Chapter 2: The Pinnacle’s Fall

As Liu Hui’s thoughts ran wild, the battle outside the town gates had already erupted, its intensity growing with each passing moment.

“Two Level 10 wind-element mutant apes have breached the outer defenses and entered the town! Everyone, heighten your vigilance! All combat personnel who hear this broadcast, please swiftly proceed to the town gates to assist in the defense!”

From the tall watchtower, a scout’s urgent voice blared through the broadcast system, echoing across the small town.

Level 10? Two of them? Liu Hui and the others blanched, questioning for the first time whether seeking refuge here had been the right choice.

They had never encountered a Level 10 mutant beast before, and now they faced two—intelligent, top-speed wind-element apes, no less. A single misstep could mean their demise today.

“Don’t panic. Come closer to me.” A clear, gentle voice resonated, its tone authoritative and confident, imbued with a soothing magic. Instantly, Liu Hui and the others steadied themselves, unconsciously gravitating toward the voice’s owner.

Once everyone had gathered around him, Shui Jingxuan offered a faint smile. His compelling aura fully unleashed, the air immediately surrounding him grew humid and viscous, coalescing into a swirling white mist.

This mist drifted rapidly, spreading outward until, within mere minutes, the entire town was enveloped, transforming into a shallow, ethereal, pale white space.

“It’s the leader’s White Domain! The leader has made his move!” The scout in the watchtower was overjoyed, spontaneously cheering aloud.

With the rising of this dense fog, the combat personnel, who had been poised for battle, completely relaxed.

White Domain? Liu Hui and the others were already terror-stricken, their gall nearly bursting from the sudden, overwhelming aura Shui Jingxuan had unleashed. Hearing the cheers from the broadcast now only deepened their horror.

A Domain—this was a skill rumored to be possessed only by Level 12 powerhouses. Though the town was small, covering an area of over 20 square kilometers, Shui Jingxuan’s Domain could completely encompass it.

This suggested he was not merely Level 12, but very likely at the pinnacle of Level 12.

This conjecture was too shocking, leaving Liu Hui and the others dumbfounded. For the first time, they realized how ridiculous their former arrogance, their self-proclaimed mastery, truly was.

In the brief seconds of their distraction, Shui Jingxuan, utilizing the omnipresent water molecules, had already pinpointed the two wind-element apes concealed near the town gates.

His thin lips curved slightly as he slowly parted them, murmuring softly, “Freeze.”

Two shrill ape cries suddenly pierced the air, only to vanish instantly.

Within the thick fog, visibility extended only about two meters.

Liu Hui and the others huddled close to Shui Jingxuan, their expressions panicked as they glanced around, yet they remained utterly bewildered by the horrifying intensity of those cries.

Shui Jingxuan simply stood there, casually uttering the word ‘freeze.’ Could that truly be enough to instantly freeze two Level 10 mutant apes?

This clearly exceeded the comprehension of Liu Hui and his companions. Without witnessing it firsthand, they simply could not believe anyone could be so formidable.

“Explode!” Indifferent to the intense, probing gazes fixed upon him by Liu Hui and the others, Shui Jingxuan smiled faintly, his next word sounding as clear and melodious as a chant.

Two muffled thuds echoed in succession.

The dense fog dissipated with astonishing speed, revealing the open ground five meters away where the two mutant apes had burst into bloody fragments. Among the gore, specks of white, un-melted ice shimmered.

Liu Hui and the others turned deathly pale, staring blankly as the cleanup crew retrieved two large, pale green crystal cores from the remnants.

The crystal cores pulsed with layers of energy, their intense fluctuations unequivocally confirming them to be Level 10 wind-element cores.

To casually utter four words and instantly obliterate two Level 10 mutant beasts—what did this signify? It meant the man before them could eliminate a Level 11 powerhouse in the blink of an eye!

Liu Hui and the others stiffly turned their necks, their eyes wide with terror as they gazed at the gently smiling, elegant young man beside them.

