A streak of deep red flickered in the sky.
As the spiritforce rioted, a red figure slowly approached.
This woman wore a long crimson robe, with an unusually long whip coiled at her waist.
She looked rather fierce.
This woman, Xu Zimo happened to recognize, her name was Pure Water, the personal disciple of the dean.
She descended outside the tower, her aura pressing as she stared at Xu Zimo.
“Something you want?” Xu Zimo asked. “From this moment on, no one is allowed in or out. This place will be guarded by me.”
“Fight me,” the woman said faintly.
“Not interested. If you’re not convinced, go speak to the dean,” Xu Zimo waved dismissively.
“Are you afraid?” Pure Water chuckled softly.
“That kind of cheap provocation is childish,” Xu Zimo cast her a glance and ignored her.
“I know your feats in the academy, breaking through the tenth floor of the Heavenly Dao Tower, killing the Azure Dragon Crown Prince, defeating Ji Ruobing. But I’m still not convinced,” Pure Water said on her own. “If you fight me, I’ll drop this matter.”
Xu Zimo closed his eyes, ignoring her.
“If you don’t fight, then I’ll stay right here and not leave,” Pure Water snorted coldly.
She didn’t enter the tower, instead sitting on the stone steps outside.
Xu Zimo paid her no mind, his consciousness had already entered the God World of his True Fate.
As spiritforce revived, all beings set foot on the path of cultivation.
Now, the God World was blossoming everywhere, a scene of endless competition.
Empires rose, sects and cults flourished.
More and more powers sprang up like bamboo shoots after the rain.
With nothing better to do, Xu Zimo simply watched like a creator god, observing the transformations of the land and the lives of its people.
At the same time, he felt a growing sense of urgency.
When Heaven’s Will finally took shape, he would have to quickly ascend to the realm of Grand Emperor and continue his path.
Otherwise, if one day someone within his True Fate grew stronger than him, the balance would be broken.
His world had no concept of Heaven’s Will yet, its laws were all defined by him.
But once those laws formed, even he could not casually change them.
After a long time in the God World, Xu Zimo’s consciousness returned to his body.
Pure Water was still seated on the steps, showing no intention of leaving.
Before long, another figure arrived.
“Mo Tianming.”
“Brother Xu, how have you been lately?” Mo Tianming greeted with a smile.
“Still fine. I wonder, where has Brother Mo been assigned?” Xu Zimo smiled.
“I was assigned to guard the Glazed Hall with the Vice Dean,” Mo Tianming looked around the area.
He smiled and said, “It seems the Dean places quite some hope on you, Brother Xu.”
“Did you come for something specific?” Xu Zimo asked.
“No particular reason, just passing by,” Mo Tianming shook his head with a smile. “I’ve heard the Myriad Treasure Tower holds great significance to the academy. You should be extra cautious.”
Xu Zimo smiled and nodded.
After chatting a little, Mo Tianming departed.
Yet Pure Water remained at the steps.
The setting sun faded at the horizon, the sky darkened, pulling across a curtain of black.
Though most students had left the academy, tranquility could not be felt. Instead, there was the sense of hidden currents.
In the deep night, beastly roars came from afar.
The sound was strange, like the screech of a great eagle, yet also like the roar of a fierce tiger.
Long and powerful.
The sound carried a force that shook hearts, leaving many unable to sleep, resounding the whole night until dawn.
“Looks like that thing is about to come out,” Pure Water muttered.
At that moment, two streaks of light flew in from afar.
One black, one purple, brimming with killing intent that spread across the void.
Even before the lights arrived, voices came from within.
“Students Jian Wuhen and Dao Kuang come to aid.”
When the words fell, the streaks landed and two figures descended from the void.
Because they didn’t land near the tower, Xu Zimo couldn’t see them clearly.
“Didn’t expect them to come,” Pure Water said with some emotion.
“You know them?” Xu Zimo asked.
Pure Water gave him a glance, snorted, and didn’t answer.
“If you answer my question, I don’t mind letting you in to sit. Otherwise, I’ll drive you away,” Xu Zimo said.
“You’re letting me guard the Myriad Treasure Tower?” Pure Water asked.
“You think you can handle it alone?” Xu Zimo smiled.
Pure Water paused in silence for a moment before snorting coldly. “You’re asking about those two who just passed by, aren’t you?”
Xu Zimo nodded slightly.
“They’re a married pair. The man is called Dao Kuang, the woman Jian Wuhen,” Pure Water explained.
“Their names are well known in the Overlord Region, and you don’t know them?”
“I don’t pay much attention to others,” Xu Zimo smiled.
“They’re wanderers. In their youth, they once trained here in the academy. Later, they journeyed together. One blade, one sword, their reputation for slaughter is terrifying. Dao Kuang was even given the title Blood Butcher.”
Pure Water continued, “Some elders once thought their killing intent too heavy and wanted to expel them. But the dean stopped it. Didn’t expect that with the academy in danger, they would be the first to return and help.”
“Life really is full of drama,” Xu Zimo laughed.
“I can enter now, right?” Pure Water asked.
Seeing Xu Zimo nod, she entered the tower and sat on a stone stool.
Her gaze was worried as she looked toward the distant horizon.
Though all beings lived under the same blue sky, the clouds above Heavenly Dao City seemed far more gloomy.
Looking closely, one could see many small cracks across the sky, and the clouds seemed stained by darkness.
Pure Water sighed, turned to Xu Zimo, and saw him reclining on a stone stool, eyes shut in sleep, as if the world’s troubles had nothing to do with him.
“At a time like this, you can still sleep?” Pure Water said angrily.
“What would change if I were awake? Even if you worry, can you change the fate of the academy?” Xu Zimo replied calmly, eyes still shut.
Pure Water was silent for a moment, then finally asked, “Do you think the academy can survive this calamity?”
“That’s not something I need to worry about. The Dean’s order was simple, guard the Myriad Treasure Tower,” Xu Zimo replied.
“If the academy falls, what use is guarding this tower?” Pure Water snorted.
…
In the following days, the atmosphere in the academy grew heavier.
That strange beast roar became more violent.
Its frequency also grew faster.
Before, it only sounded at night. Now, even during the day, the roars echoed.
Two days later, as another roar split the air...