Despair Arrives? A Thunderous Arrow, The Beast King Falls!

Just now, Lu Yuan had been focused on refining the energy within the Three-Leaf Purple Rhyme.

With his six senses shut off, he couldn't sense anything from the outside world.

Now, the refinement was complete.

The Fourth Shackle had been broken, and only then did he notice that the city seemed different from before.

There were mutant beasts, and not a small number of them.

What's going on?

After only a brief moment of thought, Lu Yuan immediately understood.

He promptly calmed the power within his body and stood up directly.

Then, with a single leap.

He immediately landed atop a tall building, following the scent of the beast aura as he moved forward.

Although Qingyang City was small, it still housed hundreds of thousands of residents.

Lu Yuan was on the western edge of the city.

So.

Even at his current speed, it would take some time.

However, along the way, he discovered many collapsed high-rises and houses, and a great deal of infrastructure had been destroyed.

He also saw countless citizens fleeing toward the west side of the city, their faces filled with panic.

This further confirmed Lu Yuan's judgment.

Mutant beasts were attacking the city.

And it was very likely a Beast Tide.

"How did something like this happen in the time it took to refine a single Three-Leaf Purple Rhyme?"

Lu Yuan frowned, didn't dwell on it, and continued hurrying forward.

Before long.

He saw in the distance a massive blue Unicorn Giant Wolf standing tall, looking very similar to the one he had killed earlier.

On the other side.

Zhendan Academy teacher Zhao Wuji was still struggling to hold on.

He was indeed strong—far surpassing other Seventh Order Initial Realm fighters in both physique and combat power.

But now, what stood before him was a Ninth Order Wolf King, nearly reaching the Awakening Realm. With its innate mutant beast physique, even an Awakened of the same realm couldn't withstand it.

Boom!

Another claw came crashing down.

Even though Zhao Wuji had awakened a trace of his ancestral bloodline.

He could no longer endure it and was sent hurtling into the ground at tremendous speed.

The concrete-paved city road instantly cratered into a massive pit.

The surrounding buildings, under the immense force, began to crack and showed signs of collapse.

His physique had reached its limit.

"Teacher Zhao!"

Zhu Qingyu and the others shouted, rushing over to help him up.

At this moment, Zhao Wuji was covered in blood. Even the long spear in his hand had bent and was on the verge of breaking.

If not for his strong physique, his body might have snapped outright in the earlier fight.

"No, no."

Zhao Wuji shook his head repeatedly: "The reinforcements haven't arrived yet. I can't fall just like this."

Hearing this, everyone's eyes glistened with tears. They wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come.

Was there any point in holding on?

Yes.

At least it could buy a little more time.

But what about the final outcome?

People would die!

"Roar~"

At that moment, the blue Unicorn Giant Wolf King seemed to have grown tired of playing.

It roared again, and all the surrounding mutant beasts stirred restlessly.

Just one command, and they would strike.

The hundreds of Mutant Beasts would gather again and charge into the city.

And this time, it wouldn't be like before—absolutely many people would die.

"Not good."

Zhao Wuji sensed it and immediately tried to rise, but due to the severity of his injuries, he lost strength and collapsed.

At this moment, he hated himself a little—why couldn't he be stronger, why couldn't he evolve one more time? With greater power, the situation would improve greatly.

"Teacher Zhao!" Qin Lan and the others spoke, their eyes full of reluctance.

That Giant Wolf King was far too powerful.

If they continued, he would really die.

"Teacher Zhao, I'll go with you."

At this moment, Zhu Qingyu suddenly spoke, her gaze firm: "Though I'm very weak, I can still contribute, even if it's just to buy a minute of time."

At such a critical moment, she chose to step forward again.

"Me too."

Qin Lan and the others also voiced their stance.

If before they had some hesitation.

Now, seeing Teacher Zhao Wuji disregarding everything.

Even willing to pay with his life to protect the people, their hearts were thoroughly moved.

What was death? At least they had tried.

The few other teachers who still had combat strength also nodded heavily, choosing to join.

"Good, good."

Zhao Wuji looked at his students, now unafraid of danger and willing to fight alongside him, and felt deeply gratified.

Mutant Beasts attacking the city, the situation critical—someone truly had to step up and protect those ordinary civilians.

Mustering his spirit, he slowly stood up, gripped his long spear tightly, and looked at everyone.

"Then let us fight together, and die together!"

"Fight together, die together!"

Everyone responded.

Their faces carried resolve.

So what if the Giant Wolf King was powerful?

Even if their own actions only bought one more minute of resistance, so what?

Behind them were the lives of hundreds of thousands of people—their compatriots.

So at this moment.

The teachers, led by Zhao Wuji.

