For some reason, Paris's heart clenched and a chill ran down her back. She spun around abruptly. Before her stood an exceptionally beautiful woman, watching her calmly. Red boots rested on the dark-red earth; she wore a plain white dress, and her blue hair fell to her waist. Her expression was cold.
"Who are you?" Paris asked in alarm. Someone had gotten so close to her without her noticing. She had been far too careless. Was it a lingering effect of her injuries?
The beautiful woman regarded Paris indifferently. "Did you cause this wave of beasts?"
Paris stared at the woman, jealousy flashing in her eyes. She was too beautiful. Of all the people Paris had met, only the Star Picking Girl could rival her. This beauty was untouched by worldly impurities, pure and flawless. How could someone like her exist?
"I'll ask you again. Did you cause the wave of beasts?" the beautiful woman asked again.
"Who are you?" Paris demanded in a low voice, wary.
The beautiful woman looked at Paris. "My name is Bai Xue."
"One of the Seven Saints, Luo Saint Bai Xue?" Paris exclaimed.
Bai Xue looked past Paris toward the blood-red battlefield, her gaze icy. "You caused this wave of beasts. What are you trying to do?"
Paris sneered. "A mere native has no right to talk to me. Just wait until I catch you—I'll tear your face apart." She reached for Bai Xue. A beastly roar rose from her palm, making one's scalp crawl.
Bai Xue retreated as layer upon layer of solid ice appeared before her. Paris shattered it with ease. "You think ice created by a mere plant can stop me? A native is still a native."
Bai Xue stopped and struck at Paris with her palm. Paris sneered. "You're asking for it." She met Bai Xue's palm with her own. A freezing current swept in every direction, frosting the ground as Bai Xue's ice spread toward Paris.
Paris didn't care. Although she had yet to recover from her injuries, she hadn't taken Bai Xue seriously at all. "I told you, the cold from plants is useless!" she shouted. The ice burst apart, and even Bai Xue's sleeve was torn to shreds. Several tiny, icy plants fell to the ground. They were exactly like the plants on Zhao Yu, the ones that had allowed her to use Ice Palm. Their effect was just like that of a Flame Crystal.
Paris stared arrogantly at Bai Xue, eager to see the despair on her face.
But in the next instant, an intense, bone-chilling cold engulfed the area. The ground froze in an instant, and a layer of white ice abruptly appeared all around them, freezing the air itself.
Paris's pupils contracted sharply, and all the color drained from her face. "Impossible! This—this is an innate gift! An ice innate gift! You have an innate gift?"
Bai Xue's expression remained unchanged as boundless cold swept toward Paris again, freezing her right arm in the blink of an eye.
Paris cried out and tried to retreat, but it was too late. In just two seconds, her entire body froze, then shattered.
The strongest student of Blue Mountain Academy was dead.
With Paris's death, the wave of beasts on the blood-red battlefield came back to their senses, and many began to retreat.
Bai Xue let out a breath. That woman had been powerful. If she hadn't been injured, she might have broken free. She had underestimated Bai Xue, but even so, she had forced Bai Xue to reveal her ice innate gift.
In the city, Willow and Bailie searched Zhang Ding Tian's residence, as well as the former office of Number One and other places, but found nothing.
Lu Yin and Granny arrived outside the Capital City, then crossed the battlefield and entered the city.
The atmosphere in the Capital City was tense, but there was no chaos. Though fear showed on the faces of all the survivors, they still had faith in the Hua Camp.
No matter how prosperous a city had been in peacetime, after the apocalypse, they all ended up the same.
Bridges were broken, skyscrapers abandoned, and houses collapsed. Having somewhere to live at all was already fortunate.
Lu Yin found a map of the Capital City and took Granny straight to Zhang Ding Tian's residence. Like Willow and the others, he figured that if anyone in the city knew where the corpse was, Zhang Ding Tian was the most likely person.
On the steel city wall, Zhang Ding Tian gazed into the distance at the white mist rising into the sky. It was frost—Bai Xue's frost.
"Saint Hua, look!" someone cried out.
Everyone looked into the distance. On the battlefield, countless Mutant Beasts and zombies fought, staining the earth red. But now a patch of white abruptly appeared, freezing the ground. A beautiful woman walked slowly across the battlefield, freezing every Mutant Beast and zombie in her path.
"It's Saint Luo! Luo Saint Bai Xue!" someone cried joyfully. Soon, countless people were cheering.
