Chapter 272 - 271: Someone is in Disguise

Jiang Qiu was alone when he emerged from underground at the Martial Arts Building. He had refused the protection Lin Yu offered. ’He was a Grandmaster, after all. Why would he need to waste the resources of other powerhouses for his own safety?’

Without a moment’s hesitation, he headed for the temporary settlement area for the citizens of Gao Yuan City.

The so-called settlement area was really just millions of people gathered near the Martial Arts Building. They had been placed in amusement parks and public parks as much as possible to ensure the pathways remained clear.

This was better than huddling in cages like office buildings. If a Great Demon from the Kunlun Demon Clan broke through and charged in, there would be no escape, and the death toll would be immense.

But the scale of millions of people was simply immense. Crammed into the central district of Gao Yuan City, a forest of steel and concrete, they looked like a pot of thick, dark porridge spilled onto the streets—viscous and dense.

They were being drenched by the downpour, and the suffocating air seemed to be fermenting.

In that instant, Jiang Qiu gave up on the idea of searching for staff or students from Outer City Ninth Middle School. Just then, a brilliant burst of flame erupted from the southwest. A searing heatwave swept over from dozens of miles away, turning that patch of sky red, as if the sun had suddenly set in the west.

He froze for a moment, feeling an astonishing aura sweep past him. His heart seized, and even the torrential rain seemed to pause for an instant. Then, the fiery light was extinguished, and the downpour resumed.

BZZZ—

His communication wristband vibrated. It was a mass message from the vice-dean leading the team: "In the southwest, Grandmaster Lu Han has perished along with the Demon Marshal, [Mountain King]. The city gate has fallen. All nearby Grandmaster Level Martial Artists are to provide support. We cannot let the Kunlun Demon Clan’s army inside, or our front line will be forced back and we’ll end up besieged in the central district!"

A Grandmaster was dead.

His life had flared like a firework, only to be extinguished by the downpour.

’But it’s only been a few dozen minutes! How could a Grandmaster Level expert have died already?!’

For a moment, Jiang Qiu’s mind went blank. He stared blankly toward the southwest, at that part of the world also shrouded in dark clouds, gloomy and dim.

’This rain... was it summoned by [Chen]? Did he come here himself?’

Gradually, Jiang Qiu’s golden Dragon Eyes transformed. Dragon Scales began to cover his body, and his hands morphed into dragon claws. An aura of the Dragon Race, from a distant and ancient era, emanated from him. Overhead, thunder rolled with a colossal boom, like giant mallets striking a great drum.

He hadn’t intended to reveal his Dragon Form, but after being soaked in this rain for so long, it manifested naturally, as if it had found a kindred spirit and was resonating in harmony.

In that single moment, he instantly alerted the Martial Arts experts guarding the Martial Arts Building and protecting the temporary settlement area. There was no shortage of Grandmasters among them.

The very instant their gazes locked onto Jiang Qiu, ripples of power from unsheathed weapons converged. Various Spirit Charms began to manifest, and battle intent surged!

"How did a Peeping Dao Realm Great Demon suddenly appear in this area?!"

"Did a Demon General sneak in disguised?"

"No, the aura he’s giving off seems to be from the Dragon Race! Could it be [Chen]!"

As speculation ran wild, the experts’ eyes widened. They rushed to surround him, about to strike, when a resonant and aged voice suddenly called out from below, "Hold your hands! That’s Jiang Qiu, the one who represented the Northwest in the Northern Wilderness Great Secret Realm! He’s the one who helped us slay the Demon General [Jie]!"

Everyone looked toward the source of the voice and saw General Mo, his muscular body wrapped in bandages, flying up toward them. As the director of Tianjiao Base, everyone recognized him; he couldn’t be an impostor.

As for the name Jiang Qiu, they had heard it before. He was the unrivaled prodigy highly regarded by even Grand General Luo. But how could they possibly connect that name with the "Dragon-man" before their eyes?

"He is indeed Jiang Qiu. He just met with my master, Lin Yu. I can vouch for him!"

