Who was that person? Granny looked at the silver-haired man; she had absolutely no impression of him. A butterfly knife and silver hair were rare features, yet she couldn't recall him at all. Was he not a native?
"Ah, my blade is dull. I didn't have time to polish it, so I could only exert about fifty percent of my combat power," the silver-haired man said, feigning regret, then glanced at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin's eyes flashed. He raised his hand and looked at his palm, "My hand is dirty, so I could only exert about forty percent of my combat power."
The silver-haired man was speechless. Was that even a reason?
"Classmate, we've met for the second time. Introduce yourself. I'm Yin," the silver-haired man said to Lu Yin with a smile, grinning like a fox.
Lu Yin smiled faintly, "I'm Yatta, from Tata planet. My grandfather is the headmaster."
Yin exclaimed in awe, "A headmaster, huh? A second-generation student... no, a third-generation student. Congratulations, congratulations."
Lu Yin smiled, "You're too kind. I like your silver hair."
"Hahahaha, I like it too. Oh, right, I have something to attend to. See you again if fate allows, Classmate Yatta," Yin said courteously.
Lu Yin smiled, "See you again if fate allows, Yin."
Soon, Yin disappeared into the horizon.
Granny flew behind Lu Yin, asking doubtfully, "Which school is he from?"
Lu Yin shook his head, "I don't know. Let's go."
"Wait a moment, aren't you going to take the energy crystal?" Granny extended her hand. In her palm, a finger-sized white crystal reflected light under the sun. "Although this type of energy crystal isn't suitable for absorption, it can be used as a power source for technological weapons. The price isn't bad; it is a Fusion Realm creature after all."
Lu Yin took it without hesitation. "Let's go, keep moving," he said, then took Granny and flew north.
The energy crystals in the bodies of Earth's evolved creatures were considered low-grade energy crystals in the universe. Even Ranger cultivators who absorbed energy crystals directly wouldn't use them; they contained too many impurities and significantly affected cultivation progress. They were useless to Lu Yin himself.
The dice were also picky eaters; they didn't absorb low-grade energy crystals. Lu Yin intended to store many of them and then sell them for Star Energy crystals.
Yin flew eastward, stopping after a distance. He turned back, his eyes filled with doubt. "What kind of combat skill was that? Someone who just broke through to the Explorer Realm was actually able to block me. It's an unfamiliar combat skill, but it's very strong. I need to investigate further when I get back."
The apocalypse had arrived, and countless ordinary people in the capital had turned into Zombies. The entire national leadership stratum had perished in a massive explosion, leaving the capital leaderless. Fortunately, Zhang Ding Tian, the head of the Seven Saints, stepped forward to suppress the chaos and disperse the Zombies. Only then was the capital preserved, though even so, only less than a third of its area remained, the rest completely fallen into the hands of the enemy amidst an endless tide of corpses.
The capital's population was too large, with nearly ten million Zombies, far exceeding Jinling. Even though more than half a year had passed, Zhang Ding Tian, in conjunction with over a hundred thousand evolved people in the capital, still couldn't eradicate these Zombies.
The capital was like a giant beast surrounded by countless ants, clearly possessing the strength to crush the ants, yet it was trapped and unable to move.
The capital base was fortified with ten-meter-high steel walls on all sides. On the steel city walls, numerous evolved people stood guard densely, calmly watching the wandering corpse hordes in the distance.
The city gates occasionally opened, and evolved people riding armored vehicles rented from the military rushed out, intending to collect useful supplies outside the city.
Not long after, the city gates opened again, and an armored vehicle burst into the city.
On the steel city wall, a centurion curiously asked, "Didn't that armored vehicle just leave?"
Beside him, another centurion said, "It's normal. They encountered a powerful mutated beast, some people died, and the rest came back to regroup."
Many survivors gathered near the steel city wall, dressed in rags, most of them starved to skin and bones. As soon as the armored vehicle rushed in, they hurriedly swarmed around it, but the armored vehicle didn't stop at all, nearly running into people.
Inside the vehicle, Paris's eyes sparkled. "This kind of primitive hot weapon I've only seen in textbooks. I never thought I'd get to operate one someday. It's quite docile."
Willow smiled, "If you like it, take one back."
Behind them, Bailey's expression was serious. He looked inside the capital, where a fierce energy periodically emanated, making even his heart pound.
"Willow, who's the strongest person in the capital?" Bailey asked. Originally, he didn't care, but today he felt something different.
Willow said, "A person named Zhang Ding Tian, known as the 'Mad Blade Flower Saint.' He's the head of the Seven Saints."
Bailey's eyes grew solemn.
Willow glanced at Bailey, "Don't worry about it. The strongest of this planet's Seven Saints are merely in the Explorer Realm, barely surpassing some elite disciples. They're far behind you and me."
