Chapter 101 – Foundation Establishment? How Many Lives Does Foundation Establishment Have!

East side of Luocheng High School, Pedestrian Street.

As a pedestrian street backing onto Luocheng High School, this area saw considerable foot traffic on weekdays.

Every day around this time, numerous students from No. 1 High would come here for meals.

Over time, this attracted more restaurants to open in the area.

These restaurants, offering good quality at affordable prices, subsequently drew in even more students from outside No. 1 High.

This created a virtuous cycle, establishing the area as the top dining choice for office workers and students within a one-to-two-kilometer radius.

Thus, when the eerie blood cloud appeared on the horizon, no fewer than several thousand people were gathered on Pedestrian Street—either eating or preparing to eat.

Among them were local residents, workers from nearby office buildings, and some Luocheng High School students who had come for meals.

Indeed, when the blood cloud first appeared, not all students had returned to school; some remained outside.

The trio of Chai Xi, Xu Jianliang, and Zheng Liu were unfortunately among them.

“Chai Xi, Jianliang, look over there! Something seems wrong!”

Zheng Liu, who was sitting outside a restaurant waiting for Xu Jianliang and Chai Xi to bring out their fast food, suddenly spotted the massive blood cloud in the distant sky.

Hearing her, Xu Jianliang and Chai Xi, who had just stepped out of the restaurant, immediately noticed the anomaly.

The crimson clouds blotted out the sky, transforming the once sun-drenched Pedestrian Street into a reddish haze.

Without hesitation, Chai Xi dropped the fast food in his hands and shouted to Zheng Liu and Xu Jianliang.

“Go! Back to school!”

Only then did Zheng Liu and Xu Jianliang snap to awareness, bolting toward No. 1 High.

They weren’t the only ones to react; many others had also witnessed this celestial phenomenon.

Almost instinctively, they all began running toward Luocheng High School.

In their subconscious, only Luocheng High School, teeming with Cultivators, was the safest place nearby.

In an instant, the previously orderly Pedestrian Street descended into chaos.

At the entrance of an alley beside Pedestrian Street.

A sanitation worker uncle, clad in his uniform, was terrified by a decaying rat the size of a small calf that suddenly leaped out from the adjacent alley. He immediately dropped his broom and scrambled toward the center of Pedestrian Street.

But before he could get far, the decaying rat pounced on him, pinning him to the ground.

Soon, more decaying rats emerged from the surroundings, completely overwhelming the sanitation worker.

Before long, he fell silent.

As the rat swarm passed, a horrifying skeleton was left in its wake.

Similar scenes unfolded elsewhere on Pedestrian Street.

Countless decaying rats, appearing from nowhere, occupied most of the area.

[Gnawing Fiend Rat]

[Strength: Qi Condensation Stage Level 3]

[Characteristics: Omnivorous, sharp gnawing teeth, travels in groups]

Driven by these Gnawing Fiend Rats, countless people frantically fled toward Luocheng High School.

Those who were slower naturally became food for the Gnawing Fiend Rats.

Within mere seconds, they were gnawed down to bare bones.It was like a living hell.

At the entrance of a shop on Pedestrian Street.

“Mom, mom…”

A little girl crouched by the roadside, crying as she pushed her mother who lay unconscious in a pool of blood.

This had happened because her mother, while carrying her to escape, had been accidentally knocked down by the panicked crowd.

Her head struck a nearby table, and she fainted on the spot.

The consequences of fainting in such a critical situation were self-evident.

Seeing that she couldn’t wake her mother no matter how hard she tried, the little girl desperately sought help from the adults around her.

But everyone was too busy fleeing for their lives to notice her.

Or even if someone did notice, no one dared to stop.

Because not far away, the horde of Gnawing Fiend Rats was relentlessly chasing them like grim reapers.

Stopping now would be no different from suicide!

Watching the adults continuously pass by without a single one willing to stop and lend a hand,

the little girl’s eyes filled with terror and despair.

She couldn’t understand why things had turned out this way.

Just today, she had finally scored full marks on her exam, and her mother had specially brought her to eat her favorite roasted duck.

But before the duck could be served, the adults suddenly started screaming and shouting.

Then, as if wound up by clockwork, everyone frantically ran in one direction.

It was at this moment that her mother picked her up and joined the fleeing crowd.

Unfortunately, she and her mother had bad luck—they were suddenly knocked down.

The little girl sat on the ground, crying as she pushed her mother’s shoulder and looked around, hoping someone would come to their aid.