Another Grandmaster Level expert stepped forward. He was one of Lin Yu’s personal disciples and had come up from the underground facility specifically after sensing the Dragon Race aura.

As one of Lin Yu’s personal disciples, he was aware of the various theories about the relationship between Jiang Qiu and [Chen]. Now that Jiang Qiu was revealing a Dragon Race aura, it served as confirmation that the two were indeed strongly connected.

After all, the only known living member of the Dragon Race in the present age was [Chen]—even if he did claw his way out of the Red Flame Spider Mother’s belly...

Upon learning that Grandmaster Lin Yu himself had verified his identity, most of the Grandmasters, though still sizing Jiang Qiu up with suspicion, let much of their battle intent subside.

However, one Grandmaster, surnamed Han, snorted coldly, his head held high in arrogance. "Just because Lin Yu says he’s Jiang Qiu, that makes him Jiang Qiu? This aura of the Demon Race is hardly something a member of the Human Race should possess. What if Lin Yu was mistaken?"

At these words, Jiang Qiu’s unfocused gaze sharpened. He narrowed his eyes, glancing at the few Grandmasters who remained on guard, then down at General Mo and Lin Yu’s disciple who were calling out in his defense.

’My uncontrollable transformation into the Dragon Form must be the influence of the rain summoned by [Chen],’ he thought. ’It has no real combat effectiveness, but it seems weakening me wasn’t his goal anyway.’

’Sowing discord is the key!’

’Because of the rush, I don’t have any new identification on me. I haven’t even been registered in the system. To put it bluntly, besides the people who’ve seen me in person, who would recognize me?’

’In this state, I don’t even look like I’m from the Human Race. Besides, I didn’t know any of these big shots back when I was in Gao Yuan City. I have no connections to them. Even if I were in my human form, they might not be able to tell who I am!’

’Before, I had Zhao Qian to vouch for me, but now he’s gone to defend the western sector. However...’

"Are you afraid to look me in the eye?"

Jiang Qiu’s proud and icy gaze fell upon Grandmaster Han’s face. He unleashed his Dragon Race aura without reservation, like a king looking down upon his domain, reminiscent of [Chen] when he had first appeared, fearlessly facing a host of powerful foes alone.

As he spoke these words, many of the Grandmasters who had arrived later were stunned. Below, the numerous Martial Artists below the Dharma Realm also looked on with blank confusion.

What did he mean by that?

"A mere Fusion Realm expert. Such shameless boasting!"

Grandmaster Han revealed his strength as a Dao Entry Realm expert. In this part of the world, the downpour came to a screeching halt, as if caught in a mire. The terrifying suppressive power of his Realm crashed down from the heavens.

He condensed the Vast Water Spirit Charm in his right hand, intending to slap Jiang Qiu to death. But just then, a Dragon’s Roar echoed through the air. Grandmaster Han’s body trembled, and the rain, which had slowed to a near-standstill, suddenly accelerated for a moment before gradually slowing down again.

A dignified Grandmaster was scared into trembling by a single roar from a Fusion Realm "Great Demon"?!

At that moment, General Mo and the personal disciple, who had been clenching their fists with furrowed brows, were on the verge of being scared out of their wits, seeing that Han refused to listen to reason. But then their fear was violently reined in. Their sharp gazes instantly locked onto Grandmaster Han. "Something’s not right!" General Mo exclaimed. "You just revealed a Demon Race aura!"

The situation reversed in an instant. Nearly every Grandmaster present turned their blades toward the stone-faced Grandmaster Han, their killing intent overflowing!

When Jiang Qiu had suddenly appeared in the central district revealing a Dragon Race aura, he hadn’t done anything or killed anyone. So, everyone had merely been suspicious and remained on guard, not attacking immediately.

After the explanation from General Mo and Lin Yu’s disciple, they had more or less understood the situation. After all, what kind of Great Demon would so brazenly expose itself in the enemy’s most heavily-defended area?

But Grandmaster Han had just revealed a genuine Demon Race aura—startled out of him by the Dragon’s Roar—before he instantly retracted it!

He was hiding it!