Dean

In the Void Lightning Pool, as Lin Ming was excited about his improved strength and the successful evolution of Puppet One, Elder Yao, who Protector, frowned slightly. His turbid yet sharp gaze was cast towards the deeper and darker distance of the Thunder Pool, and a look of doubt and solemnity appeared on his face.

"Strange... could I have sensed it wrong?" Elder Yao murmured to himself. Just a moment ago, he seemed to have caught a faint, yet unsettling, aura emanating from the depths of the Thunder Pool. But when he tried to sense it again, it vanished without a trace, as if it were just an illusion.

"Elder Yao, what's wrong?" Noticing Elder Yao's unusual behavior, Lin Ming's smile vanished, and he immediately asked, a sense of vigilance rising in his heart. In such a dangerous place, any slight movement could signify unknown dangers.

However, just as Lin Ming finished speaking—

"Laugh!"

An invisible and intangible gust of wind, yet containing indescribable terrifying power, burst forth from the deepest darkness of the Thunder Pool, as if traversing the boundaries of space!

Wherever this powerful wind passed, space seemed to be easily torn apart. The originally violent and rampant Silver Lightning, which even Dou Venerate dared not underestimate, disintegrated like fragile glass the moment it came into contact with this invisible wind. In an instant, it turned into the smallest energy annihilation point, leaving behind a strange vacuum zone where no energy existed!

"What a terrifyingly strong wind!"

Sensing the destructive power contained within this invisible gust of wind, Lin Ming's hair stood on end in an instant, and a chilling coldness shot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head! This power definitely surpassed the realm of Dou Venerate!

"Sizzle--!"

Before Lin Ming and his companions could recover from the sudden, terrifying gust of wind, a figure emerged from the lightning-ravaged area torn apart by the wind, looking utterly disheveled!

The figure moved with incredible speed, but his movements were rather awkward. His robes were tattered, and his hair was disheveled, indicating a hasty approach. What followed closely behind him caused Lin Ming's pupils to shrink and his scalp to tingle instantly!

Those were more than a dozen... jet-black bolts of lightning!

These lightning bolts were completely different from the surrounding Silver Lightning; they were not bright, but rather as dark as the deepest night sky, swallowing all light!

Their massive size resembled a winding Giant Dragon, each wave containing a destructive power that made the very space tremble! Wherever they passed, even the void was torn open with tiny black cracks. The pure, soul-chilling aura of death caused Lin Ming's soul between his brows to tremble violently, sounding an alarm!

"Black lightning?! Run!"

The moment Lin Ming saw the massive, pitch-black lightning, his memories of the original story instantly became clear, and he realized that Elder Yao's earlier perception was not an illusion! Almost without thinking, his Soul Power surged forth like a tidal wave, swiftly taking the three Heavenly Demon Puppet beside him, which were still absorbing the lightning, into his Storage Ring. At the same time, he let out a rapid growl, turned around without hesitation, and fled desperately towards the edge of the lightning pool, pushing his speed to the limit!

Lin Ming had already guessed the identity of the disheveled figure being chased by the dark lightning. But at this moment, how could he dare to have even the slightest thought of "helping out" or "watching the show"? He knew very well that with that being's terrifying strength, even if he were to be struck solidly by the pursuing black lightning, he would at most be charred and battered, but would not be seriously injured.

But Lin Ming is different! He's just a Five-Star Dou Ancestor. Even if his physical body is comparable to Dou Emperor, he's as fragile as paper in the face of this black lightning that's powerful enough to annihilate High-Grade Dou Venerate! If he gets even a tiny bit of that pitch-black lightning energy on him, he'll probably be blasted into nothingness in an instant!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Lin Ming, Xiao Yi Xian, and Elder Yao pushed their speed to the limit, their figures transforming into three blurry streaks of light as they frantically traversed the silver lightning pool, leaving afterimages constantly appearing and disappearing behind them.

However, to their dismay, the figure being chased from behind seemed to have also noticed their presence.

What's even more baffling is that after spotting them, instead of immediately turning away to divert the trouble, this guy seemed to have found a lifeline or a fellow sufferer, and chased straight after the three of them!

Driven by that terrifying speed and the black lightning, the distance between the two is rapidly shrinking!

"Damn it, I'm not capable of taking the fall for you!" Lin Ming cursed inwardly. This was like being caught in a trap when disaster struck from the sky!

Cursing inwardly, Lin Ming immediately said urgently to Elder Yao beside him, "Elder Yao, it's up to you now! Take me and Xiao Yi Xian and get out of here as fast as you can!"

In this life-or-death moment, Lin Ming disregarded all pride and directly asked for help. After all, with Elder Yao's Peak Nine-Revolution Dou Venerate cultivation, even with him and the Five-Star Dou Venerate Xiao Yi Xian by his side, their speed would far exceed their ability to fly alone.

Upon hearing this, Elder Yao also felt the terrifying pressure coming from behind, like a prehistoric beast, and his expression became extremely solemn.

