Chapter 422: SOS From The Dragon Group (3)

“Senior, we should hurry...” Lin Wan was about to say they should leave.

But the masked man interrupted, “Help me gather star cores.”

He flickered as he charged headlong into the oncoming wave of zombies. Before he even reached them, his sword qi erupted, obliterating the front line of the corpse tide.

Wherever he passed, hordes of zombies collapsed like toppled bricks, their heads rolling to the ground.

Lin Wan’s eyes widened.

What kind of martial technique is this? These aren’t mere grade one or grade two zombies in front of him. This is a true corpse tide, made up of grade three, grade four, and even grade five zombies.

A horde like this would be enough to overwhelm even a powerful Five Spirits Realm or Golden Body Realm expert.

Yet, before this masked man, they are as fragile as stalks of grass in the wind, collapsing with barely any resistance.

In her two years at White Deer Academy, Lin Wan had never witnessed an ancient martial artist of this caliber. Even the academy’s old headmaster likely did not possess such strength.

Who is this masked man?

Lin Wan was so awestruck that her mind went blank. For the first time, she realized just how powerful ancient martial arts could truly be.

“What are you standing there for?” The masked man’s clear voice snapped her out of her daze.

Lin Wan quickly rushed forward and began collecting star cores. But the sheer number of fallen zombies was overwhelming. How could she possibly gather them all?

“Only take the star cores from grade five zombies.” The masked man called out firmly.

“Yes, Senior.” Lin Wan snapped back into action.

As a member of White Deer Academy’s battle team, Lin Wan was known for her gentle and considerate nature. Though she wasn’t the strongest, since she was currently at the Acupoint Opening Realm with one hundred and nine opened acupoints, she was meticulous, sincere, and a person of action.

Quickly, she extracted the star cores from the brains of all the fallen grade five zombies and carefully packed them away. Soon, an entire wave of the corpse tide had been completely wiped out. In fact, she could barely keep up with the masked man’s speed in slaying the zombies as she gathered the star cores.

“Could he be... a Saint?” Lin Wan wondered, watching his back in awe.

For some reason, she had a strange feeling that this masked man wasn’t very old. He seemed to be only around twenty. But that was absurd; how could a youth of twenty possess such terrifying strength? Even if he had started cultivating from birth, it shouldn’t have been possible.

After collecting a total of one hundred and thirty-six star cores in a leather pouch, Lin Wan approached him and said, “Senior, all the star cores are here.”

The masked man took out a hundred and handed the pouch back to her. “The rest are yours.”

Lin Wan was stunned. The thirty-six remaining grade five star cores were incredibly valuable; the mere thought of their worth made her head spin. She was no stranger to wealth, having come from a family of Saints in Xiajing City, but she had never encountered someone as generous as this masked man.

“Senior, the value of these star cores is simply too great. I don’t feel deserving of such a gift,” Lin Wan hurriedly replied.

At the same time, her curiosity about the masked man’s identity grew even stronger. If only she could glimpse the face beneath that mask.

The masked man replied indifferently, “These star cores were acquired through our cooperation; your effort is part of this, so just take them. It’s only a few grade five star cores; what’s the big deal? Don’t be so modest.”

Lin Wan blushed. “Then I thank you, Senior.”

When she put away the thirty-six grade five star cores, a mix of excitement and nervousness filled her heart. Though she came from a family of Saints, her parents were a distant, peripheral branch of the family. This left her with a low standing among her family’s younger generation, and her innate constitution and talents were quite average. She rarely enjoyed the wealth of her heritage and instead lived under its strict rules.

If not for her parents’ relentless efforts, she wouldn’t even have had the chance to attend university. Just getting into White Deer Academy was a dream come true. These thirty-six grade five star cores represented a fortune. If they were used wisely, they could provide a tremendous boost to her cultivation.

An increase in her strength would elevate her status within her family. It would also mean she could give her hard-working parents a more comfortable life. This mysterious masked man had not only saved her life but also given her an opportunity to change her destiny. Lin Wan’s heart was filled with gratitude.

Just then, a furious roar echoed from the depths of the Corpse Whisper Plains, belonging to none other than the Supreme Corpse Emperor. The sandstorm of corpse qi in the air grew even more intense, swirling with a frenzied energy. A sense of danger permeated the atmosphere.

"Senior, should we head back?" Lin Wan asked cautiously.

The masked man glanced at her. Lin Wan immediately felt a pang of self-consciousness. She realized that in such a dangerous situation, she was likely just a burden to him.

The masked man asked, "Where’s your identity combat badge?"

Lin Wan replied, “I accidentally lost it during the battle... Wait, Senior, how do you know about our academy’s identity combat badges?”

White Deer Academy was largely unknown these days. The combination of ancient martial arts and formations was on the verge of being replaced by newer methods. Many people had no idea what the identity combat badge could do.

