Liu Wenyan rose into the air.
None below the Soaring Realm could walk through the sky. Clearly, at this moment, Liu Wenyan had successfully manifested his will and officially stepped into the Soaring Realm.
His physical body had yet to transform, but the surrounding gathered yuan qi was meant to strengthen it.
Several dozen meters away, Wuhen too was treading through the air, though his expression was somewhat ugly.
He had not had time to stop him!
Good, good. He has only just manifested it; his physical body has not yet entered the air...
Wuhen secretly rejoiced. This was not the worst possible news.
Liu Wenyan was old, after all. His body was declining. Even if his will had entered the air, his body was still at Qianjun. As a second-level Soaring Realm cultivator, Wuhen had no reason to fear Liu Wenyan.
The Ten Thousand Races Cult still held the advantage!
They had far more Wanshi Realm cultivators than their opponents. The Dragon Martial Guard's Wanshi Realm cultivators were all tied down by Hall Master Chen. Their opponents merely had somewhat more Qianjun Realm cultivators and were barely able to protect themselves by forming an array.
"Kill!"
Wuhen erupted. A short blade appeared out of thin air in his hand, gleaming darkly as it shot toward Liu Wenyan in an instant.
"You want to compare long-range control with a Civilization Master?"
Liu Wenyan simply watched him and smiled. "Beasts will never grace the grand stage. How could trash like you understand the strength of a Civilization Master?"
"Freeze!"
The speeding short blade stopped instantly!
"Return!"
Pfft!
The short blade flew back, tearing through the air as it shot at Wuhen.
Just as Wuhen was about to evade it, golden light appeared above Liu Wenyan's head. In an instant, it burst forth with dazzling radiance!
"Freeze!"
This time, it was not the short blade that froze, but Wuhen!
Wuhen instantly felt the space around him closing in, pinning him in place.
"Dream on!"
Wuhen roared. With a furious bellow, blood streamed from his seven orifices, golden light burst from his eyes, and his blood qi erupted from head to toe. With a thunderous boom, the air exploded, and Wuhen shifted one step sideways.
Pfft!
The short blade that had been aimed at his head instantly plunged into his shoulder. Blood sprayed out, but he had at least escaped disaster.
"Impossible..."
Terror filled Wuhen's face. "Impossible! You have only just manifested your will. Even if a Civilization Master is somewhat stronger than me, you couldn't possibly freeze me in place!"
The Civilization Master lineage specialized in manifesting will, which was why even one who had just manifested it was stronger than ordinary Soaring Realm cultivators.
A Soaring Realm cultivator of the physical-body path might not possess Willpower equal to theirs, but their bodies were powerful and their blood qi abundant. How could they be so easily restrained?
"That is because you are too weak!"
Liu Wenyan laughed. His face was slightly pale, clearly showing that he had expended a great deal just now.
Yet at this moment, Liu Wenyan's laughter rang loud.
"The Ten Thousand Races Cult—frogs at the bottom of a well, yet you dare vie with the sun and moon for brilliance!"
"Kill!"
With a soft shout, the short blade lodged in Wuhen's shoulder instantly trembled. Wuhen's expression changed, and he blasted the blade away before fleeing the spot at once.
Yet Liu Wenyan had not been trying to deal with him at all.
The short blade tore through the air at incredible speed.
Several Wanshi Realm cultivators who were fighting the City Guards commander and the master of Jifeng Hall had no time to react before the blade pierced straight through one Wanshi cultivator's head with a pfft.
The others were immediately horrified and were just about to flee when Liu Wenyan's Willpower erupted once more.
Their movements stalled. The two Wanshi Ninth Layer experts did not hold back either, their blades and swords striking out together to instantly kill two Wanshi Realm cultivators of the Ten Thousand Races Cult, while the short blade pierced through another.
Four!
In the blink of an eye, four Wanshi cultivators had fallen!
"Wuhen!"
Over there, the woman shouted furiously. The woman who was tangling with City Lord Wu Wenhai shrieked sharply, "He has only just manifested it, his Willpower is limited! Hold him back! You bastard, hold him back! Do you want to return and be sliced into a thousand pieces?"