“I forgot to tell Senior Brother, I am at the pinnacle of Level 12.” Shui Jingxuan gently placed a hand on Liu Hui’s shoulder, leaning close to his ear. His voice turned chilling.

“I know Senior Brother is clever and proud, but since you’ve chosen to seek refuge with me, Senior Brother, you should put aside your arrogance. Those who are restless will be eliminated by me!” This was a stark, undeniable warning.

With his words delivered, Shui Jingxuan’s eyes lost their chill. He smiled brightly and strolled away. After he departed, the logistics personnel quickly took charge of the newly joined group of four, leading them away for arrangements.

This formidable display of power thoroughly terrified the other three, prompting them to live cautiously and humbly thereafter. However, it carved a deep wound into Liu Hui’s proud heart.

This wound festered daily, corroded by jealousy and inferiority, turning into a pool of venom, waiting for an opportunity to erupt and poison the one who had inflicted it.

***

Even in the apocalypse, where days felt like years, time still flew by. Five years passed in a flash, and the town remained the same picturesque place, its size unchanged.

“Leader, we now possess ample strength. You are still a Level 12 pinnacle powerhouse; who can contend with you if you step out? They say heroes emerge in troubled times.

You should lead our brothers out, stand at the very top, instead of cooping ourselves up in this desolate place.” In the town’s council hall, a burly man with a thick beard spoke in an exceptionally loud voice.

His words immediately sparked a chorus of agreement. Roughly half of the people in the hall expressed their support, while the other half remained silent, merely turning their heads to look at the man seated at the head of the table.

Five years had left no trace on Shui Jingxuan’s face; he remained as elegant and pristine as ever.

He closed his eyes slightly, leaning languidly back in the high-backed chair, his pale fingertips rhythmically tapping the armrest, producing a soft ‘tap-tap’ sound. He was clearly deep in thought.

After a long moment, he parted his lips and slowly spoke,

“A few days ago, I hunted a Level 12 pinnacle water-element mutant beast and obtained a Level 12 water-element crystal core. Once I absorb the core, I might be able to advance further. We can discuss leaving the town after my promotion.”

He opened his dark eyes, bright as cold stars, and they gleamed with soaring ambition. Any man with ability would desire to climb to the world’s summit, to pursue the highest realm; he was no exception.

Advance further? Wouldn’t that mean breaking through the limits of powerhouses? At that point, the leader would undoubtedly be the strongest person in the world!

As his words fell, gasps of astonishment rippled through the council hall. The admiration and adoration for their leader reached its peak. To follow such a powerhouse, they felt incredibly fortunate.

Among the excited followers, one man’s face was beaming with joy, yet his eyes betrayed an ingrained malevolence. This was Liu Hui, who had sought refuge with Shui Jingxuan five years prior.

Always competitive and unwilling to be subservient, he had trained relentlessly over the past five years, always charging to the front lines during mutant beast kills, completely disregarding his own life.

Consequently, his gains were substantial; he successively obtained several high-grade metal-element crystal cores and finally reached the pinnacle of Level 11, becoming the town’s second strongest.

Liu Hui had believed his strength was merely a hair’s breadth from Shui Jingxuan’s. Since Shui Jingxuan had not advanced further in years, he thought catching up or even surpassing him was only a matter of time.

He never expected to hear such explosive news today.

How formidable would Shui Jingxuan become after breaking through Level 12? The mere thought made Liu Hui feel as if a mountain pressed down on him, suffocating him.

Could he ever surpass his opponent in this lifetime? He felt a pang of despair.

‘Perhaps Shui Jingxuan’s advancement won’t succeed,’ he thought, ‘Perhaps he will suffer a backlash and perish.’ Liu Hui mused hopefully, a glint flashing in his murky eyes. Why not turn these ‘perhapses’ into ‘certainties’?

Once malevolence arose, it proved impossible to suppress. As he repeatedly imagined Shui Jingxuan perishing, bathed in blood, Liu Hui’s heart swelled with a twisted sense of pleasure.

