Chapter 2242: 2243: Encirclement

"So this is what controls the mechanism below!"Kong Jingyi looked at the mere twenty figures who had escaped, and couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. This way, his competitors were even fewer.

"How are you? Are you alright?"

Lin Chen had already run over to Sun Tianming and Chen Jie with concern, looking at their ash-covered faces, his heart ached.

Despite the discomfort, he was also relieved that nothing had gone wrong here, or else he would have blamed himself terribly.

"It's alright, not much happened, just a bit choked. But those people in there, they had it tough..."

Sun Tianming pulled out some clear water from his storage and took a sip, coughing slightly, as he glanced back towards the firelight still flickering, making him tremble with fear.

If it weren't for his and Chen Jie's high vigilance, they might have been consumed entirely by the sudden flare of light from the ground.

That thing, like maggots on bones, would swiftly consume a person if even a little touched their clothes, leaving nothing behind.

"What happened? Why did it suddenly turn out like this?" Lin Chen frowned, thinking that it was supposed to be a test of one's physical ability, yet it suddenly changed, and this hadn't happened before them.

"It's all because of that Kong Jingyi!"

Sun Tianming gritted his teeth, pointing at Kong Jingyi in the distance, and then slowly said, "Who knows what trick he's up to; suddenly, a light curtain descended, and we saw him fiddling with something. Then our bodies suddenly relaxed, and within seconds, firelight rose from below."

"So it was all his doing?"

Lin Chen squinted, looking at Kong Jingyi with disdain; despite his righteous words earlier, he was merely a rat.

Yet Kong Jingyi seemed oblivious to the situation; he still stood by the pillar, excitedly stroking it, clearly pleased with the unfolding events.

"If only there were fewer people left."

Kong Jingyi sighed softly; there were still more than twenty people left in the field, all quite formidable, which made him somewhat dissatisfied.

"Hmm?"

As he scanned the remaining figures, his gaze suddenly sharpened; he saw those people, faces solemn, recovering their strength, stepping towards him one by one.

"What is it?..."

Kong Jingyi was confused, looking at the remaining figures approaching him.

As they drew near, they formed a circle, surrounding Kong Jingyi. Though their faces were dusty, they all bore a malicious look.

"What's wrong? Ha, don't you know what you've done?"

"Why talk nonsense? Just take him down!"

The crowd was filled with rage; some were unable to hold back, immediately pushing Kong Jingyi from behind, even kicking his rear without courtesy.

With a thud, Kong Jingyi stumbled forward, kicked to the ground from behind.

His strength had not fully recovered, especially taken by surprise.

"What are you doing!"

Lying on the ground, Kong Jingyi turned back fiercely, glaring at the figure who kicked him, face furious.

"Doing what? Do you have the gall to ask? If it weren't for you, would we be like this?"

As they spoke, another person kicked Kong Jingyi on the ground, not holding back in the slightest. Even though Kong Jingyi had decent stamina, the kick sent vibrations through his internal organs.

But that person didn't care, with a face of anger, even though the fire hadn't burned them, it still frightened them; the choking smoke was no trivial matter.

"Could he have told someone about what just happened?"

Kong Jingyi gritted his teeth, looking through the crowd's gaps at Lin Chen in the distance. Only they three were present earlier, and he only had old grudges with Lin Chen. It's hard to believe this wasn't Lin Chen's doing.

"Don't listen to the enemy's provocation; your injuries have nothing to do with me, it's all because of him!"

Someone else kicked Kong Jingyi, who grunted and pointed at Lin Chen in the distance, trying to shift the blame to him.

"You're spouting nonsense; I saw it clearly; it was you messing with something, causing the fire. If I hadn't run fast, I'd have been ash by now!"

A furious brute, tall and strong, shout angrily and lifted a foot again, aiming a hard kick at Kong Jingyi's chest!

Kong Jingyi froze at his shout and quickly reacted, a flash of light from his storage revealing a spear in his hand, using its flexibility to block the brute's attack, then rolling and standing up from the ground.

"How could it be?!"

Kong Jingyi's expression was uncertain; he thought it was a golden opportunity, but seeing the angry faces, realized it was a trap.

Though he didn't know how they found out, seeing their expressions now, his situation was dire.

"Even if I did it, it was unintentional; you can't do this to me?"

Kong Jingyi bent his knees, holding his spear, circling warily amidst the crowd, staying alert to avoid another sneak attack.

"Even if I did, it was just a thoughtless act, and besides, aren't you all alive and well now?"

Kong Jingyi said slowly, trying to ease their hostility.

"We're alive, but what about our comrades who came with us? Because of your negligence, they're gone. How do we settle this?"

The crowd was indignant, with friends among them who had disappeared in the fire, leaving their eyes tinged with red.

"Not good!"

Kong Jingyi watched the agitated figures, feeling uneasy.

Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of Tao Yuyu sitting cross-legged nearby, and his heart leaped with joy as he called out, "Brother Tao, assist me, please!"

Earlier, on the steps, Kong Jingyi had helped Tao Yuyu against Lin Chen, and he hoped Tao Yuyu would come to his aid now. With Tao Yuyu's help, the danger could be averted.

After all, Tao Yuyu's strength and influence were unmatched by the others.