96: Chapter 96 Xiao Wen has really made something of himself.

The car door slid open silently.

Li Wen was the first to step out, his posture tall and straight, with a unique sense of composure in his brows.

Immediately after were Father Li and Mother Li.

Witnessing this family of three safely disembark from the highly privileged limousine, whose cost could be judged by its appearance alone, once again.

And with the driver, dressed in a Kindling Hall uniform, respectfully opening the door, and finally standing by the car in silent waiting, all suspicions completely vanished.

Shock, like a materialized wave, silently swept and settled across familiar and unfamiliar faces.

Immediately after, attitudes underwent an earth-shattering change.

Li Fude, who habitually occupied the center of the crowd and was surrounded while talking, had his usual smile.

That smile, tinged with a sense of superiority, now held a few more noticeable hints of caution and eagerness.

Li Changjie, standing beside him, looked at Li Wen with complex eyes. The confidence he gained from his own D-Rank contract with Kindling Hall was shattered to pieces in front of this special vehicle.

Li Fude understood the symbolic meaning of this car better than his clansmen—within the Kindling Hall system, even high-ranking officials of a branch hall with a b-rank contract would never be equipped with this level of exclusive vehicle.

This meant that Li Wen's Rank within Kindling Hall was at least A-Rank!

His future prospects were simply incomparable to his own, who had barely crossed the threshold of a Super Martial Artist and managed to establish a family business in a local merchant guild; in fact, they were several orders of magnitude apart.

"A Wen has made it big, truly bringing glory to our Li family!"

"Sister-in-law, look how well you've raised your child! You'll enjoy a life of ease from now on!"

"Fourth Uncle, don't worry about the ancestor worship; we'll handle it. You rest!"

The relatives' effusive compliments and enthusiasm instantly enveloped Father Li and Mother Li, forming a stark contrast to the treatment they received in previous years.

Before Father Li could even pick up the sickle leaning against the car to clear the weeds around the ancestral grave, a young cousin, usually quiet and not particularly close, quickly snatched the sickle with quick hands, a smile plastered on his face: "Fourth Uncle, how could we let you do such rough work? We'll do it, we'll do it! You sit for a bit!"

Father Li and Mother Li were flustered by this sudden enthusiasm.

The old couple exchanged glances, both a bit bewildered.

However, their kind nature quickly suppressed the complex emotions in their hearts. Father Li merely nodded slightly, while Mother Li tried to force a gentle smile, responding to the relatives: "You're all very thoughtful; we're all family."

Li Fude even walked over personally at this moment, amiably patting Father Li's shoulder: "Fourth Brother, you've raised a good son! In the future, our Li family will have to rely on A Wen for more support!"

Li Changjie also sidled up to Li Wen, with a hint of cautiousness: "Brother Wen, before—before I was short-sighted. You in Kindling Hall—if it's convenient, let's communicate more in the future."

Even the stern-faced bodyguard hired by Li Changjie's family, dressed in Advanced Martial Artist attire with an impressive aura, now looked at Li Wen with less scrutiny and more solemnity.

Li Wen merely responded calmly, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the sparse mountain forests in the distance, his thoughts seemingly not entirely here.

He nodded slightly, saying nothing more.

The ancestor worship ceremony was completed solemnly and swiftly amidst a subtle atmosphere of superficial warmth, yet underlying status disparity.

The clansmen boarded their vehicles, preparing to return to the city.

Meanwhile, in the dense forest at the foot of the mountain, several kilometers southwest of the Li clan's ancestral land, a Yao Beast extermination unit belonging to the Qing Shi City Government was routinely carrying out its mission.

They numbered about twelve or thirteen, equipped with standard individual energy weapons and various cold weapons, carefully clearing this buffer zone near the urban area.

The Bearded Captain was a burly, strong man with a steady aura, already possessing the strength of an Advanced Martial Artist.

He vigilantly scanned the dark entrance of a mountain cave ahead and ordered: "Number Three, deploy the probe for reconnaissance; everyone else, spread out in a fan formation and stay alert! There aren't many traces of Yao Beasts in this area, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

The team efficiently formed their formation, and as Team Member Three was about to throw the miniature reconnaissance probe—"Roar!!!"

"Awoo—!!!"

Two deafening roars, filled with brutality and a bloody aura, exploded like thunder! A suffocating stench of blood instantly assailed them!

Two colossal black figures shot out from the cave like cannonballs! Their speed was so immense that the stirred-up dust resembled a small sandstorm.

The leading Bearded Captain's pupils suddenly constricted, and he cried out in alarm: "Oh no! It's a Swift Wind Demonic Wolf! And two of them?! Peak Elementary Super Martial Artist strength! Quick!! Form a circular defensive array!"

Before his words fully fell, two enormous Demonic Wolves, nearly three meters tall, covered in tough greenish-black fur, with fangs as menacing as daggers, and as swift as the wind, had already charged into the hastily formed defensive circle with a bloodthirsty frenzy.

"Bang! Bang! Crack!"

"Ah—!"

The two soldiers at the forefront, holding energy shields, were sent flying, shields and all, by an overwhelming force.

The sturdy alloy shields shattered like paper under the sharp claws, screams and the sound of breaking bones rang out simultaneously, and blood instantly stained the ground.

