Chapter 125: Suspected to be a Celestial Being

Luo Han stood tall like a mountain, his legs planted firmly as iron pillars. With his arms slightly spread and his muscles bulging, cyan flames surged toward the sky. He squinted, his eyes fixed on the crimson giant flame sword hovering in mid-air, which radiated a terrifying heat. Like a giant roc spreading its wings, he shielded Luo Ling behind him.

As Luo Ling’s older brother, Luo Han felt it was his duty to shelter his little sister from the storm.

"Brother, move aside."

Luo Ling gazed at Luo Han’s sturdy back, slowly stepped forward, and moved past him.

"Trust me!"

Luo Ling’s hands moved with rapid, flickering speed. Faster and faster they became, until her jade-like hands turned into mere afterimages. At the same time, the chill radiating from her body grew increasingly intense, so much so that even Luo Han, enveloped in his own cyan flames, felt waves of freezing cold washing over him.

Luo Han stared blankly at the figure of Luo Ling blocking his path. His thick, dark eyebrows knitted together tightly. After a long silence, he sighed inaudibly, stamped his foot heavily, and leaped off the bluestone arena. He understood Luo Ling; if he forced his intervention, she might never speak to him again.

He Xuan, whose face possessed a refined, scholarly air, arched his brows slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he gazed deeply at the hazy, cold light shimmering on Luo Ling’s small face and slowly pressed his hands downward. Unknowingly, the crimson flames atop the giant sword dimmed slightly.

For reasons unknown, seeing Luo Ling move past her brother and gaze directly at him, and seeing her purple hair brush against her cheek, He Xuan’s heartstrings tugged violently. An inexplicable emotion washed over him. In that moment, he suddenly realized that the woman before him was utterly mesmerizing.

"Ah, well, since ancient times, even heroes have found it difficult to resist the charms of a beautiful woman!"

Sighing silently in his heart, He Xuan looked at Luo Ling again, his gaze now filled with something indescribable—something that, aside from himself, no one could fathom.

Boom!

Just as He Xuan was momentarily lost in thought, the giant flame sword suspended above Luo Ling’s head slashed down fiercely. With a deafening roar, the armor formed by the congealed cold on Luo Ling’s body cracked with fine lines, followed by a series of crisp, snapping sounds, until the profound ice armor shattered completely.

Luo Ling’s complexion turned paler, but her hands, now blurred into afterimages, moved even faster and more urgently.

"Go!"

With a soft cry from Luo Ling, her hands stopped abruptly, and in an instant, a sky full of ice rain slammed toward the momentarily stunned He Xuan.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

A dense barrage of ice rain pierced through the flames rising around He Xuan and struck him with force, instantly merging into his body. He Xuan felt waves of bone-chilling cold envelop him, and in an instant, he turned into an ice sculpture. Yet, his eyes still held a faint smile, gazing at Luo Ling with a unique tenderness.

"You lost."

Luo Ling walked slowly before He Xuan, looking indifferently at the frozen figure, her voice crisp and elegant.

Crack—snap—boom!

With a series of fine sounds, the ice crystals covering He Xuan’s body slowly shattered. He Xuan looked at Luo Ling, who stood within arm's reach. As his nostrils flared slightly, catching the faint fragrance wafting in on the breeze, he hesitated for a moment, and a faint blush suddenly rose upon his refined cheeks.

"I lost."

The scholarly He Xuan lowered his head, trying his best to hide the touch of shyness in his heart. After bowing to Luo Ling, he slowly began to walk off the bluestone arena.

"My name is He Xuan—'He' as in white crane, and 'Xuan' as in high-spirited and grand."

Just as he was about to step off the arena, He Xuan paused. He turned slightly and, as if summoning great courage, spoke softly to Luo Ling, who stood as aloof as an iceberg.

His intention was clear; he had long known her name, and she likely knew his. Introducing himself was not a redundant gesture, but rather an attempt to make her speak her own name. He wanted to be friends with her—well, to be precise, he wanted to start as friends.

He did not expect that Luo Ling would merely glance at him coldly before walking off the arena with an expressionless face.