She waited like this for a full three minutes.

Until the crowd around her grew thinner, and the terrifying Gnawing Fiend Rats in the distance drew closer.

Staring at the frightening red eyes of the Gnawing Fiend Rats nearby,

and their black fur stained with blood,

the little girl grew terrified.

She tugged hard on the back of her mother’s clothes, trying to pull her up from the ground so they could escape these horrifying monsters together.

But her strength was too weak. After several attempts, she only managed to lift her mother’s clothes slightly.

She couldn’t move her unconscious mother away from this dangerous place.

As the Gnawing Fiend Rats in the distance drew nearer, the expression on the little girl’s face grew increasingly panicked.

Ten meters, five meters, three meters…

When several Gnawing Fiend Rats charged right up to her, the little girl instinctively threw herself over her mother’s head, trying to protect her from the monsters’ attacks.

Though her thin shoulders trembled with fear, she had considered countless options—except for abandoning her mother and running away alone.

“Zheng Liu, you carry them! Jianliang and I will hold off these creatures!”

Just as the little girl was in despair, a loud shout rang out beside her.

She instinctively looked up and saw three students from No. 1 High, dressed in outdated school uniforms, who had somehow appeared by her side.

Then a male student with a buzz cut, wielding a long spear, fearlessly charged into the horde of Gnawing Fiend Rats.

His Fine Iron Spear was powerful and heavy, each swing capable of killing or sweeping away large numbers of Gnawing Fiend Rats on the spot.Beside the male student, another male student holding a Dao Sword was forming hand seals, casting numerous Wood-type Spells to assist the male Body Cultivator.

Working together, the two directly blocked a large number of Gnawing Fiend Rats.

“Don’t be afraid, come with me.”

The little girl looked up and saw a slightly mature-looking older sister wearing light makeup.

Before the little girl could say anything, the older sister immediately took out a Talisman and stuck it on her mother’s back.

In the next moment, the wound on the little girl’s mother’s forehead stopped bleeding, and her originally pale complexion turned rosy, clearly improving significantly.

After doing this, Zheng Liu carried the unconscious mother on her back and then picked up the little girl in her arms.

“You two hold on! I’ll take them to the school first!”

Just then, Chai Xi, who had just smashed a Gnawing Fiend Rat to death with his Spear, shouted without turning his head, “Hurry! Jianliang and I can’t hold out for long!”

On the other side, Xu Jianliang remained silent, fully focused on using his Spiritual Power to summon trees to restrain the surrounding Gnawing Fiend Rats.

This prevented them from swarming Chai Xi in a short time.

Seeing the two struggling to hold on, Zheng Liu couldn’t help but say before leaving, “Hey, you two better not die! We promised to attend the Dao Academy together!”

Hearing this, Chai Xi took a moment to glance back at her, revealing a bright smile.

Such a smile was a rare sight on someone as cunning as Chai Xi.

Beside him, Xu Jianliang calmly said, “Don’t worry, Chai Xi and I aren’t going to die yet. Hurry and go.”

Zheng Liu wasn’t sure whether the two were trying to comfort her or genuinely believed the Gnawing Fiend Rats were no match for them.

But the current situation left no room for further thought.

Gritting her teeth, Zheng Liu sprinted at full speed toward the distant Luocheng High School, where the School Protection Array had already been activated.

“Hold on! I’ll find help for you right away!”

As she ran, Zheng Liu shouted inwardly, Hold on, you must hold on!

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of an old building in the distance along the Pedestrian Street.

Three people wearing numbered masks observed the trio’s actions in detail.

“Number Eleven, why is it we never encountered companions who’d risk their lives for each other back in the day? If I’d met them earlier, I might not have joined the Black Lotus Sect.”

Number Eleven watched as Chai Xi and Xu Jianliang stayed behind to cover their companion’s retreat, calmly replying, “Number Twelve, you might have encountered them before, but they’re probably all dead.”

“After all, good people… never live long.”

Hearing this, Number Twelve shrugged indifferently, feigning nonchalance.

But beneath his seemingly carefree exterior, his eyes grew profound, as if lost in memories.

Listening to their conversation, Number Six interjected, “Enough, let’s not forget the task assigned by the Altar Lord. It’s time we got down to business.”

“After all, half of our plan is already complete. The others should have blended into the crowd and entered Luocheng to join forces with the Vice-Altar Lord, finding a way to break Meng Chuanping’s old formation.”

