Free Web NovelChapter 128: Chapter 125: The Coming Storm (Part 2)
The schools had all been notified in advance and were ready to evacuate students at a moment’s notice. Besides, aside from the Martial Arts Administration Bureau’s outpost, the most powerful groups in the entire county were the various high schools. Each had at least a few second-realm martial arts teachers, as well as a considerable number of first-realm martial arts students.
Han Qiubai and the others had finished all their preparations. The waiting was the hardest part. To make matters worse, those two powerhouses nearby were shamelessly fooling around. Beset by troubles from within and without, she felt utterly depressed.
’It would be better to just let that cult Grandmaster come out and smack the world clean,’ Han Qiubai thought.
Just then, the Chief of Public Security, Xiao Jingxian, came running over. frёewebnoѵēl.com
"Everyone, neighboring Pu County is under attack..."
Everyone shot to their feet. Han Qiubai calmly asked, "How many enemies are there?"
"It’s unclear. They just reported that they’ve engaged the enemy..."
"Maintain constant communication. If more than five minutes pass with no word, everyone is to gather at Majia Bay as planned. We’ll rally the forces from the surrounding counties and move in to support them..."
They had a contingency plan in place: all locations were to maintain contact, checking in once per minute and immediately reporting any enemy engagement. If a location was confirmed as the enemy’s primary target, the surrounding areas would gather their forces to provide relief.
"We have an update! The attack on X County must have been a feint. The enemy consisted of one Inner Qi Realm martial artist and eight second-realm cultists. The outpost there has already taken them all out in one go..."
Xiao Jingxian said excitedly.
Han Qiubai thought for a moment before ordering, "Keep the lines of communication open. Don’t lower your guard."
In X County, Song Qidong and eight cult leaders lay in a pool of blood. A transparent, bowl-sized hole had been blasted through his chest. The others had suffered the same fate. Mrs. Li was among them, her expression twisted in what looked like pained indignation.
As an Inner Qi Martial Artist, Song Qidong had a tenacious life force. He wasn’t completely dead yet, but it wouldn’t be long.
His eyes were vacant. Song Qidong could never have imagined he would die at the hands of a super-weapon—a level-two super-weapon, no less. ’Using such a devastating battlefield weapon on me?’
’It’s... absurd...’
「First High.」
The atmosphere on campus was tense, filled with a palpable sense of unease. Every gust of wind and distant sound set people on edge.
"Ye, what do you think is going on? The school feels so strange today."
"I don’t know, and I don’t care."
Ye Feng’s expression was sullen. Ever since Yu Fei had defeated him with a single punch, he had spent the entire break training desperately, determined to win back his pride. But the Six Harmonies Killing Fist was incredibly difficult to cultivate. By now, both his stance work and fist techniques had reached the level of mastery, but he was stuck there, unable to make any further progress.
Senior Zhao Zeyang had told him that Yu Fei was already a prodigy-level Martial Artist and had explained just how significant that was, but Ye Feng refused to accept it. No one likes to admit they’re second-best, and he was no exception.
And whenever he pictured Yu Fei’s smug face, his blood would boil.
Dongfang Yebai thought Ye Feng was becoming obsessed.
"Ye, I think there’s something wrong with your attitude. It was just one loss, wasn’t it? We can just train hard and catch up. Life goes on."
Ye Feng suddenly looked up and glared at her.
"I won’t give up until I get my revenge."
Dongfang Yebai suddenly stopped and looked at Ye Feng seriously. "Ye, your mindset is all wrong. Think about all the people you’ve defeated. Weren’t you just as arrogant back then? What, you think the world has to revolve around you? There are so many geniuses out there. Can you really beat every single one of them?"
Ye Feng froze. That was something he had never considered.
"Was I... really that arrogant?"
Dongfang Yebai shot him a look. "Of course you were. Remember Xu Cheng from Class Three?"
Ye Feng looked blank. "Who’s that?"
Dongfang Yebai said scornfully, "You pinned him to the ground during sparring last year. The worst part was, you even took off your shoe and stepped on his face. What, has the ’great genius’ already forgotten?"
"Did I do that?"
"Tch..."
Dongfang Yebai ignored Ye Feng and stormed off.
Ye Feng scratched his head. He remembered Yu Fei slapping him across the face, and the anger from that moment still simmered within him.
’Was I really like that back then?’
He thought about what Dongfang Yebai had said about Xu Cheng, and suddenly, his anger subsided. Seeing she was already far ahead, he quickly ran after her. "Hey! Wait for me!"
「Rooftop of the First High School Hospital.」
Su Yue remained invisible, maintaining surveillance over the widest possible area. With her level of power, she could sense all Qi Blood and Inner Qi fluctuations within a fifteen-kilometer radius and lock her perception onto targets within ten kilometers.
