181: What does that mean?

A quarter of an hour later.

In the sky outside the Demon Race ancient city.

“Gulp~!”

Qi Xingzhou swallowed hard, a feeling like a huge rock lodged in his throat making it almost impossible to breathe.

His eyes trembled uncontrollably, gazing in horror at the ghastly, bone-chilling scene before him.

The Ancient City, which had been filled with continuous shouting and cursing just moments ago, was now plunged into a deathly silence, as if an invisible giant hand had suddenly choked its throat.

Everything inside the city was shocking; all the buildings and the ground were covered by a layer of blood as thick as ink.

The blood seemed alive, flowing slowly and gathering into streams of dark red, emitting a pungent, bloody odor.

The entire city resembled a massive slaughterhouse, with scenes of gore everywhere.

The streets and interiors of the buildings were strewn with incomplete corpses and scattered clothing, mixed with undamaged bricks and rubble, forming an extremely terrifying picture.

“It's done.”

Many gazes stiffly turned toward the figure who had arrived in front of them.

D... Done?

What the actual hell!

“So you came over... because the Yao Race Ancient City has also turned into this?” Nie Hong, the Domain Level Domain King of the Mercenary Alliance, spoke, his voice trembling slightly.

Lin Yan raised an eyebrow.

“Of course.”

Of course?

They stared at the youth who looked as relaxed as if he had just completed a trivial matter, feeling their throats dry up and their hearts tremble.

Nie Hong took a deep breath.

So it was true.

What kind of non-human is this kid?

He didn't even use the Physique or Pupil Technique he had previously demonstrated!

Even Duan Yueling was silent at this moment.

Especially her jade hands, which were tightly clutching the hem of her skirt, their knuckles turning white from the excessive force, showing just how turbulent her inner emotions were.

Lin Yan glanced at everyone.

“The Bloody War is essentially over.”

“I'm going back to the enlightenment stele to Cultivate.”

After speaking, he completely ignored everyone's reactions and vanished from the spot in a single step.

Perfectly embodying a phrase.

Coming in haste, leaving in haste.

A pungent bloody smell assailed them.

Nie Hong glanced at the Ancient City, which was gradually being enveloped by a bloody mist.

“Let's go.”

His eyes still held a hint of daze, and he laughed mockingly to himself.

Domain...? Heh heh... In front of this Prodigy who shattered the history of Starry Sky Martial Arts, they are all trash.

He didn't know if anyone would follow such a magnificent feat, but he was certain it was unprecedented.

And they would become the eyewitnesses to this sudden emergence.

As long as he didn't die prematurely.

All the Prodigies of the Myriad Races across the Starry Sky would only serve as his foil.

Well, that's fine too.

It's better than having only one such Prodigy within one's own race.

If they internally treated him as someone who surpassed the Domain Level, it wouldn't be so disheartening.

“Shall we go back?”

Nie Hong looked at Duan Yueling, who remained silent.

After all, she was a Favored Daughter of Heaven whose reputation was even greater than his.

She was probably hit hard by this shock, perhaps even more severely than he was.

Duan Yueling turned around, said nothing, and vanished from the spot in a single step.

Nie Hong shrugged.

“Let's go.”

He led the group of Human Race Prodigies who hadn't yet recovered their senses away from the Demon Race ancient city... [Slaughtering another city, the Host killed a million Demon Race Prodigies, causing a near-fault line among the Demon Race King Rank Prodigies, and indirectly striking at the young minds of the race's Prodigies. domineering index: super star level. charge value: 800%]

Huh?

Lin Yan paused, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Indirectly striking... young minds... The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

So everyone standing frozen earlier was because they were shocked by him?

He, who didn't understand Starry Sky History, felt that.

Such things shouldn't be rare.

So they were this fragile?

However.

As Lin Yan's gaze fell upon the 800% charge value, those thoughts were instantly thrown to the back of his mind.

Hmm... not bad.

He had thought that after his massive increase in strength, the reward for slaughtering another city would be much less.

However, the current situation showed it was only 20% less compared to the Yao Race Ancient City.

It seems shocking them isn't necessarily a bad thing, since it also boosted the income, right?

Acceptable! Acceptable!

He nodded in satisfaction.

Back at the enlightenment stele, he could upgrade two Martial Skills by another level.

The harvest from just one day on the battlefield directly saved him an unknown amount of time and effort.

Thinking of this.

Lin Yan suddenly felt restless in his heart.

Maybe... forget it.

He immediately extinguished that budding idea.

At this stage, he still needed to rely on the high-level figures within his race.

If he pushed them too far until they couldn't handle it, it wouldn't be worth the loss.

As for charge value, at worst, he would just work harder; there would be plenty of opportunities.

His figure flashed quickly across the sky permeated with Evil Qi, creating ripples... One month later.

“Flame King.”

“King Hong and King Ling sent me to deliver a message.”

“Time is almost up.”

A young man walked up to the black-clad figure sitting cross-legged with closed eyes and spoke softly.

Lin Yan slowly opened his eyes.

The young man, who had just slightly raised his head, met his gaze, and his expression changed.

Boom—!

A powerful Oppressive Force instantly enveloped his entire body, threatening to suppress him into kneeling on the spot.

“Alright.”

A gentle voice came through.

The overwhelming Might instantly dissipated.

The young man took a deep breath, his body already drenched in cold sweat.

What the hell?!

He, a Pseudo-Domain King, was nearly forced to his knees on the spot just by a single gaze!

Was this the pressure of facing the Flame King who had accomplished the feat of City Slaughter?

Too terrifying!

Lin Yan, who had stood up, didn't know what the young man was thinking, but looked thoughtfully at the System Panel.

[cultivation]: King Rank, Ninth Grade Peak

[Martial Skill]: Venerable: Peerless National Martial Arts (Current: Star Shaking Major Achievement 20%; Boost: Star Shaking Peak)

[Martial Skill]: Venerable: Peerless Halberd Technique (Current: Star Shaking Major Achievement 20%; Boost: Star Shaking Peak)

[Combat Power Assessment]: Normal State: King (Venerable: Third Grade Peak); Single Ability Activated: King (Venerable: Fourth Grade Peak); Both Abilities Activated: King (Venerable: Fifth Grade Peak)

This was the first time he had seen a percentage after a Martial Skill Rank.

It must be because he had always saved up enough charge value for a single upgrade before, which is why it hadn't appeared before.

Does this mean that one month of self-cultivation only increased both Martial Skills by 20% each?

Lin Yan frowned.

The young man waiting for him to move felt his heart skip a beat.

What's wrong with the Flame King?

Was it because I disturbed him just now?

Didn't he reply “Alright”?

His voice didn't sound like he was angry.

He wouldn't slap me, would he?

Surely not? I'm also from the Martial Arts Company.

Just as he was feeling anxious.

A slightly dissatisfied murmur sounded softly.

“Doesn't that mean I'd need five months of cultivation in this environment for both Martial Skills to reach Star Shaking Peak?”

“What's the point of that?”

The young man's expression instantly became dull, and he stiffly raised his head.

Huh?

What the heck?