53: Li Tianyi's scheming
Inside the Secret Realm.
Not long after Xie Ning and the others left the small hillside, they encountered a massive Yao Beast.
It was an Azure Treasure Elephant, over three meters tall and entirely azure-blue, except for its blood-red eyes. Upon seeing Xie Ning's group, it let out a cry and charged toward them, leading with its two large white tusks.
Seeing this, Lan Yu blurted out, "Bronze Rank 5 Azure Treasure Elephant. It's a physical defense-type Yao Beast; physical attacks are not recommended."
Following that, Lu Bingyun's Flowing Fire Ice Lion let out a roar and condensed an Ice Ball the size of a millstone. It hurled the ball, which exploded instantly upon hitting the Azure Treasure Elephant, turning into a field of eerie, ice-blue flames.
Despite having no apparent temperature, the flames burned the Azure Treasure Elephant so badly that it screamed in pain.
It charged even harder, ignoring the burning flames as it made a mad dash. However, as the flames spread and it came within six meters of Xie Ning's group, the Flowing Fire Ice Lion gave a low growl. The flames burning across the elephant's body turned into ice, freezing it within and cutting off its charge.
This was the Talent: Glacial Flowing Fire.
"Bing Yun baby, you're so amazing~" Xiao Ya cheered, then pointed at the frozen Azure Treasure Elephant. "Little Bucktooth, go! Let's put on a good show too."
The Thunderclap Rabbit slammed its fists together and then surged forward, lightning flickering on its hind legs. It leapt high into the air, its muscled forelimbs pulling back. When it reached the Azure Treasure Elephant, it struck with instantaneous power, hit like a thunderbolt, and slammed into the elephant with a dense cage of electric arcs.
With a loud 'boom,' the Azure Treasure Elephant was sent flying several meters back and crashed to the ground, though this also broke it out of its frozen state. It swung its long trunk, about to hit the Thunderclap Rabbit, but the Heavenly Star Bird swept past and snatched the rabbit up high, dodging the trunk strike.
The three of them coordinated with great synergy, resolving the Azure Treasure Elephant almost without Xie Ning needing to lift a finger.
"Nicely done~" Xiao Ya cheered, applauding her own performance, while Lu Bingyun and Lan Yu also smiled.
This was also the Flowing Fire Ice Lion's first battle, and Lu Bingyun was very satisfied with the power of the Glacial Flowing Fire Talent.
"Let's keep moving," Xie Ning said, and the four of them continued toward their goal.
However, their subsequent encounters made them feel that something was strange.
Along the way, Yao Beasts frequently attacked them from all directions. Although they were all dealt with, the group still felt that things were odd.
After the Poison Flame White Wolf and Flowing Fire Ice Lion used an elemental blast to shatter two Bronze Rank 3 Tiger-Lion Beasts, the group finally took a break.
Compared to the effortless performance of the Supersonic Mantis and Flowing Fire Ice Lion, the Thunderclap Rabbit, Heavenly Star Bird, and Poison Flame White Wolf appeared somewhat fatigued.
"Finally, it's over. I didn't expect to run into so many Yao Beasts just after walking a short distance. How would other examinees even survive?" Xiao Ya wiped the sweat from her forehead and fed Little Bucktooth some energy food.
Lan Yu did not lower her guard, her beautiful eyes scanning the surroundings. "I'm afraid things aren't that simple."
"No way, we've killed nearly ten Bronze Yao Beasts. Don't they fear death?"
Just as Xiao Ya finished speaking, a rumbling sound like an earthquake came from the distance.
"Wh-what's going on?" The group quickly steadied themselves and looked around. Just then, a cloud of grey dust surged forward from ahead, with over a dozen figures vaguely visible within the dust.
Xiao Ya's face turned pale with fright as she shouted, "Oh my god! You've got to be kidding me! We just left the starting area and we're hitting a beast tide!"
"They're all Black Iron Rank Explosive Fire Bulls. Slaughter them."
At Xie Ning's command, White Fang charged out, its entire body wreathed in flames. As it drew near, it didn't dodge or weave, but plunged straight into the herd of Explosive Fire Bulls while cloaked in fire.