Without further ado, Elder Yao's thin hand shot out like lightning, grabbing Lin Ming's arm with one hand and Xiao Yi Xian with the other. Then, his vast and boundless Dou Qi erupted, distorting the surrounding space and causing his speed to surge several times faster than before. He carried the two of them as if they were Instantaneous Movement towards the edge of the Thunder Pool!

"Friends ahead, please lend a helping hand! I will repay you handsomely!"

Seeing the figure ahead suddenly accelerate, the figure chasing after the lightning seemed to panic as well, and hurriedly called out, his voice carrying a hint of haste and anticipation through the raging thunder.

However, Elder Yao was no greenhorn. Knowing the terrifying power of the black lightning, he was unwilling to stop. Instead of slowing down, he poured his Dou Qi into his body again without reservation after hearing the sound, increasing his speed by another level, almost transforming into a beam of light that tore through the lightning pool!

"You...!" Seeing that he had only spoken half a sentence, and the other person not only did not stop, but ran even faster, the figure behind him choked as if he had been choked, and then a nameless anger rose up.

He was a top expert who had dominated the continent for many years. When had he ever been so "disliked"? He was quite annoyed. A flash of lightning appeared around him, and his speed increased again. He relentlessly chased after Elder Yao and the others, as if he wanted to die together.

This scene made Lin Ming's eyes twitch as he watched Elder Yao carrying him at breakneck speed. He cursed the old man behind him countless times in his mind.

"Whoosh--!"

In the midst of this desperate chase, the distorted spatial boundary at the edge of the Thunder Pool finally came into view. Elder Yao's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he, along with Lin Ming and Xiao Yi Xian, shot out of the silver Thunder Pool filled with destructive energy like an arrow released from a bow!

Just the instant they broke free of the forbidden zone—

"Call out!"

A ghostly figure, almost pressed against their backs, darted out in a disheveled state, then came to a steady stop in the void not far from them.

Only then did Lin Ming and the others have a chance to see the figure clearly.

This was an elderly man who looked quite old, with a lot of white hair mixed in with his long hair. His face was quite ruddy, but at this moment he looked rather disheveled.

His robe, which should have been quite luxurious, was now mostly tattered and charred in places, clearly destroyed by lightning, making him look rather comical.

But what made Elder Yao's pupils shrink and stirred up a storm in his heart was—

This old fellow appeared so abruptly beside them, without them noticing any warning signs beforehand! It was as if the other party had appeared out of thin air! This kind of control over space, and that seemingly disheveled yet unfathomable aura, made Elder Yao instantly realize that the person before him was absolutely terrifyingly strong, perhaps even... above him! This instantly made him extremely vigilant.

The old man seemed relieved to have escaped danger, but his gaze immediately swept over Lin Ming and the other two with a hint of dissatisfaction and scrutiny, finally settling on Elder Yao, the strongest among them. His tone was tinged with reproach and disbelief:

"My friend! I am Mang Tianchi, and I do not know..." He instinctively tried to introduce himself.

But before he could finish speaking, his gaze swept over Lin Ming and Xiao Yi Xian, who were being held captive by Elder Yao. Sensing that one was Five-Star Dou Venerate and the other even more formidable—someone hadn't even reached Dou Venerate level, only a Five-Star Dou Ancestor —his words caught in his throat, turning into a stunned exclamation. "Five-Star Dou Venerate? And a Five-Star Dou Ancestor? Are you kidding me? You dare bring them to the Void Lightning Pool with such meager strength? Are you kidding me...? What's the difference between this and bringing them here to their deaths?"

Hearing this voice filled with strong doubt and a hint of anger, Lin Ming, who had just recovered from the life-or-death race, almost vomited blood.

He was peacefully cultivating outside the Thunder Pool when this old guy summoned world-destroying black lightning, forcing him to flee for his life like a dog. He barely escaped with his life, only to be criticized for his weak strength? Is there no justice in this world?!

However, Lin Ming could only curse inwardly, but dared not show it on his face. Moreover, after hearing the other party introduce himself as "Mang Tianchi", and considering his appearance, strength and somewhat eccentric personality, Lin Ming's guess was completely confirmed!

Forcibly suppressing his surging Qi and Blood and qi, Lin Ming immediately forced a complex expression on his face, a mixture of surprise, excitement, and disbelief. He looked intently at the old man who was still glaring and puffing out his beard, and tentatively spoke in a tone tinged with doubt and uncertainty:

"You... you are... the Dean?"

"Dean... what kind of bullshit Dean, I..." Mang Tianchi was still annoyed by Elder Yao's "irresponsible" decision to lead low-level cultivators into dangerous territory, and subconsciously wanted to refute.

But halfway through his sentence, he suddenly stopped abruptly, as if someone had grabbed him by the neck. He blinked, seemingly only then realizing—he really was... the Dean of Jia Nan Academy, wasn't he?

The anger on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a hint of surprise and curiosity. His gaze refocused on Lin Ming, scrutinizing him from head to toe. "Hey! Wait... you kid... you're from the Jia Nan Academy?"