Chapter 009
Chapter 9: Trial Taker
The fiery red light sliced through the night sky, illuminating the area outside the eastern gate. In midair, a red arch formed, slowly moving as it decimated mutated beasts.
“Seventh Seal-level combat power,” someone gasped in awe.
Cultivators continued to retreat.
“We’ve found him,” a man standing behind Hong Jian said, focusing on the screen in his hand and projecting it onto the wall. Everyone gathered around and saw a figure outside Golden Hill Base, not too far from the entrance. A man in fiery red armor was continuously launching arrows, each one faster than the last.
Hong Jian stared at the screen. Who was this man? Even if a Seventh Seal-level powerhouse had emerged, none would be so powerful. Did he not consume any energy? And his armor was unlike anything they had ever seen before. It looked too finely crafted to be of ordinary workmanship.
The mutated beasts at the eastern gate of the base were almost entirely held off by this one man.
He inserted his bow into his back and leaped into the air, his entire body transforming into a red streak as he charged into the tide of beasts. With broad, simple movements, he eliminated one mutated beast after another. The cultivators watching were dumbfounded.
Each punch, each palm strike shattered the earth. No one could stop him. The ground beneath them melted into a deep crimson from the flames.
The massive tide of beasts was forcibly stopped.
The mutated beasts retreated.
The eyes of all the onlookers filled with fear as they gazed at the man.
Outside the eastern gate of Golden Hill Base, all the cultivators looked at him. This man… he was incredibly strong.
The man watched as the beast tide withdrew before turning his gaze toward Golden Hill Base, a smirk forming on his lips. “I want to meet the highest authority here.”
Far from the base to the east, Wang Jie had no idea that the beast tide crisis had been averted. He was rushing back at full speed. Regardless of what happened, even if the base was destroyed, he had to take Old Five and Old Nine with him, as well as the Four-Eyes.
Suddenly, he came to a halt. Ahead, a young man was sitting on a tree branch, leisurely swinging his legs, his gaze playful as it rested on Wang Jie.
Wang Jie studied the young man, an inexplicable sense of unease creeping up inside him.
What was it about him?
It was as if a beautifully crafted ancient building had suddenly appeared in the midst of a shattered city.
“Native, leave the egg and get out,” the young man said, his voice flat, devoid of any emotion.
Wang Jie sized him up, then glanced around. The nearby forest seemed to have been bombed, with one section caved in. There were no enemies hiding. He turned his gaze back to the young man. “Are you talking to me?”
“Who else?”
“Where’s your lord?”
The young man’s eyes grew cold, his fingers snapping off a leaf and flicking it toward Wang Jie.
The leaf left a green streak in the air, shooting toward Wang Jie’s forehead. Wang Jie’s eyes widened, the speed was incredible. He tilted his head to avoid it, but the leaf grazed his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.
The young man hadn’t expected Wang Jie to dodge it, and a smile spread across his face. “Interesting. Let’s see how much you’ve learned.” He raised his palm and caught a handful of leaves, flinging them out like a rainstorm, surrounding Wang Jie from all directions.
Each strike was deadly, and the young man had no intention of leaving Wang Jie any chance to survive.
Killing intent flashed in Wang Jie’s eyes. Who was this? What was someone like him doing outside Golden Hill Base? His strikes were ruthless, and he was so young, yet his methods were even more extreme than his own.
He tossed the egg into the grass and stepped forward, moving toward the young man. His figure blurred as he dodged through the air. The young man scoffed. “So you can dodge, but this won’t last.” He leaped down and, with a shift of his gaze, found his mark. Raising his arm, a completely different energy flowed through his body, enveloping his five fingers as he reached out, “Come out.”
Wang Jie saw the young man’s fingers descend. Sixth Seal-level power. And he could see through Wang Jie’s movements. He remained unfazed and stepped to the left. Suddenly, his body shifted to the right. The young man was taken by surprise. Changing direction, the young man tried to follow, but Wang Jie’s body appeared behind him.
“Armor Eight Steps? How is this possible?” The young man was shocked. He turned and struck with his palm, but Wang Jie had already taken a third step, appearing right in front of the young man. However, the young man was facing away from him, and before he could react, Wang Jie struck with both palms.
The impact of his palms slammed into the young man’s back, sending him spitting blood. He spun around, eyes filled with fury. “You’re seeking death.”
As he spoke, the energy inside his body surged, sending Wang Jie flying back.
Wang Jie frowned. Something wasn’t right. His power was completely different from his own.
The young man slapped his palms out again, attacking in all directions. Each strike shattered the earth, warping the surrounding air. No matter how fast Wang Jie moved, there was no escape.
Wang Jie continued to retreat, creating distance between them to avoid the devastating palm strikes. Then, he extended a finger.
Spiral Qi Force pierced through the storm of palms and struck the young man’s body.
