Chapter Eighty-Seven: Trampling Dignity, Shattering Pride

"What the hell? Where did this brat come from?"

The young man at the head of the group, Du Leng, glared at Luo Ling, who was nestling intimately in Ke Bei's arms. Jealous flames burst in his eyes, his fists clenched until they cracked, and he ground his teeth as he asked in a grim, icy voice.

"No one came up from the first level just now. Could this guy have come down from the third level?"

Du Leng narrowed his eyes, cold light flickering in them as he muttered in suspicion.

"Impossible! How could he possibly make it to the third level!"

The moment that thought arose, Du Leng shook his head hard. He did not believe it, or rather, he did not want to believe that Ke Bei had come down from the third level.

In the previous batch, there had been one hundred and ten people from the three major bases who entered the Tower of Heaven, and they were all the strongest young elites from those bases. Even they had been unable to reach the third level. Du Leng absolutely refused to believe that Ke Bei could have stepped onto the third level.

"No, it can't be! Move, all of you, attack together! Damn it, that woman I have my eyes on dares to be touched too? He's courting death!"

A crazed glint flashed through Du Leng's eyes. Seeing Luo Ling nestling intimately in Ke Bei's embrace, his jealousy had already reached a peak. If Ke Bei truly came down from the third level, what would that mean?

It would mean that in certain respects, Ke Bei's talent even surpassed everyone in the first batch.

Du Leng could not accept such an outcome, yet he could not figure out how Ke Bei had appeared on the second level. The only explanation was that Ke Bei had truly come down from the third level. Though he had already guessed as much, he simply refused to believe it.

The flames of jealousy roared in his heart, and a stern killing intent surged forth. Streams of pale-blue energy burst wildly from within his body, and ten pale-blue water spheres, each the size of a fist, gradually solidified, hovering quietly around him.

At the same moment, the others from the Ancient Tang Base unleashed their own innate powers. Brilliant energies interwove in the air as twenty-two upper-stage Transcendent Realm geniuses simultaneously released the power within them.

At once, a terrifying pressure swept outward.

"Have these bastards gone mad?"

Feeling the dreadful oppression filling the air, Bai Yong sucked in a sharp breath. Though he was confident in his own defensive strength, facing twenty-two upper-stage Transcendent Realm experts with extraordinary innate abilities still made him uneasy. He could not help but take two steps back.

"They're mine," Ke Bei said calmly, glancing at the people from the Ancient Tang Base. A meaningful smile played at the corners of his mouth as he slowly stepped forward.

"Take good care of her for me."

His quiet words drifted out as Ke Bei strode with steady steps toward the group from the Ancient Tang Base.

"What kind of man is this brat?"

Staring at Ke Bei's back, Bai Yong was shocked to the core. To charge forward alone against twenty-two geniuses from the Ancient Tang Base was insane.

Was this man mad, or simply foolish?

Aside from those three unfathomable monsters on the Azure Dragon Ranking, Bai Yong did not believe any other Transcendent Realm expert could face twenty-two upper-stage Transcendent geniuses alone.

And in his eyes, Ke Bei was only a newcomer. He would never dare believe that Ke Bei possessed strength comparable to the top three on the Azure Dragon Ranking.

If he had no such strength and still rushed forward, then he was either a fool or a madman.

As Bai Yong stared at Ke Bei's back and silently thought this, his fists clenched. No matter whether Ke Bei was foolish or insane, he was still a man from the Nine Rivers Base. He could never stand by and watch him be bullied by the people of the Ancient Tang Base. He had already made up his mind: if the situation turned bad, he would charge in at once.

The other few from the Nine Rivers Base who still retained fighting strength exchanged glances and also prepared to strike at any moment. Their thoughts were the same as Bai Yong's: however things turned out, Ke Bei was still one of their own. They could never stand by and watch their people be humiliated by those from the Ancient Tang Base.

"You made her cry."

Ke Bei walked slowly to the front of the group from the Ancient Tang Base and said a sentence that left them utterly bewildered.

"So you must be punished."

"Don't worry, I won't kill you... but you must apologize."

He glanced indifferently at the strange expressions of the others, crossed his hands slowly, flexed his wrists a little, and said in a low voice.

"Apologize?"

"You're insane!"

Du Leng raised his brows slightly and looked at Ke Bei with proud disdain, barking out an angry curse.

"If you don't want to apologize, then I have no choice but to make you... until you do."

Ke Bei spoke with calm indifference, as though discussing something insignificant.