“Once the formation’s protection is gone, with the Vice-Altar Lord and the Rat Guardian’s methods, they should be able to quickly retrieve the Holy Son from the school.”Hearing this, the curious Number Twelve couldn’t help but ask, “What do you think the Holy Son actually looks like?”

“After all, we still don’t even know who the Holy Son is. Why are the Vice-Altar Lord and Rat Guardian so certain the Holy Son is definitely at No. 1 High?”

Number Six turned to look at him, his tone icy as he said, “You’ll know what you’re supposed to know. Don’t ask about things you shouldn’t. Just focus on your own tasks.”

Number Twelve, having been rebuffed, shrugged helplessly.

Well, that was like showing warmth to someone’s cold rear – couldn’t even ask a simple question?

“Go deal with those two students. We need to ensure the survivors gathered near No. 1 High face sufficient pressure. We can’t let them keep delaying the Gnawing Fiend Rat horde any longer.”

“This way we can force Meng Chuanping to open the formation and let the surrounding survivors into the school.”

“After all, these Immortal Alliance Cultivators are different from us. We can disregard mortals, but they won’t.”

“And as long as we control the mortals, we control their weakness.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll take care of these two then. After all, I’m quite curious whether these two can maintain their nauseating friendship when faced with death.”

“Just thinking about that scene… I can’t help but get excited.”

As he spoke, Number Twelve leaped down from the rooftop, flying toward Chai Xi and Xu Jianliang’s direction.

Soaring through the air – undoubtedly at the Foundation Establishment Stage!

“Chai Xi, it’s about time we retreat too!”

Seeing that Zheng Liu had already disappeared from Pedestrian Street, Xu Jianliang knew they had bought enough time.

It was time to leave this dangerous place.

After all, he clearly saw more and more Gnawing Fiend Rats emerging from various buildings around Pedestrian Street.

The sheer density of them was enough to make one’s scalp tingle at a single glance.

If they continued fighting here, they would truly be in danger.

As for the actual situation, Chai Xi fighting on the front lines naturally understood it well too.

So after forcing back the surrounding Gnawing Fiend Rats with his spear, he shouted: “Let’s go!”

But before Chai Xi and Xu Jianliang could run more than a few steps, they stopped with grim expressions.

Because on the road from Pedestrian Street to Luocheng High School, a strange man wearing a ‘Number Twelve’ mask was already blocking their path in the middle of the road.

For some reason, the surrounding Gnawing Fiend Rats seemed unable to see Chai Xi and the others, all bypassing them and charging toward distant Luocheng High School.

“Where are you two little kids trying to run off to?”

On Pedestrian Street, Number Twelve held chains in both hands, constantly swinging them like yo-yos.

Seeing this guy appear, Chai Xi immediately turned to Xu Jianliang beside him and said seriously: “Jianliang, I’ll try to hold him off for a while. You find an opportunity to run quickly.”

“You have the Stealth Orb. Although it might not work against a Foundation Establishment Stage Heretical Cultivator, it should be enough to get you safely to the school.”

“As long as you reach the school, this Heretical Cultivator won’t be able to do anything to you.”

Xu Jianliang said gravely: “What about you? What will you do?”Hearing this, Chai Xi carelessly slung the blood-stained Fine Iron Spear over his shoulder and said with a carefree air, “What else can we do? Of course, we’ll make this guy experience the might of our No. 1 High!”

As he spoke, Chai Xi proactively strode toward Number Twelve.

While walking, he casually waved a hand behind him toward Xu Jianliang.

“Don’t worry, brother. See you at the Dao Academy next year.”

Xu Jianliang watched his retreating figure without speaking, silently taking out the Stealth Orb.

The next moment, his figure vanished from the spot.

Witnessing this scene, Number Twelve remarked with slight surprise, “Oh? You actually possess such a Magical Artifact? Not bad.”

Seeing that Xu Jianliang had already disappeared, the heavy burden in Chai Xi’s heart immediately lightened by more than half.

After all, facing a Heretical Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage, he truly didn’t have much confidence in how long he could hold out.

But…

Clang!

Chai Xi forcefully raised the Fine Iron Spear in his hands, pointing it directly at Number Twelve before him.

An Aura of fearless determination radiated from his entire being.

So what if it’s the Foundation Establishment Stage?

So what if he’s a Heretical Cultivator?

If they were truly afraid of death, they wouldn’t have chosen to turn back to save others!

If you fear death… why cultivate the Dao!

Seeing him like this, the mockery in Number Twelve’s eyes grew even stronger.

