"Split up and check the outskirts of the Stone Forest, looking for paths suitable for ambush and diversion. We’ll meet back here in fifteen minutes," Duke instructed Light Feather, while choosing a direction to start his exploration himself. He needed to familiarize himself with every terrain he could exploit here.

Which stone pillars could form excellent sniping points or hiding places, which paths were shortcuts to connect different areas, and where the mist was especially thick, suitable for setting traps or making an escape.

As he memorized, he utilized materials found at hand—loose stones, resilient vines, fluorescent moss that releases paralyzing pollen when stimulated—to set up some simple warning or delaying devices.

These devices were primitive but, adapted to the special environment of the Stone Forest, sufficient to play a role at a critical moment.

Fifteen minutes later, the two regrouped.

Light Feather simply reported the situation he had explored, and Duke silently noted it down, perfecting the ambush map in his mind.

Soon, faint sounds of weapons clashing and shouts emerged from the west side of the Stone Forest.

Gang Yan and Dew had successfully attracted the enemy, with the battle shifting towards the Stone Forest.

"They’re coming. As planned, you go to those taller stone pillars over there and use the mist and height to observe. If you see solitary or injured enemies, try long-range harassment but prioritize your concealment," Duke pointed to a relatively open area with thinner mist, instructing Light Feather, then swiftly concealed himself into a nearby area where the mist was thickest and the stone pillars densest, leaning against a thick stone pillar, restraining his breath to the utmost, becoming part of the Stone Forest itself.

He tightly held the pale blue Token Crystal in his hand, both a target and a possible lure.

Footsteps, breathing, and Gang Yan’s iconic roar drew nearer.

The first to rush to the edge of the Forest was the slightly disheveled but highly spirited Gang Yan and Dew, followed closely by five pursuers—members of the Silver Token team. It seemed Gang Yan and Dew’s baiting had been very successful.

"Into the forest! Disperse!" Gang Yan shouted loudly, expertly splitting apart with Dew, using the stone pillars and mist to instantly widen the distance from the pursuers.

The five from the Silver team were evidently wary of the Stone Forest’s environment, slowing their pace, cautiously advancing in a fan formation, trying to find traces of Gang Yan and Dew.

Just as their attention was caught by Gang Yan and Dew, Duke moved.

He didn’t attack the nearest target but instead darted out like a specter from the dense mist, aiming directly at the last archer of the Silver team, who was vigilantly watching the flanks.

Duke’s speed was extreme, his scimitar slicing a cold gleam through the mist.

"Behind!" someone in the Silver team cried out.

The archer reacted swiftly, hastily lifting his bow to block.

"Clang!" The scimitar struck the bow, sparks flying.

The archer was shaken back, yet Duke’s left hand, like a snake striking out of its nest, precisely reached for the pouch hanging on the opponent’s waist where the token was kept.

However, the Silver team was well-trained, with two other members already roaring and rushing to assist, the moonlight Fighting Spirit shining, blocking Duke’s attack path.

Duke decisively abandoned the snatch, crouching his body, slipping through the gap of the attack like a mudfish, disappearing into the dense mist again.

The entire process lasted only two to three breaths, successfully disrupting the Silver team’s formation and drawing their ire.

"Find the one with the token first!" the Silver team’s captain shouted sternly, and all five immediately adjusted, beginning a more meticulous search of the area where Duke might be hiding.

The battle in the Mist Stone Forest had turned into a hide-and-seek-like chaotic skirmish, with Gang Yan and Dew launching attacks from hiding, striking and retreating.

Duke was even more like a ghost, using his knowledge of the terrain and small traps repeatedly to harass the Silver team, though unable to directly seize the token again, he exhausted their stamina and attention.

However, an unexpected event occurred.

Light Feather, who had been observing the harassment from above as instructed, somehow silently appeared near Duke’s next planned hideout.

Moreover, he was followed by three members of the Purple team.

"Ying Ye! Run! The Purple team is after you!" Light Feather’s face showed panic, shouting toward Duke’s direction, while he himself sprinted to the other side, drawing the pursuers towards Duke’s location.

Exposed! And by a teammate, whether unintentionally or deliberately.

The three members of the Purple team saw Duke’s figure and the faint aura of the token on him, immediately abandoning Light Feather, forming a encirclement and rushing in.

On the other side, drawn by the commotion, the Silver team quickly closed in.

Suddenly, Duke found himself in a perilous position, caught between two teams, totaling eight people.

Gang Yan and Dew, seeing this, roared and charged out from hiding, attempting to assist but were firmly pinned down by two members of the Silver team split off.

Duke’s eyes turned icy cold, instantly assessing the situation, realizing direct combat posed high risks.

His gaze swept towards the direction Light Feather was fleeing, then glanced at the Purple team members rushing in.

He didn’t break through towards Gang Yan nor attempt to escape the encirclement; instead, he charged towards the direction the Purple team was coming from and fiercely threw the pale blue Token Crystal belonging to his team towards a swirling mist, stone-column-filled complex area ahead.

The Token Crystal traced a pale blue arc, landing in that area, its light faintly shimmering in the mist.

The sudden move stunned everyone! He discarded his own token?