I became a god through frontier slaughter, and I crushed the academy's prodigies!

Qin Zhenshan felt that there might be something wrong with his ears, or maybe that old bastard Chi Xiao had lost his mind.

"etc."

Qin Zhenshan raised his hand, palm facing Chixiao.

"What did you just say...?"

"Breakthrough on the spot?"

"Fifth tier?"

Seeing Qin Zhenshan's expression, as if he had swallowed a live fly, Chi Xiao felt a little better.

cool.

Sharing happiness is worse than enjoying it alone. How can I bear the pain of this worldview collapsing by myself?

Chi Xiao nodded slowly, his expression utterly calm and collected.

"Yeah, it's about breaking through on the spot."

"Think about it."

Chi Xiao stretched out his hand and gestured, his tone as relaxed as if he were saying that he had eaten two steamed buns for dinner.

"It's like... just a moment ago it was mid-stage fourth tier, and then 'biu' it suddenly became late-stage fourth tier."

"Then, before you could even blink, there was another 'boom,' and you were at level five."

"The whole process was smooth and seamless. There were no bottlenecks or even a single stumble."

"It's as simple as drinking water."

Qin Zhenshan: "..."

He stared intently into Chi Xiao's eyes, trying to find even the slightest trace of a joke.

However, no.

Chi Xiao's old eyes, which usually held a hint of frivolity, were now filled with sincerity.

Qin Zhenshan swallowed hard, his voice hoarse:

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Back in my day, I was stuck at the peak of the fourth tier for a full three years! I suffered so much, endured so much hardship, and almost lost my life just to reach the threshold of the fifth tier!"

"You mean he... broke through to a breakthrough in the time it takes to drink a sip of water?"

"Is this even human?!"

Chi Xiao shrugged and spread his hands:

"Who knows? Anyway, I don't think he's human."

"You didn't see what happened back then."

Chi Xiao smacked his lips, seemingly still savoring the scene:

"It felt like God was constantly feeding you, and you couldn't refuse; He just forced food into your mouth."

Qin Zhenshan's stiff body slowly softened, and he leaned back in his seat, staring blankly at the roof of the car.

All those words, in the end, boiled down to just two.

Holy crap.

As the top leader of Jiangcheng, Qin Zhenshan considered himself a man who had seen many storms.

But these waves are way too big, aren't they?

"call……"

Qin Zhenshan took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it after three attempts.

He exhaled a puff of smoke, and his reason finally began to return.

Although Chi Xiao is usually unreliable, he would never speak carelessly on matters of principle.

Since he says it's true.

Then it must be true.

"So that's how it is..."

Qin Zhenshan squinted, looking through the car window at the mushroom cloud in the distance that had not yet dissipated, his gaze gradually sharpening.

"If this kid really breaks through to the fifth rank..."

"With his freakish combat prowess, capable of defeating opponents far stronger than himself, coupled with his bizarre methods..."

Qin Zhenshan turned to look at Chi Xiao: "Facing three peak fifth-tier beast kings..."

He didn't finish his sentence, seemingly pondering the possibilities.

After a moment of contemplation, Chi Xiao gave an extremely conservative conclusion.

"At least... we're not at a disadvantage."

"and."

Chi Xiao pointed to his head:

"Although Shen Tian acts arrogantly, he is more clear-headed than anyone else."

"Would he have sent me away if he wasn't absolutely certain?"

Qin Zhenshan was stunned for a moment.

Chixiao makes a lot of sense.

Shen Tian is the kind of person who "won't act until he sees the rabbit."

He might seem like he's courting death, but he's actually incredibly shrewd!

Since he dared to send Chixiao away and stay alone in the core area, it means that the three-headed beast king is already dead in his eyes!

I've figured this out.

Qin Zhenshan's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly settled back into his stomach.

Even a little to laugh.

He looked in the direction where Zhou Xuan had disappeared, a hint of undisguised sympathy in his eyes.

"Tsk tsk tsk."

Qin Zhenshan shook his head:

"Poor Inspector Zhou."

"I came all this way hoping to put on a 'hero saves an idiot' act."

"When they arrived at the destination, they discovered that the idiot was himself."

Chi Xiao couldn't help but laugh.

"Let's go."

Qin Zhenshan stubbed out his cigarette and instructed the driver:

"Drive faster, I want to go see if our Inspector is alright?"

……

at the same time.

The core area of ​​the occupied zone.

A black figure, like a human cannonball, carrying boundless rage and fierce energy, frantically traversed the ruins.

It was Zhou Xuan.