And the students, all led by Zhu Qingyu, faced east toward the vast Beast Tide and the mighty Giant Wolf King.

In comparison, these people were utterly insignificant, like grains of sand or ants.

Yet they still stood firm.

Then they began to stir the power within their bodies.

"Later, I must find a way to protect them—at least, send Qingyu out."

At this moment, Zhao Wuji glanced back at Zhu Qingyu, deep in thought.

He knew well that the academy's higher-ups valued Qingyu greatly.

He knew she possessed a special bloodline within her.

In the future, once fully awakened, her potential would be terrifying, leading her onto a higher path of evolution.

Humanity and Huaxia still faced many crises ahead. If she died here, it would be a great pity, so he had to find a way to preserve her.

Even if it cost his own life.

With that thought.

He exhaled a turbid breath and led the students forward slowly.

But these people did not know.

At this moment.

Atop a half-ruined building, a pair of bright eyes were watching them.

"People from Zhendan Academy? As always, just like before."

Lu Yuan stood on the rooftop, his eyes emitting a faint glow.

Though the distance was considerable.

Still, he could see clearly—even hear everything.

In his past life, when the global mutation erupted and mutant beasts waged war on humanity, a group of people had charged to the front, risking their lives without hesitation.

China.

Since ancient times, there had always been those who stepped forward in times of great crisis.

The authorities couldn't fully adapt to the changes of the new era, but that didn't mean they did nothing.

They established Zhendan Academy to recruit and train the country's Awakened, all for the sake of preserving as many ordinary lives as possible in the crises to come.

But the academy had only been founded recently; its strength was still lacking, not even matching Wuzhou Group or Chang Sheng Gene.

Lu Yuan, however, knew that as the situation evolved, Zhendan Academy's influence would only grow.

It would come to command greater power, possess countless Awakened.

And precisely because of that, it would preserve this bloodline through the disasters to come, allowing China to remain one of the few surviving nations after the mutation.

Even now, with the academy barely a few months old, its students and teachers—knowing full well their strength was insufficient—still chose to do something.

"Zhendan Academy... they have a few decent Visualization Methods and Breathing Methods, don't they? I might go take a look later," Lu Yuan muttered to himself. After all, this country of his was ancient, its foundations terrifying.

The bloodline of its ancestors, the divine relics left from ages past—these ensured that China could adapt to the new era.

Moreover, he knew that in the future, some old monsters would emerge.

These people had hoarded deep reserves before the mutation; afterward, their bloodlines would revert to ancestral forms, making them incredibly powerful.

And with the inheritance of ancient martial arts, they would transform into dragons in the new age—like that old Heavenly Master of Longhu Mountain, and others of his kind.

Of course, now wasn't the time to think about that.

He had to deal with the crisis before him first.

Lu Yuan raised his head, staring at the Blue Unicorn Giant Wolf King.

He had been watching for so long—how could he not understand what was happening?

It was because he had killed that Red Giant Wolf, provoking the king's fury.

And so it had directly summoned a Beast Tide, charging toward the human city to slaughter and vent its rage.

"Didn't expect an unintentional move to lead to this. If it happens again, I might as well go all the way," Lu Yuan said, rubbing his nose. He knew that even if he had done nothing, the Beast Tide would still have come, but he still felt responsible. Since that was the case, how could he not act?

"Sky Shaking!"

He called out softly.

A bow appeared—ancient, covered in mysterious patterns.

It looked extraordinary, with sun and moon carved at both ends, radiating faint light.

Lu Yuan didn't hesitate. He grasped it in his hand, then fixed his gaze on the Blue Giant Wolf King.

He didn't charge in personally because he wanted to test the power of the Sky Shaking Bow.

That way, he'd have a rough idea when using it later.

Of course.

Even against a Giant Wolf King nearing the Awakening Realm, using the Sky Shaking Bow was like using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken.

"Mm, I need to be careful—can't use full strength," Lu Yuan told himself.

The power was too great.

It might even hurt those people from Zhendan Academy.

So, he gripped the bow in his left hand, pulled the string with his right, and drew.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~

In an instant—

The surrounding Heaven-Earth Force instantly converged, radiating strands of radiant light.

These strands of light surged layer upon layer, finally forming a golden arrow feather.

Sky Shaking Bow.

When drawn, it could gather Heaven-Earth Force to form an energy arrow.

The arrow's power would be determined by the user's realm; the stronger the cultivator, the stronger the arrow feather.

And the moment that energy arrow took shape.

A powerful aura.

Spread out from Lu Yuan, causing the precarious building beneath him to crack again.

"Perfect, let me add a bit of Thunder Power too. It'll increase penetration and ensure a one-hit kill."

