The atmosphere was thick with tension. Cai Kun and Yao Xu looked ready to fight at any moment, so Zhu Ping'an hurried over to play peacemaker.
"You two, stop! We're all classmates. Peace comes first, peace comes first!"
He still needed these people to be his cannon fodder—no, his teammates. If they started fighting now and one or two got killed, wouldn't that be a waste?
"Hmph, Cai Kun, I'm sparing you for my idol's sake. Otherwise, I'd chop you up right now." Yao Xu sheathed his blade and glared at Cai Kun.
"Heh, what are you putting on a show for? You really think you can beat me? If you could, your College Entrance Examination ranking wouldn't have been below mine." Cai Kun sneered.
Yao Xu was just about to retort when Zhu Ping'an hurriedly held him back.
"Come on, let it go. Say a little less."
"Brother Cai broke through to the late first rank so quickly. Clearly, you're a man among men. As the saying goes, 'A golden-scaled fish is no pond-dweller; when wind and cloud meet, it transforms into a dragon.' You simply hadn't met the right wind and cloud before."
Listening to Zhu Ping'an's flattery, Cai Kun clasped his hands behind his back and closed his eyes, his expression brimming with pride. He felt utterly pleased with himself.
"Exactly, exactly!"
After all, the person flattering him was this year's Green City Champion.
"Looks like I, Cai, was biased against Brother Ping'an before. Brother Ping'an, from this day on, you're my friend!"
Cai Kun stepped forward of his own accord and shook Zhu Ping'an's hand.
"I've long heard of Brother Cai's great name. Seeing you today truly surpasses a hundred tales!"
Zhu Ping'an naturally didn't refuse. He grinned brightly and slung an arm around Cai Kun's shoulders. Anyone who didn't know them would've thought they were close brothers who'd grown up together.
"Hahahaha, of course, of course! Brother Ping'an, rest assured. From now on, in this little corner of Green City, just drop my name whenever you need something. It'll definitely do the trick!" Cai Kun thumped his chest.
"That's perfect, Brother Cai! I happen to have something I need your help with!" Zhu Ping'an was overjoyed.
"Huh?" Cai Kun froze. Wasn't that kind of thing usually just polite talk? How had this guy actually taken him up on it?
"What's with the 'huh'? Are you saying you were only humoring me and don't really want to be my friend?" A hint of disappointment appeared on Zhu Ping'an's face. "It's all right, Brother Cai. I understand. We've only just met, after all."
"What are you talking about? What kind of thing is that to say? Just tell me what you need. If I can help, I'll definitely help!"
Seventeen- and eighteen-year-old boys cared a great deal about saving face. With so many people around, Cai Kun naturally didn't want to lose his.
"Brother Cai is truly a man of honor!"
Zhu Ping'an cupped his hands in admiration.
"Actually, it's nothing major. Here's the situation: we found a demon up ahead! It's vicious, devours raw flesh and drinks blood, and we're no match for it. So we'd like to invite Brother Cai to join forces with us!"
At that, Cai Kun let out a huge sigh of relief. He'd been afraid Zhu Ping'an would ask him to do something he simply couldn't manage.
"No problem! Where's the demon? Point me in the right direction, and I'll go wipe it out right now!"
Cai Kun flourished his long sword in a flashy flourish, even sneaking a glance out of the corner of his eye to see if any girls nearby were watching.
"Brother Cai, when should we set out?" Zhu Ping'an asked.
"No rush! There are other people in this secret realm. What if we fight to the death while they sit back and reap the rewards? Let's wait until everyone's here, then we'll go together!" Cai Kun said.
Zhu Ping'an didn't object. Cai Kun wasn't completely stupid, at least; he knew to wait for the others.
Before long, the other people who had entered Secret Realm Number Thirteen began arriving one after another. Once they learned what was happening and saw that both the Leng Family and the Cai Family were there, they didn't object either. They quietly waited off to the side.
Soon, nearly a hundred people had gathered. A little over a hundred had entered Secret Realm Number Thirteen in total.
Seeing this, Zhu Ping'an decided not to wait any longer and hurriedly led Cai Kun the way.
"Brother Cai, this way, please!"
"Thank you!"
Cai Kun took the lead at the front of the group without hesitation. From the outside, it looked as if he'd organized the entire operation.
When they reached the crossroads where they'd found the corpses earlier, the Spiny Hairless Ape appeared once more.
Its five-meter-tall body bore down on everyone present with immense pressure, and Cai Kun's expression turned grave.
"This demon's aura is terrifying! No, we need to think this through—"
Before Cai Kun could finish, a figure shot toward the demon at a speed too swift for the eye to follow.
"Brother Cai, don't be afraid! Let me test this thing first!"
"Nine Mountain Divine Sword, First Form: Sword Out, Mountain Split!"
Zhu Ping'an leaped high into the air, rising level with the demon. Then the sword in his hand turned into a streak of cold light and slashed down at its head.
The strike came so suddenly that Cai Kun and the others never saw it coming. Even the demon failed to react. As the blade's light swept past, a thin sword mark appeared on its face, and beads of purple blood welled up, one after another.
"Roar!"
The strike had barely hurt the demon, but it enraged it completely.
It rose onto two legs and let out a terrifying roar. The buildings around them collapsed with a crash beneath the force of its bellow.
Zhu Ping'an, standing closest to the demon, was sent flying like a kite with its string cut, his fate unknown.
"We're done for! That thing's at least as strong as a Second Rank Peak Martial Artist!" Cai Kun's face turned deathly pale.
The demon's powerful aura stirred the secret realm's chaotic magnetic field. A thunderstorm gathered overhead, silver-white arcs of electricity flashing as it erupted with a deafening crack.
But the demon wasn't afraid of the thunderstorm at all. When the raging bolts crashed into its body, it didn't so much as flinch.
The humans around it weren't so lucky. Even a glancing touch from those bolts left them severely injured.
The demon hadn't even made a proper attack yet, but with a single roar, it had already gravely injured more than ten people on their side.
"We can't fight that! Cai Kun, that bastard, tricked us!"
"Damn it! A demon as strong as a Second Rank Peak Martial Artist—did he bring us here to be served up on a platter?"
"Run! We'll settle the score with that bastard Cai Kun once we're out!"
Hearing everyone curse him, Cai Kun was completely dumbfounded. He hurriedly tried to explain himself.
"It wasn't me! It was Zhu Ping'an. He was the one who first told me to come deal with this demon!"
But no one believed his explanation.
"Quit talking bullshit! I saw how deferential Zhu Ping'an was to you. He even charged at the demon first just now. If he'd known what it was, why would he have been stupid enough to rush in like that? Wasn't he putting his own life on the line?"
"Exactly! Cai Kun, do you think we're idiots? Just you wait! The Cai Family may have power, but you'll be alone sooner or later!"
"You treated everyone from Green City's other factions like cannon fodder, Cai Kun? You've got some nerve! If I make it out alive, I swear I'll never let this go!"
Before you continue