Yet the arrogance and tyranny hidden in those faint words enraged everyone from the Ancient Tang Base deeply. They were geniuses, geniuses from the foremost of the three major bases. Their pride surpassed that of the people from the other two bases, and they could not tolerate Ke Bei's brazen attitude.

"Damn it, you're asking for death!"

"Kill him!"

"Damn it, I've never seen anyone this arrogant. Who do you think you are?"

Hearing Ke Bei's words, Du Leng's expression sank abruptly, his eyes twitching several times. Glancing at the others, who were all indignant, he clenched his fists hard, and the ten pale-blue water spheres hovering around him carried terrifying force as they smashed fiercely toward Ke Bei.

"Brothers, attack together! Kill him!"

Du Leng already had murderous intent toward Ke Bei, but he knew that if he killed Ke Bei, he would surely face severe punishment, perhaps even lose his life.

But there is safety in numbers.

Du Leng understood this. If the twenty-two of them attacked together, even if Ke Bei were beaten to death, when those above investigated it later, they surely could not kill all twenty-two of them just because of one dead man.

Holding this thought, Du Leng no longer held back and unleashed his full strength to strike at Ke Bei.

The others from the Ancient Tang Base, seeing someone take the lead and with their anger already clouding their minds, did not think further. They all went all out and attacked Ke Bei wildly.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Twenty-two upper-stage Transcendent Realm experts struck at once. Terrifying energy roared outward, seeming to tear the surrounding space apart.

Feeling such terrifying power, Ke Bei's expression changed slightly. Though he had absolute confidence in his indestructible body, he still would not choose to take such a frenzied attack head-on.

He was not a fool. He would not put himself in danger.

The inner force of the Nine Suns Divine Skill had long filled his entire body. At that moment, Ke Bei's mind shifted slightly, and the Misty Steps were unleashed instantly. A clear afterimage remained where he had stood. When Ke Bei appeared again, he had already avoided the vast majority of the attacks.

He could not evade the remaining ones completely, nor did he intend to, because he was already less than three meters from Du Leng, who stood at the very front.

That distance was enough for him to strike. Once he plunged into the crowd, they would no longer be able to attack in concert. Defeat them one by one. With Ke Bei's current strength, it would be effortless.

Thus Ke Bei chose to endure part of the assault and then bring down Du Leng, who stood at the front, with thunderous force.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The moment Ke Bei reappeared, five or six attacks slammed toward him simultaneously.

The first to strike were the ten pale-blue water spheres hurled by Du Leng, followed by a flame blade, an ice spike, and several wind blades.

These energies, all carrying terrifying force, arrived one after another almost without any gap between them.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The ten fist-sized pale-blue water spheres crashed into Ke Bei's body, their immense power transmitted through the black battle robe he wore.

A trace of contemptuous cold laughter appeared at the corner of Ke Bei's mouth. His fist clenched abruptly, and a layer of faint golden light covered the surface of his skin, his muscles, his bones, and his organs all at once. The pale-blue water spheres, each weighing a thousand catties, struck his body bathed in that dim golden sheen, and it was like eggs smashing against rock. They shattered instantly, while Ke Bei's body remained as steady as stone, not even swaying.

The moment the pale-blue water spheres struck him, a deep red flame blade hacked fiercely toward his neck.

Ke Bei did not even look at it. He allowed the flame blade and several dark-green wind blades to slash into him, and then he suddenly stepped forward.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As the flame blade and wind blades whistled across his body, Ke Bei had already reached Du Leng's front. With a faint cold smile, thick inner force from the Nine Suns Divine Skill surged out like a torrent, and he drove a heavy punch into the astonished Du Leng.

Bang!

Du Leng only felt an irresistible, formless force crash into him, and his body flew backward like a broken kite.

"First one."

Ke Bei's icy gaze swept over Du Leng as he was sent flying. Then his body swayed again, the Misty Steps unfolding once more. Along with a cold shout, his body appeared before the next man.

Boom!

The Nine Suns Divine Skill surged again, and the young man from the Ancient Tang Base wore an expression of unbelievable terror as he flew backward like Du Leng.

Ke Bei was like a wolf crashing into a flock of sheep, his body enduring wave after wave of savage attacks. With every shift of his form, one person after another was knocked flying.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As the Misty Steps continued, Ke Bei's body flickered more than ten times, and all twenty-two genius youths from the Ancient Tang Base were sent flying.

In their wide eyes, only indescribable shock and panic remained.

This... this is still a human being?

That was the only thought left in the minds of the people from the Ancient Tang Base.