The point of contact was in the exact same location as when Wang Jie had struck his back earlier. The force of the blow penetrated the young man’s body, even pushing past his energy flow.
The young man was stunned. This finger technique?
Wang Jie advanced, the young man tried to evade but was too injured to move in time. Panicking, he cried out, “You can’t kill me, I am—”
Bang.
Wang Jie’s figure shifted once more, appearing behind the young man. With one final palm strike, he crushed the young man’s skull, killing him instantly.
Looking at the young man’s body as it crumpled to the ground, Wang Jie let out a sigh of relief. He sat on the ground, exhausted.
How many battles had he fought this night? Every single one was difficult. He glanced at the young man’s body. What was it he had been about to say? There had been no time to listen, no chance to allow him to strike back.
But his energy… it was completely different from his own. Could it be from another base? This person’s identity was certainly extraordinary.
Coughing twice, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and began searching the young man’s body. What was this? He was immediately drawn to a ring that gleamed with an exquisite, almost expensive aura. There was nothing else of note.
The material of his clothes…?
Wang Jie’s expression grew serious. This material… he had never seen anything like it before. It was so fine it was almost unbelievable. Even in peaceful times, such a material would have been rare, and despite its thinness, it was incredibly tough. If not for his powerful strike, he might not have been able to pierce it.
This person was too strange.
Wang Jie glanced in the direction of Golden Hill Base, deciding to burn the body to prevent it from being found. He needed to rest as well; otherwise, he wouldn’t even have the energy to continue.
Not long later, he once again cradled the egg and headed toward Golden Hill Base. As the sun slowly began to rise, casting its light over the land, it created a shadow in front of him. He hid the egg in an abandoned building’s elevator shaft just outside the base before continuing toward the entrance.
Along the way, many people were scavenging for Cataclysm materials. Mutated beast corpses were everywhere. Though the likelihood of finding anything useful was low, there were still many who tried their luck.
“Everything’s been melted,” someone muttered.
“Who is that person? He’s incredible. He seems even stronger than the main team?”
“Don’t say that. The main team took down the mutated eagle. Do you think the beast tide would have retreated so easily without them? But that guy… he was incredible. He even melted the stones.”
Wang Jie overheard the conversations. More powerful figures had appeared? As he passed the eastern gate and entered the base, the chaos was evident. People were being herded out, and things were in disarray.
Since the base had held, Old Five and the others should be safe.
At this point, Wang Jie didn’t care about anything else. He just wanted to sleep. Heading toward a house near the wastewater district, he decided to change his clothes and head to the clean district to rest.
With Young Master Zhao dead, the Zhao family would surely investigate, possibly coming for him. He would rest by Old Five’s side first.
Arriving at No. 17 Minghe Road, Wang Jie greeted Old Five and Old Nine before lying down to sleep.
Nearly a day passed. When he finally awoke, the sunset had already fallen, and darkness once again enveloped the base.
Stepping out of his room, Old Nine was reading on the balcony, while Old Five was coughing softly in the living room.
“Hasn’t Four-Eyes treated Old Five yet?” Wang Jie asked.
Old Nine put down his book. “Not yet.”
“I’ll go see.”
“Boss, are you alright?” Old Nine asked, his gaze full of concern.
Wang Jie smiled. “What could possibly be wrong with me? Don’t worry.” With that, he walked downstairs and exchanged a few words with Old Five before heading toward No. 18.
Things had become even more chaotic than before.
“Why hasn’t Four-Eyes treated Old Five yet?”
“What’s the hurry? If I’m not sure, I won’t act,” came the calm reply.
Wang Jie coughed lightly. “Better hurry. I feel like things are getting worse outside.”
Uncle Luo Po lifted his head from the instruments and looked at Wang Jie. “You look terrible. I think we should treat you first. Otherwise, if you die, no one will bring me good things.”
Wang Jie stared at him. “How sure are you?”
“Two out of ten.”
“Two out of ten? If it was ten, or even eight, I’d agree. But with two out of ten, it’s no different than failure. Treat Old Five first,” Wang Jie said, then thought of something. “I got an egg. Does it have any use?”
“What egg?”
“A mutated eagle’s egg.”
Uncle Luo Po suddenly looked up, his eyes wide with excitement. “You got a mutated eagle egg? Where is it? Give it to me.”
Wang Jie was curious. “Is it useful?”
“Of course it is! This egg is better than any cataclysm material. It’s a mutated eagle’s egg—one of the most powerful species after the cataclysm. With this, the chances of treating you increase by twenty percent.”
Wang Jie understood. He turned and left. “I’ll bring it to you soon.”
“Make it quick. I’m afraid you’ll die before you get back.”
Wang Jie stepped out of No. 18 and didn’t return. The sun had set. Old Five’s condition was settled, but Old Nine still needed attention.
He glanced toward No. 17. Old Nine was still watching him from the window.
Wang Jie left, seeking out Feng Yu.