Only those who truly stood above all heavens, enduring through the ages, could truly be called geniuses. After all, only a genius who lived to reach maturity counted as a genius.
Countless thoughts flashed through Shi Qingyun's mind, but only an instant passed in the outside world.
Gathering his thoughts, he knew he should go down and help. After watching such a spectacular move, his own hands were itching for action.
More importantly, the people on the battlefield below were not all from the Primordial Divine Mountain.
Among the people below, he had spotted not only members of the Primordial Divine Mountain but also people from the Martial King Manor.
That left Shi Qingyun somewhat baffled. How had the people from the Martial King Manor gotten mixed up with those from the Primordial Divine Mountain?
Still, judging by how that girl had saved someone from the Martial King Manor, they probably were not enemies.
Going down would also give him a chance to ask them what was going on.
He turned to Yu Tian and said, "Stay here for now. I'm afraid I won't be able to look after you!"
Without giving Yu Tian any chance to respond, he charged out, leaving only Shi Qingyun's shout ringing where he had stood:
"Eight Directions Reverse Step, maximum speed!"
Yu Tian stared at the spot where Shi Qingyun had vanished, his face instantly flushing red. He felt utterly underestimated, as though a breath of anger had lodged in his throat and refused to come out.
Could you please not make up your mind so quickly next time? How about asking the person involved?
Yu Tian screamed inwardly. Hey, don't just make decisions for other people!
Glancing at the raging battlefield, Yu Tian gritted his teeth, took his weapon from his cave heaven, and charged down.
I'm someone people call a genius, after all. I can't let others really look down on me!
As Jin Wan darted from side to side among the Ferocious Beasts, fending them off, an overwhelming weariness washed over her.
That move she had just unleashed was still far too demanding for her current strength.
Although the power of her cave heaven was slowly replenishing her reserves, the mental energy she had spent could not be recovered in such a short time.
Even the hand holding her sword was trembling slightly.
Her gleaming silver sword was now drenched in blood. Flecks of blood dotted Jin Wan's face, lending her valiant bearing a little more intensity.
Channeling her divine power, she swept her sword out again, sending severed limbs and mangled remains flying through the air amid vivid blood.
After clearing away the blood-moving realm Ferocious Beasts trying to pounce on her from the front with a single sweep, Jin Wan let out a small breath of relief.
She was utterly exhausted, and the divine power within her was almost depleted. Even with her cave heaven open, she could barely keep pace with such fierce expenditure.
Waves of piercing pain coursed through her entire body.
All she wanted now was to lie down and rest. She would gladly sleep even amid this thick stench of blood.
Just as Jin Wan slipped into a momentary daze, a tremendous gust swept toward her from behind, its shrill whistle cutting loudly through the battlefield.
Jin Wanwan snapped back to her senses. Every hair on her body stood on end as the shadow of death enveloped her.
On the other side of the battlefield, Yuan Sheng naturally saw the enormous figure behind Jin Wan as well.
His eyes filled with anxiety, and he wanted to rush over at once to save Jin Wan.
But the several late-stage cave heaven realm Ferocious Beasts before him kept him firmly pinned down, leaving him no way to break free.
His eyes became bloodshot in an instant, yet he still could not escape their entanglement.
All he could do was shout, "Look out! Behind you!"
The divine power within Yuan Sheng erupted, and the strange tattoos on his body seemed to writhe across his skin.
Meanwhile, Jin Wan, frozen in place, naturally sensed the deadly danger behind her.
The terror and dread of imminent death surged into Jin Wan's heart all at once.
Every bone and every drop of blood in her body screamed danger. The chaotic flood of signals suddenly made her thoughts unbearably sluggish.
Everything on the battlefield seemed to slow down. Even the shouts reaching her ears seemed stretched out, becoming impossible to make out.
Only the thump, thump of her heartbeat remained perfectly clear.
The next instant, a deafening metallic clash rang beside Jin Wan's ear, breaking her paralysis.
The sound she had expected-claws piercing flesh-never came.
Somewhat bewildered, she turned her head and found an upright figure standing in front of her.
He stood against the light, holding a fan that firmly blocked the Ferocious Beast's sharp claws.
At that moment, Jin Wanwan felt as though a heavenly god had descended to save her.
Although this heavenly god was rather young, his somewhat slight back gave her an immense sense of security.
Two cave heavens opened together behind Shi Qingyun. Bending his legs slightly, he exerted force through his hand and knocked the Ferocious Beast's claws aside.
Elsewhere, Yuan Sheng was locked in a fierce struggle with several Ferocious Beasts. Seeing someone save Jin Wan eased some of the worry in his heart.
The strange tattoos that had nearly burst from his body stopped moving, merely radiating a light that seemed ready to devour someone.