"Heh, interesting."

Watching her back gradually disappear into the crowd, He Xuan rubbed his nose and muttered to himself.

"Haha, Brother He, do you have a thing for that iceberg?"

Just as He Xuan was staring blankly at her retreating figure, a voice filled with mockery rang in his ear. Without turning, He Xuan knew it was his good brother, Lu Jie.

"I do have an interest."

He Xuan nodded slowly with a refined smile; there was no need to hide anything from Lu Jie.

"Looks like it’s going to be very difficult."

Lu Jie shrugged and patted He Xuan on the shoulder.

"The difficulty only makes it more interesting."

With a faint smile, He Xuan began to walk forward.

"Where are you going?"

"To find out what she likes."

"Eh?"

Lu Jie froze for a moment, then hurried a few steps to catch up.

...

Ke Bei traveled through the vast, wild mountain forests, heading west. He had no idea how far he had run.

"Roar!"

"Awoo!"

Suddenly, Ke Bei felt the ground tremble slightly, followed by the roars of demonic beasts echoing in his ears.

"Damn it, run! Shit, we ran into a beast tide! Brothers, get out of here!"

Ke Bei had heard the roars of beasts far too often in recent days. Just as he smiled and prepared to continue his trek westward, a desperate human shout reached his ears.

"People?"

Ke Bei was startled, then a look of pleasant surprise emerged on his face. If there were humans here, it meant he was likely within human territory, meaning he was close to a base city!

Whoosh!

With that thought, Ke Bei moved his feet, his body turning into a streak of lightning as he dashed toward the source of the sound.

"Captain, we’re in big trouble! These beasts have surrounded us!"

In a wide clearing within the dense forest, seven or eight burly men stood back-to-back, gripping their weapons tightly. Looking at the prowling beasts surrounding them, one man with an exposed chest spoke, his voice trembling.

The group surrounded by the beasts was a Rank-1 hunting squad from the Xiling Base City. Their strength was not high; only the captain was a Rank-2 genetic enhancer. They had accepted a mission to hunt the low-level demonic beast, the "Blue-Eyed Blood-Drinking Leopard." It should have been a simple task, but just as they were about to finish off their target, they encountered a beast tide!

Suddenly, an endless swarm of low-level, mid-level, and even high-level beasts poured out. The speed of the beasts was already superior to humans of the same rank, and by the time the hunting squad realized something was wrong, it was too late to escape. Within moments, they were surrounded by a massive horde.

Fortunately, it was only a group of low-level beasts surrounding them for now, which kept them from falling into total despair.

"Roar!"

"Awoo!"

Just as the team was debating their strategy, a frenzied roar erupted, and dozens of mid-level beasts charged toward them.

"It's over!"

Seeing the mid-level beasts suddenly appear, the faces of all eight squad members turned ash-gray; they fell into complete despair.

"Fight! If I kill one, I break even; if I kill two, I make a profit!"

As the captain of the squad, Zhao Ming felt endless bitterness in his heart. However, he was a veteran of the hunting squads and knew that a day of death would eventually come. Quickly adjusting his state of mind, he roared and charged forward, wielding his massive mountain-cleaving axe.

"Captain!"

The squad members exchanged glances, seeing a sense of determination in each other's eyes. With a collective shout and bloodshot eyes, they rushed in the direction of their captain.

Their squad had been together for three years. Though not strong, their bond was deep, and now, facing the inevitable, not one of them was afraid. If they were to die, they would die together!

"Roar!"

A group of low-level beasts snarled and pounced.

"Go to hell!"

Captain Zhao Ming let out a low growl, raising his axe to strike the leading "Blue-Eyed Blood-Drinking Leopard." Just as his massive axe landed on the beast, a dozen more leopards lunged toward his neck with gaping maws.

"It's over."

Feeling the foul, fishy wind of the beasts' breath, Zhao Ming’s heart turned cold. He knew that in the next instant, he would be dead.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Suddenly, just as the beasts' jaws were about to snap onto Zhao Ming, several invisible sword energies struck, instantly killing all the beasts in front of him.

Boom!

A figure in tattered clothes descended from the sky!

