Chapter 192: A Deliberate Provocation, an Explosion of Jealousy

Chapter 192: Chapter 192: A Deliberate Provocation, an Explosion of Jealousy

Contaminants shot out from the open ground, from the shadows of the trees, from behind rocks, and from the leafy branches overhead.

Some were enormous, their every step making the ground tremble. Others were no bigger than a fist, but they swarmed in a dense, dark mass, surging like a tide from all directions.

They blocked every escape route. The only path left open was the one leading toward the energy burst—it was completely empty, without a single contaminant in sight.

Yun Sheng whipped her head around to look at Xing Che.

’So this is what he meant when he said we’d be seeing Si Jin soon?’

’They couldn’t retreat to the temporary camp now. The contaminants on the perimeter were closing in, and with so many of them, breaking through would be nearly impossible.’

’Their only choices now were to fight these contaminants to the death or head in Si Jin’s direction.’

The veins on Qi Yao’s hand bulged as he gripped his knife, his voice extremely low. "Everyone, to me!"

Guo Kai and Ma Yu ushered the cadets toward the center, while several A-level Sentinels formed a defensive perimeter.

Xing Che maintained a distance of exactly one step, trailing beside Yun Sheng at an unhurried pace, as if completely unconcerned by the swarm of contaminants ready to attack at any moment.

"Junior General, now... our only option is to head that way," Zhao Heng said.

Qi Yao didn’t answer immediately.

He stared at the empty patch of land, his jaw clenched tight. "Move out," he ground out. "Everyone, pick up the pace. Retreat in that direction."

The group began to move quickly.

The contaminants didn’t give chase. They simply blocked the path behind them, as if waiting to watch them head toward their only option.

The farther they walked, the thicker the foul stench in the air became, and the waves of energy grew steadily stronger.

After walking a while longer, the view before them suddenly opened up.

A large swath of trees lay toppled on the ground, strewn about haphazardly as if they’d been ripped up by the roots. Broken branches and shredded leaves littered the area.

A powerful, oppressive pressure radiated out in waves from the center of the battlefield, making everyone’s skin crawl.

Everyone stopped in their tracks.

In the center of the battlefield, a lone figure was locked in combat with a contaminant.

The contaminant was as large as a mountain and pitch-black, its armored scales marked with crimson patterns. Each scale was the size of a shield.

Several curved bone spikes jutted from its skull. A pair of eerie, green vertical pupils stared intently at the figure before it. Every lunge stirred a foul wind, and its sharp claws tore deep gouges in the earth.

"A Devouring Abyss Beast..." Zhao Heng’s voice trembled. "It really is SSS-level..."

Everyone’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and a chill ran down their spines.

The ground trembled with its every move. The mere sight of it was enough to make their legs go weak.

But the figure locked in battle with it moved so fast he was little more than a blur.

Spiritual power clashed against sharp claws, erupting in a deafening, metallic roar. The shockwave sent rubble flying in all directions.

The figure weaved, dodged, and counterattacked amidst the Devouring Abyss Beast’s frenzied assault, holding his own without fail.

"He’s actually holding his own against an SSS-level contaminant..." a Sentinel murmured. "Is he an SSS-level Sentinel, too?"

"Could it be the White War God?" another Sentinel asked, a hint of excitement in his voice.

Qi Yao said nothing.

He stood his ground, his gaze dark and deep as still water, staring silently at the figure in the heat of battle.

Guo Kai suddenly whispered, "It’s not the White War God. It’s... He’s Si Jin."

Everyone froze.

Si Jin, the Former War God wanted by the Star Alliance?!

A harsh glint flashed in Qi Yao’s eyes. His expression was unreadable, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.

Zhao Heng approached him and lowered his voice. "Junior General, didn’t Si Jin degenerate into a Dark Sentinel? What is he doing here? From the looks of it... he doesn’t seem to have lost his sanity."

"I don’t know. We’ll watch and see."

Yun Sheng stared at Si Jin without blinking, her eyes scanning him from top to bottom, sweeping inch by inch over his shoulders, arms, and waist.

’No blood. His movements are fluid, and his spiritual power output is stable. He must not be hurt.’

She let out a small sigh of relief, but her heart remained heavy with worry.

"Staring so intently, aren’t you afraid of giving yourself away?"

A low voice reached her ear, laced with a teasing, half-joking tone.

Xing Che had somehow drawn closer again, standing shoulder to shoulder with her in a display of intimacy.

Yun Sheng ignored him, her gaze still fixed on Si Jin.

"Be careful, or someone might notice," Xing Che added, his voice dropping lower as his warm breath brushed against her ear.

Just as Yun Sheng was about to sidestep away, she heard someone cry out in alarm.

"Did Si Jin’s last attack just go wide?"

All eyes shot in that direction.

Si Jin’s attack had indeed missed. The Devouring Abyss Beast’s claws grazed his shoulder, tearing away a few scraps of fabric.

The mistake was so obvious that everyone noticed it instantly.

"His attacks were so precise before. How could he suddenly slip up like that?"

"Good thing he dodged in time, or his shoulder would have been torn to shreds!"

An injury from the claws of an SSS-level contaminant was no joke!

"He seems to be looking this way." Xing Che narrowed his eyes, glancing at the faltering Si Jin before leaning closer to Yun Sheng’s ear. "Do you think he messed up because he saw you?"

Yun Sheng’s expression darkened, and she pressed her lips together, saying nothing.

"Still, it’s only natural for him to mess up. If I were fighting an SSS-level contaminant while my guide was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with another Sentinel..." Xing Che paused, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. "I’d probably get distracted, too."

Yun Sheng whipped her head around to glare at him.

Xing Che shrugged. "I’m just telling the truth."

"You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?" Yun Sheng ground out.

Xing Che neither confirmed nor denied it. He simply raised an eyebrow, flicked his gaze toward Si Jin, and then let it drift slowly back to Yun Sheng’s face.

"I’m just talking to you normally," he said, leaning in so close that only she could hear his whisper. "He’s the one who got distracted. What’s that got to do with me?"

Furious, Yun Sheng raised her hand to shove him away.

Xing Che didn’t dodge. He just watched her with a faint smile, even leaning a little closer.

Just then, a torrential wave of spiritual power erupted, crashing down on them like an invisible mountain.

The force slammed into everyone, making their chests tighten. Yun Sheng staggered, and Xing Che instantly shot out a hand to steady her arm, smoothly guiding her to the side until she was stable.

She steadied herself and looked up.

Si Jin’s spiritual power had manifested as countless sharp blades, which descended upon the Devouring Abyss Beast like a torrential downpour.

The creature was forced back several steps, deep cracks appearing on its carapace as black blood oozed from the fissures.

But it quickly regained its footing and swept its tail, forcing Si Jin to pull back his attack and retreat.

That barrage of attacks could have heavily wounded the Devouring Abyss Beast, but he had pulled back at the critical moment.

Yun Sheng’s heart clenched, and she instinctively took a step forward.

Xing Che’s hand was still resting on her arm. He didn’t let go, but he didn’t hold her back either. He just spoke in a low voice.

"Don’t go over there. If he hadn’t pulled back his power just now, you would have fallen."

Yun Sheng stopped short.

She gritted her teeth and suppressed the urge to run forward, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away.

Just then, Si Jin abruptly retreated several steps, putting distance between himself and the Devouring Abyss Beast.

His blue eyes shot straight toward them, his gaze landing squarely on Xing Che’s face.

His gaze was piercingly cold, like ice, and filled with undisguised killing intent.

Xing Che met that intimidating stare with a slight curve of his lips, his own eyes glinting with blatant provocation.