The Mantis and the Cicada
In a vast sea of forest, a young woman held a slender sword, keeping an even pace as she led the secret realm creatures gathering behind her into a growing pack.
"That's enough, A-Li. Don't draw too many monsters. Lingling, put up the barrier."
"Got it."
Mu Li, who had been drawing the monsters, stopped using her "attention-grabbing" talent. She abruptly sped up and deftly shook off her pursuers.
"Got it."
Gong Lingling formed hand seals. As her slender fingers danced in spirit artifact gloves, a grayish-white barrier appeared like a giant overturned bowl, trapping the secret realm creatures inside.
High overhead, Xie Wutong's blazing crimson wings radiated searing heat, as if vying with the sun above her.
Looking down at the beasts, which were firmly trapped and about to be reduced to ashes, she calmly raised her long saber.
The next moment, the flames dancing on her wings gathered at the tip of her blade.
Xie Wutong spun and slashed forward, sending the searing heat and sharp saber radiance at the blade's tip hurtling down. They struck the restless herd of secret realm beasts below in an instant.
"Boom!"
[Points gained: 28] [Examinee: Xie Wutong Current rank: 3 Current points: 34]
A single strike had killed all twenty secret realm creatures that faced the fire and blade!
The other creatures caught in the blast had fared little better. Almost all of them were severely injured.
"Rip!"
Blades sliced through beastly flesh, harvesting points with ease.
[Points gained: 11] [Examinee: Mu Li Current rank: 12 Current points: 15] [Points gained: 7] [Examinee: Gong Lingling Current rank: 14 Current points: 13]
"Sister Wutong, which way do we go next?"
As Gong Lingling asked, she pulled her dagger from the neck of the last prey.
Xie Wutong withdrew her flaming wings and floated down beside her companions.
"No, we're going to hunt the scions of the aristocratic families. I've received requests for help from Reformist Faction teams in other cities. They've gotten too brazen. We need to take them down a peg."
"Can we make it in time?"
"The secret realm is too vast. There's no way we'll make it in time. We can only return an eye for an eye."
Having settled on their next target, the three didn't linger. They hurried toward the nearest Reformist Faction team that had reported being attacked.
The battle there was still ongoing. Members of the Aristocratic Faction, led by Li Gao, the eldest son of the Li Family of Mao City, were besieging other examinees.
Over the past half day, the examinees had all earned at least some points. If he seized the points of those they had surrounded, he would have more than enough to shoot straight to the top of the rankings.
So Li Gao, whose rank had fallen, had set his sights on the ordinary examinees nearby.
The Aristocratic Faction had never wanted its monopoly broken, so how could it stand by and let other examinees rank among the best?
"Hit them hard. Kill them outright."
The unified exam did have a mechanism to protect lives, but this year's exam was a tool for the aristocratic families to eliminate dissenters and secure their rear. The protection mechanism had been sabotaged as soon as the exam began.
Li Gao spoke viciously, his cold gaze fixed on those he considered his inferiors.
Anyone outside the Aristocratic Faction was either a commoner who had refused to join or a reformist plotting rebellion. There was no need to keep any of them alive.
As for those with mediocre talent, they didn't count as people. At most, they were beasts of burden. Killing them was no great matter.
The great aristocratic families had secured the city's borders, letting them live in peace all these years. What was wrong with collecting a little interest?
Li Jie, Song Haomiao, and some examinees from Yin City's West District were also among the people under siege.
One of the squads among them consisted of newly recruited Reformist Faction members, so the scions of the aristocratic families had caught them after pouncing on their scent.
"Hold the protective barrier! I've already called for help nearby. Reinforcements will be here soon!"
The Reformist Faction squad leader shouted encouragement to the people struggling to hold on.
Li Jie sighed amid the crowd. He was already close to exhaustion.
His cultivation realm had never been high, and in the head-on clash just now, he had used a great deal of Psychic Energy to buff the people around him.
He knew he couldn't hold on much longer.
"Old Li, fall back." Song Haomiao noticed his poor condition and immediately deduced that he had overused his Psychic Energy.
Li Jie didn't answer. He reached out and stacked another strength enhancement buff on him.
"Fuck, I don't need it! Stop wasting what little Psychic Energy you have!"
"Everyone, watch out! Their next concentrated attack is coming!"
By the time Xie Wutong and her companions arrived, the sun was already sinking westward. Warm blood and dying examinees were scattered across the ground nearby.
This was clearly the result of a massive barrage of attacks.
The ordinary examinees' desperate counterattack had done some damage to the Aristocratic Faction's team, but rather than driving their attackers back, it had only filled them with rage.
The first barrage blasted down the nearby trees.
The second plowed the surrounding ground flat.
The third sent soil, flesh, and blood flying, leaving a huge crater where there had been none.
"You people! How dare you!"
Looking at the muddy crater, strewn with what looked like corpses, she roared the question at the disheveled Li Gao.
"These are all members of our own race and generation, the future pillars who will defend us against other races! Are you planning to betray the Human Race?"
Li Gao gave a disdainful snort. "I'm just cleaning house and redistributing resources reasonably.
We experts of the aristocratic families have protected the Human Race for years, yet these freeloaders are using reform as a pretext to threaten its internal stability. They deserve to die."
"Utter nonsense!"
Xie Wutong couldn't be bothered to talk to the scum anymore. Though she didn't know why the life-protection mechanism hadn't been triggered, her immediate priority was to rescue the examinees in the crater.
Her talent activated, and blazing wings of flame unleashed towering fury behind her.
Her companions gripped their weapons as well, ready to seize any opening to clear out the lackeys around them.
A scorching wave of heat rushed toward the enemy. Some of the young masters beside Li Gao, who were only in the First Realm, instantly broke out in blisters.
Li Gao waved a hand, and cold ice crystals condensed from the surrounding air, blocking the searing current.
"You overestimate yourself!"
Xie Wutong's Psychic Energy erupted, and she charged at Li Gao in the blink of an eye.
A powerful, heavy slash followed, striking the floating ice armor. Crimson heat instantly vaporized the translucent blue before her.
Li Gao didn't have much Psychic Energy left.
Xie Wutong immediately judged the enemy's condition from the thickness of his ice armor.
He's as strong as I am, but his Psychic Energy reserves are nearly depleted. He's already at the end of his rope.
But why is he so calm when he's clearly at a disadvantage?
Seeing the mocking, half-smiling expression on his face, Xie Wutong grew increasingly uneasy.
If she were here alone, she could fight him to the death.
But she had companions. She couldn't put the teammates who trusted her in danger.
Responsibility cooled her anger. Xie Wutong slashed horizontally with a backhand, forcing Li Gao back, then turned and shouted to her companions, "Retreat!"
"Retreat? Too late!"
"Sister Wutong, watch out!"
A hand seized Xie Wutong by the head and slammed her viciously into the ground.
"Boom!"