If Wuhen had not feared Liu Wenyan and fled outright, how could Liu Wenyan have had the chance to instantly kill several Wanshi cultivators?
Four peak Wanshi Realm cultivators had died at once. The loss was simply too great.
Wuhen's face changed, but then he gritted his teeth and charged at the pale-faced Liu Wenyan once more.
Right, Liu Wenyan was merely putting on an act.
He was at the end of his tether!
He had frozen Wuhen's weapon and Wuhen himself in succession, then frozen several Wanshi Realm cultivators. His Willpower had likely been completely exhausted. Liu Wenyan, whose physical body was only at Qianjun, was nothing to fear!
Liu Wenyan's face truly was pale. Seeing Wuhen charge back at him, his expression shifted slightly.
The next moment, he hastily retreated.
Wuhen was overjoyed at the sight. He beckoned back his short blade with one hand, and its speed increased by another fraction. In the blink of an eye, it tore through the air toward Liu Wenyan.
Liu Wenyan continued retreating!
With a hum, Wuhen had already reached him. Closing in on Liu Wenyan, he drove the blade straight into Liu Wenyan's forehead!
"Die!"
Wuhen thrust the blade in, finding it incredibly smooth, meeting not the slightest resistance. Joy appeared on his face.
At that moment, someone behind him bellowed, "Idiot, retreat!"
That furious roar jolted Wuhen awake.
It had seemed like a dream just moments ago, but when he looked again, there was no trace of the Liu Wenyan he had just stabbed to death. An illusion!
Willpower interfering with reality!
"Impossible, he has only just manifested it. How could he..."
Before the thought could fully arise in Wuhen's mind, a needle as thick as a piece of chalk instantly pierced through his Shenque. With a pfft, as though air had leaked from him, the yuan qi within Wuhen's body spilled away at once. He could no longer even maintain flight.
"Damn it!"
Over there, both the woman and the old man were frantic. Idiot! Wuhen, that idiot, had willpower far too weak and had actually been disturbed by Liu Wenyan.
His Shenque had been shattered and his yuan qi was leaking away. Wuhen was finished!
"Boom!"
The old man sent Xia Bing flying with one palm and was just about to withdraw from the battle when the other nine Wanshi Realm Dragon Martial Guards charged forward at the risk of their lives, tightly entangling him.
"Withdraw!"
The old man did not shout. Instead, he looked at the woman and signaled with his eyes.
Let the others remain behind to cover their retreat. The two of them would leave.
Wuhen was finished!
They had lost one Soaring Realm cultivator, while their opponents had gained a Civilization Master who could manifest will. They might not necessarily lose, but... why fight to the death?
At worst, the mission would fail!
Did they truly have to fight until the bitter end?
Over there, a short blade appeared above Wuhen's head—his own short blade. Wuhen's eyes widened, dying with grievances unfulfilled!
He was dead!
Liu Wenyan had only just manifested his will, yet Wuhen had actually been defeated and killed by a Civilization Master whose physical body was merely at Qianjun.
Bang!
The corpse crashed to the ground!
Liu Wenyan landed as well, gasping violently. He looked toward the several Soaring Realm cultivators still locked in fierce battle, smiled, and ignored them as he shouted, "Surround and kill them!"
As his words fell, his Willpower appeared once more!
Not far away, several Wanshi Realm cultivators who were about to flee all stalled slightly. That instant of hesitation was death!
Zhang Yun and Zeng Hua, who had already killed several Wanshi cultivators, were both Wanshi Ninth Layer experts and Nanyuan's upper echelon. Their strength was not weak, and their coordination was excellent. The moment Liu Wenyan froze those people, several pffts rang out as blades and swords entered flesh!
The bodies of several Wanshi Realm cultivators shattered, and they fell one after another, dying on the spot!
At this moment, those Ten Thousand Races Cult members no longer had the courage to continue fighting!
If they fought to the death, they might not necessarily lose.
They still had nearly twenty Wanshi Realm cultivators, and the two hall masters were even suppressing the Dragon Martial Guard and the city lord. Though their strength had been weakened, they could still fight. Liu Wenyan's Willpower was limited.
But if they were truly fearless in the face of death, they would not be the Ten Thousand Races Cult.
