Cannot Wash Clean Even in the Yellow River

The atmosphere was tense, with Cai Kun and Yao Xu on the verge of a direct fight. Zhu Ping'an quickly stepped in to play peacemaker.

"Fellow students, stop right there! Harmony is precious, harmony is precious!"

He still needed these people to serve as cannon fodder—no, as teammates. If they started fighting now and killed one or two, that would be a waste.

"Hmph, Cai Kun, I'm only backing down out of respect for my idol, or I'd cut you down right now." Yao Xu sheathed his blade and shot Cai Kun a glare.

"Heh, who are you trying to impress? You really think you can beat me? If you could, your College Entrance Examination ranking wouldn't be below mine." Cai Kun let out a cold laugh.

Yao Xu was about to retort, but Zhu Ping'an quickly pulled him back.

"Ah, say less, say less."

"Brother Cai, breaking through to the First Rank Late Stage so quickly clearly marks you as a dragon among men. As they say, a golden scale is no mere pond dweller; it transforms upon meeting wind and rain. Before now, Brother Cai simply hadn't encountered the right wind and rain."

Hearing Zhu Ping'an's flattery, Cai Kun clasped his hands behind his back, closed his eyes, and wore an expression of utter arrogance, feeling immensely pleased inside.

"Indeed, indeed!"

After all, the one buttering him up was this year's Green City Champion.

"It seems I, Cai, have misjudged Brother Ping'an before. From today on, Brother Ping'an, you are my friend!"

Cai Kun stepped forward and proactively shook Zhu Ping'an's hand.

"I've long heard of Brother Cai's reputation, and today it truly exceeds the legend!"

Zhu Ping'an naturally didn't refuse. His smile was radiant as he slung an arm around Cai Kun's shoulder. Anyone watching would think they were childhood brothers.

"Hahaha, well said, well said! Brother Ping'an, rest assured. From now on, in this little patch of Green City, if anything comes up, just drop my name—it'll work for sure!" Cai Kun thumped his chest.

"What a coincidence, Brother Cai! I just happen to have something I need your help with!" Zhu Ping'an was overjoyed.

"Huh?" Cai Kun froze. Wasn't that usually just a polite phrase? How did this guy actually take him up on it?

"What 'huh'? Could it be that Brother Cai was only humoring me and isn't truly sincere about being friends?" Zhu Ping'an's face showed a hint of disappointment. "It's fine, Brother Cai, I understand. We've only just met, after all."

"What kind of talk is that! What kind of talk is that! Just tell me what it is—if I can help, I will!"

A seventeen- or eighteen-year-old youth was all about saving face, and with so many people around, Cai Kun naturally couldn't afford to lose it.

"Brother Cai is truly righteous and noble!"

Zhu Ping'an clasped his hands in admiration.

"It's actually not a big favor. It's like this—we found a Demon up ahead! That Demon is extremely vicious, eating raw flesh and drinking blood. We're no match for it, so we wanted to invite Brother Cai to join forces with us!"

Hearing this, Cai Kun let out a huge sigh of relief. He had been afraid Zhu Ping'an would ask for something he absolutely couldn't do.

"No problem! Where's the Demon? Point the way, and I'll go destroy it right now!"

Cai Kun twirled his longsword into a flashy flourish, sneaking a glance out of the corner of his eye to see if any girls were watching.

"Brother Cai, when do we set out?" Zhu Ping'an asked respectfully.

"No rush! There are others in this Secret Realm. If we fight tooth and nail, they'll just swoop in and reap the rewards. Wait until everyone's here, then we'll go together!" Cai Kun said.

Zhu Ping'an didn't object. At least Cai Kun wasn't completely foolish—he knew to wait for people.

Soon, the others who had entered Secret Realm Number Thirteen trickled in one by one. After learning the situation and seeing that both the Leng Family and Cai Family were present, they raised no objections and silently waited off to the side.

Before long, nearly a hundred people had gathered. The total number who entered Secret Realm Number Thirteen was just over a hundred.

Seeing this, Zhu Ping'an decided not to wait any longer and quickly led the way for Cai Kun.

"Brother Cai, this way, please!"

"Much obliged!"

Cai Kun unhesitatingly took the lead at the front of the group, making it look on the surface as if he had organized this operation himself.

When they reached the intersection where the corpse had been found earlier, the Spiny Hairless Ape appeared again.

Its five-meter-tall body exerted an immense pressure on everyone present. Even Cai Kun's expression turned grim.

"The aura on this Demon... it's terrifying! No, we need to rethink our pla—"

Before Cai Kun could finish, a figure shot toward the Demon with lightning speed.

"Brother Cai, no need to fear! Let me test this thing's strength first!"

"Ninth Mountain Divine Sword, First Form: Sword Out, Mountain Split!"

Zhu Ping'an leaped high, his body level with the Demon, then swung his longsword down in a flash of cold light, cleaving at its head.

The strike came so suddenly that not only Cai Kun and the others failed to anticipate it, but even the Demon didn't react. As the sword light swept past, a fine cut appeared on its face, oozing droplets of purple blood.

"Roar!"

Though the strike didn't deal much damage to the Demon, it thoroughly enraged it.

It reared up on two legs and let out a terrifying roar. The surrounding buildings collapsed under the force of the sound.

Zhu Ping'an, closest to the Demon, was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, his fate unknown.

"It's over! This thing is at least comparable to a Second Rank Peak Martial Artist!" Cai Kun's face turned deathly pale.

The Demon's powerful aura stirred the chaotic magnetic field within the Secret Realm. Thunderstorm converged, silver-white arcs crackling as lightning struck with a deafening blast!

But the Demon was utterly unafraid of the thunderstorm; when the violent arcs of lightning crashed against its body, it remained completely unmoved.

The humans around it, however, were not so fortunate. A mere graze or touch from the Thunderstorm left them severely injured.

The Demon hadn't even made a formal move yet; a single roar had already crippled over a dozen of their people.

"There's no way to fight this! That dog-bastard Cai Kun tricked us!"

"Fuck! A Demon on par with a Second Rank Peak Martial Artist—are we just here to be fed to it?"

"Run! We'll settle accounts with that BYD Cai Kun once we get out!"

Hearing the crowd's furious curses, Cai Kun was completely stunned and quickly tried to explain to everyone.

"It's not me! It's Zhu Ping'an! Zhu Ping'an was the one who first told me to deal with this Demon!"

But his explanation didn't win anyone over.

"Stop your bullshit! I saw Zhu Ping'an treating you with all due respect, and he charged right to the front when fighting the Demon. If he knew about this, why would he be stupid enough to rush in so fast? Is he joking with his own life?"

"Exactly! Cai Kun, do you take us for fools? Just you wait! The Cai Family may have influence, but you'll be alone sooner or later, won't you?"

"Treating everyone from Green City's other factions as cannon fodder—you've got some nerve, Cai Kun! If I make it out alive, I swear I'll make your life hell!"