54: Chapter 54 The Martial Arts Exam Ends Early

The Dark Emperor's crimson vertical pupils were fixed intently on Teacher Xue Muhan, while the herd of beasts behind it grew restless, low beast roars rising one after another.

But the Dark Emperor did not order an attack; it simply stood there like an insurmountable mountain.

Teacher Xue Muhan did not move either.

She knew what the Dark Emperor was waiting for, and she also knew she could not initiate an attack. The combat power of a Tier 9 Beast Emperor was enough to raze the entire Jiangbei Base City to the ground.

Time passed in agony.

On the city wall, Zhao Zhennan's palms were slick with sweat.

The Dark Emperor suddenly moved.

Its massive head tilted slightly, as if listening to something. A moment later, a gleam of satisfaction flashed in its vertical pupils.

"Teacher Xue Muhan, let's end it here for today," the Dark Emperor's voice sounded like rolling thunder. "Next time we meet, it won't be this simple."

It turned and walked toward the depths of the wilderness.

The herd of beasts behind it followed like the receding tide, quickly vanishing at the edge of the wilderness. A dozen Rank 8 Beast Kings followed close behind, and the dark, oppressive tide of beasts disappeared in the blink of an eye.

On the city wall, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. Many collapsed onto the ground, soaked in cold sweat.

"They're gone? Are they really gone?"

"That's great... that's great..."

Cheers erupted one after another, and many people hugged each other, weeping with joy.

There was a sense of having survived a disaster.

Teacher Xue Muhan, however, did not relax; she turned and dashed toward the entrance of the Secret Realm. The beast tide had receded, but the battle inside the Secret Realm was not yet over.

At the entrance of the Secret Realm, President Zhou Zhenghe had just emerged with the rescue team.

He was covered in blood, his face livid. The rescue team members following behind him were silent, all of them stained with blood.

"What's the situation inside?" Teacher Xue Muhan asked sharply.

President Zhou Zhenghe gritted his teeth and said, "Eleven of the top twenty candidates have died. One hundred and forty-three other candidates have died. The number of injured is countless."

Teacher Xue Muhan's beautiful brows furrowed slightly.

One hundred and fifty-four lives, plus the previous casualties—nearly four hundred students had died in this Martial Exam.

"The Blood Demon Alliance..."

Her voice was bone-chillingly cold, and the surrounding air condensed into fine frost.

"The monitoring nodes have been reset. Most of the Blood Demon Alliance members inside the Secret Realm have been killed, and a few have fled into the depths of the Secret Realm; we are currently hunting them down," President Zhou Zhenghe continued to report.

"Speed it up," Teacher Xue Muhan said in a low voice. "All candidates are to evacuate the Secret Realm immediately. The Martial Exam is ending early."

"Yes!"

President Zhou Zhenghe turned and led his men back into the Secret Realm.

Teacher Xue Muhan stood to the side of the archway, her Divine Sense fully expanded, covering the entire exit of the Secret Realm. She had to ensure that not a single Blood Demon could sneak out among the candidates.

Candidates began to emerge from the archway one after another.

Their faces showed the relief of having survived, as well as fear and sorrow. Some were covered in wounds and supported by classmates; some had numb expressions and hollow eyes; some collapsed to the ground as soon as they came out and burst into tears.

Teacher Xue Muhan's Divine Sense was like an invisible net, scanning every person's body.

Suddenly, her brows arched.

A boy wearing a No. 3 High School uniform walked out of the archway, his steps hurried and his expression flustered.

He was feigning the look of someone who had survived a disaster, but how could his disguise deceive the Ice Empress, a Peak Martial Emperor?

Teacher Xue Muhan raised her hand, and an ice cone condensed out of thin air, hovering in front of the boy.

"Stop."

The boy's body stiffened, and he squeezed out a smile: "Teacher... Martial Emperor Xue, are you calling me?"

Teacher Xue Muhan didn't waste words; the ice cone shot forward, piercing through the boy's shoulder.

"Ah!"

The boy screamed, his body beginning to tremble violently. Black veins surged under his skin, his eyes turned into vertical pupils, and sharp claws grew from between his fingers.

"A Blood Demon! He's a Blood Demon!"

The surrounding candidates scattered in terror, distancing themselves.

Seeing his identity exposed, the Blood Demon flashed a ruthless look in his eyes and lunged toward the nearest candidate! But as soon as his body sprang up, he was blocked by an ice wall and slammed heavily onto the ground.