When fighting a winning battle, these people became braver with every kill.
But once a flaw appeared, once defeat showed its face, they crumbled without being attacked.
"Withdraw!"
"Run!"
"Run for your lives!"
Several hundred Ten Thousand Races Cult members were terrified and scattered in flight.
Their backs were exposed to the instructors and City Guards. In that brief instant alone, dozens of Ten Thousand Races Cult members were killed on the spot.
They had already suffered losses. In the blink of an eye, nearly a hundred of the three hundred were dead, while the remaining two hundred-plus scattered throughout the academy.
"Run!"
At this moment, the two hall masters had no desire to continue fighting either. The mission had failed.
Since it had failed, they would flee. There was no need to throw their lives away here.
As for honor and fighting to the death, such things did not exist.
What was more important than life?
Even though they both knew Liu Wenyan was likely incapable of fighting further, this was Nanyuan City. Once they were held back, they would die sooner or later.
The two hall masters, one third-level and one fourth-level, were ultimately stronger than Wu Wenhai and the others. They fought as they retreated, continuously withdrawing toward the academy gates.
Outside the academy, the fleeing Ten Thousand Races Cult members also displayed their own skills and scattered in every direction at incredible speed.
Just then, a group of people suddenly appeared outside the academy.
There were elderly people, middle-aged people, and disabled people.
"Archers, fire!"
An elderly man with graying hair gave a low shout. The next moment, more than ten old men drew their bows and fired!
Pfft!
In the blink of an eye, the heads of more than ten Ten Thousand Races Cult members exploded!
"Spearmen, form up!"
Several dozen more middle-aged and elderly people intercepted them with spears in hand, thrusting their spears out!
"Bladesmen, advance!"
"Kill!"
The sounds of flesh being pierced did not stop. The fleeing Ten Thousand Races Cult members completely collapsed. Some cried out, while others begged for mercy.
The elderly man leading them curled his lips in disdain.
With this much skill, they dared come to the Great Xia Prefecture and run wild?
"Nanyuan Militia Corps has come to reinforce you! Kill them—leave not a single suit of armor behind!"
"Kill!"
A group of old men roared, their shouts shaking the heavens.
Pfft, pfft...
Heads fell one after another!
In the blink of an eye, dozens more died on the spot.
From behind, the pursuing City Guards also charged in. Caught in a pincer attack, the Ten Thousand Races Cult completely collapsed!
"Idiots! On the battlefield, how can you retreat? Surrounded from front and back—if you do not die, who will?"
The elderly man's face was indifferent. It was only a small scene.
Could a battle involving a few hundred people even be called a war?
Among the Ten Thousand Races Cult members, someone saw the old man. He was unwilling and unable to believe it. He knew that old man; ordinarily, the man had trouble even climbing a flight of stairs and had to stop several times just to buy groceries.
And this old man had led a bunch of geezers who usually chatted idly in the park to surround and kill them?
"What are you staring at? Never seen someone kill before?"
The old man berated him, then roared, "Where are the axemen? Lob them!"
Hum!
More than ten axes normally used for chopping firewood shot through the air. Pfft, pfft—they were incomparably accurate, instantly splitting more than ten heads apart.
"Old Zhang, are you blind? That axe nearly chopped me!"
An old man cursed loudly. One of the axes had nearly hit him just now.
Behind them, a hunched old man wore a helpless expression. "My hand shook a little. I'm old. Didn't I fail to chop you to death?"
"Cut the crap!"
The old man roared again. "You youngsters in the back, haven't you eaten? Don't you know we have no strength left? Hurry up and kill them! If any break through, we old men can't run and won't be able to catch them!"
"Kill!"
The instructors, City Guards, and people from Jifeng Hall all went red-eyed!
Humiliating—far too humiliating!
Of the several hundred people fleeing in panic, nearly a hundred had been killed in the blink of an eye by this group of old fellows who could barely even run. If they did not kill a few more, they would have no face left to show anyone.
The battle went very smoothly. These people had no discipline whatsoever, and now their morale had completely fallen apart. Surrounded and attacked by hundreds, the Ten Thousand Races Cult had almost no living members left after a short while.