“Not bad, not bad. Quite impressive Aura. But the more you’re like this… the more I want to see you kneeling and begging for mercy!”

Number Twelve suddenly swung his arm, and a pitch-black chain immediately shot toward Chai Xi at high speed.

Bang!

Chai Xi raised his spear to block, instantly feeling the tremendous force transmitted through the weapon.

His figure was sent flying backward, crashing hard into a nearby shop.

Feeling the churning Qi and blood within his body, Chai Xi felt bitter inside.

So this is the Foundation Establishment Stage? Even a casual attack can take half my life.

And this was while the opponent wasn’t even being serious.

He truly couldn’t understand how Classmates Mu and Lu had managed to defeat such opponents while crossing cultivation stages back then.

Though thinking this, Chai Xi still struggled to rise from the ground.

“Oh? Not bad. You can still stand up.”

Number Twelve gave Chai Xi a mocking glance, then suddenly turned his head and said, “Little guy, do you really think I can’t see you just because you can run?”

As these words fell, the chain on Number Twelve’s left hand suddenly lashed out.

A shop that had been completely empty suddenly became filled with numerous vines.

But when these vines touched the Black Chains, they were all easily snapped.

“Ugh…”

Following a muffled groan, Xu Jianliang – who should have already left – was dragged out from the shop, bound by the chains controlled by Number Twelve.

Seeing Xu Jianliang captured by Number Twelve, Chai Xi’s eyes instantly turned blood-red.

“Let him go!”

Chai Xi roared furiously, then charged recklessly toward Number Twelve.

But before he could get close, Number Twelve’s effortlessly controlled Black Chains sent him flying back once again.

Watching Chai Xi sprawled awkwardly on the ground again, spitting blood, Number Twelve pretended to be moved, saying, “Ah, how touching. Your friendship moves me deeply.”One stays behind to cover his companion’s escape, even at the cost of sacrificing himself.””

“The other chooses to stay and seek opportunities to challenge an unbeatable enemy, refusing to abandon his comrade.”

“I say, you two Qi Condensation Stage brats, could you show some basic respect… for a Foundation Establishment Stage expert!”Number Twelve snorted coldly and instantly tightened the Black Chains binding Xu Jianliang.

Crack…

Accompanied by a crisp sound of shattering bones, Xu Jianliang’s face twisted in agony, turning deathly pale.

It was evident just how much damage Number Twelve’s exertion had inflicted upon him.

Meanwhile, Chai Xi, who lay collapsed in the rubble, desperately wanted to help Xu Jianliang.

But his body could no longer muster any strength, leaving him only able to glare furiously at Number Twelve with a look that seemed ready to devour him alive.

Yet the more Chai Xi reacted this way, the more it delighted Number Twelve.

It further solidified Number Twelve’s conviction about the decision he made years ago.

After all, when facing a stronger opponent, fleeing and begging for mercy were the only viable options.

Fighting to the death?

What kind of fight was that!

Perhaps he had grown bored, or perhaps he remembered he had more important matters to attend to.

Number Twelve decided to end this game for good.

“Alright, we—”

Boom!

Before Number Twelve could finish his sentence, a surge of Sword Qi abruptly shot forth, cleanly severing the chains restraining Xu Jianliang.

The residual force of the Sword Qi didn’t diminish, instead slashing a five-meter-long gash across the entire front of a nearby shop.

Witnessing this, Number Twelve was filled with dread.

That strike had come dangerously close to landing right on his head!

Trembling with fear, Number Twelve turned to look in the direction from which the Sword Qi had originated.

There stood a youth holding a black Sword, who had appeared unnoticed at the entrance of the Pedestrian Street.

His expression was cold as he walked forward, stating indifferently, “Foundation Establishment? I’ve slain more Foundation Establishment cultivators than I can count on both hands.”

Sensing the Sword Intent emanating from Lu Chen, Number Twelve’s eyes grew unprecedentedly grave.

Dangerous. This student was extremely dangerous!

In that moment, Number Twelve’s mind raced, scrambling to devise a countermeasure.

But before he could think too deeply, Lu Chen vanished from his sight.

Number Twelve’s pupils contracted sharply, for the next instant, Lu Chen had already reappeared right beside him!

Simultaneously, an icy voice whispered beside Number Twelve’s ear.

“So, how many lives does this Foundation Establishment… have for me to cut down?”

Stunned, Number Twelve turned his head, only to see a flash of cold steel rushing toward his face…

(End of Chapter)