Alarm

A light breeze swept past, rustling the leaves of the locust trees on either side of the square as they fluttered like butterflies.

Tap!

A crisp footfall rang out. At that instant, the drifting leaves froze.

An enormous black hole rose behind Wang Quan, its incandescent halo shining like starlight.

A colorless world engulfed the campus, and a sphere glittering with stars floated above the square.

The students vanished. The Nanda Serpent Demon vanished. Wang Quan vanished too.

This was Domain Expansion: Unlimited Void.

Yet to Lin Qiye and the others, this strange and magnificent spectacle lasted only an instant.

In the crowd, Li Yifei abruptly opened his eyes, a pair of slit pupils flashing for a moment. He felt as though he had dreamed a very, very long dream.

To his delight, the damned restraint was gone.

That white-haired man was terrifying. I have to lie low. I have to.

Indeed, he had been the one speaking with Wang Quan and his companion on the platform.

"Everyone, the danger is over. Please proceed to the school gates and evacuate in an orderly manner!"

Wang Quan's voice rang out, warm and friendly.

The Nanda Serpent Demon glanced around. The students were still standing in a daze, probably scared out of their wits, so he stayed put.

Only when someone began screaming and fleeing toward the school gates in a panic did he relax a little and slip into the crowd.

The mere thought of that terrifying white-haired man made the Nanda Serpent Demon shudder.

His original plan had been to have the ordinary serpent demons cause chaos, distinguish himself amid the confusion, then join the Night Watchers and find a chance to control one of their higher-ups. Only then would he truly be safe.

But Wang Quan had derailed his plan.

What a shame!

The Nanda Serpent Demon heaved a long sigh and unwittingly quickened his pace.

Before he knew it, he had moved up near the front and was very close to the school gates.

Strangely, though, he kept running faster and faster, overtaking everyone.

Or rather, everyone else had stopped moving.

He whipped his head around. At some point, the ordinary people had been immobilized.

"So it really was you!"

"Nanda Serpent Demon!"

Wang Quan's cheerful voice drifted into the serpent demon's ears, frightening him pale.

Just moments earlier, Wang Quan had released a precisely calibrated pressure, strong enough to restrain ordinary people but not a serpent demon who was a mythical creature.

Only the six eyes could achieve such absurd control.

Just then, Chen Muye's urgently anxious voice burst through: "Wang Quan, get to the southwest of Cangnan City right now! I'll be waiting at the border!"

"Leave the scene to Lin Qiye and the others. With Hongying there, the serpent demon won't pose a threat to them!"

Wang Quan could tell that Chen Muye was unusually anxious, as though something major had happened.

Before Wang Quan could answer, a long spear wreathed in rose-red light swept past his eyes, tearing through the air. A graceful figure immediately followed it into view.

A vivid, blazing spark blossomed, and with a thunderous boom, the Nanda Serpent Demon was sent flying backward.

"Leave this to us. Finding him was enough!"

"The captain really needs you!"

"Stay safe!"

"All right!"

Wang Quan nodded, took a step, and vanished like a man disappearing in a magic trick.

Three minutes earlier, at the Peace Office.

Chen Muye and Wu Xiangnan had just entered the Underground Space when a crow's cries suddenly reached their ears.

"Oh no!"

"This is bad!"

Their faces changed dramatically. The two normally composed middle-aged men were visibly rattled.

The cries had come from the [Crow of Calamity]. As one of the few living forbidden items, it was exceedingly rare even within Great Xia.

Among the Night Watchers, only major cities such as Upper Capital, Guangshen, and Huaihai had a [Crow of Calamity] stationed there.

It could predict a city's near-term fate. If some dangerous catastrophe approached, it would scream a warning in advance.

Chen Muye darted to the birdcage. The bird inside looked like an ordinary crow; if there was any difference, it was probably that its feathers were shinier.

A map lay beneath the birdcage, and the [Crow of Calamity] was screaming toward the southwest.

"Captain, what's going on?"

"I don't know!"

"I'll go take a look!"

His brows tightly furrowed, Chen Muye turned and rushed out of the basement.

Like a ghostly shadow, he darted through the streets and alleys at speeds too fast for the naked eye, cold black energy rippling around him.

Ten minutes later, atop a high peak on the Cangnan Border.

Straight Saber in hand, Chen Muye stared fixedly into the distant, uninhabited mountains.

Rumble-!

The sky was clear for miles, yet the thunder never stopped.

It was not thunder, but the movement of some creature.

At the edge of the horizon, a mountain was moving.

Chen Muye's expression grew grave. "That thing is at least boundless," he muttered.

As the mythical creature drew closer and closer, Chen Muye showed no intention of stopping it. It was not that he did not want to, but that he could not.

If he used too much power, he would no longer be able to suppress that object's aura.

He pressed his earpiece. "Wang Quan, get to Cangnan Southwest right now..."

At the moment, the only person he could rely on was Wang Quan, who had come here on vacation.

"That kid's only in the sea realm. Who knows if he can stop it!"

"I should call headquarters for reinforcements!"

The mountain-sized mythical creature kept advancing. Wherever it passed, trees dozens of meters tall were reduced to roadside weeds, unable to withstand a single blow.

"Captain Chen!"

"Talking smack behind my back again!"

Wang Quan's voice rang out. At some point, he had appeared beside Chen Muye.

"Holy shit!"

"You're that fast?!"

Even Chen Muye could not help marveling. Spatial abilities really were incredible.

"Calling a man fast is a low blow!" With his arms folded across his chest, Wang Quan gazed into the distance, half serious and half joking, then stressed, "I'm fast, but I've got stamina!"

"Fuck!"

"At a time like this, you're still spouting that crap?!"

Chen Muye pointed into the distance as he cursed.

"Can you stop that thing?"

"If it gets here, Cangnan is finished!"

"A mythical creature in the boundless realm is a walking catastrophe!"

"I can!" Wang Quan answered without hesitation. Stepping out into the air above the cliff, he walked toward the distant creature.

As though sensing his killing intent, the mythical creature raised its head. Its lantern-sized slit pupils were suffused with black and gold, reflecting Wang Quan's figure.

A tiger's head, a turtle's body, a deer's legs, a snake's tail...

"I'm pretty sure Four-Not-Like wasn't made up of these four damn things!" Wang Quan scratched his head, looking utterly bewildered.

"There are all sorts of legends about mythical creatures!"

"That's not the point!"

"Focus on the fight!"

Chen Muye spoke earnestly. Wang Quan's flippant demeanor worried him a little, especially since the kid had not even reached the boundless realm.

"Captain Chen!"

"As King Yama's Proxy, surely you can handle a single boundless-realm Mystery?"

Wang Quan meant nothing by it; he was simply curious. Besides, Ye Fan had previously asked him to inquire about the inside story of Cangnan City, but he had forgotten afterward.

"I can't leave the boundaries of Cangnan City!"

"And I certainly can't fight for long!"

"Why?"

"I'll die!" Chen Muye's answer was remarkably calm, as though he were talking about what he had eaten for dinner rather than death.

"I see!"

"Then..."

"Leave it to me!"

"Just take a break!"