Only a few Wanshi Realm cultivators were still fighting fiercely to break through, but their deaths were only a matter of time.
At this moment, the fiercest battles within the academy were still the two Soaring Realm fights.
The two had already fought their way outside the academy. Now, they had no will to fight desperately at all, thinking only of escape.
Seeing that there was little hope of surrounding and killing the two Soaring Realm cultivators, Xia Bing suddenly bellowed, "Let him go—surround and kill the woman!"
At those words, the ten Dragon Martial Guards did not hesitate in the slightest. They instantly abandoned the old man and, in the blink of an eye, surrounded the woman to kill her.
"Hall Master Chen!"
The woman let out a shrill cry, but Hall Master Chen did not even look back. He shot into the air and fled through the sky.
As long as he survived, how could he care about anyone else?
Almost instantly, the old man tore through the air for several hundred meters and escaped the battlefield, his eyes filled with the relief of surviving a calamity.
Once the army was defeated, it collapsed like a mountain!
They had held the advantage just moments ago, but the instant they chose to flee, they were wiped out with devastating casualties. The old man no longer had any desire to stay. Great Xia Prefecture truly had a fierce folk spirit. He had never expected that group of retired crippled soldiers to erupt with such terrifying strength.
Some of those old soldiers were only at the middle Thousand Jun Stage, and their bodies had already declined with age, yet once they formed their battle formation, they slaughtered a large number of high-level Thousand Jun cultivators in the blink of an eye.
This was where the strength of the human race lay: orders were carried out without question, and military formations were strict and formidable.
The old man was immensely relieved. The woman had taken the bullet for him.
The woman was dead for sure!
He did not dare think further and simply lowered his head and ran, heedless of the expenditure of his vital energy as he strode through the air.
Running on the ground made it far too easy to be blocked.
Yet in the air, he was also an enormous target.
Just as the old man was rejoicing, a young man appeared ahead of him at some unknown point.
"Not bad luck. I caught one!"
The young man chuckled. The old man's expression changed. "You..."
"Bai Feng, assistant researcher of Daxia Civilization Academy. The Merit Points are mine!"
With a soft laugh, the old man's vital energy suddenly scattered. His face turned deathly pale. "You... dispersed my vital energy..."
"Yeah, what a simple thing!"
Bai Feng smiled. "The Tianyi Cult Master cultivates the Yi Shen Jue. It's nothing but a trash cultivation method, riddled with flaws. The Tianyi Divine Race merely cobbled it together to fool you people. Making your vital energy backlash is far too easy..."
"No more chatting. I still have things to do. Go die, and thank you for the Merit Points!"
Bai Feng laughed again. He did not even approach. His willpower erupted, instantly shattering the old man's nine apertures. His vital energy completely dispersed, and the backlash of his vital energy snuffed out his life in the blink of an eye.
"Profit!"
Bai Feng laughed, extending a hand. The old man's belongings floated toward him and were tucked away.
"Free Merit Points. I like that. A Soaring Fourth Level cultivator isn't worth little, either."
As he spoke, Bai Feng saw the Dragon Martial Guards, City Lord Wu Wenhai, and the others fighting their way in this direction. He hurriedly asked, "Need help?"
The Dragon Martial Guard squad leader roared, "Get lost! Bai Feng, you kept hiding and refusing to come out. Now you're here to reap the harvest?"
"Wronged!"
Bai Feng said aggrievedly, "I really did just arrive. Dragon Martial Guard people really have terrible tempers! I'm a dignified researcher—how could I do such a thing..."
As he spoke, he looked toward Liu Wenyan, who had followed in pursuit, and immediately smiled. "Congratulations on advancing, martial uncle Liu!"
Liu Wenyan shot him a glance without giving him a pleasant expression.
"I'm not your martial uncle. Don't go claiming random relatives!"
"Martial uncle, before Teacher came, he instructed me..."
"Get lost!"
Liu Wenyan was not polite to him either. His face darkened. He did not like this fellow.
Bai Feng sighed. Who did I offend?
I really did just arrive. I even killed a Soaring Fourth Level cultivator for you along the way, and this is how you treat me?
