The next moment, a figure sprang up, slapping at the flames on their body while cursing. The firelight illuminated a familiar face.
“Why is it you?” both sides exclaimed in unison.
The person inside was none other than Zhao Heng. Seeing the two, he was also taken aback. “What are you doing here?”
“We were chased here by Xeno-beasts,” Su Xi explained with a sigh of relief. “We encountered a Beast Tide in the desert area and couldn’t avoid it, so we ended up here.”
“A Beast Tide?” Zhao Heng was startled and instinctively refuted, “That’s impossible. This planet only has First to Fourth Rank Xeno-beasts. They can’t form a Beast Tide.”
“It’s true,” Niuniu nodded in agreement. “If you don’t believe it, listen outside.”
Before she could finish speaking, a fierce gust of wind howled into the cave entrance. The force was so strong that the entire cave shook, and small stones continuously fell from the surroundings. Piercing shrieks echoed from outside, as if a typhoon had swept through.
“There really is a Beast Tide!” he said, his face filled with disbelief. “How could this happen? Only Fifth Rank or higher Xeno-beasts can trigger a Beast Tide. Weren’t all the High-tier Exotic Beasts on this planet cleared out? Unless some major natural disaster occurred.”
Having experienced a major competition before, Zhao Heng analyzed in a serious tone, “Did you notice anything unusual on your way here?”
Both shook their heads. They had been too busy fleeing for their lives to pay attention.
“Never mind,” he said, unconcerned. “You can hide here for now.”
Su Xi didn’t stand on ceremony either. She directly pulled Niuniu over to sit on a clean rock. “By the way, why are you in this cave?” she asked. For a top student like him, shouldn’t he have already charged into the Xeno-beasts to earn points by fighting his way through?
“I… ahem, originally planned to set up a base here,” Zhao Heng’s eyes drifted for a moment before he coughed and said, “Who knew you’d barge in and start a fire without even asking?”
A base?
She glanced around the dim surroundings. A base without even an emergency light? Didn’t the academy issue survival packs?
Niuniu, however, felt somewhat guilty. “Sorry, we didn’t expect anyone to be here.”
“It’s fine, I don’t mind such a small thing,” Zhao Heng waved his hand, putting on a magnanimous expression.
Su Xi felt something was off but didn’t dwell on it. Seeing the wind outside gradually weakening and showing signs of calming, she quickly said, “Those flying Xeno-beasts should have left by now. Let’s take this chance to go out together?” She extended a team invitation.
“You two go ahead,” Zhao Heng declined her offer. “This is my base. I’ll stay here.”
“You’re not coming with us?”
“Ahem,” he puffed out his chest, adopting a profound and mysterious expression. “I have my own competition rhythm. You wouldn’t understand.” Experts never team up with others.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.”
“Senior Zhao,” Niuniu couldn’t help but remind him, “What just passed was only a flock of flying Xeno-beasts. The real Beast Tide is still behind. Once it arrives, forget this cave—the entire canyon might be trampled flat by the Beast Tide.”
“…” Damn it, why didn’t you say so earlier! Zhao Heng stiffened before hastily adding, “Never mind. For your safety, I’ll make an exception and team up with you.” With that, he quickly strode toward the cave entrance.
The two: “…” Would it kill you to drop the act?
Su Xi’s timing was perfect. The Xeno-beasts in the air had already flown far away, and the group on the ground hadn’t yet entered the desolate valley. They activated their hoverboards again and sped wildly toward the side.
With just a slight turn of the head, they could see a dark, dense mass covering the earth not far away. The sky was filled with billowing smoke, and the rumbling sound was incessant. An endless tide of Xeno-beasts, forming a black surge, was rushing toward them.
Zhao Heng only glanced at it, and his face turned pale. If he had really stayed in that cave, he would have been trampled into a pulp.
The three of them flew low but at an extremely fast speed. Although Su Xi was carrying an extra person, he could still push the hoverboard to its limit. Just as they were about to fly out of the range, watching the beast tide grow farther away…
“Holy shit, those Xeno-beasts are turning!” Zhao Heng exclaimed in shock.
Sure enough, the originally dark mass of beasts suddenly split into a smaller stream. A small group of Xeno-beasts actually changed direction and began chasing them. Even though it was just a small stream, there were still tens of thousands of them.
“Did these Xeno-beasts turn on tracking? They’re chasing us even without a High-tier Exotic Beast commanding them.” Zhao Heng cursed under his breath. “What do we do now?”
Su Xi’s heart sank. He immediately pointed ahead and said, “Fly toward the grassland. There’s a forest beyond it.” The journey here had been safe, proving that area was free of danger. As long as they crossed the grassland and returned to the forest where they had landed, the complex terrain would scatter the Xeno-beasts, and they would be safe.
Without hesitation, the three flew toward the grassland. As expected, the grassland was now empty, but the Xeno-beasts behind them were still in hot pursuit. The flat terrain of the grassland offered no obstacles, allowing the beasts to chase even faster.
Seeing the distance closing rapidly and realizing they couldn’t hold out until they reached the forest, the two exchanged a glance.
“Put me down, Mibao!” Niuniu suddenly spoke up, tears welling in his eyes. “My Transcendent Ability can temporarily block them. Besides, you only encountered the Beast Tide because you came to save me.”
“No!” she refused outright. “Your Transcendent energy was already exhausted earlier. There must be another way!” Think, you blockhead! Think!
“There isn’t. If we wait any longer, they’ll really catch up.”
“No, if anyone goes, it should be me.”
“You’re only level one; you can’t hold them off. I should go.”
“I’ll go.”
“I’ll go.”
“For fuck’s sake, enough!” Zhao Heng gritted his teeth, unable to hold back any longer. “Are you two trying to provoke me? Fine, I’ll go! I’ll go, okay?”
The two: “Sounds good!” They instantly fell silent.
Zhao Heng twitched the corner of his mouth, sighed, took a deep breath, and raised his hand, silently reciting something. Instantly, a long sword appeared in his hand. He glanced back at the two and said, “Watch closely. This sword strike… will be incredibly cool!”
With a light tap of his toes, he leaped off the hoverboard, facing the dark tide of beasts head-on. He pointed his sword at the surging horde, and it truly had the aura of a lone warrior holding the line.
The Beast Tide drew closer—a hundred meters, fifty, thirty, twenty…
Just as it seemed about to engulf him, Zhao Heng twisted his sword, and in an instant, a towering sword aura erupted from him. The sharp sword energy even distorted the space momentarily, and the blade emitted a blinding light.
A powerful aura of slaughter spread out from him as the center. Moments later, he swung his sword and slashed, and a colossal sword that blotted out the sky appeared out of thin air. With a momentum that seemed capable of splitting the heavens, it crashed down toward the direction of the Beast Tide.
For a moment, the earth shook and the mountains trembled. The originally dense Beast Tide vanished completely, as if swept away like dust by the giant sword. Even their bodies were crushed to pieces by this force that resembled Divine Might. The entire grassland was split in two, leaving a crack several meters deep.
Was this… a power that humans could possess?
The scene of complete and utter domination left Su Xi and his companions utterly stunned, unable to regain their senses for a long time.
So, who exactly was the god here?!
(￣□￣；)