Chapter 151: Identity Exposed, Dropping the Pretense

Chapter 151: Chapter 151: Identity Exposed, Dropping the Pretense

"What’s that sound...?" Cheng Nian’s voice trembled.

Yun Sheng also looked up, her gaze fixed on the depths of the dense forest where the sound originated.

The sound grew closer and clearer.

RUMBLE... RUMBLE...

Bai Ye’s eyes darkened as his spiritual power surged from him like a tidal wave.

In the blink of an eye, his spiritual power had already reached the source of the strange noise.

Immediately after, the aura around him exploded. A vast torrent of spiritual power swept out like a hurricane, slamming violently into the pollutants that were attacking the squad members!

Dozens of low-level pollutants were simultaneously sent flying. They crashed heavily to the ground, twitched a couple of times, and went still.

At the same time, Bai Ye’s figure flashed, and he instantly closed in on the S-Class Blood Scale Beast.

He no longer suppressed his strength. A terrifying light of spiritual power condensed on his blade as he slashed down.

The Blood Scale Beast didn’t even have time to roar before its enormous body was cleaved in two. Black blood gushed out, splattering all over the ground.

It all happened in an instant.

Everyone was stunned.

What... what had just happened?

That S-Class pollutant, the one that had chased them into a desperate retreat and injured White Tiger multiple times, was just... cleaved in two with a single strike?

Yun Sheng was now staring intently at White Tiger, her brow furrowing bit by bit.

’Killing an S-Class in one hit.’

’And yet, he’d been injured and forced to retreat step by step while fighting it just moments ago.’

The thought that had just begun to form in her mind—that White Tiger might not be Bai Ye—was shattered to pieces by that single strike.

’If he wasn’t Bai Ye, who else could possess such strength?’

’If he wasn’t Bai Ye, why did the spiritual power erupting from him now carry an aura so familiar to her?’

Yun Sheng bit her lip, an indescribable mix of feelings swirling within her: shock, confusion, and a faint flicker of anger at being deceived.

Nearby, Guo Kai and Ma Yu were also staring at Bai Ye, their eyes filled with utter shock.

They understood the significance of that strike even better than Yun Sheng. That was an S-Class pollutant, a creature that would force an entire squad of Advanced Sentinels to be on high alert.

And he took it down... in one hit?

’What level is White Tiger, exactly? Could he be an S-Class Sentinel?’

’No, even an S-Class isn’t this powerful. Could he be an even higher SS-Level?!’

But Bai Ye gave no one time to be shocked.

"A large group of pollutants is heading this way, led by more than one S-Class. We have to evacuate immediately!"

Guo Kai’s heart went cold, and he instantly snapped out of his shock.

He quickly scanned his surroundings and asked urgently, "Which way do we retreat?"

Bai Ye, having already scanned the surrounding terrain with his spiritual power, pointed in a direction.

"Northeast! There’s a narrow canyon over there with steep cliffs on both sides, easy to defend and hard to attack. If we can make it there, we can hold them off for a while!"

Guo Kai nodded grimly, then turned and yelled to the others, "You heard him! Northeast, full speed! Don’t fall behind!"

As if waking from a dream, the others all gripped their weapons and sprinted in the direction Bai Ye had pointed.

Cheng Nian grabbed Yun Sheng’s hand. "Yun Sheng, let’s go!"

Yun Sheng was pulled along for a few steps, but she couldn’t help but glance back.

Behind them, Bai Ye hadn’t moved.

He stood his ground as his aura surged once more. His vast spiritual power rapidly constructed a barrier.

One, two, three...

A total of seven spiritual power barriers, shimmering with a faint silvery light under the moon, stood between the pursuing pollutants and the retreating team.

The barriers were solid and dense, more than twice as strong as the one before.

Yun Sheng’s brow furrowed. ’He’s this strong. His earlier retreat was a complete act!’

But she had no time to dwell on it, as Cheng Nian pulled her forward, and they sprinted with the team toward the canyon.

Behind them, Bai Ye set up the final barrier, his cold gaze sweeping over the horde of pollutants about to burst from the forest.

’Seven barriers. That should be enough to stall them for a while.’

