Chapter 9: The Trial Taker
Flaming arrows streaked through the night sky, illuminating the Eastern Gate as they arced in the air, forming a crimson gateway before descending upon the horde of mutated beasts, slaughtering them with ruthless precision.
“Seven Seals level combat strength!” someone exclaimed in disbelief.
The gathered cultivators instinctively retreated, their gazes filled with shock and awe.
“We found him.”
A man standing behind Hong Sword stared at the screen in his hands before projecting the image onto a nearby wall. The crowd turned their attention to the display, revealing a warrior clad in scarlet armor, stationed not far beyond Golden Hill Base. His bowstring thrummed continuously as he unleashed arrow after arrow at astonishing speed.
Hong Sword narrowed his eyes. Who was this man? In the present era, aside from the Three Gods and Five Extremes, even the strongest Seven Seals combatants shouldn’t possess such overwhelming might. His attacks were relentless, showing no sign of exhaustion. And his attire—far different from anything their base produced—was of an exquisite craftsmanship unknown to them.
The beast tide at the Eastern Gate was held back almost entirely by this lone warrior.
Then, in a fluid motion, he slung his bow over his shoulder and leapt forward. His body became a blazing streak as he plunged into the horde, moving with a grand and unrestrained style, executing the simplest yet deadliest of techniques to cut down the mutated beasts. The onlookers were left speechless.
With every strike of his fists and palms, the ground shattered beneath him, molten earth marking his path of destruction.
The tide faltered.
The mutated beasts recoiled in terror, retreating into the shadows.
All eyes at the Eastern Gate fixated on the mysterious warrior. His strength was beyond belief.
The man glanced at the retreating horde before turning his gaze towards Golden Hill Base, the corners of his lips curving into a smirk.
“I wish to meet your highest authority,” he declared.
Far beyond the Eastern Gate, Wang Jie was still unaware that the crisis had been averted. He was racing back with all his might. Regardless of whether the base had fallen, he had to retrieve Old Five, Old Nine, and that four-eyed bastard before leaving.
Halfway there, he suddenly stopped.
A young boy sat perched on a tree branch ahead, lazily swinging his legs, watching him with an amused expression.
A strange sense of dissonance filled Wang Jie’s heart.
It was as if a magnificent ancient building had inexplicably appeared in the midst of a ruined city after the apocalypse.
“Native,” the boy said indifferently. “Leave the egg and walk away.”
His voice was devoid of emotion, unsettlingly calm.
Wang Jie scrutinized the boy, then glanced around. Not far off, the forest bore the scars of battle—a deep crater marking the devastation. There was no sign of any other enemies.
He turned back. “Are you talking to me?”
“Who else?”
“Where’s your guardian?”
The boy’s eyes turned cold. He plucked a leaf between his fingers and flicked it.
A streak of green flashed through the air, hurtling toward Wang Jie’s forehead. His pupils contracted—too fast! He barely managed to tilt his head, the leaf grazing his cheek and drawing blood.
The boy seemed surprised that Wang Jie had dodged. He grinned. “Interesting. Let’s see how much you’ve learned.”
Without hesitation, he swept up a handful of leaves and flung them all at once. They rained down like a storm, sealing off all escape routes.
A killing technique from the very first strike. The boy had no intention of letting Wang Jie live.
Wang Jie’s gaze sharpened. Who was this child? Why was someone like him lurking outside Golden Hill Base? His methods were ruthless, and despite his young age, his presence was unnervingly abnormal.
Making a split-second decision, Wang Jie tossed the egg into the nearby underbrush and dashed forward with his footwork technique.
The boy sneered. “Movement technique? No wonder you dodged. But that won’t save you.”
As he leapt down, his sharp gaze scanned Wang Jie’s movements. He found it—
His arm lifted, channeling a power completely different from Seal Power, gathering an unfamiliar force around his fingers before he struck out. “Come out of hiding!”
