75: Chapter 75 Cult Protector! Peak Ninth Rank Bronze!

Seeing the information reflected by [Manifestation of All Things Entries],

Jiang Yun's heart suddenly sank.

Peak Bronze Rank Nine!

As expected, an even stronger enemy was lurking nearby.

Perhaps there was more than just this one person.

It wasn't impossible.

In a flash,

Jiang Yun had already made his decision.

He couldn't leave now.

Once this Earth Demon Ape was allowed to rush into the fleeing crowd and pursue Zhao Tiezhu and the others, it would be a one-sided slaughter.

Right now, only he,

relying on his Bronze Rank Seven Fire Dragon Fish,

had a slim chance of holding it off.

He had to buy Zhao Tiezhu a chance to escape.

Only then could they bring back reinforcements.

He signaled the Fire Dragon Fish to come to a sudden halt.

The Fire Dragon Fish let out a low roar, its massive draconic body blocking the path leading out of the forest. Its scorching aura locked onto the front, assuming a clear intercepting stance.

Seeing Jiang Yun's unhesitating, almost self-sacrificial act,

the students, who had been panicking at the sight of the terrifying beast, instantly fell silent.

An indescribable mix of complex emotions surged in everyone's hearts.

It was gratitude, shock, and even more so, a sense of shame that left them nowhere to hide.

Remembering their previous doubts, ridicule, and even the jealousy born from Su Qingxue,

it all seemed so ridiculous and despicable now!

Such a youth who resolutely stepped forward in a desperate situation,

guarding the rear for everyone—

his magnanimity and sense of responsibility

had long since surpassed theirs.

“Jiang Yun... I'm sorry!”

“We were wrong before...”

“You must be careful!”

“Jiang Yun, come back alive!”

Choked-up voices and sincere blessings rose one after another in everyone's hearts.

Someone whispered softly,

“Looking at it now, it's not that Jiang Yun isn't worthy of Eldest Miss Su... it's clearly that Eldest Miss Su might not be worthy of a Jiang Yun like this...”

These words were like a pebble thrown into the heart of a lake,

causing a silent resonance.

Hearing this, Lin Kuo and Xiao Yutian both trembled.

Yet, they rarely didn't speak up to refute it.

Nor did they show any signs of jealousy or displeasure.

After what just happened,

they were completely won over by Jiang Yun.

The two looked at that upright and lonely back with complex gazes; the pride and defiance that once filled their eyes had long been crushed.

All that remained was a deep sense of powerlessness and a trace of admiration they didn't even want to admit to themselves.

Between them and Jiang Yun,

there was already an insurmountable chasm.

Comparing themselves?

That had become a complete joke.

Only now did they understand that their so-called title of "Genius" was incredibly vulnerable before a true Prodigy.

“Jiang Yun! Hold on! I'll bring Coach Wang and the Principal to save you soon!”

Zhao Tiezhu's eyes were bloodshot.

He roared with all his might.

Knowing that staying here would only be a burden, he suddenly pulled Shang Xiaoxiao, who was still in a daze beside him, and led the group of students.

Without looking back, they fled for their lives toward the outskirts of the forest.

At this moment, delivering the news as quickly as possible was the greatest help they could give Jiang Yun!

Just as the crowd vanished into the dense forest,

that mountain-like figure, carrying a suffocating pressure, had already closed in.

“Boom!”

The Earth Demon Ape's massive foot landed on the ground,

making the earth shake.

Its blood-red eyes first swept over the remaining ashes and wreckage of its subordinates in the clearing, then locked onto Jiang Yun and the Fire Dragon Fish blocking the way.

A dark and hostile voice, sounding as if it came directly from the Void Realm, carried a bone-chilling coldness:

“A bunch of complete useless trash! They couldn't even handle a few dozen student brats, requiring this Protector to personally step in! Truly a waste of the Holy Cult's resources!”

As the voice fell,

a figure dressed in a black robe similar to the others, but with dark red twisted patterns embroidered on the cuffs and collar, appeared like a ghost on the Earth Demon Ape's broad shoulder.

He was likewise shrouded in a large hood, his face obscured; one could only feel two cold gazes piercing through the shadows and landing on Jiang Yun.

“Oh?”

The Protector's voice carried a hint of surprise.

His gaze bypassed Jiang Yun,

focusing on the majestic Fire Dragon Fish.

“A Bronze Rank Seven Fire Dragon Fish? No... this Aptitude and Origin? Amethyst Rank? It seems some kind of mutation has occurred? Interesting, truly interesting! To encounter a beast with such Aptitude in a small place like C City? And it's even in the hands of a little brat.”

He didn't take Jiang Yun seriously at all.

All his attention was drawn by the Fire Dragon Fish.

“It seems those few pieces of trash weren't entirely useless; at least they helped this Protector find a decent sacrifice.”

The Protector let out a raspy laugh,

with a condescending scrutiny:

“With such unique and abundant Aptitude and Origin, if sacrificed to the Magic Core, the effect might be even stronger than gathering hundreds of Common beasts! Perhaps this one fish alone will be enough to fulfill the remaining Origin power required by the Magic Core! Hehehe!”

The Cult Protector's words

sent a shock through Jiang Yun's heart.

“He actually saw through Little Fire's Aptitude directly!”

“How did he see through it? Does the opponent also possess an Innate Talent Skill with a peeking effect?”

Jiang Yun thought to himself.

He pondered over the words the other had just spoken.

Sacrifice? Magic Core? Origin power?

Is this the reason they are snatching beasts?

For the beasts' Origin power?

To sacrifice to the Magic Core he mentioned?