Lu Yuan thought to himself, this strike of his was less than twenty percent of his strength; doing this would make it just a tiny bit more certain.

Immediately.

He stirred his mind.

Jade Emperor Heavenly Thunder Righteous Law, emerge!

Rumble!

Suddenly, another aura surged forth, but unlike before, this power carried destruction within it.

Thunder Power, in terms of attack power and explosive force, could be said to be unmatched.

Now, Lu Yuan infused a thread of the Heavenly Thunder Righteous Law's power.

Into the Sky Shaking Arrow.

Thunder rumbled in the sky.

Black clouds began to gather, and the surrounding Heaven and Earth also underwent some changes.

Of course, Zhao Wuji, Zhu Qingyu, and the others below didn't notice.

Because they were now focusing all their attention on that Blue Giant Wolf King, with virtually no awareness of the outside world.

At this moment, everyone held a resolve to die.

Stepping forward step by step.

"Roar~"

On the opposite side.

Seeing this, the Giant Wolf King let out a roar, as if in mockery.

In its eyes, these humans were no different from ants.

Yet they overestimated themselves and stood in its way, simply courting death. Since that was the case, why not grant their wish?

The Giant Wolf King slightly hunched its body, and strands of blue light surged from its blue fur, all converging onto the single horn atop its head.

Zzzz~

The blue horn, like a heavenly sword, flashed with blinding light.

Anyone could see that an extremely powerful force was brewing within it.

"It's been thoroughly enraged. We're finished!"

Zhao Wuji's expression shifted drastically, his heart sinking with dread.

This was the Giant Wolf King's ultimate strike. If it landed, the resulting devastation would spare no one present.

Not just him; Zhu Qingyu and the others also sensed the heart-shaking power surging from that horn.

Instantly, a breath of death spread through everyone's hearts.

Some faces turned pale, some bodies trembled slightly.

No one was unafraid of death.

It was just that some people's courage overcame that fear.

But when truly facing it, the instinct of life still made some afraid.

Could it be...

I'm about to die?

That was the thought in everyone's heart.

Yet they did not retreat, continuing forward with resolve.

"Roar~"

Feeling provoked, the Giant Wolf King roared again, preparing to strike.

Rumble~

But the next moment, a massive clap of thunder sounded.

Zhu Qingyu and the others didn't sense anything unusual.

But the Blue Unicorn Giant Wolf King suddenly trembled all over, its fur standing on end, its very soul quaking—as if locked onto by some existence, one capable of threatening its life.

All at once.

It turned its head to look.

And then, in those eyes, a look of fear emerged.

What's going on?

Why isn't the Giant Wolf King attacking?

Below, Zhu Qingyu and the others watched, each of them puzzled.

Just moments ago, they had been bracing themselves for a final, desperate strike, ready to meet that death blow.

Now, their opponent had stopped moving.

Soon.

Everyone noticed the look of fear in the Giant Wolf King's eyes.

What was it?

What could make this beast king, nearly at the Awakening Realm, so afraid?

They followed its gaze, and then, they saw it—on top of a ruined building behind them.

A young figure stood there.

That person held a bow in hand.

Around him, energy erupted with savage intensity.

Above his head, thunder roared, dozens of lightning bolts intertwining.

The electric light was so blinding it made it impossible to open one's eyes, so much so that no one could make out the figure's features—only that it was a man.

"This is... such strong, such terrifying power..."

Zhao Wuji's eyes went wide, utterly incredulous.

The aura emanating from that person was too fearsome, surpassing anything he had ever known.

Who was it?

A question lingered in everyone's mind.

But no one answered.

Instead, the Giant Wolf King, feeling that dreadful power, began to tremble, then turned straight around.

It wanted to flee, to return to the mountains—that person was too terrifying, it was no match.

It would die!

"Want to leave? Too late."

On the rooftop, Lu Yuan, holding the Heaven-Shaking Bow, smiled.

Then he narrowed his eyes, pulled the bowstring to its limit, and released his right hand.

Boom!

A massive bolt of lightning descended from the sky, illuminating the heavens.

At the same time, that arrow of thunder, at a speed beyond ordinary comprehension, broke the sound barrier.

In an instant, it appeared before the Giant Wolf King, piercing straight into its prized horn.

Bang—

Thwack!

With a tremendous explosion.

Zhu Qingyu, Zhao Wuji, and the others only saw.

That Giant Wolf King, which had left them helpless and even despairing.

Its massive head burst open, scattering into a rain of blood.

And its enormous body.

Instantly split apart, then directly annihilated by the overwhelming power of thunder, vanishing without a trace.

The ruler of this region, the Blue Unicorn Giant Wolf King.

Killed in a single arrow!