Wang Jie felt the pressure of a Six Seals warrior bearing down on him. Worse yet, this boy had already seen through his movements. But Wang Jie remained unfazed. With a precise step left, he suddenly reappeared on the right. The boy’s eyes widened in shock as he adjusted his palm strike—only for Wang Jie to vanish again with another step, now behind him.
“Armor Eight Steps?! Impossible!” The boy was stunned.
Before he could react, Wang Jie’s twin palms struck him squarely in the back.
The impact sent him staggering forward, coughing up blood. His furious eyes locked onto Wang Jie. “You dare?!”
The force within him surged violently, repelling Wang Jie backwards.
Wang Jie was shaken—this power was unlike anything he had encountered before.
The boy’s hands lashed out wildly, sending shockwaves in all directions. Each strike cracked the earth, distorting the air itself. Escape was impossible.
Wang Jie dodged backward, maintaining distance before countering with a single pointed finger.
A spiraling force pierced through the barrage of attacks, striking the exact same spot Wang Jie had hit before—this time from the front.
The attack punched through the boy’s body. Even his strange energy couldn’t block it.
Shock flashed across his face. “This finger technique—?”
Wang Jie lunged.
The boy tried to retreat, but his injuries were too severe. Desperate, he shouted, “You can’t kill me! I am—”
Boom!
Wang Jie stepped left, reappeared behind him, and delivered a palm strike to the back of his skull.
The boy’s head split apart.
He collapsed, lifeless.
Wang Jie finally exhaled, dropping to the ground without a shred of dignity. The night had been relentless—every battle pushing him to the limit. He stared at the corpse, frowning. What had the boy been about to say?
It didn’t matter. He couldn’t risk giving him a chance to recover.
But that power—completely different from his own. Could it be from another base? The boy’s identity was undoubtedly unusual.
Coughing twice, he wiped the blood from his mouth before rummaging through the body.
His eyes landed on a ring.
Exquisite craftsmanship. One look told him it was priceless.
The rest? Worthless.
He lifted a sleeve, inspecting the fabric. “What kind of material is this…?”
Wang Jie’s expression was solemn—he had never seen such material before. Even in times of peace, crafting something like this would be nearly impossible. Though thin, it was incredibly resilient. If not for the sheer force behind that finger strike, it might not have even penetrated the fabric.
This man was too strange.
Wang Jie glanced toward the Golden Hill Base, then decided to burn the corpse to prevent it from being discovered. He also needed rest; otherwise, he wouldn’t have the strength to continue his journey.
Not long after, carrying the egg once more, he set off toward Golden Hill Base. Sunlight gradually spread across the land, casting a long shadow before him. Upon arrival, he hid the egg inside the elevator shaft of an old, dilapidated building outside the base before heading toward the entrance.
Along the way, many people were scavenging for Cataclysm Materials. The corpses of Mutated Beasts were everywhere. Though the chances of finding usable materials now were slim, plenty still gambled on their luck.
“They’ve all melted away.”
“Who was that person? Too powerful! He looked even stronger than the Chief Captain.”
“Don’t talk nonsense! The Chief Captain killed the Mutated Hawk; otherwise, do you think the Beast Tide would have retreated so easily? But yeah… that guy was insane, even turning rocks to liquid.”
Hearing the chatter, Wang Jie wondered if another expert had appeared. He continued on, entering the base through the east gate. Inside, the situation was chaotic, with people being ushered out.
If the base was secure, then Old Five and the others should be fine.
Wang Jie had no desire to do anything else—he just wanted to sleep. Initially planning to return to his place in the Sewage District, he hesitated, changed his clothes, and instead headed toward the Clean District.
The eldest son of the Zhao Clan had died. Once the Zhao Clan caught wind of it, they would surely investigate, and there was a high chance they would come looking for him. Better to rest at Old Five’s place for now.
At No. 17 Bright River Road, he greeted Old Five and Old Nine, then collapsed into sleep.
He slept for nearly an entire day. When he awoke, the sun was already setting. Darkness once again enveloped the base.
Stepping outside, he saw Old Nine reading on the balcony while Old Five coughed below.
