Just as the attack struck, Mu Bingge grabbed Ye Buyu and flung her toward the evacuating group.
"Leave the rest to us. Get out of here with them."
The instant the screen went black, a colossal thunderbolt tore the entire warship in half, as though cleaving a mountain. Light poured in from outside, illuminating their young, fearless faces.
Seeing a familiar face hesitate, Wan Lan marched over and kicked them. "What are you staring at? Staying here won't help. Hurry up and go."
The student she had kicked raised their head with a bitter smile. "In a situation like this, a handful of you definitely won't be enough. How about we join you?"
Kou Ying shook his head pessimistically. "The Teleportation Channel has lost its power supply. None of us can leave now."
He clenched his hand, all five fingers drawn tight. A trace of acceptance flashed deep in his eyes. Perhaps this was the end.
"Then we fight!" Lou Guanshan raised his head. "It's just a Gundam, isn't it? I've seen those before!"
Ye Buyu glanced at the powerless Teleportation Channel and the last few dozen examinees, then looked up at the Wind-Thunder Cantor overhead. She wondered whether a Blessed One's material would contain enough energy.
Gritting her teeth, she drew the Flower Edict, aimed at the Wind-Thunder Cantor above, and fired the first shot before anyone else could attack.
The Wind-Thunder Cantor's gaze chilled. He recognized her-a human with a very unusual ability.
As long as he kept her attack from landing on him, he should be able to avoid what had happened before. The scepter in his hand intercepted the bullet with precision, and he froze.
"Even hitting my weapon counts?!"
Mu Bingge and the others were about to attack when they saw the Wind-Thunder Cantor make a strange movement. Then, dumbfounded, they watched him snap a small section off his scepter and furiously hurl it toward Ye Buyu.
A furious roar followed. "Take it and get the hell out!"
Ye Buyu scrambled and rolled out of the flying object's path. Even when the dirt it kicked up struck her head, she dared not complain. Still shaken, she swallowed.
That... nearly killed me.
Little Whale gloated. "Did you think the forced payment was all-powerful? You actually expected him to hand it over politely? Dream on. You're lucky he didn't smash you to death. Some things, you need to stay alive long enough to claim, no matter how much you want them."
Kou Ying's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the object beside Ye Buyu. Was that... a calamity remnant?
Su Wuwei's mouth hung open, all composure gone. "You can even rob a Blessed One?"
With no time to worry about anything else, Ye Buyu scooped up the piece of scepter and pressed it onto the device that opened the Teleportation Channel.
The darkened Teleportation Channel lit up again, bursting with an even brighter radiance than before.
"It worked! Hurry, hurry, hurry! We can still get out!" Ye Buyu waved everyone over, her hand moving so fast it left afterimages.
Wan Lan's eyes lit up, and she kicked the person beside her into it. "In you go! Guan Xiaomei, remember this! My bank card PIN is under my pillow. Give it to my mom!"
Lou Guanshan hefted the Mo Dao and pointed it straight at the Wind-Thunder Cantor, glancing at the evacuating group out of the corner of his eye. "Yan Ping, apologize to my master for me. I won't be coming back."
With that, he charged at the Wind-Thunder Cantor.
Ye Buyu wanted to take another jab at the Wind-Thunder Cantor, but she had only just raised the Flower Edict when she heard his voice through gritted teeth.
"What are you waiting for? If you don't act now, you won't get another chance!"
What chance?
The thought had barely crossed Ye Buyu's mind when a chill struck her from behind. The Flower Edict was knocked out of her hand, and a sinister, raspy voice reached her ears.
"You certainly know how to run. Too bad you're not getting away."
Yan You appeared like a ghost and grabbed Ye Buyu with one hand. Sneering at the Teleportation Channel and the students who had yet to evacuate, he licked his lips and flashed a sickeningly depraved smile.
"Only this few left? What a pity. Still, the remaining ones are good quality. They'll make quite a feast."
Everyone's attention had been on the Wind-Thunder Cantor. No one had noticed Yan You at all.
Now his sudden attack caught them all off guard.
Under everyone's terrified gazes, Yan You reached toward the Teleportation Channel. "Want to go home? How could I let you have your way?"
Watching the people lunging toward him, Yan You's lips curled into a malicious smile, as though he could already see their faces crumpling in despair when their hope shattered.
"Let go of me! Let go!"
Still struggling, Ye Buyu noticed what Yan You intended to do. Instinctively, she lifted her foot and stomped down hard on his.
Naturally, Yan You paid no heed to her little movements. She was nothing but a hopping grasshopper, incapable of even breaking through his defenses.
In a flash, Ye Buyu stamped down. As though she had pressed some sort of button, the energy in Yan You's hand abruptly dissipated, and he dropped to his knees with a thud.
"Ow!"
Caught in his grip, Ye Buyu was forced face-first onto the ground and nearly knocked her teeth against it. Realizing he had let go, she rolled back to her feet and slapped Yan You hard across the head.
A healing light flashed, illuminating Yan You's bewildered face as his head rang.
Lou Guanshan, who had been charging toward them, slammed on the brakes and nearly fell, unsure what to do with the huge blade in his hands.
Even the Wind-Thunder Cantor fell silent for a second. The scene, so recently consumed by battle, sank into deathly silence.
Friend and foe alike stared in bewilderment.
So stepping on someone's foot can trigger the ability too. That was Ye Buyu's first thought.
"Wait, what are you standing around for? Run!" Ye Buyu shouted urgently as she came back to her senses.
The bewildered students nodded and stepped into the Teleportation Channel, their minds full of questions. As they passed Yan You, their expressions still suggested they were questioning everything they knew about life.
So this is a Void Cultist?
Yan You felt something snap in his chest. Something snapped in his head too.
"AAAAH!!!"
His voice cracked in a scream that proclaimed his fury.
Ye Buyu dared not stay where she was. Putting some distance between herself and Yan You, she shouted to Lou Guanshan, "Cut him down! Quick!"
If he didn't strike now, they'd miss their chance once Yan You recovered!
The Wind-Thunder Cantor roared, "I told you there would be a forced payment! What are you doing?!"
Couldn't he simply have killed her by throwing some worthless material at her? At such close range, he had still missed and even let her turn the tables on him. He had mocked the Cantor so brazenly earlier, only to prove himself even more laughably stupid.
He talked a big game, yet when it came to a real fight, he was this pathetic and foolish.
He stared coldly at Yan You. "If everyone in the Void Order is like you, then I see no value in cooperating with you!"
"Heh, heh..." A hoarse sound escaped Yan You's throat. He plunged a hand into his own chest, and blood gushed down, gathering beneath him into a series of mysterious patterns.
He fixed Ye Buyu with an icy stare. "You want payment? I'll give it to you."
Ye Buyu glanced at the blood beneath Yan You, flicked her hand dismissively, and looked at him earnestly:
"No, I refuse your payment. In exchange, stop what you're doing right now."
Yan You: ...
The Wind-Thunder Cantor: ... Hopeless.
Before you continue