Teacher Xue Muhan walked over, looking down at him from above: "Who sent you? How many accomplices are still in the Secret Realm?"

The Blood Demon gritted his teeth and said nothing, his eyes full of malice.

Teacher Xue Muhan did not press further; she raised her hand and struck his crown with her palm.

The Blood Demon's body stiffened for a moment, then collapsed limply; the corpse began to mutate, and dense black scales appeared on its skin.

"Drag him away," Teacher Xue Muhan said indifferently.

Two law enforcers from the Martial Arts Alliance stepped forward and dragged the body away.

The atmosphere in the square became tense instantly.

Everyone who came out of the Secret Realm was terrified, fearing that they would be the next one to be dragged out.

Teacher Xue Muhan continued to scan.

Soon, she plucked three more Blood Demons disguised as candidates from the crowd. Two tried to resist, and one knelt down to beg for mercy. But Teacher Xue Muhan gave them no chance, killing them all with one palm strike each.

"Are there any more?" Teacher Xue Muhan looked at President Zhou Zhenghe.

President Zhou Zhenghe shook his head: "The Secret Realm has been cleared once; there should be a few fish that slipped through the net, but they are already trapped in the depths of the Secret Realm and cannot escape."

Teacher Xue Muhan nodded and withdrew her Divine Sense.

Third Martial Arts High School temporary rest area.

Principal Wang Yang stood in the crowd, his face pale. His gaze swept over the students; every time he saw a familiar face, he breathed a sigh of relief, but every time he noticed someone missing, his heart sank a little further.

"Lin Fan! Is Lin Fan here?" he shouted.

"Here." Lin Fan walked out of the crowd; he had injuries, but they were not serious.

Principal Wang Yang let out a sigh of relief and continued calling: "Han Ming! Where is Han Ming?"

"Principal, I'm here." Han Ming walked out from behind, his expression calm.

Principal Wang Yang glanced at him, saw that he was unharmed, nodded, and continued roll call.

"Su Wanning!"

"Here." Su Wanning squeezed out of the crowd; her white training uniform had several holes, but she was unharmed.

"Li Xuewei!"

"H-here." Li Xuewei's voice came from the corner; her face was still pale, but her spirits were fine.

Principal Wang Yang called them out one by one; every time he called someone, his heart felt a little lighter.

When the last name was called, he let out a long sigh.

Four hundred and thirty-seven people from No. 3 High School went in, and three hundred and eighty-nine came out. Forty-eight died, thirty-two were seriously injured, and fifty-six were slightly injured.

Principal Wang Yang was silent as he looked at these figures; this was the heaviest loss in ten years.

First Martial Arts High School temporary rest area.

The atmosphere was even heavier.

The overall strength of the First Martial Arts High School candidates was the strongest; among the top twenty candidates, nearly half were from First Martial Arts High School. But precisely because of that, they were the most severely impacted.

Zhang Beiwang was dead, along with several other top-ten prospects; Zhao Yuting was seriously injured and still in emergency care.

Gong Shuting was missing.

That's right, Gong Shuting was missing.

Among the First Martial Arts High School candidates who came out of the Secret Realm, there was no sign of Gong Shuting. Her positioning bracelet had lost signal, and no one had seen her at her last known location.

"Search again! Keep searching!" The principal of First Martial Arts High School was pacing anxiously.

"Principal, the Secret Realm has already been searched, and we didn't find her..." a mentor said cautiously.

"Then expand the search area! I want to see her alive, or see her body!"

Just then, a figure walked out of the archway.

The white combat suit was so covered in dust and blood that its original color was unrecognizable. Her long hair was disheveled, and there were a few scratches on her face, but her eyes were clear and her steps were steady.

Gong Shuting.

"She's back! Gong Shuting is back!" someone shouted.

The principal of First Martial Arts High School hurried to meet her, looking her up and down: "Are you hurt? Is anything wrong?"

Gong Shuting shook her head, her gaze sweeping over the crowd as if looking for something.

"Principal, I'm fine." Her voice was a bit hoarse, but very calm.

"That's good, that's good..." the principal said repeatedly.

Gong Shuting didn't say much else; she walked to the side and sat down cross-legged. She closed her eyes, and the figure of that black-robed person appeared in her mind.

"Immortal Venerable Wandao... who exactly is he?"

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