Perhaps because of its Excellent Aptitude and mutated Bloodline, Little Fire was viewed by the opponent as a top-grade sacrifice.

“You want my beast?”

Jiang Yun's gaze was ice-cold.

Despite the turmoil in his heart,

his tone remained calm: “Then let's see if you have the ability to take it!”

“Arrogant!”

The Cult Protector snorted coldly,

expressing extreme disdain for Jiang Yun's words.

“A mere student, relying on a mutated fish, dares to speak big before this Protector? Fine, I'll take you down first and use your beast to claim credit from the Cult Leader!”

He stopped wasting words.

He lightly tapped his foot.

“Demon Ape! Violent Toss!”

The Earth Demon Ape let out a roar.

Its giant palm plunged into the ground again, gouging out a massive rock. Its arm muscles bulged, and with a whistle that tore through the air, it violently smashed the rock toward Jiang Yun and the Fire Dragon Fish!

The power of this strike

was even more violent than before!

“Little Fire, Flame Breath!”

Jiang Yun didn't dare to be careless

and immediately gave the order.

The Fire Dragon Fish opened its mouth wide.

A condensed pillar of crimson fire erupted.

It accurately hit the incoming giant rock.

“Boom!”

The giant rock was detonated mid-air by the blazing dragon flame,

turning into countless burning fragments that scattered everywhere,

like a rain of fire!

“Hmm?”

The Cult Protector let out a soft sound of surprise.

His brow furrowed slightly under the hood.

He didn't expect the Fire Dragon Fish's flames to be so powerful that it could so cleanly neutralize the Earth Demon Ape's tossing attack.

“It indeed has some tricks; the purity of this flame far exceeds that of Common fire-type beasts.”

The interest in the Protector's voice grew stronger, even carrying a hint of greed.

“Very good! The more unique it is, the greater the help to the Magic Core! This Protector is definitely taking you today!”

His hands suddenly formed a bizarre hand seal.

An obscure and cold energy wave spread out.

“Roar!”

The Earth Demon Ape received the command.

The crimson light in its eyes intensified.

Earthy yellow energy surged wildly around its body.

It suddenly raised both feet.

Earthquake Wave!

Full power eruption!

Rumble rumble rumble!!!

This time,

it was no longer ripple-like waves,

but like an earth dragon turning over.

With the Earth Demon Ape as the center,

the ground within a radius of nearly a hundred meters was crushed as if by an invisible giant hand. The violent vibration was accompanied by countless cracks spreading wildly.

The terrifying shockwave, mixed with flying sand and stones,

swept toward the Fire Dragon Fish in the air.

Its range was so large that it almost blocked all space for dodging.

Jiang Yun's expression changed.

“Little Fire! Water Control Art! Ascend!”

The Fire Dragon Fish let out a long cry.

It used the Water Control Art to manipulate water currents and propel itself upward,

trying to escape the core range of the Earthquake Wave.

However, that powerful vibrational force still affected it,

causing the flames around its body to flicker uncertainly.

Its ascending posture experienced a moment of stagnation.

And just as its old momentum was spent

and new momentum had yet to be generated,

a cold light flashed in the Cult Protector's eyes!

“Now! Rock Armor, Hardening! Crash into it!”

The Rock Armor on the Earth Demon Ape's body suddenly emitted a heavy black light.

Its massive body actually moved with a swift speed that didn't match its size, using the ground's counter-shock force.

Like a cannonball leaving the barrel,

it lowered its head, and its massive head covered in thick Rock Armor smashed violently toward the unstable Fire Dragon Fish that was falling in the air.

If this hit landed,

even the Bronze Rank Seven Fire Dragon Fish

would definitely have its bones and tendons broken.

Crisis arrived in an instant.

This was also the first time Jiang Yun had encountered such a desperate situation... Meanwhile,

on the plaza outside the forest,

the light screen projected by the massive Phantom Light Jellyfish had been clearly showing Jiang Yun's calm and proud figure after he defeated Xiao Yutian and Lin Kuo with an overwhelming stance.

This scene had drawn constant exclamations and discussions from the stands, and Principal He Tiangang's face showed an even more undisguisable smile.

However, in the next moment—

“Sizzle—!!!”

The light screen suddenly flickered violently, the image distorted and shattered, finally freezing on Jiang Yun's cold face before falling completely into darkness.

“What's going on?”

“Why is the image gone?”

“What happened?”

The plaza instantly fell into an uproar.

All the spectators stood up,

looking at the pitch-black light screen with uncertainty,

extremely confused.

On the high platform,

the Mayor of C City suddenly frowned.

He looked at the Beast Tamer responsible for maintaining the light screen below the platform.

He asked in a deep voice: “What's going on? Is there a problem with the Phantom Light Jellyfish?”

That Beast Tamer's face was pale, and a trickle of blood even escaped from the corner of his mouth. He endured the stinging pain on the Soul level and replied with a trembling voice: “M-Mayor... It's not a problem with the main body of the Phantom Light Jellyfish... It's... it's all the Sub-jellyfish distributed within the arena... just at that moment, almost simultaneously... they were destroyed!”

“What?!”

As soon as these words were spoken,

all the big shots on the high platform, including He Tiangang, Old Li, Su Chengtian, Shi Pang, Lei Lie, and others,

all had their faces change color!

Sub-jellyfish destroyed simultaneously?

This was definitely no accident!

A powerful external force

had forcibly invaded and sabotaged the arena of the Municipal Beast Tamer Competition.

An extremely ominous premonition

instantly shrouded everyone's hearts.

Inside the arena,

some earth-shattering change must have occurred.