When he heard Shui Jingxuan’s departing command for him and Cui Ling to guard him, he bowed his head in assent, a wide smirk spreading across his lips.

Inside the secret room, Shui Jingxuan’s expression was serene. He sat cross-legged on the cold concrete floor, holding a water-element crystal core in his hands, unleashing his ability to guide the energy within the core into his body.

As a water-element ability user, his blood, meridians, and bone marrow had been re-refined on the very day his ability awakened. His physique differed from other ability users, sparing him the excruciating pain of advancement.

Moreover, he had lingered at the pinnacle of Level 12 for a long time; with the right catalyst, advancement would be a natural progression. Thus, he harbored no doubt of failure.

However, he had considered many factors, but forgotten to account for human nature. Perhaps the ambition to grow stronger had blinded him, or perhaps Liu Hui’s performance over the past five years had been too flawless.

At this moment, he was completely unguarded, entrusting his life to a wolf in human skin.

Just as Shui Jingxuan was about to absorb the last trace of energy from the crystal core into his body, a sudden change occurred.

The crystal core in his hands was struck by a golden light beam, falling to the ground and shattering into powder, its final wisp of energy dissipating into the air.

The abrupt disruption threw Shui Jingxuan’s mind into chaos; the colossal energy, now uncontrolled, surged wildly within his body, wreaking havoc on his internal organs.

Spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood, Shui Jingxuan opened his eyes and glared fiercely in the direction from which the light beam had come. There, Liu Hui stood at the entrance of the secret room, arms crossed, watching him with cold indifference.

“It’s you!”

The immense energy forcibly escaped his body, and tiny beads of blood began to seep from Shui Jingxuan’s pores. Within seconds, he was covered in blood.

Enduring the intense pain, he spoke in a deep voice, his tone imbued with defeat, regret, and unwillingness.

“It’s me,” Liu Hui replied nonchalantly, stepping inside.

“Cui Ling? Has she betrayed me too?” Shui Jingxuan swallowed the metallic sweetness that welled in his throat. Though his words formed a question, his tone was certain. At this point, what was there left for him not to understand?

“Cui Ling has been mine for three years,” Liu Hui said with a faint smile, certain that his opponent was severely wounded and powerless to retaliate.

He walked over to Shui Jingxuan, looking down at his disheveled figure. “You shouldn’t trust a woman,” he declared arrogantly.

Shui Jingxuan scoffed, nodding in agreement. “Indeed. However, I should have trusted you even less. To fall to this state today, I can only blame my own poor judgment; no one else is to blame.”

Liu Hui smiled.

“You’re right. Did you truly believe you were an omnipotent savior? Fantasizing about becoming the strongest and conquering the world? What a joke! Excessive power has made you blind and arrogant; you can no longer see yourself clearly.”

Shui Jingxuan struggled to support himself, shakily rising to his feet. His blood-stained hand gripped Liu Hui’s shoulder as he chuckled, gasping for breath.

“Heh heh, Senior Brother speaks with great reason. Powerful strength can indeed make one blind and arrogant, leading them to lose sight of themselves. I now return those words to you.”

As he finished speaking, he suddenly tightened his grip, pulling Liu Hui’s body close. He whispered into his ear, “Senior Brother probably doesn’t know, does he? A Level 12 powerhouse has one final skill—self-detonation.”

Liu Hui was horrified, his face contorting for a moment. Before he could break free from the other’s grasp, a colossal surge of energy erupted from Shui Jingxuan’s body.

After a deafening roar, everything within a five-mile radius of the secret room was leveled, forming a circular crater. The two men, locked together, were obliterated into nothingness by the immense energy blast.

The two strongest individuals in the town, consumed by internal strife, died without even a speck of their remains. Their end was truly lamentable.

Meanwhile, in another world, within the Demonic Sect, in a dilapidated wooden house, an eight or nine-year-old boy, long thought dead, miraculously opened his eyes once more, returning to the land of the living.