’t defeated a Wither before, he wouldn’t know it dropped Nether Stars.

Xu Yuan conveniently had one from a previous kill.

With his loot list finalized, Xu Yuan began collecting.

Once prepared, he started patrolling near Cloud Soar Guild’s outpost.

———

Before long, the players spotted him.

“Vice President! Good news—we’ve located HIM!”

“Where is he?!”

Hearing the report, Yun Li couldn’t hide his nervousness.

Despite his well-crafted plan, the moment of confrontation made him anxious.

But he quickly regained his composure.

Even if they lost, all they’d lose were a few Withers and possibly their lives.

The battle wouldn’t take place near their base, so the guild itself was safe from collateral damage.

This was a low-risk, high-reward gamble.

Winning would mean immense gains and fame.

Losing wouldn’t hurt much.

And since the operation was a secret, even a loss wouldn’t be shameful. Yun Li was willing to bet everything.

“When we last saw him, he was in the nearby forest.”

Yun Li turned to the senior player who reported in.

“What was he doing?”

“I didn’t dare get too close, worried he’d spot me. So I hid.”

Yun Li nodded and continued.

“Did he have any monsters with him?”

Everyone remembered the Triumph battle well; HIM had a small army of monsters.

Eliminating those creatures would be ideal.

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