As his worry subsided, boundless fury rose in its place. Wan'er had nearly been killed right before his eyes.
Rage overwhelmed his reason, mingled with relief and helplessness.
The markings branded onto his body lit up one after another. The phantom of a giant elephant slowly appeared behind Yuan Sheng as he unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks on the cave heaven realm Ferocious Beasts before him.
The Eight Directions Runes of the Eight Directions Step flashed beneath Shi Qingyun's feet, and he darted aside.
He dodged the swipe of the Ferocious Beast's other claw, and just as it struck empty air, he seized his chance.
Shi Qingyun swiftly channeled his divine power, condensing a dazzling runic Precious Technique in his hand.
It was the Sun and Moon Seal that Shi Qingyun had comprehended from the Heavenly Roc.
The radiant Sun Seal blazed with searing light as it slammed viciously into the Ferocious Beast.
Immediately, the scales covering the Ferocious Beast's body began to give off a series of sounds.
"Sizzle, sizzle."
The Ferocious Beast let out an agonized howl and stumbled back several steps.
Streaks of blood-red light rose from the Ferocious Beast's body and wrapped around the wounded area.
In a mere instant, fresh scales surged out from beneath its flesh, covering the injured area once more.
Thank you, brothers.
Chapter 45: One-on-one
Seeing the Ferocious Beast recover so quickly made his expression turn somewhat grave.
Runes flashed over his feet, and in the blink of an eye, he put some distance between himself and the Ferocious Beast.
Only once he stood farther away did the Ferocious Beast's appearance fully come into view.
Shi Qingyun finally got a clear look at the entire Ferocious Beast before him.
He had been so focused on saving her that he had hardly spared a glance to see what this thing was. Its strength was astonishing.
Even though he had broken through the limits of the blood moving realm and could unleash nearly a hundred and thirty thousand jin of force with one arm, blocking its claw had still been difficult.
The metallic clash transmitted through his fan had shaken his ears until they ached.
He channeled divine power into the fan and swept it forward, raising a fierce wind that scattered the dust between them.
As the dust filling the air slowly dispersed, a pair of lantern-sized beast eyes emerged, gleaming with savagery and boundless wildness.
The claws on its four limbs glinted coldly like daggers, ringing with metallic clangs as they struck the hard ground.
Closely packed scales covered its entire body, as though it had been clad in an indestructible suit of armor.
A pair of enormous, fearsome wings lay folded tightly against its back.
This Ferocious Beast resembled an advanced version of the forest's overlord, the Iron-Armored Tiger. Its hill-like bulk alone exerted an invisible pressure.
Above all, the powerful, ferocious aura radiating from its entire body put Shi Qingyun on high alert.
Merely being fixed by its malicious stare raised goose bumps across Shi Qingyun's back.
Moreover, he could see a trace of blood-red hidden within those enormous eyes, reminding Shi Qingyun of the earlier beast tide.
As he examined the Ferocious Beast before him, he cursed inwardly. A mighty Ferocious Beast on the verge of breaking through to the spirit transformation realm, hiding among a bunch of blood moving realm beasts? You have no honor at all.
Then, as though something had occurred to him, he glanced from the corner of his eye at the girl standing farther away.
Seeing that the girl he had rescued was now out of danger, he relaxed a little.
She was, after all, the first beauty he had ever saved as a hero. He could not let her end up dead after rescuing her. That would be far too tragic.
Besides, she had saved quite a few people from the Martial King Manor on the battlefield. He had to repay her somehow.
Still, after that glance, he felt that she was quite pretty.
Shi Qingyun hurriedly reined in his wandering thoughts and inwardly scolded himself. Don't you know what sort of situation you're in? How can you be thinking about that now?
But, young lady, there's something off about the way you're looking at me. Pay attention to where you are, will you?
Did the scare knock you senseless? Why do you seem so unreliable and dazed?
Seeing the girl gaze at him with adoration pleased him a little, but Shi Qingyun still grumbled silently to himself.
Nevertheless, Shi Qingyun gave her a reminder. Losing focus on this battlefield was extremely dangerous, after all.
"Are you all right? Can you still walk on your own?"
"Miss, if you're unharmed, leave this place first. I'll deal with this big fellow."
Shi Qingyun's words instantly brought Jin Wanwan back to her senses. Remembering the lovestruck expression she had just worn, she felt mortified.
A crimson blush involuntarily spread over her face. Fortunately, the Ferocious Beasts' blood concealed it.
Otherwise, she would have lost all face right here.
She steadied her emotions slightly and regained her composure in no time.
Jin Wanwan was not a bashful person by nature. She answered Shi Qingyun openly, "Thank you for saving me, young master!"
"I'm all right now. I owe it all to your help, young master."
After expressing her thanks to Shi Qingyun, she prepared to leave and help the others.
Before you continue