The Bearing of a Top-Tier Professional! Zhou Zong Dies!

"Are you just going to stand there and watch?!"

A furious roar suddenly rang out in the distance. Crimson flames surged as the ground cracked beneath the searing heat. Hu Xiang battled the giant lion, waves of heat rolling out with every clash between his spear and the lion's claws, erupting with thunderous booms.

He was fighting the Azure-Scaled Lion leader. The two were locked in a stalemate, neither able to gain the upper hand.

But the camp was clearly at a disadvantage. Because of their size, low-tier mutated creatures were stronger than low-tier professionals.

If this continued, once the camp was wiped out, he would still be hunted down and killed.

Unless a decisive force intervened.

If Su Chen had truly killed those two attackers, then in a battle of this level, he would undoubtedly be an immensely powerful aid.

Yet the other party seemed to have no intention of acting.

The sudden roar left many people—whether fighting or fleeing—confused. They had no idea what Hu Xiang meant. Who was he talking to?

Su Chen remained unmoved, his expression blank.

"After this is over, I'll give you an explanation!" Hu Xiang roared through gritted teeth.

Su Chen still did not move.

"I swear on my wife!" the voice rang out again.

Su Chen's gaze flickered. He had heard Old Zhao mention that Hu Xiang and his wife had been deeply devoted to each other, a fact well known to all.

Unfortunately, his wife had been affected by something within the fog and remained unconscious to this day.

In this situation, it was impossible for him to simply watch. When the nest was overturned, how could any eggs remain unbroken? If he could force Hu Xiang to reveal the person behind it all, that would be enough.

He had been at Southwind Academy for some time now. It was about time he showed off his "talent."

Bai Fengxi kicked away an Azure-Scaled Lion, her gaze repeatedly sweeping over. She vaguely guessed that Hu Xiang seemed to be speaking to Su Chen.

Just what had he been hiding?

He pushed off with his feet. Like a gust of wind stirring the dust, Su Chen's body suddenly drifted into the air.

The nearest giant lion had only just managed to flick its tail when Su Chen's figure turned into an afterimage, sweeping past its raised forepaw.

A strand of iron wire snaked out from his clothes, moving close to his body and nearly invisible to the naked eye as it pierced through the Azure-Scaled Lion's skull.

It looked as though Su Chen had done nothing, merely drifting past. Yet the giant lion before him seemed to have suffered a devastating blow. One side of its head exploded, followed by the other. Through the hazy blood mist, it swayed and collapsed.

Instant kill!

Bai Fengxi's pupils contracted, and she could not help taking several steps forward.

Even she had struggled greatly when facing this giant lion head-on. Its azure scales were natural armor, no less defensive than a low-tier item and incomparably hard.

She knew Su Chen had been hiding his strength, but at most, she had assumed that he was already a professional. What she was witnessing now was utterly inconceivable.

Su Chen continued drifting through the camp like a spirit of the wind. One Azure-Scaled Lion after another fell, almost entirely unable to resist.

Liu Liang braced himself against the ground with both hands, his face deathly pale as he stared at the giant lion that had fallen before him. Its bloody maw had already opened. If it had been even a little closer, he would have been swallowed whole.

What... what? How could he be this strong?!

Zhou Zong lay on the ground, his face filled with horror as he stared incredulously at the scene before him. The giant beasts kept falling, hammering violently at his mind.

Suddenly, a low growl came from behind him. Startled, he saw an Azure-Scaled Lion charging toward him from not far away. Apparently frightened by Su Chen, it was fleeing blindly.

Zhou Zong reacted quickly, rolling aside in an attempt to dodge. But a sharp pain suddenly tore through his head, and his entire body froze in place as if struck by lightning.

Bang!

With a dull thud, half his head was crushed beneath the fleeing Azure-Scaled Lion's paw.

Everyone's attention was fixed on that figure. No one noticed.

The camp gradually quieted down. In only a few moments, more than a dozen Azure-Scaled Lions had all fallen to the ground, while a figure stood alone in the center.