He turned, his peripheral vision discreetly glancing in a certain direction before he shot off in the direction the team had retreated.

Meanwhile, Si Jin, hidden in the shadows of a tree trunk with his arms crossed, felt his lips twitch.

’Seven barriers?’

’What is Bai Ye showing off for? Trying to prove how much spiritual power he has?’

Si Jin ground his back teeth but didn’t follow them right away.

Not until the figures of Yun Sheng’s team had completely vanished from sight, and the roaring sound of pollutants crashing against the barriers echoed from the distance, did he slowly raise a hand.

From the depths of the forest, countless vines surged out silently, weaving another massive, green barrier behind the seven already in place.

The vines layered and intertwined, imbued with his unique Dark Power.

Even if the pollutants broke through Bai Ye’s seven barriers, they would still have to contend with his vines.

Only after doing all this did Si Jin’s figure flash as he silently followed them.

...

The group finally rushed into the canyon.

The canyon walls were steep and lined with jagged rocks, with only a single narrow passage leading deeper inside.

Guo Kai led the way while Ma Yu brought up the rear. The group stumbled and scrambled deeper into the canyon for several dozen meters before stopping at a natural recess in the rock face.

"Here!" Guo Kai scanned the area, making a quick assessment. "This spot is concealed, with the cliff at our backs. We only need to defend the front. Everyone, rest and recover your strength!"

Hearing this, everyone’s legs gave out, and they nearly collapsed to the ground.

Cheng Nian gasped for air, Li Wen couldn’t stand up straight and leaned on her knees, He Yi plopped down on a rock, and even Zhou Ying was leaning against the cliff wall, breathing heavily.

Zhao Qian slid directly to the ground, her face pale and her body trembling.

Guo Kai had no time to rest. He turned to Ma Yu and spoke rapidly.

"Contact the camp immediately! Report the situation and request backup!"

Ma Yu nodded firmly, immediately taking out his communicator and trying to establish a connection.

But the signal in the canyon was intermittent. Even when a connection was made, it would drop before he could say a word.

He had no choice but to walk a few steps back toward the entrance, searching for a better spot.

Yun Sheng gasped for breath, her heart still pounding violently. The roars of the pollutants seemed to echo in her ears.

She didn’t sit down. Instead, she lifted her head, her gaze passing over the others to rest on the canyon entrance.

’White Tiger hasn’t caught up yet...’

Beside her, Cheng Nian muttered quietly, "Why hasn’t the White Tiger Officer caught up? He’s not in trouble, is he...?"

Yun Sheng pressed her lips together.

She remembered the familiar fluctuation of spiritual power she had sensed earlier and replied instinctively, "He’ll come. Those pollutants can’t hurt him."

’For the renowned Star Alliance War God, dealing with a few S-Class and a batch of low-level pollutants should be a piece of cake.’

Cheng Nian was taken aback for a moment, then nodded, her tone filled with admiration.

"You’re right... That strike from the White Tiger Officer was incredible. Killing an S-Class in one hit—I’ve never seen that kind of power before. What level is he...?"

This time, Yun Sheng didn’t say anything.

’Even though she had guessed White Tiger’s true identity, she couldn’t possibly say it out loud.’

’That would just be asking for trouble!’

Time ticked by, second by second.

At the canyon entrance, White Tiger’s figure still had not appeared.

Everyone present kept glancing toward the entrance, their faces showing faint traces of worry.

Just then, Zhao Qian suddenly spoke up. "He’s not going to abandon us and not show up, is he?"

The moment she finished speaking, Zhou Ying shot her a cold glare. "If you can’t say something useful, don’t say anything at all!"

Zhao Qian shrank back. "I’m just worried, that’s all. It’s been so long..."

Hearing this, Yun Sheng’s fingertips curled instinctively.

’She’s right. With White Tiger’s speed, it shouldn’t be taking this long.’

’Did something unexpected happen?’

She suddenly remembered seeing Bai Ye in her dream, and the dense web of cracks in his spiritual landscape.

’She had repaired many of them, but so many tiny cracks remained... Could those cracks have widened again?’

’He hasn’t shown up after all this time... Could it be that his spiritual power has gone rampant again, or that he’s been injured?!’