The other young man in the helicopter was dazed, as if murmuring to himself, "Boss, this isn't the tide season, nor has the meteorological station received any news of a tropical storm. These monstrous waves, I fear~"
"What are you panicking about? In the most critical moments, one must observe with utmost calm. I know these tides are somewhat unusual, but if we cannot remain calm, how can we reassure the citizens?"
A flicker of pain crossed the man's resolute face. "Little Chen, please fly a bit faster. We must hurry and devise a plan."
...
At this moment, Zhang Liang stood atop a colossal whale, like a sea god, surging into the heavens with the waves.
"Zhang Liang, you're being too hasty."
Guan Xishun, seated on the whale's back, reprimanded him sternly.
"Hasty? How can I not be hasty? Until I've stripped his skin and gnawed his bones, I won't rest. My rage won't subside. My patience has been sufficient, and my leverage is enough. He will come, won't he? His woman is with me. What reason does he have not to come?"
Zhang Liang laughed maniacally. Fixed to the whale's rear was an iron cage, within which lay two unconscious women.
These two women, identical in appearance, could be none other than Shen Lan Ni and Shen Yun Shu.
"To think, I must thank you. Without Shen Yun Shu's awakened abilities, how could Shen Lan Ni, miles away, have been lured here?"
Guan Xishun stated, "She is our crucial research subject. After we are finished with her, she must be returned to us."
"Naturally," Zhang Liang's pupils blazed with the fire of revenge, and tonight, that flame would begin to burn from this coastal city.
...
Ren Yuan Hao rode his horse at full gallop. The winds and clouds shifted in tandem. Not long after, he saw the thick, oppressive clouds accumulating over Gu Yao City, resembling a slumbering black demon.
"When the heavens show anomalies, there must be a demon."
Ren Yuan Hao inadvertently uttered the phrase Huang Da Xian loved to say. In a blink, over a month or two had passed.
He sighed, thinking how the world changes so rapidly. Many times, after a greeting in the morning, one assumes they will meet again often, but neither realizes that the encounter might be their last.
Ren Yuan Hao's mind was in turmoil as he rode, unconsciously quickening his pace.
After approximately two to three hours of urgent travel, Ren Yuan Hao finally arrived at Gu Yao.
Dark clouds loomed overhead, and the air was so heavy it made breathing difficult. By this hour, most people should have been in bed or asleep. Yet, at the entrance to Gu Yao City, a large crowd of escapees was gathered!
Ren Yuan Hao sped closer, observing the crowd fleeing frantically, as if a monster within intended to claim their lives. Just then, a helicopter suddenly appeared overhead!
"Yuan Hao, get up here quickly!"
Though the voice was faint, Ren Yuan Hao's exceptional hearing identified it. Glancing up, he saw a rope drop directly in front of him. In the helicopter were Ye Lan and Yang Ling Xue, and surprisingly, Ji Fu was piloting it!
Ren Yuan Hao knew they couldn't hear him, but as he grasped the rope, his brow furrowed. He hadn't seen Shen Lan Ni's figure.
Logically, Shen Lan Ni would never be absent for such an urgent matter. But then~
With this thought, Ren Yuan Hao's true energy surged. Before the rope could fully retract, he leaped onto the helicopter using the wind.
"Why don't I see Shen Lan Ni?"
Ren Yuan Hao asked as soon as he stepped through the cabin door.
At this, everyone fell silent, their faces etched with immeasurable guilt and self-blame.
"What's going on?"
Ren Yuan Hao sensed something ominous. But just as he was about to press the issue, a power so immense it shocked him surged down towards the helicopter from above!
The helicopter spun uncontrollably under the terrifying air currents. Everyone except Ren Yuan Hao turned pale instantly. Ji Fu, forcefully activating her 'Empress's Eye' ability, managed to stabilize the helicopter's direction.
"Ji Fu, keep the direction steady and don't mind me. I'll be back shortly."
Ren Yuan Hao leaped directly out. Wind elements swirled around him, and he, like a celestial being with wings, hovered in mid-air!
"Ren Yuan Hao! It really is you!"
The voice struck down from the dense clouds like a heavy hammer, each word carrying crackling lightning that leaped into the sky. Thunder rumbled, and the oppressive aura was even stronger than Ren Yuan Hao's.
Even with his voice altered so drastically, Ren Yuan Hao recognized it. Who else but that man consumed by hatred in Jiang Cheng would possess such malevolence?
"Jiang Cheng! What do you intend to do with the people of this city!"
"I didn't expect you to remember me even with my voice like this. Impressive. These ants are merely gnats and fireflies. Having reached this realm, do you still care about their lives?"
Jiang Cheng, like a superior being, unleashed a bolt of lightning, instantly turning dozens of people into charcoal!
"Bastard!" Ren Yuan Hao clenched his palms, forming a vortex. Two massive tornadoes shot skyward, piercing and tearing through the thick clouds. The pressure on the helicopter slightly decreased. Ren Yuan Hao roared again, "Don't mind me, leave first! I'll catch up!"
Seeing Ren Yuan Hao display his divine might, Ye Lan and the others understood they would only be a burden. Ji Fu pushed the control stick to its limit, using the wind pressure created by Ren Yuan Hao to distance themselves from Gu Yao City.
"Since you're here, you're not leaving!"
As Jiang Cheng finished speaking, a bolt of lightning descended, about to strike the helicopter. Unexpectedly, Ren Yuan Hao conjured another tornado, piercing the cloud that spewed lightning, nullifying its power. The helicopter narrowly escaped disaster.
The citizens below could not see the clash of abilities in the sky. They believed it was the wrath of the heavens, unleashing divine punishment to destroy Gu Yao City entirely. Those who had been genetically modified by Mandara into ability users could only prostrate themselves, trembling under the immense pressure.
Outside the city, a sandstorm accompanied by a winding tornado swept towards the sky. Furious thunder roared, battling the tornado with the might of heaven and earth. Just as Jiang Cheng prepared to unleash his full power for combat, Ren Yuan Hao found himself constrained, fearful that the heavenly might triggered by his abilities would harm the innocent. Dodging and weaving, he had to engage in a life-or-death struggle with Jiang Cheng while simultaneously deflecting the lightning he hurled at the crowds. He was in a frenzy, his true energy stagnated, nearly allowing Jiang Cheng to seize an opportunity. The lightning grazed past him.
"This is a grievance between you and me. How can you bear to involve the innocent!"
Ren Yuan Hao estimated that Jiang Cheng had, by chance, obtained the core of the Void element – the fifth element! This ultimate ability, in the air, could only be countered by wind elements; other elements were weaker.
However, the sheer thickness of Ren Yuan Hao's true energy was something even the current Jiang Cheng would find difficult to contend with. Therefore, Ren Yuan Hao effortlessly unleashed large-scale abilities that seemed to consume immense true energy, much to Jiang Cheng's surprise.
"Innocent? We have now surpassed humanity. Don't utter such foolish words again. Oh, wait, you won't have a future anymore, because you are about to die here, buried in the boundless desert."