"Hold steady! Open fire! Energy net guns ready!"

The Bearded Captain's eyes were bloodshot as he roared commands, while his large-caliber energy rifle spewed dazzling beams of light.

Other team members also suppressed their fear, unleashing dense firepower upon the two Vicious Beasts.

However, the Protective Aura formed by the demonic power of a Peak Elementary Super Martial Artist Yao Beast and its tough fur defense far exceeded that of ordinary weapons; the energy beams only created ripples upon impact.

The Demonic Wolves moved agilely through the hail of fire, each pounce and claw swipe carrying the power to tear through steel!

"Captain! The firepower isn't suppressing them!"

"Energy net failed! That beast is too fast!"

"Xiao Chen! Old Wu!"

Several more team members, unable to dodge or caught when the formation was breached, were struck by the wolf claws, resulting in death or injury. The formation instantly became precarious, like a flickering candle in a fierce wind.

"Calling headquarters! Emergency call! Two Peak Elementary Super Martial Artist Yao Wolves discovered five kilometers southwest of the ancestral land in the city outskirts! Heavy casualties! Requesting Super Martial Artist and heavy weapons support! Repeat, requesting—" The communications soldier's voice was urgent and desperate.

Just then, the returning motorcade of the Li clan, having just rounded a mountain pass, ran head-on into this bloody and brutal battlefield.

Flying debris, shrill beast roars, human screams, and deafening energy gunshots instantly shattered the silence.

The vehicle at the very front of the convoy narrowly avoided colliding with a large piece of rock that had been flung off.

"Oh my god!"

"That's—a Yao Beast! A man-eating Yao Beast!"

"Blood—it's all blood!"

"Turn around quickly! Run!" Terrified screams and cries erupted from the convoy.

The Li clansmen had never seen such a scene; they were instantly scared to the Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, thrown into utter chaos. Some slammed their car doors shut, others tried to reverse but blocked each other, creating a messy scene.

Especially seeing the bloody battlefield ahead and the two giant wolves, like demons from Hell, many collapsed to the ground, trembling.

Li Wen's Kindling Hall special vehicle was naturally also in the queue.

Inside the car, Li Wen's slightly closed eyes instantly snapped open, and his Primordial Spirit Power, which had previously only maintained a range of dozens of meters, rapidly expanded.

A surging wave of Primordial Spirit Power instantly spread out.

His Primordial Spirit Power was immeasurably stronger than before; although it hadn't reached the second layer, the intense energy fluctuations and life aura a hundred meters away were vaguely but clearly captured by him.

"Not good." Li Wen's heart jolted, his gaze sharp as a blade, piercing through the front windshield, instantly locking onto the tragic battlefield.

Almost at the same moment Li Wen sensed it, the Swift Wind Demonic Wolf King, which was tearing at the remains of a warrior, seemed to catch the scent of living humans. It abruptly turned its head.

Its crimson beast eyes, filled with cruel excitement, fixed on the Li clan's motorcade, which was blocking the road just ahead. It seemed to believe that these "plump" and harmless prey would be easier to catch.

"Roar!" The other Wolf King also noticed, abandoning the besieged extermination unit, where only two or three survivors were still resisting, and turned its body, growling, approaching the convoy step by step.

Panic instantly reached its Peak; despair enveloped everyone.

"They—they're coming for us!!"

"Help!!!"

Even the Advanced Martial Artist bodyguard hired by Li Changjie had an extremely solemn expression at this moment; he could feel that the strength of these two Yao Beasts far exceeded what he could contend with.

He subconsciously shielded Li Changjie, but his tightly clenched hands holding his weapon were covered in cold sweat.

"Damn it, get out of here! We'll hold them off! Go!"

The Bearded Captain and a few other active soldiers had bloodshot eyes. Knowing that rushing forward might be suicide, they still roared hysterically towards the Li clansmen, their eyes red.

They stood at the very front, trying to attract the Demonic Wolves' attention, using their flesh and blood to buy a glimmer of hope for these civilians.

Seeing this scene, Li Wen's last trace of hesitation was instantly consumed by a burning flame.

He could have left; with his speed and the special car's defense, it wouldn't be difficult to take his parents and leave.

But the people before him—these soldiers, who were clearly in a desperate situation, knowing they would surely die, yet still adhered to their duty in their last moments, roaring and charging at the Vicious Beasts to protect strangers.

He could not stand by and do nothing.

He was an A-Rank seed of Kindling Hall, he had just comprehended Intent and stepped into the Momentum Realm, he had the ability.

Just now, he was still thinking about the goal for the provincial second mock exam, thinking about accumulating resources.

But in the face of pure sacrificial spirit, protecting the weak with flesh and blood, these considerations instantly became as light as a feather.

The scales in his heart completely tipped.

Boom!

Li Wen violently pushed open the car door.

"A Wen! What are you doing!" Father Li and Mother Li cried out in alarm.

Amidst the astonished, bewildered, and even death-seeking gazes of the Li clansmen, and the desperate and anxious roars from the extermination unit.

Li Wen, like an arrow released from a bowstring, rushed out of the convoy's safe zone without hesitation, speeding towards the tragic battlefield.

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