One must know that while Ke Bei was striking them down one by one, at least several dozen attacks had hit his body. Yet Ke Bei relied on the overbearing defense of his indestructible body to endure them all without changing expression. Not only was he unharmed, he had also knocked down all twenty-two powerful Transcendent Realm experts with extraordinary innate abilities.

"Now, will you apologize?"

Ke Bei stood proudly like a demon god, coldly sweeping his gaze over the Nine Rivers Base people who were all lying on the ground and groaning in pain. His calm voice rose again, clearly reaching every ear.

Had the twenty-two geniuses from the Ancient Tang Base fallen just like that?

Bai Yong widened his eyes, staring fixedly at Ke Bei's imposing figure. The scene before him felt dreamlike, and although Bai Yong had seen it with his own eyes, he still found it hard to believe.

"What on earth is his body made of?"

Another young man from the Nine Rivers Base swallowed hard and looked at Ke Bei in a daze.

"Bai Yong, what do you think his innate ability really is?"

One of the Nine Rivers Base youths finally recovered after a long while. He nudged the equally stunned Bai Yong and asked in a low voice, his expression still shaken.

"I don't know."

Bai Yong looked at Ke Bei, remained silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head. Ke Bei's defense was even more terrifying than his own. Facing that sweeping, mountain-toppling barrage earlier, Bai Yong had no confidence he could have taken it head-on.

With such horrifying defense, Ke Bei's innate ability should, by reason, be related to defense. But Bai Yong could not understand why an ability centered on defense would also make him so fast, and so terrifyingly strong.

With a casual strike, he had left the geniuses from the Ancient Tang Base completely unable to fight back.

His defense was so horrifying, his speed so shocking, and his strength so overwhelming.

Was this even a human being?

Even among the top five on the Azure Dragon Ranking, Bai Yong had never seen anyone this monstrous.

"On the Azure Dragon Ranking, aside from the three monsters in the top positions, I'm afraid no one else is this youth's match."

"Perhaps his strength really could rival those three at the top of the Azure Dragon Ranking."

Though he found it hard to believe, the facts were unfolding before his eyes. Bai Yong had no choice but to believe.

...

Ke Bei slowly crouched down and looked at Du Leng, whose face was full of shock.

"You seem to be their leader. Then we'll start with you. Go apologize now. Otherwise..."

A fierce glint flashed in Ke Bei's eyes, and after a pause he continued.

"Otherwise, I don't mind crushing every bone in your body until you are willing to apologize."

"I... I..."

"I apologize..."

Du Leng's heart shuddered violently. He looked at Ke Bei in terror, his gaze flickering for a long time before he finally bit his lip and spoke.

Ke Bei's strength had shattered the arrogance in his heart to pieces. Facing Ke Bei, he could not summon the courage to resist. With the strength Ke Bei had displayed, he would rank within the top five among the young generation even in the entire Ancient Tang Base.

Such a person was beyond his ability to provoke.

His body trembling and enduring the waves of searing pain from within, Du Leng struggled to his feet. He slowly walked to Luo Ling's front, bent deeply at the waist, and lowered his once-proud head.

"Sorry..."

Du Leng kept his head down, enduring this unprecedented humiliation as he gritted his teeth and forced out the words one by one. Those three simple words felt as heavy as ten thousand catties. When he finished the last word, he silently turned and walked toward the golden staircase.

The deepest pride in his heart had been brutally shattered. Du Leng felt utterly drained, and all he wanted now was to leave this place, to go far away from the man who had brought him such humiliation. His lips had already been bitten open, and drops of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he took unbearably heavy steps down from the second level of the Tower of Heaven.

"And you?"

Seeing Du Leng descend, Ke Bei did not stop him. Instead, he swept a cold gaze over the remaining twenty-one people and said in a deep voice.

The others from the Ancient Tang Base all had bloodshot eyes, as though they wanted to grind their teeth to dust. If gaze alone could kill, Ke Bei would already have died ten thousand times.

They were geniuses, geniuses from the Ancient Tang Base. Today, Ke Bei had trampled every shred of pride and every ounce of dignity they possessed beneath his feet.

But they were geniuses too, and naturally none of them would be foolish enough to stand up now and fight Ke Bei to the death. One by one, they clenched their teeth, endured the humiliation, walked slowly to Luo Ling's front, lowered their heads, and uttered the two words that weighed on them like ten thousand catties of stone: "I'm sorry." Then, in silence, they turned and made their way toward the first level of the Tower of Heaven.