Ye Qingxian’s heart trembled.
Although he wished for Zhu Ping’an to die sooner, this was the College Entrance Examination. Killing someone in front of everyone? Was Zhu Ping’an planning to drag him down to die together?
“Zhu Ping’an, what are you doing? Are you crazy?” Ye Qingxian shouted fiercely, though his tone betrayed his fear.
Zhu Ping’an did not respond. His answer was his sword.
Swish!
The New Moon Sword turned into a streak of cold light and thrust toward Ye Qingxian’s eyes.
At that critical moment, the ground suddenly churned. A massive Star-Devouring Worm burst out from the soil, opening its huge mouth and biting toward Zhu Ping’an.
Zhu Ping’an turned his blade and slashed at the worm. Foul green pus-like blood gushed from the Star-Devouring Worm’s body, splattering all over Ye Qingxian.
This strike completely enraged the creature. Ignoring Ye Qingxian lying on the ground, it charged at Zhu Ping’an like a mad beast.
“Nine Mountain Divine Sword, Second Form, One Sword Shaking the Mountain!”
With the sharpness of the New Moon Sword, Zhu Ping’an executed the Nine Mountain Divine Sword and easily killed the Star-Devouring Worm.
He glanced calmly at Ye Qingxian before withdrawing his gaze.
This time, he had relied on the Immortal-Demon Sword Art to defeat Ye Qingxian. He had wanted to kill him while he had the chance, but it seemed the plot would not allow it.
Zhu Ping’an had already realized that the protection of the plot did not apply only to him. It also applied to Ye Qingxian.
The first time, a Star-Devouring Worm had appeared. Who knew what would appear the second time?
Perhaps… when he truly had the ability to kill Ye Qingxian, he would also find a way to change his own doomed fate.
After all, that would amount to rewriting the main storyline.
Simply put, it was like the Golden Crow Great Emperor. Whether he became a Great Emperor or a Half-Step Red Dust Immortal made little difference to the main storyline. It only raised his realm slightly. But if Ye Fan were slapped to death by the Golden Crow Great Emperor, the entire main storyline would collapse.
Outside, the sudden scene had left everyone frozen in shock.
“What was that sword move Zhu Ping’an just used? It was terrifying! Are these really two 1st stage Martial Artists fighting?”
“Come on. Didn’t you see the Star-Devouring Worm that appeared afterward? Maybe Zhu Ping’an sensed it and was trying to save Ye Qingxian.”
“No, wait! Look! It’s not just their area. Star-Devouring Worms are emerging everywhere in the Star-Gazing Secret Realm!”
A retired teacher stood up trembling and pointed at the other projections.
Only then did everyone realize that whether it was Leng Tianjiao or the other top ten candidates, Star-Devouring Worms were constantly emerging from the ground near them. Their numbers were so dense that it made one’s scalp tingle.
Since the discovery of the Star-Gazing Secret Realm, no one had ever imagined that so many Star-Devouring Worms existed within it.
“Rescue them! Close the Star-Gazing Secret Realm immediately and suspend the College Entrance Examination. Get everyone out. I’ll take responsibility for anything that happens!” Mayor Lin Zhao of Qingcheng decisively gave the order.
Something unknown had clearly gone wrong inside the Star-Gazing Secret Realm. If any of the candidates were harmed, it would be an irreparable loss.
With Lin Zhao’s command, the proctors immediately began the process of closing the Star-Gazing Secret Realm to bring the candidates out.
The next second, their faces turned pale.
“Mayor… the Star-Gazing Secret Realm won’t close.”
“What?! Move aside!”
Lin Zhao immediately pushed the proctor aside and tried to close it himself.
Cold sweat began forming on his forehead, because he discovered that the Star-Gazing Secret Realm truly could not be closed.
At the same time, the portal that projected the top ten rankings suddenly shut down. This meant their connection to the candidates inside had been completely severed.
Lin Zhao swallowed hard. He knew the situation had become extremely serious.
Taking a deep breath, he made a phone call. He understood that this was no longer something he could handle alone. He had to seek help from higher authorities of the Grand Xia Empire.
After contacting them, Lin Zhao learned that in other cities’ sections of the Star-Gazing Secret Realm, Star-Devouring Worms had also appeared. However, the candidates there had already safely exited. Only the section where the Qingcheng candidates were located had been completely sealed off.
Top-tier Martial Artists approached to investigate and discovered that a curtain of starlight had risen over that region, completely isolating it. No one could enter.
Outside the Star-Gazing Secret Realm, chaos erupted. Inside, things were no better. Some candidates, seeing countless Star-Devouring Worms continuously emerging from underground, instinctively sensed something was wrong and tried to leave. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
But they found they could no longer exit the Star-Gazing Secret Realm. Fear began spreading inside.
“What exactly is happening?”
Zhu Ping’an also sensed something was wrong. Besides the one Star-Devouring Worm earlier, more and more were emerging from the ground.
Their numbers were so dense that killing them all was impossible. At the same time, the Star-Gazing Secret Realm could no longer be exited.
Moreover, these Star-Devouring Worms did not seem intent on killing them. Instead, they appeared to be driving them toward a certain direction.
Zhu Ping’an noticed that as long as he ran to the right, the worms would not attack him.
Ye Qingxian noticed it as well. Despite being covered in foul stench and wounded, he stubbornly stood up and followed Zhu Ping’an to the right.
Candidates in other areas experienced the same thing. They were herded by the Star-Devouring Worms toward a single direction. Those who stubbornly tried to fight the worms head-on became their food.
Soon, all surviving Qingcheng candidates were forced to gather on a slope.
Strangely, once they reached the slope, the Star-Devouring Worms merely watched them from a distance and stopped attacking, as if something on that slope deeply frightened them.
Zhu Ping’an glanced around. There were roughly over a hundred candidates still inside the Star-Gazing Secret Realm. Every face was filled with fear and panic over the unknown.
“Zhu Ping’an.”
A cold voice sounded behind him. When he turned around, he met Leng Tianjiao’s delicate yet indifferent face.
“Classmate Leng,” Zhu Ping’an nodded in greeting.
“As an examination venue, the Star-Gazing Secret Realm has always been stable. There has not been any incident for over a hundred years. Regarding this Star-Devouring Worm riot, do you have any clues?” Leng Tianjiao asked calmly, her red lips parting slightly. She was not frightened by the sudden upheaval.
“I’m not sure. But we’ll probably know soon. Star-Devouring Worms aren’t very intelligent. If they can herd all of us here, it means something behind them is controlling them,” Zhu Ping’an shared his speculation.
Leng Tianjiao glanced at him, a hint of appreciation in her eyes.
“As for the Star-Gazing Secret Realm, I once heard some legends about it from my family…”