Wutong Mountain Range —
At the entrance to the Low-Rank Mystic Bird Ruins.
The camp was in utter chaos.
Bodies lay scattered across the ground, blood soaking into the sand, drawing packs of carnivorous beasts from the forest.
A hungry jackal crept forward, jaws open, ready to bite into a corpse—
Suddenly—
"STOP!"
A furious shout rang out from afar.
Then—
Whoosh!
A burst of fierce wind slammed through the clearing.
The jackal was instantly hurled dozens of meters away, landing dead on the ground.
The man who'd just struck—
was none other than Lian Jie, president of the Tongcheng Ability Users' Guild, who had led a squad to investigate the ruins.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Four Tier-3 ability users followed close behind, quickly arriving at the camp.
Their eyes swept over the silent encampment, the mangled corpses, the stench of blood.
Everyone frowned.
"President, something's wrong,"
one of the Tier-3s said, brow furrowing.
Lian Jie didn't answer.
Tap! Tap!
Using Shave (Soru), he darted deep into the camp, scanning every inch.
At the center—
He finally spotted someone still standing.
No… not someone alive.
A corpse.
A corpse that was standing upright.
The thing turned its head toward Lian Jie, and the corners of its dead lips pulled into a grotesque grin.
Before Lian Jie could even react—
The corpse suddenly collapsed to the ground, limp.
A black, smoke-like shadow burst out of its body, and as sunlight touched it, the shadow hissed and dissolved into the air.
For a brief moment, Lian Jie froze.
Then—his face changed drastically.
"This is bad!"
With a shout of alarm, he turned and sprinted toward Tongcheng as fast as he could.
While running, he yanked out his communicator.
—Meanwhile, about four or five miles away, in a ravine of Wutong Mountain—
A middle-aged man with a square face picked up his communicator.
"Hello? Old Lian, what's going on? Was it a trap by the Demon Cult?"
"Emperor Brother! Quick! Hurry back to Tongcheng!"
Lian Jie's voice came through the line, frantic and breathless.
"We've been tricked! Those Demon Cult bastards lured us away—it's a trap! They're attacking Tongcheng!"
"—What!?"
The man on the other end—Tongcheng's Commander, Di Wenbin—
his expression changed at once.
Without another word, he turned and bolted back toward the city.
But by then—
At Tongcheng No. 1 High School.
The van parked in front of the school gates suddenly roared to life.
Then, without warning, it sped straight toward the school gates.
Whether by intent or "brake failure," the van crashed through the gates with a deafening BANG, tearing them open and barreling onto campus.
Moments later—
Eight black-cloaked figures leapt out of the vehicle one after another.
Each robe bore the image of a hideous, fanged demon.
All eight—
Tier 3 ability users.
"Hey! You there—who are you people!?"
Two school security guards ran over.
Before they could even get a clear look—
One of the black-robed figures flashed forward.
A glint of cold steel.
Two heads flew into the air.
The guards, mere Tier 1s, never stood a chance.
The cultist leader spread his arms, grinning with maniacal glee.
"Go! Slaughter as you please! Turn this school into a cradle of fear! Keh keh keh keh!"
With his command, the seven other Tier 3 cultists charged toward the school buildings.
Inside the campus, chaos erupted.
The crash had already drawn the attention of students and teachers alike.
"What's going on!?"
"It's the Demon Cult!"
"The Demon Cult is attacking!"
"Everyone—stay calm! Follow my instructions!"
Screams and shouts filled the air above the school.
—On the second floor of the main classroom building—
Hearing the commotion below, Zhao Xuan frowned.
He rose from his seat, intending to go see what was happening.
But just then—
BANG!
The classroom door was violently kicked open.
A black-robed cultist stormed inside, face twisted with bloodlust.
His eyes scanned the rows of students—like a butcher gazing at a pen full of lambs.
He grinned.
"Fall into fear, little lambs…"
He muttered hoarsely, raising his blood-dripping curved blade—
and brought it down toward the first student by the door—Li Jiangzhang.
"Li Jiangzhang!"
"Watch out!"
"Ahhh!!!"
Screams filled the classroom.
Li Jiangzhang, though one of the stronger students, had never faced anything like this.
His body froze in terror, unable to move—completely paralyzed by the killing intent pouring off the cultist.
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