6:30 a.m.

Gu Qijue brought White Fox, leaping from building to building before landing beneath the towering Mutation Tree.

The four Aberrant Creatures immediately turned their sinister gazes toward him.

They stirred restlessly, licking the blades in their hands with their long, pointed tongues, their faces full of bloodlust.

Boom!

At once, one of the black Aberrant Creatures couldn't hold back. It let out a strange cry and lunged at Gu Qijue.

"Looking to die!"

Gu Qijue gave a cold laugh. The instant the Thunder Dragon Sword appeared in his hand, Black Lightning burst around him, wild and brimming with a destructive aura. As he swung his dragon sword, a savage bolt of sword energy several yards long streaked through the air.

The terrifying sword energy sent ripples through the air as it swept forward with tremendous force, reaching the black Aberrant Creature in a sharp crack.

"Skree?"

Sensing the threat of death, the black Aberrant Creature roared. Black vapor poured from its body as it raised its claws and blade to block the attack.

Bang! Splurt!

But the terrifying lightning blade swept through everything in its path. The moment it struck the black Aberrant Creature, it scorched it inside and out with electricity, then slashed straight through its body, cutting it in half at the waist. Black blood splattered across the ground.

A one-hit kill!

After killing the black Aberrant Creature, Gu Qijue's Black Lightning didn't subside. It only grew more violent, gradually forming nine lightning stars around him, each radiating a terrifying aura of destruction.

They hovered around him like an escort, making him look like a thunderous emperor bent on destroying the world.

Even Gu Qijue didn't know why he could control lightning.

In his previous life, he'd seen Black Dragon unleash his power on the news. It didn't seem to involve lightning, but rather a terrifying black flame.

Could it be because he'd swallowed and fused with Black Dragon?

"Skree..."

The three remaining Aberrant Creatures stared at Gu Qijue from a distance, apprehension in their eyes. They instinctively backed away a few steps.

Gu Qijue ignored them for the moment. He sent the Twin Dragons behind him to devour the black Aberrant Creature he'd just killed, bite by bite.

After they'd eaten two-thirds of it, Gu Qijue turned to White Fox, who was watching him with adoration, and said, "You can have the rest."

"Thank you, Big Brother Black Dragon!"

White Fox was stunned, then overjoyed. She manifested a clone of her true form and went to devour the remaining flesh of the black Aberrant Creature.

She could manifest a clone of her true form directly; she didn't need to transform into her true form to eat.

"Awwooo—"

The Mutated Creatures gathering from all directions regarded Gu Qijue with fear and reverence, but none of them fled.

The pull of the Mutation Fruit on them was like the craving of an addict who hadn't had a fix in a very long time.

Once the fruit ripened, they wouldn't care who stood in their way or whether that person had bloodline suppression over them. The fruit's allure had already overwhelmed their reason.

"It's him! It's him!"

In the central conference hall of Yun City's shelter, General Lin Zhengxiao stared at the projection screen. Gu Qijue stood there with White-Haired Blood Eyes, two dragons on his back, and nine lightning stars circling him. Killing intent filled Lin Zhengxiao's eyes. He immediately contacted the Bombing Department and ordered, "Li Liu, fire thirty thousand rockets and carpet-bomb the city center! Bomb the Mutation Tree as well. I want that beast dead."

"Yes!"

The head of the Bombing Department replied, "We'll begin launching within three minutes!"

"General, the Emperor Abyss Group in Shangdu has sent word. They're asking whether we need support."

Just then, the head of the Information Department hurried in to report.

"What kind of support could they send?" Lin Zhengxiao asked hesitantly.

"Ancient Martial Artists..." the head of the Information Department said slowly.

"What? Ancient Martial Artists really exist?"

Lin Zhengxiao looked shocked.

He'd heard rumors about Ancient Martial Artists, but had never believed they were real. He'd never seen one.

The head of the Information Department nodded. "Yes. If we request support, the Emperor Abyss Group will send three Ancient Martial Artists at the Innate level. They'll establish the Super Martial Artist Alliance here in Yun City. And our Yun City shelter is also under the Emperor Abyss Group's jurisdiction."

Lin Zhengxiao was delighted. "We need support. Send the reply at once."

"Yes!"

The head of the Information Department left.

"My God, Ancient Martial Artists really do exist!"

"Which do you think are stronger, Super Martial Artists or Ancient Martial Artists?"

"Who knows? We'll have to wait until they fight to find out."

Everyone present was astonished by the existence of Ancient Martial Artists.

Rumble—

Just then, wave after wave of rockets shot into the sky from the launch site deep inside the military base. Three hundred rockets flew in each salvo, making for a spectacular sight.

Their target was the center of Yun City.

On the rooftop of a high-rise five or six kilometers from the city center, more than a hundred Super Martial Artists in Super Martial Armor had gathered.

At their head stood a woman wearing Azure Luan Armor, with a figure of unparalleled grace.

She was Mu Qingxue.

Standing beside her were Meng Bao, Chu Beixuan in Taotie Armor, Zhu Hongyu in Vermillion Bird Armor, and Chu Mengxi in Ice Snow Armor.

Chu Beixuan kept his eyes on his daughter. He strongly suspected that she'd been sent by that dragon demon to spy on them.

So he watched her closely, waiting to see whether she'd take out her phone to warn the dragon that the military was about to bombard the city center.

Chu Mengxi noticed her father watching her constantly and smiled bitterly to herself. It seems even my own father doesn't trust me anymore... But I'm only trying to protect my family! You have no idea how terrifying that man is.

She wanted to send a warning, but she simply hadn't had the chance.

Just then, Mu Qingxue's phone received a call from General Lin.

Mu Qingxue answered. "General Lin, how are things going?"

"The rockets will reach their target in three minutes. You're not within the bombing zone, are you?"

"We're five or six kilometers away. We're safe."

"Good. But I've changed my mind. That dragon demon is beneath the Mutation Tree right now, so we'll bomb the tree as well."

"What?"

Mu Qingxue was displeased. "This Mutation Tree is the closest one to us. It's the only one we can reach in time to harvest. You're going to bomb it?"

Bzzz, bzzz—

As she finished speaking, a series of buzzing sounds came from the horizon.

They looked up, and the sight made their scalps tingle.

Wave after wave of deadly rockets swept across the sky above them, covering the entire expanse.

The spectacle was truly magnificent.

"Boss Mu, this Mutation Tree may be gone today, but there'll be others tomorrow and the day after. That dragon isn't something we can just kill whenever we like," General Lin said earnestly.

"Fine. You have a point."

Mu Qingxue shook her head regretfully. Fortunately, Super Martial Artists could still absorb sunlight to cultivate.

"Dragon demon? You're going to kill Big Brother Black Dragon?" Meng Bao asked, frowning slightly as she listened to their conversation.

"What's the problem with that?" Chu Beixuan asked, looking at Meng Bao.

"I won't be his enemy. If you want to kill him, don't involve me," Meng Bao said bluntly.

--

There'll be two more chapters later, updated together.