Chapter 114: I Should Avoid His Edge?

Boom!

In a valley, flames shot into the sky as countless Martial Skill effects danced in all directions, accompanied by intermittent thunderous roars. Yet, two mournful beast cries added a solemn air to the scene.

A group of students wearing Silver Radiance Academy uniforms sat slumped together, gazing with relieved smiles at the motionless fifth-stage Late Stage Fierce Beast, the Stoneback Ape, lying on the ground.

“Whew, we finally killed this beast.”

“Yeah, if it weren’t for our seamless coordination, we might not have managed to take it down.”

“Rumor has it that Stoneback Apes have a chance of growing Heaven-Earth Essence on their backs. I wonder if this one has any.”

After several heavy breaths, the group finally recovered from the intense battle. They rose to their feet, intending to cut open the Stoneback Ape’s back to check for the presence of “Heaven-Earth Essence.”

One of them wielded a Saber, carefully tracing the tip along the ape’s back. As he did, specks of green light mixed with gushing blood seeped out.

Delight spread across their faces.

“We got it!”

“Wow, we’re so lucky! To think the first Stoneback Ape we encountered actually has Heaven-Earth Essence.”

Just as they were sharing their joy, a faint, erratic footstep echoed from outside the valley.

Like a ghostly stroll, a frail man stepped slowly across the reddish-brown grass, his body so light it seemed like nothing more than a dried-up husk.

“Wait, someone’s coming.”

The group halted their dissection of the beast’s back and turned their attention warily toward the approaching figure.

Upon seeing the man clad in their Silver Radiance Academy uniform, their expressions relaxed.

“Oh, it’s one of us. I thought it might be those guys from Golden Radiance Academy.”

“Don’t let your guard down. The Secret Realm completely isolates us from the outside world. Even our own people can lose their minds under the lure of profit. We need to be careful.”

The leader, clearly a senior student in his third or fourth year, frowned as he watched the frail man approach.

He shouted loudly, “Hey, classmate! There are no more Fierce Beasts here. No need to come any closer!”

Pei Qin remained silent, continuing to advance toward them.

“Hey, if you take another step, don’t blame us for being ruthless!”

Pei Qin was now less than ten meters away.

The senior narrowed his eyes and signaled to the others behind him. “He’s probably here to steal the treasure. Let’s take action!”

“Alright!”

The battle erupted instantly. The group activated their Martial Skills, launching attacks at Pei Qin’s frail figure.

Behind Pei Qin, faint wisps of purplish-black Yin Qi swirled, and a vertical eye quietly opened.

A sound like licking lips echoed through the space, followed by a sinister voice.

“They smell delicious too!”

Pei Qin smiled softly. “Now—you can feast without restraint.”

“I won’t hold back!”

Before anyone realized, the purplish-black Aura had filled the entire valley. Flowers and grass withered, birds and beasts cried out in sorrow, and the blazing sun was blocked by the Yin Qi. In the dim space, eerie whispers flooded into everyone’s ears.

“Dammit, cover your ears! There’s something strange about this sound!”

“I… I have no strength left…”

Thud!

A female student collapsed to the ground—or rather, her marrow, blood, and internal organs… had been drained by an unknown entity. Her body turned into an empty Aperture, with the remaining remnants unable to support her standing any longer.

“I… I’ll fight you to the death!”

The strongest senior among the group roared in fury, resisting the eerie erosion as he lunged toward Pei Qin.

Pei Qin watched the man struggling on the brink of death calmly, admiring his fearless courage, a sinister smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

“Not bad.”

He took a step forward, ripples spreading beneath his feet, his pupils instantly filling with a crimson, eerie glow.

A dark-purple claw shadow appeared above the senior’s crown.

Ssssh—

The eerie Qi dissipated, and the valley returned to its usual tranquility, though the five skeletons on the ground silently spoke of what had transpired here.

Pei Qin walked up to the Stoneback Ape, the eyeball behind him eagerly trying to move forward to feed.

But at that moment, Pei Qin suddenly stopped it.

“What are you doing? This is a treasure!”

“Shh, he’s coming. We need to leave first~”

“Am I afraid of his power?”

“Be good, listen. I don’t like disobedient children.”

Pei Qin bared his sharp fangs at the eyeball, a hint of killing intent flashing in his pupils.

The eyeball’s aura vanished entirely, gradually shrinking back into the void. “O-okay.”

Pei Qin smiled faintly.

“That’s more like it.”

With that, the place was now empty.

Three minutes later.

“There’s actually a Fierce Beast here?”

Jiang Yan approached the Stoneback Ape, noticing it was already dead.

Just as he was about to leave, he saw a pale green fluid oozing from the ape’s back, emitting a faint glow—clearly no ordinary substance.

“A treasure no one claimed?”

Jiang Yan narrowed his eyes, surveying his surroundings.

Remains, withered grass, decaying flowers, and… that unpleasant aura.

An image flashed in Jiang Yan’s mind—a figure he had seen a few times before.

“Maybe it was him.”

“Never mind, let’s just assume it was him.”

“Looking at it this way, that Professor Lan brought back quite a formidable character.”

Jiang Yan sneered, thrusting his hand through the Stoneback Ape’s rock-hard back and extracting a glowing green, fluid-like substance.

He swallowed it in one gulp, refining it instantly.

“Hmm, green tea flavor. Very nourishing.”

Soon after, Jiang Yan left the area.

Elsewhere, Pei Qin had already traveled an unknown distance.

“This is too humiliating! If we join forces, we might still defeat him!”

“If we devour him, we’ll surely become the strongest in this Secret Realm. Then we can kill whoever we want!”

The dark-purple eyeball emerged again, chattering incessantly at Pei Qin.

“He’s strong. You know my Yin Demon senses have always been accurate.”

“Now is not the time. I’ve said it before—once I devour everyone here, I’ll be able to defeat him.”

“Fine, then let’s go find something to eat.”

“Of course.”

…

Another half-day passed.

Jiang Yan killed another fifth-stage Perfection Fierce Beast and obtained a golden, gleaming fruit.

Though he didn’t know its name, Jiang Yan swallowed it whole, found a secluded spot, and began refining it.

Not long after, a vast expanse of Red Mist rose in a small area of the Senluo Secret Realm, and waves of Beast Tide surged toward that region. For a time, the commotion was immense, drawing the attention of many Martial Artists.

“Heaven and earth acting strangely, Fierce Beasts stirring… Could it be that a treasure has appeared in the Senluo Secret Realm?”

“I have to go take a look. Otherwise, wouldn’t this trip to the Secret Realm be a waste?”

Many Martial Artists, sharing this thought, rushed toward the Red Mist region.

For a time, the Red Mist area gathered the majority of human Martial Artists. Each of them hid in the shadows, choosing to stop and observe—not a single fool was willing to be the first to stick their neck out.

Pei Qin, who had been searching everywhere for someone, narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the towering Red Mist in the distance. With a smile, he said to the strangely screeching eyeball behind him:

“I feel like having a buffet. How about you?”