“Has Four Eyes treated Old Five yet?” Wang Jie asked.
Old Nine put down his book. “No.”
“I’ll go check.”
“Boss, are you okay?” Old Nine looked at him with concern.
Wang Jie smiled. “What could happen to me? Don’t worry.”
With that, he went downstairs, exchanged a few words with Old Five, and then headed to No. 18.
It was even more chaotic than before.
“Why hasn’t Old Five been treated yet?”
“What’s the rush? If I’m not at least ninety percent certain, I won’t act.”
Wang Jie coughed. “Then hurry up. The outside world is getting more unstable by the minute.”
The Uncle Luo Po, who was busy adjusting his instruments, lifted his head and looked at Wang Jie. “Your face looks terrible. I should treat you first; otherwise, who’s going to bring me more good stuff if you die?”
“How sure are you?” Wang Jie asked.
“Twenty percent.”
“If it were eighty or even a hundred, I’d do it. But at twenty? That’s no better than failure. Treat Old Five first.”
As he turned to leave, a thought struck him. “I found an egg. Would that help?”
“What kind of egg?”
“A Mutated Hawk’s Egg.”
Uncle Luo Po’s head snapped up, eyes gleaming. “You got a Mutated Hawk’s Egg? Where is it? Give it to me!”
“Is it useful?”
“Of course, you fool! That’s an egg—better than any Cataclysm Material. And it’s from a Mutated Hawk, one of the strongest creatures post-disaster. With that, my chances of successfully treating you increase by another twenty percent.”
Wang Jie understood. Without another word, he turned and left. “I’ll bring it soon.”
“Hurry up! I don’t want you dropping dead before I get it!”
Leaving No. 18, Wang Jie didn’t return immediately. The sky was already dark. With Old Five’s treatment underway, only Old Nine remained as a concern.
Glancing toward No. 17, he saw Old Nine watching him from the balcony.
Wang Jie left, seeking out Feng Yu.
…
The Golden Hill Base was in turmoil. Since the Beast Tide the night before, Feng Yu had barely rested. Now, at last, she had a brief moment to relax. Her bones ached with exhaustion.
Just as she was about to close her eyes, she suddenly sat up, turning toward the window.
A shadow stood outside.
“Who’s there?”
“You should have reported it already—the matter regarding Hu Guan.”
Feng Yu narrowed her eyes. “You’re the one who killed Hu Guan. Who are you?”
“Who I am doesn’t matter. What does matter is how much you reported to Hong Sword.”
“What do you mean?”
Indeed, she had reported to Hong Sword, but only that she knew someone from the Southern Base had been searching for Hu Guan, and that Hu Guan had stolen the Hibiscus Tears. That much was impossible to hide. However, she had omitted her own multiple excursions outside the base searching for Hu Guan, as well as their direct encounter. Those details she couldn’t afford to reveal.
“Give me the Three-Eyed Wolf King, and I’ll make sure Hu Guan’s case never involves you. Otherwise, Hong Sword will learn that you met him.”
A chill crept into Feng Yu’s heart. She instinctively reached for a fish-shaped throwing weapon, ready to strike. But then she remembered their previous encounter—she wasn’t his match.
This person had used her Feng Yu Darts to frame her for Hu Guan’s murder. But Hu Guan’s body was gone. Without it, how could he still implicate her? Did he have a photo? No, she could explain that away. He would need solid proof.
Then she recalled the Feng Yu Dart she had lost.
Had it been left at the scene?
She hadn’t thought to check before. If she went back now, Hong Sword would undoubtedly grow suspicious. Nor could she send subordinates—trust was a rare commodity in this era.
“You’re too late,” she finally said. “The Three-Eyed Wolf King was taken by someone else.”
Wang Jie’s fingers twitched. “I don’t care who took it. You need to get it to me. Otherwise—”
“I can’t. The one who repelled the Beast Tide—a Trial Taker—took it.”
“A Trial Taker?” This was the first time Wang Jie had heard the term.
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation