An absolute silence seemed to plague the environment. Perplexed gazes, heavy with disbelief, were etched onto the faces of the guards. How did this youth, who appeared no older than seventeen, possess the strength required to pierce through the formation barrier with a simple gesture of his hand? Such a feat should only be possible for the great figures of the most important families and the elite schools.
Li Yi did not care for the guards' expressions. Quickly, he headed to the town center to find his siblings. As he ran down one of the streets, he encountered a beast that seemed to be in the Base Forging Realm. He reached it in a blink and, with a single kick, pulverized it before continuing his march alongside his sister.
As he advanced toward the central plaza, he noticed various sounds of combat echoing within the town itself. It was evident that more than one beast had slipped through the formation. Even so, he preferred to head directly to the place where the villagers were gathered.
Upon arrival, he observed two beasts attempting to attack the people who had formed a barricade for protection. He moved with terrifying celerity and struck both creatures, killing them instantly. He cast a glance inside, where those present watched him in awe; they could not believe someone had arrived to save them in such a manner.
Shen Shinyu entered quickly, searching for her siblings and ensuring everyone was well. Li Yi, confirming they were safe and sound, ordered them to stay gathered there while he went to help the others. His siblings had not seen the previous actions due to the speed of his movement and the fact that the barricade obstructed their vision; they only heard others pointing out that a youth had defeated the beasts, but they could not identify who it was.
As fast as he could, Li Yi headed toward where he detected the beings with the highest spiritual energy fighting within the town. In a few moments, he reached the place where the Guard General was battling a Martial Realm beast.
When the General saw a boy approaching, he screamed with all his might for him to get away. In that second, he watched as the youth disappeared, leaving the ground collapsed beneath his feet. Out of the corner of his eye, the General saw the beast he was fighting explode in a rain of blood.
He then noticed the boy was now atop the roof of one of the shops, while pieces of flesh scattered across the surroundings. The General stood stunned by such a display of speed and strength.
Li Yi turned his gaze directly toward him.
"It is better that we split up and go separately to help the others who are struggling to contain the beasts," Li Yi said.
The General emerged from his daze and nodded. Quickly, he headed toward where other sounds of battle could be heard.
Li Yi ran toward where the other guards were containing another creature. As he approached, he observed his brother, Xuhan Mo, and another guard companion fighting with difficulty. They were in the first stage of the Base Forging Realm, while the beast was in the middle stage of the same realm.
As Li Yi appeared before the monster, Xuhan Mo recognized his brother, though confusion flooded him as he failed to understand how he had gotten there. Then he witnessed an image that left him petrified: he saw Li Yi raise his hand and, with a light lash, pulverize the beast in an instant. His mind seemed to freeze.
Li Yi approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Brother Xuhan Mo, I am glad you are well," Li Yi said with a smile.
Xuhan Mo did not know what to say. Stammering, he asked if it was truly his brother standing before him. His memory only recorded the weak and wounded Li Yi for whom he had even had to buy herbs.
"Brother Xuhan, right now we cannot dedicate much time to explanations. It is better that you first see to eliminating all the beasts that have slipped in," Li Yi said with a serious expression.
Xuhan Mo composed himself. He remembered that threats still remained in the town. He observed Li Yi's new composure; his brother had changed far more than he had ever imagined. He nodded and began to run to finish off the stragglers.
Li Yi watched him move away with a smile, but his expression soon turned severe. He looked toward the battlefield, out beyond the outskirts. He performed a leap that destroyed nearly the entire street and tore a hole in the formation barrier, shooting out toward the external conflict.
As he moved through the air, he observed the beings possessing enormous amounts of spiritual essence; the glow of their auras illuminated his entire vision. With his normal eyes, he spotted three beings locked in an aerial struggle hundreds of meters up. However, his special vision detected another being with similar energy hidden in the distance. He understood that the beasts were planning an ambush against the strongest cultivator fighting in the sky.
He would take advantage of the fact that they were not focusing on him to wipe out as many monsters as possible. As he landed at the edge of the battlefield, he fixed his target on the Base Forging Realm combatants.
He entered the fray at full speed. With every movement, the bodies of those weak creatures were completely pulverized. Every step he took generated a sonic boom that drew every eye. Panic began to spread among the ranks of the monsters; what was once a coordinated advance turned into a chaos of terrified howls. The beasts, not understanding what was decimating them, tried to retreat, stumbling over one another as Li Yi's figure passed like a bolt of death.
By the time the beasts of higher realms noticed his presence, he had already killed at least four hundred of the six hundred that remained. The ground was saturated with remains, and the stench of blood daunted even the most ferocious.
The Martial Realm beasts, observing this, broke their encirclement and approached at full speed, driven by a mixture of rage and an instinctive fear urging them to stop Li Yi at all costs. The youth simply smiled. As he continued the slaughter, he faced each one that arrived. The monsters launched desperate swipes, but with sharp blows, Li Yi shattered them, scattering their bodies across the field.
Seeing their leaders fall as if they were made of glass, the other creatures went completely mad. Animal survival instinct overrode their bloodlust, and many began to flee in a stampede.
Li Yi was almost finished there, leaving only about seventy-nine beasts—now terrified and demoralized—who could easily be defeated by the local cultivators. He broke through the ring of warriors who were trying to contain the enemy leaders, focusing now on annihilating the middle and upper-stage Martial Realm beasts.
At this point, both humans and beasts of the Warrior Realm and higher noticed that a being of immense power was massacring the lower ranks.
That beast hidden at the edge of the field also noticed his presence. However, for it, the most important thing was completing its ambush mission; it did not care for the lives of those weak beings fleeing in terror, and it did not believe that cultivator could affect its plans.