’Why? Why has the gap between us become so wide? He hasn’t done anything, yet I’m completely immobilized, unable to break free.’
He was Rank 3 now. In Wencheng’s Martial Cultivation Realm, Bai Junran was almost universally acknowledged as the top young expert. To reach Rank Three of Enlightenment in his mere twenties was a transcendent feat.
He could even kill a powerful Fierce Beast with his bare hands.
’But... but this badass persona I’ve built... it’s like a complete fabrication in front of him.’ Bai Junran’s eyes looked ready to split from rage.
"Stop fighting! Stop fighting!"
The students who had been sent flying now rushed back, shouting as they ran. But when they arrived, they were dumbfounded.
The two of them hadn’t even started fighting. They were still standing face to face, just like before.
"..."
’What was going on?’ They had clearly seen Senior Jun Ran go all out, looking like he was about to start an earth-shattering battle. They’d been blown a kilometer away, and after running all the way back, they found that nothing had changed.
’Was he just messing around earlier?’
"What fighting? Your senior’s foot suddenly fell asleep. He can’t move," Tu Xiao’an said with a wicked grin.
Bai Junran was so ashamed he felt like he could explode on the spot.
The students: "..."
’A Rank 3 expert’s foot can fall asleep? Come on, don’t treat us like idiots.’
But... but Senior Jun Ran did look strange. His expression was extremely ugly, his face so pale it was completely drained of color.
"Senior Bai, once your foot isn’t asleep anymore, how about you show your junior the way?" Tu Xiao’an said, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at Bai Junran. A sharp, incredibly cold glint flashed in them.
In that instant, Bai Junran felt as if he had plunged into a bottomless, dark chasm. The fear of death washed over him.
"Great One, since our senior’s foot is asleep and it’s inconvenient for him, why don’t we show you the way?" the students said, trying to smooth things over with a laugh, sensing that something was wrong.
Tu Xiao’an acted as if he hadn’t heard them, his eyes burned onto the rigid figure of Bai Junran.
Tu Xiao’an had never had a good impression of the Bai Family or this man. Back then, Bai Junran had been relying on his position at the Ancient Academy and a stroke of good luck. Otherwise, Tu Xiao’an could have killed him that time.
’The Young Master of the Bai Family? A genius from the Super Class?’ In Tu Xiao’an’s eyes, it was all bullshit. He hadn’t given a damn about it before, and he certainly didn’t now.
If Bai Junran dared to refuse now, Tu Xiao’an would make him vanish from this world as a cloud of blood mist.
"I... I..." Bai Junran’s heart trembled violently. For the first time, he felt true fear and terror. Those demonic, deep, and dangerous eyes were staring right at him. At a glance, they looked like those of a Bloodthirsty Asura returned from Hell.
"I’ll show you the way." In the end, Bai Junran gave in.
Hearing this, the group of students was completely stunned. They all stared wide-eyed at Bai Junran. ’Heavens, our senior actually agreed.’
It was unbelievable. The arrogant and untamable Bai Junran in their eyes had just bowed his head to someone else.
"Good. That’s more like it. Haha..."
Tu Xiao’an burst out laughing. As he laughed, Bai Junran suddenly felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He was free. The binding force was gone.
THUD!
Bai Junran collapsed, sitting right on the ground, and stared at Tu Xiao’an as if he were a monster.
Everyone said that he, Bai Junran, was a freak, a Cultivation monster for having reached Rank Three of Enlightenment at such a young age.
But in front of this young man, he was truly nothing.
This guy was the real monster, the real freak, through and through.
If Bai Junran had known what Tu Xiao’an had done in the Yaoling Mountain Range, he probably wouldn’t have felt so defiant and unwilling earlier.
The man had killed a Deep Mountain Demon King. To kill a Level 32 existence like him, a single glance would be enough.
"Let’s go, my dear senior. Don’t just sit on the ground," Tu Xiao’an said lightly and started walking.
Bai Junran’s eyes were dull and lifeless. He got to his feet like a walking corpse and, without looking at anyone, walked forward.
...
The tragedy in Wencheng was even worse than in Bai Town. You could imagine the severity of the disaster just from the fact that half of its Domain had fallen.
The moment Tu Xiao’an entered Wencheng’s borders, he immediately sensed the auras of a massive number of Fierce Beasts—at least several hundred of them running rampant and causing wanton destruction within the City’s territory.
The more populated a place was, the more it was a target for the Fierce Beast Taotie.
Today’s Wencheng was filled with the smell of gunpowder smoke. The air was thick with the bloody stench of death. It had changed so much that even Tu Xiao’an barely recognized it.
’How long had he even been gone?’
Suddenly, Tu Xiao’an thought of Chen Gao Yang and that Cat Spirit, Haitang. He wondered how they were doing now.
’Are they still alive?’
In Wencheng, it seemed the only people Tu Xiao’an knew were that Human-Demon couple.
Now, everything had truly changed beyond recognition. The vast Wencheng was divided into a fallen zone and a safe-zone base.
Those who managed to survive the Fierce Beast slaughter had all fled into the safe-zone base. But what was truly horrifying was that, so far, at least a million people had died in Wencheng.
The Fierce Beast Taotie was giving "special attention" to a major city like Wencheng.
Devour. They wanted to devour every single human in Wencheng, leaving no one behind.
Sigh!
No matter how much Tu Xiao’an’s mind had been tempered into indifference, seeing the tragic state of Wencheng now, he felt a sense of helplessness.
It seemed what Wencheng needed now more than ever was a savior to descend and rescue the common people from their dire straits.
’It’s a duty from which I, the Bai Town Snake King, cannot shrink. Let all those who are still alive become my, Tu Xiao’an’s, believers.’
Tu Xiao’an suddenly turned and started walking toward the fallen zone.
"That way is the fallen zone. The Demon management area isn’t in that direction," Bai Junran, the guide, spoke up.
Tu Xiao’an said lightly, "You can go. I don’t need you to lead the way anymore."
Bai Junran was stunned. ’He insisted that I lead the way, but now that we’ve just arrived in Wencheng, he doesn’t need me anymore?’
’Was it all just to humiliate me?’
Bai Junran took a deep breath. He had no temper to lose right now, nor could he afford to.
"Do you know why I didn’t kill you?" Tu Xiao’an suddenly asked, looking at him.
Bai Junran frowned.
"The Fierce Beast Era has arrived. It wasn’t easy for you to cultivate to Rank 3. There are too few Rank 3 human experts. If I killed you, the common people would have one less protector. You should be glad I saw you kill a Fierce Beast with your own hands."
Killing one Fierce Beast was equivalent to saving countless people.
Bai Junran was astonished to hear this. He found that he couldn’t see through this person at all. ’This strongest freshman enrolled with such overwhelming power... was it all just to knock the arrogance out of geniuses like us?’
And now, he had returned like a king.
’And he humiliated me so thoroughly again.’
Tu Xiao’an vanished. Bai Junran remained rooted to the spot, his fists clenched so tight they trembled.
’I’m still too weak... far too weak.’
The Fierce Beast Era was a time of destruction, but it was also a new beginning for humanity. There would be more and more Awakeners, and the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth was growing ever denser.
In the future, a new batch of geniuses was destined to rise and become overlords of their generation.
HISSS!
Suddenly, an incredibly domineering snake’s hiss echoed across the skies of Wencheng. The imperious sound seemed poised to awaken the sleeping people from their nightmares.
...