Chapter 291: The Gatekeeper

"Little Black, I choose you!!!"A girl with a giant shell strapped to her back shouted dramatically.

A summoning circle burst beneath her feet and a tiny tortoise materialized on her head.

It was small...

Comically small...

But its eyes held ancient, impossible wisdom.

Little Black surveyed the battlefield.

Then it floated–no, waddled through the air in completely random directions.

But wherever it drifted, the results were terrifying.

Beasts collapsed onto the ground, trembling.

The winter around them bent as if acknowledging a higher ruler.

Frost swirled around the tortoise like obedient servants.

A short distance away, a towering man, nearly ten meters tall and built entirely of muscle, smashed through beasts using nothing but raw physical strength.

Every punch created shockwaves.

Every stomp crushed dozens of monsters at once.

"Hahaha! Taste my fire!!!"

Another figure roared a living inferno, his entire body blazing.

But his flames weren’t mundane.

They were a Heavenly Flame — the Burning Sun Flames, said to contain enough power to ignite stars themselves.

Every sweep of his arm scorched the sky, evaporating beast after beast.

Off to the side, a massive porcupine beast disciple shrieked.

Hundreds of quills shot from his body like missiles then, at a sharp whistle they all turned mid-air, moving in perfectly coordinated formations, spinning and weaving like a living storm before piercing through dozens of beasts at unnatural speed.

Farther away, glowing array characters manifested in the snow, weaving into a deadly geometric net.

A young man with a scholar’s temperament planted a banner into the ground.

A killing formation activated.

Any beast that stepped into the array was shredded instantly blood evaporating before it even hit the ground.

At another direction, a beautiful maiden raised her voice.

Her song drifted across the battlefield, a soft, melodic lullaby... and beasts collapsed mid-charge, peacefully falling asleep.

The disciples behind her mercilessly finished them off.

The entire battlefield was a chaotic tapestry of power summoners, beast tamers, formation masters, martial monsters, fire incarnations, supports, and pure freaks of nature.

Yet amidst this overwhelming chaos.

The overseer of the battle, the disciple placed in charge of the return gate’s defense sat casually near the entrance.

Xiao Ran, seated comfortably on a chair, was drinking booze from a gourd as if enjoying a warm, relaxing sunset.

He didn’t even flinch as explosions thundered around him.

Truly a perfect example of a "responsible" leader.

"Aren’t they a bit early this time?" Xiao Ran muttered, stroking his unnaturally long beard.

Despite his small frame, his voice carried weight.

"Senior Brother is right," said his assistant bundled in layers of thick winter clothing, shivering nonstop.

"But this has never happened before. Maybe we should report it, prepare a stronger defense, and summon all disciples inside the gate for additional support."

Xiao Ran waved lazily.

"Submit a report but don’t call the other disciples. For now, the ones present here will do. And if things turn serious, I’ll move myself. It’s been a while since I stretched."

His assistant grumbled as he shuffled off.

"It’s freezing... I get no extra pay for this... why am I even here..."

Xiao Ran ignored him completely, sipping his booze as explosions went off in the distance.

Some time passed.

Xiao Ran’s brows rose slightly.

The disciples were finally pushing the beast wave back. Their coordination was sharp, their techniques varied and powerful but the number of beasts wasn’t decreasing.

In fact.

They were increasing.

"Hm. Annoying." He sighed.

"I hope they all just drop dead..."

He vanished.

And then reappeared on the same spot moments later, blowing frost off his gourd as if nothing had happened.

During that brief disappearance, he had already handled an enormous underground worm large enough to swallow squads of disciples whole. The troops hadn’t noticed it because all their attention was above ground.

Xiao Ran tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Oh?"

He reached a conclusion.

"They’re fighting under an illusion."

His assistant who had returned just now blinked. "Eh?"

Xiao Ran ignored him again.

A faint, delighted spark lit his eyes.

"Is some demon finally making a move...?"

His aura poured outward pressure covering the entire battlefield like a tidal wave.

The illusion shattered instantly.

Beasts screeched.

Disciples staggered.

The snowy air cracked like glass.

"Tsk." Xiao Ran clicked his tongue in irritation.

"It’s just a few beasts that evolved to Tier Four."

For a moment, Xiao Ran thought about intervening.

A single step from him would reduce the creatures to ashes.

But after considering the situation, he leaned back into his chair.

"They’ll handle it. They’re capable enough... though the sheer number makes it troublesome."

He raised his gourd again for another leisurely sip.

But then something on the battlefield caught his eye.

A particular group.

First, an artist whose brush danced like flowing water, drawing cages, barriers, and restrictive constructs that trapped beasts with elegant precision.

Next, a girl with a small horn who tore monsters apart with her bare claws.

She never received any wounds.

Her defense... was absolute.

Then the twins, radiating an unusual energy as they moved with eerie synchronicity.

They were supported by several others, fighting with a fluidity that stood out even amidst the chaos.

Xiao Ran’s gaze slowly drifted to the rear of the group and his expression sharpened.

Yu Xuan.

’A strong one,’ he realized immediately.

Xiao Ran had a natural gift, the ability to distinguish the strong from the weak at a glance.

Even though Yu Xuan was doing nothing, even though he kept his presence mild and ordinary.

Xiao Ran’s instincts screamed.

He’s hiding his strength.

And if they fought... only one of them would walk away alive.

There were others on the field concealing their power, but none gave Xiao Ran such an overwhelming sense of threat.

Yu Xuan suddenly lifted his gaze, sensing Xiao Ran’s attention.

Their eyes met.

For a brief moment, the battlefield’s noise dimmed.

A subtle pressure hung in the air not hostile, but unmistakably dangerous.

"Well... whatever," Xiao Ran muttered, taking another swig of booze as if the realization bored him.

But even as he drank, the atmosphere shifted.

Above the sky thunderclouds began to form.

Dark.

Heavy.

Crackling with ominous black lightning.