Bai Feng stopped speaking. He drifted down to one side and ignored the battle over there. If the Dragon Martial Guards and the city lord could not jointly kill a Soaring Third Level cultivator, then they truly deserved to die.
"Martial uncle..."
Just as Bai Feng was about to speak, Liu Wenyan snapped angrily, "Who's your martial uncle!"
"Ahem, Instructor Liu, Instructor Liu!"
Bai Feng coughed lightly and smiled. "Instructor Liu, the academy received your call for aid and immediately sent me over. Teacher was very worried about you..."
Liu Wenyan said somewhat irritably, "I don't need him worrying about me! I'm doing very well. You came very late too. Are you trying to make me owe him a favor? This is official business, not a private matter. What favor does it count as!"
"Yes, yes, yes. You're absolutely right."
Bai Feng did not mind and smiled. "Martial... Instructor Liu, the academy didn't suffer too many losses, did it?"
Liu Wenyan frowned slightly. Behind him, the old Academy Head came hurrying over, panting. He looked faintly sorrowful, then quickly said, "Five instructors died. More than a dozen from the City Guards and Jifeng Hall died as well. As for the students... those inside the classrooms were fine. More than ten of those outside probably died..."
All told, nearly thirty people had died in a single battle.
Liu Wenyan's expression darkened. Bai Feng stopped smiling as well and said awkwardly, "I really came as quickly as I could. I rushed here without stopping for even a moment. Director Wang, martial uncle, I'm sorry. I thought I could make it in time..."
"Hmph!"
Liu Wenyan could not be bothered with him. The Academy Head did not blame him, instead saying, "You already did very well. Leaving that Soaring cultivator behind was the best possible outcome."
As for the dead... there was nothing to be done.
The Ten Thousand Races Cult was not weak. They had sent so many people this time, yet only thirty had died while every member of the Ten Thousand Races Cult had been wiped out. Even on the battlefield, this was a great victory.
"So strong!"
At that moment, Su Yu and Chen Hao had also approached the academy gates and witnessed the earlier battle.
Su Yu was somewhat shaken. That young man was incredibly strong.
Earlier, the Dragon Martial Guards had surrounded Hall Master Chen for a long time. Not only had they failed to take him down, they had nearly suffered casualties. Yet Hall Master Chen had been effortlessly killed by this Bai Feng fellow. What level was this man at?
"Is he from the Civilization Academy?"
Su Yu could not help glancing at Liu Wenyan ahead. His teacher truly had not lied to him. Someone casually sent out by the Civilization Academy was actually this strong!
He had killed a Soaring Fourth Level cultivator as easily as that!
And when Teacher manifested his will, he had instantly killed several Ten Thousand Stones cultivators and a Soaring Second Level expert. It was simply unbelievable!
"Is this the power of the Civilization Academy? The power of will?"
He was stunned. Chen Hao beside him was equally dazed. "Yu, aren't Soaring cultivators supposed to be strong? Why do they feel... like they're made of paper!"
Liu Wenyan had killed Wuhen like that, and Bai Feng had killed Hall Master Chen the same way.
It had been unbelievably fast!
In almost the blink of an eye, two Soaring cultivators had died.
"I don't know..."
Su Yu was shaken as well. His father was at the Thousand Jun Ninth Stage, and he had always thought his father was quite formidable. But compared to this... his father was truly weak!
Several dozen Ten Thousand Stones cultivators had died today alone!
With his father's strength, he still wanted to fight in the Battlefields of the Heavens. Was he really not afraid of dying!
Just as he was thinking this, a shrill, ear-piercing scream rang out. Xia Bing cleaved the woman's head apart with a single slash, killing her!
The Ten Thousand Races Cult's invasion had been shattered.
Their entire army had been annihilated!
Several hundred elite forces, not one left alive. All of them had died in Nanyuan.
And on this day, Su Yu killed two high-level Thousand Jun cultivators and witnessed the might of the Civilization Academy.
At this moment, the Civilization Academy was terrifyingly powerful in his heart. Anyone they casually sent out was a Soaring cultivator, killing Soaring cultivators like ants. As for Instructor Liu... he was probably truly the worst off among them.
He did not know what Bai Feng's title of assistant researcher actually meant.
Before you continue