Ke Bei had arrived!

"Damn, it took me forever to find people, I won't let you bastards hurt them!"

"Awoo!"

Ke Bei looked coldly at the beasts charging from all directions and slowly raised his palms. A loud dragon's roar rang out, and a giant dragon glowing with faint golden light surged from his palms.

"The Dragon Subduing Palm: Regretful Dragon!"

Ke Bei growled, striking out with both palms in all directions. Four golden dragons, each tens of meters long, whistled as they slammed into the surrounding beasts.

Boom, boom, boom!

Accompanied by four resounding dragon roars, the golden dragons swept through. Wherever they passed, every beast—be it low, mid, or high-level—fell in an instant, their massive bodies pulverized by the terrifying internal energy contained in Ke Bei’s Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.

"Damn, these palms are truly domineering!"

Ke Bei gulped, staring blankly at the thousands of beasts fallen within a radius of several hundred meters. Although he hadn't considered these beasts a threat, the efficiency of killing nearly ten thousand with a single strike was terrifyingly high!

This was Ke Bei’s first time using the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, and the sheer power shocked even him, let alone the members of the hunting squad.

The eyes of the eight squad members were fixed on the tattered figure of Ke Bei, staring at him as if he were a god.

Descending from the sky and wiping out ten thousand beasts with a wave of his hand—what else could this be but a god? Their strongest member was only a Rank-2 genetic enhancer and had likely never even seen a Transcendent-level expert in action. Seeing Ke Bei, a monster capable of sweeping through all Transcendents and even fighting Battle-God-level experts, their shock was only natural.

"Ahem..."

Under the stares of the burly men, Ke Bei looked down at his nearly naked body, his face burning with embarrassment. He coughed awkwardly.

"Um, do you know which direction the Jiujiang Base is in?"

Being stared at by a group of burly men who were looking at his half-naked body with unblinking eyes was more than he could handle—and to top it off, they were even drooling!

Ke Bei couldn't stand the scene. He coughed loudly, straightened his face, and asked with feigned composure.

"Jiujiang Base?"

Seeing Ke Bei’s displeasure, everyone hurriedly lowered their heads. After a long pause, Captain Zhao Ming finally realized that the god-like entity was asking them a question.

"Yes, we know, we know!"

Captain Zhao Ming nodded vigorously, speaking urgently. He wanted to look up but was afraid of offending Ke Bei. His hesitant demeanor made Ke Bei smile slightly.

"Which direction is it?"

Hearing that the man knew, a joy bloomed in Ke Bei’s heart. He had thought he might have to search for the base city himself, but this made things much easier. It had been over three months since he left the Jiujiang Base. Thinking of his acquaintances there, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Was Luo Ling fatter or thinner? Had that guy Xiao Jiu broken through to the Transcendent realm yet? Had the Green Dragon Ranking tournament started?

Thinking of the tournament, Ke Bei clenched his fists. He didn't have the strength to release Han Lingyue yet, but he had to make the top three!

Because only by reaching the top three would he have the chance to see Han Lingyue, who was sealed at the bottom of the Green Dragon Lake!

"Southeast, about two thousand kilometers away, is the Jiujiang Base," Captain Zhao Ming said softly, pointing cautiously toward the southeast as he looked at the slightly distracted Ke Bei.

"Hahaha, thanks! You can have the carcasses of those beasts."

Hearing this, Ke Bei squinted and looked in the direction pointed out. He laughed heartily, stamped his foot, and with a thunderous sonic boom, his body vanished from their sight.

Two thousand kilometers was nothing; at his current speed, it wouldn't take long to return to the Jiujiang Genius Training Camp.

The group of men stared at the direction in which Ke Bei had vanished. After a moment of stunned silence, they realized what had happened and, with uncontrollable ecstasy, rushed toward the mounds of beast carcasses!

Ten thousand beasts—how many crystal coins was that worth?!

Their destiny had changed. With this terrifyingly large sum of wealth, they would never have to risk their lives hunting beasts ever again.

And that figure who descended from the sky would remain deeply etched in their memories for the rest of their lives.

(To be continued)