"Is that... Su Chen?!"

The situation had been perilous, and not everyone had noticed who was fighting. Coupled with his incredible speed, they only recognized him after he stopped.

Shocked, horrified, and grateful gazes converged upon him.

"Ha..." Su Chen let out a breath, feeling a swelling pain in his head.

The scene just now had looked effortless, but in reality, it had been the result of [Sky-Rending Warrior], [Mystic Artificer], and most importantly, the second-tier item [Blue-Iron Lock Cable] working together.

These ordinary lions were merely first-tier mutated creatures. Naturally, they could not withstand the killing power of a second-tier item.

Still, that display had consumed a great deal of his strength.

"So strong..."

In the distance, Hu Xiang glanced over while distracted, his heart shaking violently. He nearly got struck by a claw.

Could this guy really be a second-tier professional? he could not help thinking.

Roar!

The Azure-Scaled Lion leader before him let out a pained roar. Hu Xiang immediately focused his mind, wary of the beast making a desperate final attack.

Yet the giant lion merely glanced in the camp's direction, withdrew its offensive posture, and slowly retreated into the darkness.

"It's over..." Hu Xiang relaxed and let out a long breath.

Cries of pain rose and fell throughout the camp. Everyone supported one another and tended to their wounds, but their minds remained unsettled. Some were even absentminded, their gazes occasionally flicking toward the figure nearby.

"...Twelve first-tier mutated creatures, and the rest were cubs. Good lord, that's way too insane..." Liu Liang whispered to his companion.

"No wonder Bai Fengxi thinks so highly of him. He's incredible."

"Isn't he a drifter? How can he be so strong?" someone could not help asking.

"How should I know?" Liu Liang rolled his eyes. "Stop calling him a drifter every other word. He just saved you."

"I know, I was just saying..." the other person defended himself.

"How are the casualties?" Hu Xiang returned, his deep voice immediately giving everyone a sense of reassurance.

"Not bad..." one of his subordinates reported, his face tense. "They were all first-tier mutated creatures, so we reacted quickly enough. Su Chen... acted right afterward. Those students aren't physically weak either. Most only suffered bumps and bruises."

"However, a few of our brothers may be left disabled after protecting them."

"Those idiots only knew how to get in the way during the fight. Otherwise, Old Liu and the others wouldn't have been hurt." A subordinate said angrily, "And that Su Chen—he was obviously so strong, yet he..."

"Shut up!" Hu Xiang swept him with an icy gaze. Of course he knew why Su Chen had refused to act all this time.

Not far away, Old Zhao could not help looking over. He shook his head and sighed.

Su Chen was resting with his eyes closed when he said somewhat helplessly, "Is it fun, staring at me like that?"

Beside him, Bai Fengxi did not seem embarrassed in the slightest and simply asked, "You know what I want to ask."

"If you know that, then you should also understand that I won't tell you." Su Chen shook his head.

"That's why I'm only staring at you."

Su Chen choked on his words and said irritably, "Careful you don't fall for me."

"...Zhou... Zhou Zong, Zhou Zong is dead!"

A terrified cry came from the distance.

Bai Fengxi's expression paused slightly before she said again, "Killing him will bring a lot of trouble."

"You should say that to the Azure-Scaled Lion." Su Chen replied flatly.

Everyone gathered around, staring at the corpse on the ground. Most of its head had been smashed apart. Its only remaining eye was wide open, unwilling to close even in death.

"Did anyone see what happened to him?" Hu Xiang's expression darkened as he looked around.

"I think... he was trampled to death by a lion," someone answered weakly.

"Trampled to death?" Hu Xiang gave the corpse a deep look. "Collect the body."

Among the City Patrol Guards surrounding the area, Tang Chen looked grim and uneasy. Fortunately, the person responsible for collecting the corpse only gave it a casual glance before placing it into a body bag.

There's still a chance. There's still a chance.

Hu Xiang squeezed through the crowd and came to Su Chen's side. Looking at the young man before him, he said, "Want to talk?"