The Seven Saints were the apocalypse's protectors, and Bai Xue was the Seven Saints' signature figure. She was the only woman among the Seven Saints, as well as the most beautiful woman in Huaxia. Her appearance sent countless evolved soldiers into a frenzy.
Beauty was a kind of power. It could bring out people's potential, making them forget the pain and hardship they endured. Bai Xue undeniably possessed that power.
The moment Bai Xue appeared on the city wall, everyone in the Hua Camp roared, striking fear into the countless Mutant Beasts on the battlefield.
Zhang Ding Tian watched the battlefield quietly, tightening his grip on his saber.
Bai Xue walked up beside Zhang Ding Tian. "I've dealt with the person who caused the wave of beasts. She was an off-world student."
"Thank you," Zhang Ding Tian replied calmly.
Bai Xue said coldly, "You're too kindhearted. Even if you didn't kill them, you should have captured them. These people don't see us as human beings."
Zhang Ding Tian said gravely, "I killed five of them. These few are difficult to deal with."
Bai Xue was surprised. "Difficult? Even you couldn't kill them?"
Zhang Ding Tian looked at Bai Xue. "The Seven Saints are divided into the Upper Three Saints and the Lower Four Saints. Off-world students are divided the same way. The woman you just killed must have been no ordinary person."
Bai Xue fell silent. That woman had forced her to use her innate gift, something even the Lower Four Saints couldn't do. The woman had the strength to fight the Upper Three Saints.
"You said 'these few,' which means there's more than one off-world student here this time? Where are the others?" Bai Xue asked suddenly.
Zhang Ding Tian narrowed his eyes. "I don't know."
Bai Xue took out the Personal terminal she had snatched and tapped a few times. The screen beeped. "Eight. There are eight Heavenly Rank Experts in the city," Bai Xue said in surprise.
Zhang Ding Tian's eyes widened, fury surging through him. Eight Heavenly Rank Experts had appeared all at once—enough to utterly destroy the Capital City. "They're asking for death."
Elsewhere, as Lu Yin and Granny came within several kilometers of Zhang Ding Tian's residence, Granny suddenly stopped and looked ahead in surprise.
Lu Yin followed her gaze. At once, he spotted two men, one tall and one short. They stood out too much. Few survivors could dress so cleanly, and, more importantly, the short man looked extremely unusual. He was about a meter tall, with a stocky build. He was the kind of person anyone could pick out on the street at a glance.
They were Willow and Bailie. They had just come from Zhang Ding Tian's residence empty-handed and were about to search somewhere else when they ran into Lu Yin and Granny.
Willow and Bailie stood out, but Lu Yin and Granny did too, especially Granny. Since the apocalypse, many women had struggled to survive, let alone maintain their appearance. Granny was beautiful, and in a crowd she seemed to glow. Willow spotted and recognized her immediately.
"Willow!" Granny cried out, instinctively moving closer to Lu Yin.
Lu Yin's gaze sharpened. Willow? He had heard that name several times—the strongest student at the First Military Academy, an elite qualified to complete the mission. What a coincidence, running into him here.
Willow was surprised to see Granny too. The Capital City was a necessary stop for the investigation mission. Was Granny here to complete it as well? Willow couldn't help but laugh. He looked at Lu Yin with a hint of disdain in his eyes. Through his star energy, he could tell Lu Yin had only just broken through. He was trash.
"You know him?" Bailie asked in a low voice.
"They're from the same academy," Willow replied.
"Bring her along. We're short on people," Bailie said gravely.
Willow nodded, then barked at Granny, "Come here. You're coming with us."
A hint of fear flashed through Granny's eyes as she looked at Lu Yin.
The trial targeted everyone. Unless they were friends or relatives, they were enemies—even students from the same academy. As far as Granny was concerned, Lu Yin had controlled her, but he hadn't put her life in danger. Willow was different. People from the stars were even more ruthless.
"I said come here! Didn't you hear me?" Willow shouted, drawing the attention of several survivors.
Bailie frowned. "Keep your voice down."
Willow stared coldly at Granny, his gaze icy.
Lu Yin stepped forward a few paces and looked at Willow calmly. "Who are you talking to? Do you realize how noisy you are?"
Willow froze for a moment, apparently not expecting Lu Yin to dare speak to him that way. He sneered. "I don't know which academy you're from, but today, you're getting expelled." As he spoke, he pressed one palm down. The air rippled, sending a wave of force across the ground. Many survivors were knocked away before they could react.
Lu Yin raised an eyebrow. Void Splitting Palm? He watched, then pressed down with one hand as well and struck with his palm.
At the same time, Willow struck with his palm too.
Before you continue