Chapter 83: Reunion with Mark

Under Lucy’s stunned gaze, Xiong Da kept comforting her on the side. Lucy began to feel relieved. Thankfully, she hadn’t tried to intervene—if she had been sent flying like that, she would have been lying on the ground crying out in pain too. It was truly terrifying.

This was also the first time Hong Ren had witnessed Xiong Batian display her strength. That strike was purely reliant on raw power, a force that undoubtedly surpassed his own. Moreover, Xiong Batian clearly hadn’t shown her true strength. If she had swung with her full power, the resulting air pressure would likely have crushed these people into pulp. The desire for battle in Hong Ren’s eyes was becoming difficult to suppress. But now was obviously not the time. He would find an opportunity to challenge this woman to a duel.

The commotion here had also caused widespread panic among the crowd. Mark, leading a group of Soldiers, had originally been planning to locate Zhai Guangyi and the others. In fact, a Soldier had been monitoring them ever since they entered the city, but that Soldier had also been sent flying by Xiong Batian and was now lying on the ground, clutching his knee and wailing in pain.

Seeing the disturbance at the Adventurer bar, Mark quickened his pace, silently praying that it wasn’t caused by Xiong Da and the others under his charge. But upon spotting Zhai Guangyi and his companions standing unscathed inside the bar, and then looking at the Adventurers lying on the ground moaning in agony, he knew things had gone terribly wrong.

“Long time no see, Mark.”

Xiong Da greeted Mark and the others casually. He was fully aware of their current situation. Based on his understanding of Banwang City, those with strength reaching the level of a Demigod were treated with a degree of fear and wouldn’t be provoked lightly. As long as negotiations were still possible, things wouldn’t escalate to a life-or-death fight. Therefore, he wasn’t worried at all.

“What have you all done? I told you not to cause trouble. How am I supposed to explain this to the City Lord?”

Mark had spent some time with Xiong Da before. Despite being a Demon Human, Xiong Da carried himself like a well-read scholar, skilled in both theory and debate. Mark trusted that he wouldn’t harm Humans, which was why the initial negotiations had gone so smoothly. But now, with things ending up like this… He had even assured the City Lord before leaving today that he would bring Zhai Guangyi and the others peacefully into the inner city.

If the City Lord hadn’t imprisoned the Forest Elves, Zhai Guangyi might have been willing to reason with the Humans. But now, there was no way to explain. Zhai Guangyi raised his hand and cast a Healing Magic spell on the fallen Adventurers, completely restoring their injuries as if they had never been hurt.

Some Adventurers even had their old ailments healed by Zhai Guangyi. They scrambled to their feet, looking at their previously injured spots in disbelief. If not for the fact that half the Adventurer bar was destroyed, they might have thought it was all an illusion.

“Let this be a lesson. If you dare offend us again, there will be only one outcome.”

Zhai Guangyi’s tone carried not a hint of emotion as he coldly delivered this warning to the Adventurers.

This level of large-scale healing made both Mark and Lucy realize that this hooded little girl was no ordinary person. Although healing magic couldn’t be considered a special skill, it was still rare and difficult to learn—those who could master healing magic were mostly clergy members. Moreover, such a wide-ranging and highly effective healing magic likely wasn’t low-level. It seemed the Spirit King Tree took this group of Forest Elves very seriously, as the combatants sent to Banwang City were truly terrifying.

Lucy felt that the City Lord had kicked an iron plate. She began considering her next job—if she followed Xiong Da into the forest to live a carefree, reclusive life, would her superiors hunt her down? Yet, seeing Aunt Xiong Batian’s strength, Lucy wondered if this counted as marrying into an otherworldly wealthy family.

Although Xiong Da wasn’t a prince of any nation, he was still the eldest son of a powerful faction’s leader. In this otherworld, wasn’t it the strong who ruled? Strength equaled wealth, so Xiong Da was essentially a CEO! But that hooded girl was somewhat irritating—her identity was suspicious, and though she looked quite cute, her words were anything but.

Mark watched the fallen adventurers flee in panic and sighed helplessly. Xiong Batian’s strength was already beyond his ability to contend with, and even Xiong Da’s current power wouldn’t be weaker than his own. Moreover, he noticed that after spending more time with Xiong Da, he had become somewhat strange, often inexplicably granting special leniencies.

Mark often recalled his interactions with Xiong Da at night—it seemed he had never refused any of Xiong Da’s requests. And when he returned home, he no longer felt the same desire for his wife as before. Xiong Da’s handsome, cheerful smile frequently appeared in his mind. Had his sexual orientation truly changed? Because of this, he had argued with his wife quite often recently.

He was well aware of Xiong Batian’s strength, but now there were two more individuals he didn’t understand. That little girl standing at the center of the group—was she a representative of the Spirit King Tree? That level of healing ability likely couldn’t be learned by ordinary magical beasts. Moreover, both Xiong Batian and the bandaged fellow protected Zhai Guangyi in the safest position, which clearly indicated her identity was anything but simple.

The plainclothes soldier who had been sent flying by Xiong Batian earlier now ran over to report the situation to Mark. Only then did Mark realize that Xiong Batian had actually advanced to Demigod rank. That level of divine pressure could be felt by everyone present. Every year, demigods from the Church would come from the capital to bestow blessings upon some humans. The pressure Xiong Batian exuded was just as terrifying as that brought by the Church’s demigods.

The soldier also reported Hong Ren’s shocking statements and Zhai Guangyi’s response.

Instantly, a guess formed in Mark’s mind. The moment this thought appeared, the clothes on his back were soaked with sweat. This was likely three demigods. If three demigods simultaneously attacked Banwang City, even if all nearby cities sent their armies for support, they wouldn’t be able to handle three demigods. They couldn’t even hold them off—Banye City had been attacked by a Demigod-rank demon tree. When they rushed to provide aid, not a single corpse remained within the city.

It is easy to imagine that the power of a Demigod is simply beyond the reach of ordinary people, with an insurmountable chasm lying between the two. Not to mention the possibility of three Demigods being present here. I hope the City Lord can handle this properly. Otherwise, Banwang City might truly vanish starting tomorrow. For Mark, who has a family here, such a prospect is utterly terrifying.

“I’ll take you to see the City Lord.”

Mark did not warn Zhai Guangyi and the others against using force, as he knew he could never stop a Demigod if they truly intended to resort to violence. Moreover, judging by Zhai Guangyi’s demeanor, it seemed they were inclined toward negotiation. Mark needed to clarify the situation with the City Lord in advance. He ordered the plainclothes Soldier to quickly report his speculations and the events unfolding here to the City Lord, so that preparations could be made ahead of time.