Those words, arrogant and utterly confident, sent the thoughts in Yuanen Zhentian's heart surging like waves.
Through that simple sentence, he could sense a disdain etched into the soul.
He had never expected the being before him to hold Shrek Academy, the continent's foremost power, in such contempt. Could he be someone from the Spirit Pagoda?
He could not help speculating, but on the surface, he gave nothing away.
"My apologies. I was being muddleheaded."
Having answered Yuanen Zhentian's question briefly, Hyper Kabuto turned his gaze back toward the Demon Gate.
Over there, the woman who had transformed into a demon and opened the Demon Gate had now returned to human form. Only now, she had lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground, where her husband was supporting her.
Yuanen Zhentian was greatly alarmed. He also came to understand the cause of this disaster, his expression unbearably pained as regret, hatred, and sorrow flashed through his eyes...
He had known the reason all along. The torment of countless mingled emotions made him regret his original decision even more.
The bitter consequences of leaving things to chance left his heart especially conflicted and tangled. It felt even worse than eating shit.
"Grandpa!" A young girl's cry pulled his attention back.
"Yuanen?" Yuanen Zhentian's pupils contracted. He had never expected his granddaughter to appear here, much less witness everything before them with her own eyes.
Yuanen Yehui looked dazed as she stared at her parents in disbelief, then turned an utterly horrified gaze on her second sister-in-law, whose chest had been pierced through.
She stood there in a stupor, her limbs stiff, twitching involuntarily.
"Mom, what happened to Second Sister-in-law? Why did things turn out like this?!"
At those words, Yuanen Zhentian felt as though another sharp knife had pierced his chest. The wound he had been soothing and easing within himself was torn open once more.
What was he supposed to say? Tell his granddaughter that her mother had opened the Demon Gate and caused her second sister-in-law's death?
Just as the Yuanen family descended into a family melodrama, Hyper Kabuto, off to the side, showed his displeasure.
"Tch, they actually managed to shut the door and run?" Naturally, he was referring to the Demon Plane.
Hearing his words, even Yuanen Zhentian's stern old face could not help twitching.
What the being before him had just done was already enough to shock the world. Had he actually intended to charge into the Demon Plane just now?
As though confirming his guess, the being before him seemed utterly unconcerned.
"Trying to run? Think you can get away?"
"Hyper Clock Up!"
Hyper Kabuto lightly tapped the button on the Hyper Zecter at his waist, and his belt gave a mechanical response.
[Hyper Clock Up!]
Brilliant dark-gold light shone around him, illuminating everyone present.
Before Yuanen Zhentian could understand what he intended to do, he, Yuanen Yehui, and the Yuanen family members nearby witnessed something capable of shattering their entire worldview.
The story returned to a short while earlier-
Guided by the Kabuto Zecter, Zhou Yang passed through a spacetime passage to another corner of the continent.
But the moment he landed, he saw a cute girl blinking her large, limpid vermilion eyes at him.
"Who are you? Why are you here?"
Yuanen Yehui stared at him in shock. His sudden appearance out of thin air had given her quite a fright.
Naturally, she knew nothing of what had happened on the mountain behind the residence.
But after seeing the demon army, Yuanen Zhentian had decisively ordered people to seek aid from Shrek and sent his clansmen to take shelter.
To avoid causing panic, however, the person in charge had not explained what was happening, merely arranging for everyone to head to the shelter.
This had undoubtedly aroused Yuanen Yehui's curiosity.
Having been doted on by everyone in the family since childhood, she had developed a bold disposition.
And so, she had secretly slipped away. Before the person in charge noticed her absence, she intended to sneak a look.
"The exact location seems to be on the mountain out back..."
But before she could sneak very far, she ran into this boy who had suddenly appeared.
Without any warning, he had appeared right before her eyes.
"Just passing through."
Zhou Yang offered little explanation for Yuanen Yehui's confusion. Instead, he looked toward the Kabuto Zecter and continued onward after it.
Seeing him ignore her, Yuanen Yehui pouted unhappily.
"Huh, what's this? It's so amazing."
But her attention was soon drawn to the Kabuto Zecter again. This peculiar metal rhinoceros beetle gave off not a trace of Soul Power, yet was as lively as a living creature.
"Hey, wait!"
Her attention shifted to Zhou Yang, and she followed behind him.
Under the Kabuto Zecter's guidance, the two soon arrived near the mountain behind the residence and were dumbfounded by the sight before them.
Looking at the scene, Zhou Yang seemed to understand why the Kabuto Zecter had called him over.
They were not Worms, but they were much the same: beings that wanted to invade this world and wreak wanton destruction.
Demons appeared in groups all over the mountains and fields. Their presence was filled with a sense of alienation and rejection, as though the entire continent were resisting them.
The demons scattered in every direction with tremendous momentum, their dense black masses pressing forward like thick banks of dark clouds.
Suddenly, as though remembering something, Zhou Yang looked at Yuanen Yehui behind him.
Damn it, surrounded by demons with a little girl beside me-why did this feel like raising a flag?
Zhou Yang felt a wave of malice from the Rider franchise.
"Go! It's dangerous here."
At that thought, he hurriedly turned and barked at Yuanen Yehui while beckoning toward the sky, calling the Kabuto Zecter.
"Henshin!"
The moment he realized the danger, Zhou Yang decisively transformed. Heavy armor quickly covered his body, and his height once again shot up to 1.9 meters.
Through his blue compound eyes, Zhou Yang clearly picked out the people not far away who were struggling to resist these demons. Most of them could be considered renowned powerhouses on the Douluo Continent.
There were Soul Sages, Soul Douluos, and even Titled Douluos.
With such reserves of strength, they would absolutely count as a substantial force on the Douluo Continent.
Judging by the Martial Souls they displayed in combat, their Martial Souls were ape-like beings, powerful and domineering. Moreover, most shared the same Martial Soul. These people were clearly a family group.
Unfortunately, the battle was terribly brutal. Those Soul Emperors and Soul Sages might have been renowned powerhouses in the outside world, or in the city where Zhou Yang lived, but against these demons that surged like tidal waves and tsunamis, they were ultimately outnumbered and powerless.
This also brought an unbearably painful outcome: under the demons' murderous attacks, they fell one after another.
When Zhou Yang looked over, he saw a demon pierce straight through a woman's chest, leaving her in a wretched state. At the sight, her husband's expression twisted in the distance as he broke down.
Just as Zhou Yang was surveying his surroundings, the demons seemed to notice him and Yuanen Yehui behind him as well. They charged straight at him, attacking together.
Turning his attention back to his own situation, Zhou Yang remained composed. He took out the Kunai Gun and fired precisely at the demons, while casually placing himself in front of Yuanen Yehui.
High-energy ion light bullets struck the demons at high speed, bursting into fierce showers of sparks. The pain made them scream shrilly, halting their movements at once. A few weaker demons were even pierced straight through.
"So this is how its firepower performs?" Zhou Yang was not particularly surprised. He merely intended to use this opportunity to test his strength.
The deaths of several companions did not frighten the demon army. Instead, it provoked their evil ferocity. They let out distorted, eerie howls and charged at Zhou Yang even faster.
"If it were just one of you, I might have a thoroughly satisfying hand-to-hand fight with you. Unfortunately, with so many of you ganging up on me, you're not exactly respecting martial virtue."
"Otherwise, I'd also like to see where my limits lie."