Bailey ignored Willow. Among the three, only he felt that fierce power, appearing and disappearing, clearly very far yet also very close.
The armored vehicle charged straight through, ignoring the soldiers' warnings, and headed directly to the south of the city, the location of the large explosion.
The area where the explosion occurred in the south of the city had long been sealed off, with a myriad-commander guarding it.
When the armored vehicle appeared, it was immediately intercepted. Paris excitedly drove the vehicle directly into the obstruction.
"How dare you!" a loud shout rang out. A Earth-rank myriad-commander attacked, leaping high towards the armored vehicle.
Willow looked up and casually flicked his finger. The fierce wind tore through the air, piercing the myriad-commander, who fell to the ground severely wounded. The surrounding soldiers were terrified.
The armored vehicle stopped, and the three of them—Bailey, Willow, and Paris—stepped out, looking at the crater filled with fiery red magma not far away. Even the air above it was distorted.
"This is the place. A big explosion brought evolution to this planet, but the corpse is gone," Willow said in a deep voice.
Bailey's eyes were thoughtful. The crater was filled with magma; even if there were clues, they would have been incinerated. They couldn't get any information from here. "It seems we can only find the capital's leader, that first of the Seven Saints."
Willow smiled faintly, "I'll go capture him."
Bailey was about to speak, but suddenly his eyes narrowed. He looked up. At the same time, Willow and Paris also looked up. Unbeknownst to them, a man was quietly standing in the sky, looking down at them with cold eyes.
Seeing this scene, Bailey's pupils constricted, his expression more serious than ever before.
"When did this person appear?" Paris was surprised.
In the sky, the man held a saber in his right hand and slowly descended.
The surrounding soldiers saluted in unison, "Greetings, Flower Saint."
The three of them—Bailey, Willow, and Paris—looked on in surprise. Was this Zhang Ding Tian?
"Everyone, retreat," Zhang Ding Tian said calmly. All the surrounding soldiers immediately retreated in an orderly fashion.
The three of them carefully scrutinized Zhang Ding Tian. His appearance was ordinary, not particularly strong or muscular. There were no overly obvious scars on his body. On the surface, there was nothing extraordinary about him. But there was one thing: this person as a whole gave off a very dominant feeling. They didn't know how he appeared, but all three felt his dominance, perhaps because of that saber.
"Are you from the Starry Sky?" Zhang Ding Tian calmly looked at the three of them and said indifferently.
Willow stepped forward a few paces, "Yes, we are from the Starry Sky. We have something to ask you."
Zhang Ding Tian's gaze swept past Willow and landed on Bailey, "Leave the capital, do not step inside."
Bailey's eyes narrowed.
Willow was enraged. This person actually ignored him. "I have something to ask you. Didn't you hear me?"
Zhang Ding Tian's gaze swept towards Willow. "Before you leave, as punishment for disturbing the capital, each of you will take one of my saber strikes." Having said that, he didn't wait for the three to reply. He raised his hand and struck with his saber. The first strike went towards Willow.
Beep, beep, beep, beep
Paris's personal communicator suddenly blared. She looked down, and her expression changed drastically. "Willow, watch out! He's a Locked Realm powerhouse!"
Willow's expression changed. Before his eyes, a seemingly ordinary saber strike became terrifyingly powerful. Everything in the world disappeared. In his eyes, there was only that saber, getting closer and closer. Willow's pupils constricted. He raised his palm and roared, "Sky-Rending Palm!" The air vibrated, forming a wave of energy that blasted forward.
Zhang Ding Tian's saber strike cleaved through mid-air, blocked by the Sky-Rending Palm. A fierce pressure suddenly erupted, spreading in all directions. The ground was shattered. Paris's breathing hitched, and she quickly retreated. The violent pressure swept into the sky, dispersing the clouds, and even lifting the molten rock in the crater not far away.
In the distance, countless soldiers watched this scene in shock. Every time the Flower Saint made a move, it was so awe-inspiring.
Willow gritted his teeth, disbelievingly looking at Zhang Ding Tian, who was only a few meters away. A native, how could a mere native be so strong? A Locked Realm powerhouse, there was actually such a monstrous talent among the natives.
Behind him, Bailey made his move, punching towards Zhang Ding Tian.
Zhang Ding Tian's eyes narrowed. His long saber swept horizontally. The flat of the blade struck Bailey's fist wind. An arc of energy shot out, destroying the distant ruins and tearing open the ground. The surging energy vibrated with a rumble. Willow was immediately pushed back, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Bailey used this force to retreat. Zhang Ding Tian remained motionless, still maintaining his saber-swinging posture. His gaze shifted towards Paris, and his blade coiled again, unleashing another strike