NOVPUBThe sky flickered with a deep crimson.
As the spiritual energy surged violently, a red figure could be seen slowly approaching.
This woman was dressed in a long red robe, with an especially long whip coiled around her waist.
She appeared quite formidable.
This woman, whom Xu Zimei also happened to know, was named Bai Lin and was a direct disciple of the academy’s dean.
The woman landed outside the pavilion, looking at Xu Zimei with an overwhelming aura.
"Something you need?" Xu Zimei asked.
"From now on, no one is allowed to enter or leave this place; I’ll be on guard," she declared.
"Fight me," the woman said indifferently.
"Not interested. If you have a problem, just take it up with the dean," Xu Zimei responded with a wave of his hand.
"Are you afraid?" Bai Lin chuckled lightly.
"That kind of provocation is childish," Xu Zimei glanced at her, then paid her no further attention.
"I know of your exploits in the academy, having surpassed the tenth floor of the Tower of Heavenly Dao.
You killed the Azure Dragon Crown Prince and defeated Ji Ruobing, but I’m still not convinced," Bai Lin said to herself.
"If you fight me, I’ll stop bothering you."
Xu Zimei closed his eyes slightly, not paying any attention to her.
"If you won’t fight, then I’ll just stay here and not leave," Bai Lin huffed coldly.
She did not enter the pavilion, but instead sat down on the stone steps outside.
Xu Zimei ignored her, his consciousness already entering the Divine Continent in the True Fate World.
With the revival of spiritual energy, all beings had embarked on the Heavenly Path of cultivation.
The Divine Continent at that moment was a sight of blooming flowers, competing for beauty everywhere.
Empires were established, and sects and clans were rising.
More and more powers sprang up like bamboo shoots after rain.
Xu Zimei, idle and bored, watched like a Creator God overseeing the myriad changes of the continent and the lives of its inhabitants.
Meanwhile, he began to feel a sense of urgency.
Once destiny had taken shape, he must advance to Great Emperor as quickly as possible and then proceed on the subsequent journey.
Otherwise, one day, if someone in his True Fate World became stronger than him, the balance would be broken.
His world did not yet have the concept of True Fate, and all rules were set by him.
But once the rules were established, he would no longer be able to change them at will.
After spending a long time in the Divine Continent, Xu Zimei’s consciousness returned to his original body.
Bai Lin was still sitting on the steps, showing no sign of leaving.
Before long, another person came.
"Mo Tianming."
"Brother Xu, how have you been?" Mo Tianming greeted with a smile.
"Not bad. Where have you been assigned, Brother Mo?" Xu Zimei replied with a smile.
"I’ve been assigned to guard the Glazed Glass Palace with the vice dean," Mo Tianming looked around and then said with a smile: "It seems the dean still has high hopes for Brother Xu."
"Brother Mo, is there something you came for?" Xu Zimei inquired.
"Nothing much, just passing by," Mo Tianming shook his head, smiling.
"I hear that the Myriad Treasures Pavilion is quite exceptional to Heavenly Dao Academy. You should take extra care, Brother Xu."
Xu Zimei nodded with a smile.
After a brief chat with Mo Tianming, the latter left.
But Bai Lin still guarded the stone steps.
The sunset on the horizon gradually receded, and the firmament darkened as well, drawing the black curtain of night.
Although the students of the Heavenly Dao Academy had left, tranquility was still absent; instead, there was a feeling of undercurrents flowing in the dark.
In the deep night, strange roars came from afar.
The sounds were odd, resembling the piercing cries of eagles and the roaring of ferocious tigers.
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Long and emphatic.
This sound carried a heart-shaking effect, making many people restless the entire night, ringing out all through the night until the dawn of the next day when it finally stopped.
"It looks like that guy is about to come out," Bai Lin said softly.
Right then, two streaks of light flew over from afar.
One black and one purple, both streaking across the sky with an overwhelming evil Qi, permeating the void.
Even before the light reached them, a voice emanated from within.
"Student Sword Without Trace, Mad Blade here to support."
By the time the voice fell, the lights revealed themselves, and two figures descended into the void.
Because the figures did not land near the pavilion, Xu Zimei was unable to see what followed.
"I didn’t expect them to actually come," Bai Lin commented with some emotion.
"Do you know them?" Zimo asked.
Bai Lin glanced at Xu Zimei, snorted coldly, and did not answer.
"If you answer my question, I don’t mind letting you come in and sit," Xu Zimei said.
"Otherwise, I’ll be sending you away."
"You want me to guard Myriad Treasures Pavilion?" Bai Lin asked.
"Can you handle it alone?" Xu Zimei responded with a smile.
"Together."
Bai Lin fell silent for a moment before snorting coldly, "You want to ask about those two just now, don’t you?"
Xu Zimei nodded slightly.
"They are a couple, the man is Mad Blade, and the woman is Sword Without Trace," Bai Lin replied.
"Their reputation in the Supreme Domain is extraordinary, and you don’t even know them."
"I don’t really pay attention to others," Xu Zimei said with a smile.
"The two of them are Loose Cultivators. In their youth, they spent some time at Heavenly Dao Academy.
Then the two joined forces and experienced the world together.
A knife and a sword, both notoriously fierce, Mad Blade even being bestowed the name ’Blood Butcher.’"
Bai Lin explained, "Once some of the academy’s masters felt their killing intent was too strong and wanted to expel them from the academy.
However, they were stopped by the dean.
Unexpectedly, this time when the academy was in trouble, it was these two who rushed to help first."
"So life, you see, is full of drama," Xu Zimei said with a laugh.
"Now I can go in, right?" Bai Lin said.
Seeing Xu Zimei nod, she walked into the pavilion and settled down on a stone bench.
Her gaze wandered worriedly over the distant horizon.
Even though all living beings are beneath the same blue sky, the sky above Heavenly Dao City seemed to be much more oppressive.
Upon closer inspection, you’d find many small cracks in the sky, and even the clouds seemed to be tainted with darkness.
Bai Lin sighed, turned her head to look at Xu Zimei,
only to find him leaning against the stone bench of the pavilion, eyes closed in sleep, as if everything in the outside world had nothing to do with him.
"At a time like this, you still have the nerve to sleep," Bai Lin said indignantly. 𝙣𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"What else can I do if I’m not concerned? Can your anxiety change the fate of the academy?" Xu Zimei replied calmly without opening his eyes.
Bai Lin fell silent for a while, then ultimately replied, "Do you think the academy can get through this disaster?"
"That’s not for me to worry about. The mission the dean gave me was just to guard Myriad Treasures Pavilion," Xu Zimei replied.
"If the academy is destroyed, what’s the use of guarding Myriad Treasures Pavilion?" Bai Lin snorted.
...…
In the next couple of days, the atmosphere inside Heavenly Dao Academy grew increasingly tense.
The previous strange beastly roars became more violent.
The sound grew quicker.
Previously, it would only sound at night, but now the roars could be heard even during the day.
Two days later, following another roar.
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