In an instant, the flames spread through the herd. One by one, the Explosive Fire Bulls collapsed before they could run far, flames erupting from their facial orifices as they were scorched into charcoal from the inside out.
The lucky few that managed to break through the flames and survive fell at the Flowing Fire Ice Lion's second line of defense.
The Thunderclap Rabbit and Heavenly Star Bird ended up as mere spectators.
"Xie Ning, you're way too strong. What kind of fire is this? It's practically instant death on contact," Xiao Ya asked curiously.
Xie Ning replied, "This is Poison Flame. As long as a tiny bit touches them, the fire poison invades their body. If the gap in strength is too large, they'll be burned to death from the inside out."
"That's terrifying..." Xiao Ya swallowed hard, looking at the flames on the Poison Flame White Wolf with a hint of fear.
"But while Explosive Fire Bulls have explosive tempers, they don't usually attack humans so readily. Why would they now..."
Lan Yu didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear.
Xie Ning scanned the area and then smiled. "This is because someone drove them toward us."
Xiao Ya's brow furrowed, her cheeks puffing up in anger. "Who could be so despicable?"
"Why don't we call them out and ask?"
As soon as Xie Ning finished speaking, the Supersonic Mantis dashed forward and slashed at an empty patch of ground. With a swift stroke of its blade, a spray of blood suddenly erupted, staining the ground crimson.
Several figures slowly emerged from that spot. It was none other than Li Tianyi from the private school and his lackeys.
Among the four lackeys, one had his arm lying on the ground and was clutching the stump while wailing in agony.
A small Demon Tamers Beast was perched on the shoulder of the man with the severed arm; it was the same one that had placed a mark on Xie Ning earlier and led the group here.
"It's you guys?!" Xiao Ya's expression instantly turned ugly, while Lu Bingyun and Lan Yu also looked at them with disgust.
Li Tianyi didn't even glance at his injured companion. As he walked forward, he summoned his own Demon Tamers Beast, clicking his tongue in wonder. "I didn't expect you to be quite so capable—a Bronze Grade Demon Tamer. Tsk tsk. It's a pity you didn't focus on training just one; otherwise, I might not have dared to make a move."
As he spoke, his Demon Tamers Beast flew out from a magic circle. Its grayish-black body circled once in the air before hovering above Li Tianyi's head. Its black eyes emitted an eerie light, and its five-meter wingspan was like a dark cloud blotting out the sun.
This was an adult Xuanming Bird at Bronze Rank 8.
"Such confidence," Xie Ning said, glancing at the Xuanming Bird with a smile. "Let's be direct. What is your goal?"
Li Tianyi's eyes were filled with greed as he looked at the three girls. "It's simple. Hand these three girls over to us, and you can leave. Or, you could join us... haha~"
His words caused a chill to emanate from the three girls' faces, and their gazes toward Li Tianyi became increasingly cold and disgusted.
At the same time, Xiao Ya and Lan Yu were secretly worried about whether this boy they had just met would listen to the other side. If he did, it would be disastrous... Meanwhile, many netizens watching Xie Ning's Recorder feed were so angry they were about to explode, leaving a barrage of insults in the comments. Some who had spent more time in the real world were worried about Xie Ning's choice.
The behavior of Li Tianyi and his group overturned their perception of students.
Setting aside the netizens who had no relation to Xie Ning's group, at the Lu family home, a terrifying aura filled the entire villa and spread outward. People and Demon Tamers Beasts in the vicinity looked fearfully toward the source of the aura.
The owner of this aura, Lu Yimin, was currently sitting in the hall. The television was tuned exactly to Lu Bingyun's livestream.
Watching Li Tianyi's arrogant face as he spoke those words, Lu Yimin's expression became grim to the extreme. His eyes held unmasked murderous intent, and his emotions were like a lit fuse on a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment.
Huang Qiuwan, beside him, was the same way.
"It's alright, Young Friend Xie is there too. Even if they can't win, escaping safely shouldn't be a problem."
Seeing Huang Qiuwan's unstable emotions, Lu Yimin reined in his own reaction and comforted her softly. Then, the two of them stared intently at the screen, wanting to see what choice Xie Ning would make.