At this moment, he no longer cared about maintaining the demeanor of an inspector.

He had only one thought in his mind—to save lives!

Although he looked down on Shen Tian, ​​thinking that the young man was arrogant and hopeless.

But he was, after all, an official, and there were three thousand innocent soldiers among them.

We must not let them perish in the jaws of beasts like this!

"Shen Tian! You bastard!"

As Zhou Xuan ran, he cursed inwardly:

"If even a single hair on those soldiers is missing, I'll risk everything, even my uniform, to send you to a military court!"

"You must hold on!"

"As long as you're alive, even if you're on your last breath, I will rescue you!"

Ahead, the outline of the abandoned television tower is already faintly visible.

Zhou Xuan's heart was in his throat.

He was mentally prepared.

Prepare to see the horrific scene of corpses strewn across the land, prepare to see the hellish chaos of monstrous beasts running rampant, prepare to see that once arrogant young man kneeling on the ground, weeping bitterly.

however.

When he finally broke through the last rubble, the death zone in his heart was completely revealed before his eyes.

Zhou Xuan suddenly stopped in his tracks.

It was as if I had been frozen in place.

He managed to brake abruptly while the car was moving at high speed, and the immense inertia caused the ground beneath his feet to crack instantly.

But he was completely unaware.

He simply raised his head blankly, his mouth agape. His eyes, which had been filled with rage, now seemed to have witnessed a miracle, and his pupils contracted sharply.

Indeed, the ground was littered with corpses.

But there was not a single human corpse on the ground.

They're all strange beasts!

Various strange beasts, large and small, lay sprawled on the ground.

The mixture created a foul, bloody smell.

The blood of the strange beasts nearly stained the entire ground red.

The midday sun cascaded down like a golden waterfall, shining on the abandoned television tower that stood four hundred meters tall.

At the top of the tower.

In that place closest to the heavens.

A tall and slender figure stood silently in the raging wind.

The black trench coat fluttered in the wind, like a battle flag unfurled atop a mountain peak.

He neither spoke nor made a move.

He simply leaned on an exaggeratedly long, heavy black sword with one hand, looking down at the land that had just been conquered.

That posture.

In my youth, I was dashing and spirited.

Live life to the fullest and learn as you go.

And behind that figure.

On that huge, rusty steel plate.

Eight powerful, vigorous characters reflected a blinding light in the sunlight; each stroke seemed to contain a terrifying, all-encompassing intent.

[Pacify the desolate lands and restore our homeland!]

boom--!!!

These eight words were like a heavy hammer blow, slamming into Zhou Xuan's skull.

It hit him so hard he saw stars.

Shift your gaze downwards.

Beneath that tall tower.

Three thousand fully armed soldiers of the Po Jun Si formed a neat square formation.

No one spoke.

No one moved.

They didn't even notice the arrival of Zhou Xuan, this "uninvited guest".

These three thousand pairs of eyes.

Three thousand pairs of eyes, bloodshot yet burning with fervor.

They all stared intently at the figure atop the tower.

Zhou Xuan was all too familiar with that look in his eyes.

That wasn't the look he gave his superior.

That's believers looking at God!

That is a traveler in the darkness, gazing up at the blazing sun that pierces the long night!

This is a fierce and powerful army.

An invincible army that dares to charge against all the gods and Buddhas at the command of that young man!

Zhou Xuan felt as if something was blocking his throat.

"this……"

He reached out with trembling hands, pointing at the figure's back. The reprimands he had prepared were now completely spitting out.

He wanted to say that Shen Tian was arrogant.

But the scattered remains of strange beasts, even after they had been cleaned up, told him that this was a sign of strength.

He wanted to say that Shen Tian was a spoiled brat.

But the overwhelming power emanating from those eight characters, "Pacify the desolate lands and restore our rivers and mountains," made even this seasoned veteran of half a lifetime in officialdom feel ashamed of himself.

"Is this really that... seventeen-year-old boy?"

Zhou Xuan muttered to himself.

Just then.

The figure at the top of the tower seemed to have sensed something.

Shen Tian slowly turned around and looked down at him.

They were separated by hundreds of meters.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

Zhou Xuan was startled.

As the inspector of Tianyun Prefecture, he was immediately overwhelmed by the aura of a seventeen-year-old boy!

What kind of eyes were those?

Calm, profound, yet carrying an indifference that regards all living beings as worthless.

Even if he is the inspector of Tianyun Prefecture, even if he is a powerful figure who has long held a high position.

At this moment.

Under the gaze of those eyes.

He actually felt an urge to... worship him.