The masked man chuckled softly. “Just a guess.”

Lin Wan pressed her lips together. That soft chuckle sounded strangely familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it.

“The roar of that Corpse Emperor is interesting.” The masked man mused. “It sounds like it’s been stung by a thousand-year-old grudge. There might be something fascinating happening here. But without your identity combat badge, I may not be able to fully protect you. So, we’d better head back.”

A crimson sword suddenly flew out from behind him, radiating waves of light that made its blade look as wide as a small boat. The masked man stepped onto the blade.

He gestured to her, “Get on.”

“Huh?” Lin Wan couldn’t hide her astonishment.

Is he really about to fly with me on the sword? This is straight out of myth and legend. Could there truly be a warrior capable of such feats?

Dazed, she hopped onto the sword.

"Hold on tight." The masked man instructed.

The crimson sword soared into the air. Lin Wan watched as the scenery below blurred and retreated rapidly. In just a breath, they were high above the ground. Looking down, the corpse qi sandstorm over the Corpse Whisper Plains resembled an eerie boiling red sea.

She clung tightly to the masked man’s arm. She could feel the firm muscles beneath his clothing. He must be a young man. Her intuition grew clearer and stronger. As she reveled in the thrill of flying through the sky, Lin Wan felt as if she were dreaming.

Not only is he young, but he might also be handsome, right? Would someone as powerful as him experience emotions like ordinary people? Does he have a girlfriend?

The wind brushed through Lin Wan’s hair, causing her heart to race unexpectedly.

“Hm?” The masked man suddenly sounded surprised.

In the southeastern sky, a special signal flare had burst upward, cutting through the corpse qi sandstorm, forming a vivid dragon image in the sky.

The sword abruptly halted mid-air. Lin Wan, caught off guard, lurched forward into the masked man’s back.

“It seems we’ll have to delay our return,” he explained.

Then the sword tilted downward and plunged into the roiling, blood-red corpse qi sandstorm below. Instinctively, Lin Wan tightened her grip on his arm.

Moments later, the two landed softly on the ground. The crimson sword returned to the masked man’s back.

“Stay close.” He whispered. “And keep quiet.”

Lin Wan nodded quickly. She clutched the hem of his coat and followed closely behind him. The corpse qi sandstorm in this area was even fiercer, but the masked man’s broad figure and shoulders seemed to shield her from all the whirling dust and debris.

Soon, they arrived at an abandoned alley. This was once a small town from a century ago. In the distance, faint sounds of combat echoed.

The masked man took hold of Lin Wan’s hand, and with a few swift, silent movements, he shifted their position like lightning, bringing them closer without a trace of sound.

Moments later, they were behind the crumbling wall of an old warehouse. Peering through a crack in the wall, she saw a short-haired woman carrying a special backpack holding a straight blade and facing off against a group of enemies in the ruins beyond.

But her opponents weren’t zombies. They were five humans, each encased head-to-toe in metal armor.

"Xuan Huang, stop struggling. Just hand over the item," said one of the armored figures, his voice carrying a metallic undertone.

The short-haired woman, wounded and defiant, retorted coldly, "Do you, from Mechanical Eternity, dare interfere with the Dragon Group's mission? Are you prepared to make enemies of Great Xia?"

“Meaningless words,” The armored figure replied calmly. “If you're trying to stall for time, let me tell you. Of the four Dragon Group operatives sent to support you, three are already dead.”

He gestured, and another fully armored warrior tossed three broken, bloodstained straight blades at the woman’s feet.

"The rest of the Wing of the Phoenix team, Roughneck, Sky Shield, and Earth Flame, were all killed by us about fifteen minutes ago. Only Ruo Shuang is left...”

Another armored soldier dragged a blood-soaked young woman by her hair, throwing her to the ground.

"Captain... we were... ambushed. The mission... has been compromised...” The young woman managed to whisper, struggling to speak.

She had long, wine-red hair. It was clear that the Dragon Group operative, codenamed Ruo Shuang, was once a stylish and sophisticated urban woman who took pride in her appearance. But now, she had lost an arm, blood trickled from her mouth and nose, and her once-pretty face was smeared with mud and blood.

The leader of the metal-clad warriors pressed his boot onto her head, speaking in a detached tone, “It seems Dragon Group experts aren’t as tough as they claim. One stomp, and her head will burst...”

Xuan Huang, the short-haired woman, looked at them with fury in her eyes. It was a rage powerful enough to set the world ablaze.

She spoke in a low, steady voice, “Let her go.”

The leader smirked. “I’ve told you, hand over the Corpse Emperor’s Sacred Crystal, and I’ll grant you both a dignified death. Otherwise, you’ll witness your closest comrade tortured to death right in front of you.”