Suddenly, the void twisted, and a massive slash tore through the sky toward more than a dozen students. Shocked, they all struck simultaneously to shatter the attack. In the distance, Zhang Dingtian soared into the air, gripping his long blade tightly, his gaze icy.
Though they had heard of him, facing Zhang Dingtian in person sent chills down the students' spines. To think that among the natives, there truly existed a cross-border powerhouse—it was simply monstrous.
With a whoosh, an arrow shot through the sky, striking a student—the very one who had just attacked the capital. Blood rained down from above.
It was Wu Sheng, the Wolf Saint, one of the Seven Saints. Originally stationed on the grasslands, he had learned of the capital's siege through a stolen personal terminal and had arrived days earlier to assist.
Four Saints battled over twenty students—a vast disparity. Even Zhang Dingtian couldn't bridge the gap. Within moments, Zhou Shan was coughing blood, his body marked with several bloody gashes. Wu Sheng was impaled through the abdomen by a student and lifted into the air, his blood staining the ground.
Tens of thousands of evolved warriors from Huaying joined the battle but were slaughtered like weeds, unable even to approach the students.
Granny hid nearby, watching in terror. Not being from Earth, she wouldn't throw her life away. Besides, with her strength, she couldn't stop any of the students.
A fierce wind blew, bringing a chill to the world. Many students looked toward the ruined city wall in surprise. There, two students were frozen. Heidi'an's eyes widened in shock. "Innate talent—you, you actually have innate talent."
The words "innate talent" sent shockwaves through the area. All the students stared at Bai Xue in disbelief.
Already possessing stunning beauty, she now left an indelible impression on everyone.
Bai Xue's lips were crimson, blood dripping from her chin to the ground. She panted heavily, each breath releasing cold air. She was at her limit; these monsters simply couldn't be killed.
Few knew of Bai Xue's innate talent—not even all of the Seven Saints. She had hidden it well. But facing Heidi'an and the other students, she was powerless and had no choice but to reveal it.
In the next instant, all the students greedily fixed their eyes on Bai Xue. The importance of an innate talent cultivator was clear to all. Capturing one for their faction would significantly elevate their status.
The student who had impaled Wu Sheng casually flung him aside and charged at Bai Xue with a laugh.
Another student, about to kill Zhou Shan, grinned and also rushed over.
In the sky, more than ten idle students simultaneously took action. At this moment, Bai Xue was more important than the capital or even the fugitives.
Granny sighed. This was the sorrow of the weak. Bai Xue's innate talent had been exposed; she would be captured. No one would waste an innate talent cultivator. She would be arranged to marry some powerful figure to increase the chances of producing more innate talent cultivators—a tragic fate.
Erd, facing Zhang Dingtian, greedily stared at Bai Xue and suddenly charged. But Zhang Dingtian was faster. "Get lost!" he roared, unleashing countless slashes in all directions, filling the area with terrifying attacks.
Over twenty students were forced back, shocked by Zhang Dingtian's strength. Yet, even this couldn't deter their determination to seize Bai Xue. Innate talent cultivators were too valuable.
Erd tore through the slashes and punched Zhang Dingtian in the abdomen, sending him flying over ten meters. Still, Zhang Dingtian stood firm, his long blade slicing horizontally. Erd quickly retreated, a bloody gash appearing on his chest.
Heidi'an crushed a water crystal. "Water Tornado!" he shouted. A surge of water transformed into a tornado, crashing toward Zhang Dingtian. Simultaneously, various attacks came from all directions.
Zhang Dingtian's eyes widened, his gums bleeding as he bit down. With a low growl, he stabbed his long blade into the ground and then slashed upward. Countless fragments shot in all directions, the earth trembled, and a massive crack spread from outside the city inward, burying numerous survivors.
The attacks from all sides were neutralized by Zhang Dingtian, but he had reached his limit.
Several students who hadn't acted earlier suddenly charged. Two attacked Zhang Dingtian, while one reached for Bai Xue. "The innate talent cultivator is ours! Haha!"
Zhang Dingtian was struck, his body driven into the ground, barely able to hold onto his long blade.
Bai Xue stared at the student reaching for her and raised her hand. "Ice Palm."
Boom!
A shockwave swept through the sky, freezing the ground. The student reaching for Bai Xue was instantly frozen. He had underestimated her. As one of the top three Saints, she could rival the academy's strongest; even Heidi'an couldn't defeat her easily.
Seeing Zhang Dingtian severely injured, Erd charged again, this time aiming for Bai Xue. An innate talent cultivator was as valuable as a fugitive. With Zhang Dingtian out of the way, nothing stood in his path.
