In a world engaged in a battle against the Sky-Slaying tribe, Luo Xiaowei and Qin Xiaoxiao's predicament was worlds apart from Wang Teng and his companions.
One side had just begun the war, with humanity even holding a slight advantage, while the other faced certain doom.
Unless an Immortal Emperor from another world could breach the dimensional barrier, they were as good as dead.
This oppressive world left Wang Teng feeling deeply unsettled. He channeled all his frustration into combat.
Without needing to team up with others, he and Xiao Long fought the Sky-Slaying tribe together.
Though they often returned battered and bruised, the Sky-Slaying tribesmen were always in worse shape.
Sky-Slaying tribesmen at the Fifth Realm were no match for Wang Teng. With his full power unleashed, he was even fiercer than Qin Xiaoxiao after her transformation.
Currently, Wang Teng ranked first on the Blue Star cultivation leaderboard.
Thanks to Chu Yang's forceful refinement of the Blood Jade Ganoderma, he had reached the peak of the Blood Refining Realm.
Xiao Long was not far behind. Through constant battles alongside Wang Teng, he had gradually adopted Wang Teng's fighting style.
He could even mimic a trace of the divine aura of the Heavenly Sun Divine Palm.
However, both of them, especially Xiao Long, were now on the Sky-Slaying tribe's most-wanted list. The enemies they encountered were always powerful, even more so than other teams hunting the Sky-Slaying tribe from the Kingdom of Hope.
Often, Sixth Realm Sky-Slaying tribesmen would arrive to contest them.
While the Kingdom of Hope frequently saw individuals disrupting order, it had one significant advantage: all cultivation resources were freely available.
Techniques and manuals once considered treasures by sects were now unrestricted and required no currency.
In the face of the apocalypse, what purpose would hoarding such items serve?
This was a vast treasure trove for Xiao Long. Having cultivated the Chaos Scripture, he found all spells and manuals incredibly easy to master.
Unburdened by restrictions on spirit roots or cultivation methods, as a Chaos Body, his attributes for all spirit roots were near max level, making cultivation a natural progression.
Items like pills and divine herbs, however, required combat merits for exchange.
Combat merits were also managed loosely, with the overall commander, Su Tianye, in charge. He allocated more merits to those he deemed more deserving.
Under normal circumstances, it was a miracle for any team hunting the Sky-Slaying tribe to return victorious.
Therefore, as long as one dared to fight, they could essentially have whatever they desired.
Of course, in this apocalyptic era, their resources were not inexhaustible.
They were sourced from past super-sects and were only distributed to warriors venturing out to hunt the Sky-Slaying tribe.
A considerable portion of the population simply wished to live out their remaining twenty years, day by day.
Every time Wang Teng and Xiao Long returned from their battles, wounded, they would directly ask Su Tianye, "Pills!"
Su Tianye always obliged them.
Two years later, Xiao Long had reached the peak of the Golden Core stage. He had consumed so many resources that Su Tianye would even provide him with Saint Pills at times.
The Chaos Bell within him remained unchallenged by anyone.
In the eyes of the main combat faction within the Kingdom of Hope, the duo's standing grew increasingly favorable.
Naturally, those in the "give up" faction remained oblivious to their accomplishments.
Today, a woman with a fiery figure and a head of crimson hair approached Wang Teng.
Her name was Zhuang Hongxia, a cultivator at the Nascent Soul realm.
Furthermore, in Blue Star terms, she was a prodigy, possessing the Immaculate Flame Body.
She was also renowned within the Kingdom of Hope. She led a team specializing in eliminating Sky-Slaying tribesmen of the Fifth Realm and above.
Although her team's personnel turnover was significant, she herself remained constant.
She had slain several hundred Sixth Realm Sky-Slaying tribesmen and was a major thorn in the side of the Sky-Slaying tribe. However, her own strength and possession of an immortal artifact meant that Sky-Slaying tribesmen of the same realm were usually no match for her, often being easily defeated.
"Wang Teng? Want to join me?"
Wang Teng recognized this formidable leader. He deeply admired such figures who, in everyone else's despair, continued to fight the Sky-Slaying tribe relentlessly.
However, he felt that this formidable leader and he were not on the same battlefield. She was at the Nascent Soul realm, while he was merely at the Blood Refining stage, equivalent to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.
"Approaching us might not be wise, as we've provoked a multitude of Sky-Slaying tribesmen. Wherever we appear, we will receive considerable attention..."
Zhuang Hongxia grinned, looking at Wang Teng with a hint of disdain. "As if I receive less attention than you. Not many people catch my eye. If you can survive a few clashes with the Sky-Slaying tribe under my command, I wouldn't mind you having your way with me!"
Wang Teng: "..."
What a bold woman. But he had to consider Xiao Long.
"I don't fear it, but what about my younger brother?"
"That bell in his body can endure more damage than you. What are you panicking about?"
Xiao Long also nodded and said in a deep voice, "It's fine, I'm not afraid."
In the span of two years, Xiao Long had undergone a complete transformation.
He dared not make friends here. He had previously befriended a good brother, who possessed Nascent Soul stage strength and often joined him for drinks after hunts.
However, during one hunting expedition, he was ambushed by the Sky-Slaying tribe and died.
Girls had also taken a liking to him, often seeking him out for conversations, openly expressing their admiration. Yet, Xiao Long had rejected them.
But one time, when he and Wang Teng went out to battle and returned late, that girl went out to look for them.
She never returned. Xiao Long couldn't even find her remains, nor did he know which Sky-Slaying tribesman had killed her!
In this place, death did not even warrant a tombstone, and no one would remember one's name.
This dealt a severe blow to Xiao Long, making him taciturn. However, his combat style became increasingly ruthless.
Perhaps this was what Big Brother Xian had spoken of as growth, but the price was indeed too heavy.
Despite their lower cultivation, both joined Zhuang Hongxia's hunting party.
They began to engage increasingly powerful Sky-Slaying tribesmen, and their lives became monotonous.
After a year, in the eighteen-person team, only five remained from the original roster.
Each time Wang Teng and Xiao Long saw their fallen comrades, they couldn't help but weep.
Their distraught state was met with Zhuang Hongxia's merciless mockery: "Hahaha! They are so fortunate to have people cry for them! When I die, who will cry for me?"
Wang Teng stared at her and said very, very earnestly, "I will not die. If you die, I will remember you for a lifetime!"
Zhuang Hongxia pondered for a moment, then grabbed Wang Teng and pulled him into her room, before pushing him...