Chapter Forty-Two: Someone Dares to Defy the Heavens!

Although Yi Shen unleashed a multitude of skills, from his appearance to the moment he struck down his enemies, less than a minute had passed in total. The situation on the battlefield had shifted dramatically, and Gu Yucheng’s group was slowly recovering from their combat state. After eliminating one of the enemy members, Yi Shen reassessed his own strength. He had previously thought his damage would be heavily mitigated, but now, with sufficient firepower, killing explorers around level thirty posed no significant challenge—perhaps even easier than taking down elite bosses.

Yet at this moment, Yi Shen gazed toward the direction of the Scholar and his companions with a peculiar expression. They weren’t fleeing? Because Yi Shen had teleported into the sky to launch his attack, he could clearly see their retreat routes. He had already blasted through a wall with overwhelming force and instantly killed one, but the other two showed no signs of revealing themselves.

With a swift motion, Yi Shen drew his bow to its fullest and launched another assault at their hiding spot. The deafening roar forced two figures out into the open. Yi Shen teleported after them, keeping a deliberate distance. One of them stared up at Yi Shen in the sky for several seconds before being enveloped by ceaseless artillery fire, stunned to death on the spot.

The last member was the highest-level among the three, likely their core, his health already halved, immune to control effects, and he had dodged several of Yi Shen’s flaming arrows. Realizing escape from Yi Shen’s attacks was futile, he simply stopped, glaring fixedly in Yi Shen’s direction.

Watching Yi Shen floating and darting through the air, the Scholar was plunged into boundless confusion. “Who are you, really?” he asked, unwilling to accept his fate, eyes locked on Yi Shen’s position.

His answer came in the form of several massive fire arrows, wiping out his health entirely.

Yi Shen wasn’t in the habit of exchanging words with his enemies. He had hesitated long before acting this time and had no intention of exposing his identity prematurely. After finishing the last of them, Yi Shen glanced back toward Gu Yucheng’s group, but he didn’t intend to approach or make conversation. He lowered the brim of his hat, teleported a few times, gathered the loot dropped by the three, and vanished into the buildings—his deeds done, leaving without a trace, his achievements hidden and his name unspoken.

...

“...”
“???”
“Hiss...”
“Is it... over already?”

Yi Shen departed silently, leaving Gu Yucheng’s team utterly bewildered. Only minutes before, they had been staring death in the face. They hadn’t even recovered from the shock when the world suddenly regained its calm. Aside from a few inexplicable craters in nearby buildings, it was as if nothing had happened. The bodies of those from Jingbei Industries who had attacked them were barely left, obliterated by the barrage, and the mysterious passerby who saved them left no clue behind.

“Was that someone from our guild’s upper ranks? Did they step in to help us?” the priest girl, Xu Tianyi, asked timidly. She hadn’t seen the savior’s face or figure clearly, only a distant silhouette in the sky.

“That person was incredibly strong. How could he cast so many skills at once? Was it because of a high-level skill book?”
“Was he a ranger? Or a mage? It looked like he was casting teleportation.”
“Maybe a special class, but I don’t recall our guild having anyone like that. Don’t spread this around; I doubt it’s as simple as it seems.”

Gu Yucheng shook his head, cautioning his teammates not to gossip. He had seen the most, but even so, had gained little useful information. He only noted that the mysterious figure wore black clothing and a mask, which sent him into deep thought.

“Do you remember, when we arrived from the Jingmen safe zone, there was someone in the corner of the vehicle, also wearing a black mask?” Gu Yucheng asked tentatively.

The other teammates shook their heads; none had noticed.

“Forget it. Let’s find a way to leave. The Gate of Realms isn’t safe anymore. Even if Jingbei Industries inherited Peach Blossom Valley’s assets, there’s no reason for them to send so many people—it’s as if they wanted to provoke conflict. I recall the Scholar was a vice president of a small guild. For him to turn up as an ordinary member of Jingbei Industries is rather odd.”

Gu Yucheng urged everyone to depart quickly, and the team agreed.

They retraced their steps swiftly. Fortunately, the area wasn’t far from the Gate of Realms; even on foot, it wouldn’t take long. What they hadn’t expected was that fighting had broken out not just near the Bookcase Secret Realm of the Lord God, but also around the Gate of Realms. At its entrance, many shops had already been smashed. The situation had drawn official intervention, with guild members calming the public.

Gu Yucheng concealed their encounter with battle, to avoid being pulled into an investigation. No one pressed them further; after a simple registration, the team was allowed to leave.

...

Yi Shen moved much faster than Gu Yucheng’s group. When he left the Gate of Realms, official personnel had only just arrived, and chaos reigned. Watching the riotous crowds and the looted, wrecked shops, Yi Shen sensed the approach of a storm.

Sure enough, upon crossing the Gate of Realms and returning to Blue Star, connecting to the Jingmen Safe Zone’s intranet, he found the forums flooded with information: at least forty or fifty regions had fallen into disorder, some even reporting protests.

Yi Shen had bought a new communicator from the black market, using this device to go online and contact Zhu Qing and Zhu You. The intranet revealed that the protests aimed primarily to oppose Jingbei Industries’ acquisition of Peach Blossom Valley, along with negative news about Jingbei Industries, calling for official investigations into collusion and connections.

“Someone’s trying to turn the world upside down,” Yi Shen mused. Having lived in Jingbei Safe Zone for years, even he knew that Jingbei Industries had deep official backing. Many events only ran smoothly because Jingbei Industries took the lead. The founding of Jingmen Safe Zone was spearheaded by Jingbei Industries during the reclamation, so everyone accepted them as the cornerstone guild of Jingmen. Now, someone sought to overthrow this foundation—truly daring.

“Or perhaps, it’s Jingbei Industries themselves targeting Peach Blossom Valley?”

After his musings, Yi Shen fell into contemplation. Much of the information pointed to Jingbei Industries wanting to annex Peach Blossom Valley—indeed, their actions matched this narrative. Yet he felt the matter wasn’t so simple; the information he could access was too limited. Relying on forum rumors alone would yield no clear answers.

Having killed several explorers in their thirties today, Yi Shen gained new insight into his own strength, becoming increasingly adept at infinite teleportation and acquiring ample means of survival. He now felt he might have the chance to probe deeper into the situation—such as checking if anyone was still lurking near his home, or investigating the origins of those Blood Massacre Guild members.