Alongside Erd, two other students—each comparable to Heidi'an—also reached for Bai Xue. Now, even Zhang Dingtian couldn't protect her.
Bai Xue's face was pale. "Is it over? What a pity."
In that instant, a familiar figure appeared before her. Boom! Boom! Boom! Three loud crashes rang out as three figures were flung back in disarray—it was Erd and his companions.
All the academy students stared in disbelief at the man who had suddenly appeared in front of Bai Xue. Who was this person? He had actually defeated three of the academy's strongest students in a single move.
In a corner, Granny's eyes widened. "He actually came back."
Inside the city, Zhou Shan gave a bitter smile and spat out blood.
Bai Xue looked at the figure in front of her in shock. He wasn't tall, yet he stood between her and the storm. He had really come back—and seemed far stronger than before.
The man standing in front of Bai Xue was, of course, Lu Yin. Without a personal terminal, he had no idea the capital was under attack. Thankfully, he hadn't returned too late.
Lu Yin said to Bai Xue, "I told you I'd come back."
Bai Xue's face remained pale as she weakly warned, "Be careful, there are too many of them."
Lu Yin nodded, his expression turning serious. Indeed, there were too many. Although he had now reached the peak of the Explorer realm and his Heavenly Star Palm was no weaker than Zhang Dingtian's techniques, even Zhang Dingtian had been beaten to a pulp—fighting head-on would be difficult.
Cough, cough—
Zhang Dingtian crawled out from the ground, propping himself up with his long blade. He glanced at Lu Yin, then swept his sharp gaze around him with a resolute expression.
Lu Yin tossed him a healing salve. "Treat your wounds."
Zhang Dingtian crudely swallowed the medicine in one gulp.
Lu Yin was speechless. "That's supposed to be applied topically…" But then he thought, forget it. Ingesting it should still be effective—it was a product of the Clover Company, after all.
In the distance, Erd and the others got back up and glared at Lu Yin. "Who are you?"
Lu Yin had no intention of wasting words. He immediately donned Grace's battle armor, lightning crackling across his body as sparks flew.
Haidi'an was startled. "That's Grace's armor! Why do you have it?"
Lu Yin replied calmly, "She gave it to me."
"That's impossible!" Erd, Haidi'an, and several other students spoke in unison. Grace was well-known across the Da Yu Empire, mostly because of her fiercely protective and powerful older brother—Gulbach. Just hearing his name left the younger generation of the empire feeling helpless. The man was a monster. Because of him, no one dared lay a finger on Grace. If that armor truly had been given to this man by Grace herself, then things were troublesome. Did he have ties to the Grace family?
All the students stared at Lu Yin with growing suspicion. Could this guy be Grace's boyfriend?
Lu Yin took a deep breath, his gaze turning cold. "Get out of the way," he said, then charged directly at Erd. This man was the strongest among the students and the mastermind behind the assault on the capital. Capture the leader to break the siege.
Erd was still caught up in his speculation about Lu Yin when the attack came. He quickly retreated. Having just tasted Lu Yin's strength, he had no intention of clashing head-on.
Lu Yin used his Shifting Step to instantly appear in front of Haidi'an. The latter was startled—he hadn't expected Lu Yin to target him. "Water Tornado!" Haidi'an cloaked himself in swirling water to block the assault. Lu Yin dashed right up to him, the corner of his mouth lifting in a grin. Then, he suddenly struck in a different direction—toward Erd, who was retreating.
"Sky-Cracking Palm?" Erd exclaimed in surprise. He countered with a punch. Boom! A blast of air swept out, pushing everything around away. Lu Yin circled around Haidi'an and continued his assault on Erd.
Erd gritted his teeth. "Kid, don't push it!"
Lu Yin sneered and raised his palm toward Erd.
Feeling the threat, Erd clenched his right fist. A faint, majestic beast's roar could be heard. This was his battle technique—the Beast King Fist. It had defeated the top students of thirty academies, earning him an exception into the Universe Hall and widespread fame across the Da Yu Empire. On Earth, he had only used it against Zhang Dingtian and the fugitives. Now, pushed to his limits, he had no choice but to use it again.
As Lu Yin's palm descended, stars appeared.
It was the Heavenly Star Palm. Three stars shimmered before exploding in succession.
The first star burst, and Erd's eyes widened. His Beast King Fist was forcibly stalled.
The second star burst, and pain exploded in Erd's right fist.
The third star burst, and Erd violently coughed up blood as he was flung backward. His right fist was shattered, and his body smashed into the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
Against Erd, Lu Yin held nothing back. With a single Heavenly Star Palm, he crippled him.