But Grandmasters were an exception; they could merge their spirit with the world, leaving no trace.
Although she was in a state of deep meditation, she was fully aware of the plans and actions of Han Qiubai’s group. There was simply no need to make contact yet. They were handling things well.
’If a cult Grandmaster attacks, all I can do is stall for time.’
Yan Sea sat cross-legged opposite Su Yue. A thick, bloody aura emanated from him, but Su Yue completely concealed it, leaving not a single trace to be seen.
He had taken a Celestial King Wisdom Elixir and a Profound Spirit Returning Elixir in succession. The injuries to his Dantian were slowly mending, and his former state of Gang Qi Perfection was gradually returning. However, the wounds were old and would take a significant amount of time to heal.
Within the lake of his consciousness, a blood-red dragon repeatedly charged toward the heavens. Countless iron chains were shrugged off and snapped, only for new, densely packed chains to rise and bind the dragon once more.
This was both a process of healing and of cultivation.
Frenzied Blood Spirit was an exceptionally difficult type of Gang Qi to command. It was refined from the Evil Qi of countless powerful enemies slain in bloody battles and required a Martial Artist to wield it with transcendent willpower. It could only be fully mastered upon breaking through to the Grandmaster realm.
Unfortunately, Yan Sea’s cultivation realm had been shattered. A decade’s worth of suppressed negative emotions had constantly weighed down this blood dragon, yet this pressure had also made it purer, to the point that it had even developed a sliver of its own will. It was like an ever-expanding powder keg.
Right now, Yan Sea was like a man trying to weld a patch onto that powder keg; he couldn’t afford the slightest bit of impatience.
Downstairs, in the Blood Gate Transformation Chamber, Yu Fei was well-rested after a full night. Ever since completing his Tribulation Sword Dao Foundation, his Qi Blood had remained in a very stable range of fluctuation. His blood’s vitality was excellent, and with no interruptions, his transformation was proceeding at a rapid pace.
He estimated that if all went well, he would be able to leave by this morning.
BOOM...
The oppressive heat of the past several days was suddenly swept away by a fierce wind. Clouds instantly massed on the horizon. In a flash, dark clouds swirled, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and a torrential downpour began without warning.
Su Yue, already on high alert, suddenly detected massive energy fluctuations to the northeast. It was a mix of Qi Blood and Inner Qi, but one dark and brutal aura among them was especially potent.
’This is...’
A familiar, rancid stench awakened a memory.
’The scum of the Illuminati!’ freёwebnovel.com
Su Yue opened her eyes in disgust. While still maintaining her Ten Directions Clarity Skill, the formation of her Finger Skill changed, and in an instant, a flood of information was transmitted to specific targets.
At that moment, whether it was Han Qiubai pondering countermeasures, Li Cunliang observing his sniper’s nest, or the lovey-dovey pair of Tao Lang and Zhang Yuanqiao, every Inner Qi Realm Martial Artist in Tianning County heard a soft voice whisper in their ear.
"This is Su Yue, martial arts graduate of Chongming University, New Calendar Year 812. Current cultivation: Gang Qi Realm. Former Captain of the Nether Squad, a Tier-One Special Operations unit under the Candle Dragon Corps, and former Colonel and commanding officer. My service record is verifiable. You have one minute to confirm my identity. Simultaneously, I will begin briefing you on the enemy situation..."
Zhang Yuanqiao hastily put down Tao Lang, whom he had been holding, and pulled out his phone. He opened a special app and entered the dynamic code Su Yue had just provided to verify her identity.
’If that voice wasn’t lying, then this information is terrifying.’
’The Candle Dragon Corps is one of the nation’s top Martial Saint legions, with countless Grandmasters in its ranks. For someone in the Gang Qi Realm to be captain of a Tier-One special operations team, her authority must surpass even some Grandmasters, to say nothing of having been a colonel and commanding officer. Where the hell did this powerhouse drop from?’
It wasn’t just Zhang Yuanqiao. The duo from Yuqing University were also rapidly verifying her information, and Li Cunliang was no exception. Only Zhao Zeyang listened to the voice in his ear with a look of utter bewilderment, completely at a loss.
’For heaven’s sake,’ he thought. ’I’m just a mediocre talent who got lucky and broke through to the Inner Qi Realm. I’ve never even seen a real battlefield, just fought a few matches in an arena.’
As for the other elderly Inner Qi martial artist from the Martial Arts Administration Bureau, even Su Yue had subconsciously overlooked him. He was simply too old.
Everyone quickly finished their verification, only to hear another message in their minds.
"Mental network established!
Everyone, you can now communicate freely within this network. However, with a great enemy at our doorstep, I am assuming command. Any objections?"
Su Yue’s voice had lost its usual gentleness, replaced by a tone of heroic, iron-willed resolve.
