# Chapter 318: Prey

Everyone turned toward the source of the roar.

Floating in the sky in that direction was a grotesque Feral Beast, its body ashen-white, with eerie green flames licking across its surface.

The Aberration beast turned its gaze toward Li Qinghe's group, and its terrible pressure drained the color from their faces.

Against a Saint-level powerhouse, even inscribed Sovereign Grade genes offered little resistance.

Li Qinghe made an instant decision. She pulled out a golden Talisman and channeled Spirit Power into it. Golden radiance bloomed outward, enveloping everyone and forming a shield around them.

The moment the shield solidified, a torrent of green flame crashed down from above.

The golden shield flickered and held, keeping the fire at bay — but the plateau beneath them wasn't so fortunate. The ground melted away, leaving a crater dozens of kilometers wide where they'd been standing.

Horror filled their eyes. The destructive power of a Battle Saint-level creature was staggering. Without that Saint Grade shield, they wouldn't have survived a single strike.

Li Qinghe hastily produced a silver-white Talisman and activated it. Spatial energy wrapped around the group.

In the next instant, they vanished.

They reappeared thousands of kilometers away.

Taking in the thorns and Feral Beasts surrounding them, Li Qinghe and the others exchanged looks of alarm.

Si Tingyu's brow furrowed deeply. "Qinghe, what happened?! Why did we teleport so close?"

Li Qinghe's face was grim. "Space is being disrupted. That Aberration beast seems to possess spatial power as well."

"What?!"

The color drained from their faces.

Just then, an enraged roar echoed across the sky. The terrifying aura of the Saint Grade Aberration beast was closing in — fast.

Wang Lingling frowned. "This isn't good. That beast has locked onto us."

"Try another spatial Talisman!"

Shuangyue made a snap decision, pulling out a silver-white Talisman and activating it.

But they found themselves displaced by only a few thousand kilometers again.

For ordinary people, a few thousand kilometers was an enormous distance. For a Saint-level powerhouse, it was mere breaths away.

"It's no use. That thing's spatial interference extends too far — spatial Talismans can't get us out."

Shuangyue's brow creased as she spoke.

Amy blinked. "How about we call the big liar and have him come save us?"

Everyone paused, then Li Qinghe hurriedly pulled out a Communication Crystal.

The connection went through quickly, and Lu Yuan's face appeared on its surface.

Li Qinghe called out in a frantic rush, "Yuan! Save us! There's an Aberration Beast Tide here! Someone opened Spatial Rifts, and a whole bunch of Feral Beasts have been Corrupted!"

Lu Yuan frowned on the crystal. "Where are you?"

"Thorn Plateau, west of Sky-Mending City."

Li Qinghe answered immediately. Beside her, Si Tingxue pulled out an acceleration Talisman, and the group sped away.

But the powerful Aberration beast's aura clung to them like a shadow, drawing ever closer. Even with a head start of several thousand kilometers, a Saint Grade Aberration beast would have little trouble running them down.

Lu Yuan identified their location quickly and ended the call.

Knowing he was on his way, the group let out a small breath of relief.

Si Tingyu glanced back at the terrifying beast looming in the sky behind them, her expression grave. "We just need to hold out until Yuan gets here."

"Right."

Everyone nodded — but barely a few breaths later, Lu Yuan's figure materialized before them out of thin air.

The sight of him stunned them for a moment before their faces broke into delighted smiles.

Li Qinghe beamed. "Yuan?! How did you get here so fast?!"

Lu Yuan: "???"

*Why does that sound so weird?*

Something about the phrasing struck him as oddly uncomfortable. His gaze swept over their disheveled state, and he couldn't help but smile. "Looks like you've been having a rough time."

Si Tingyu spoke up urgently. "Yuan, that Aberration beast is almost here! Be careful."

The words had barely left her mouth when a furious roar tore through the air. Green flames of terrifying intensity surged toward them, burning everything in their path.

At the same time, Li Qinghe and the others felt the surrounding space solidify, as though some force had frozen it in place.

They looked at Lu Yuan with anxious eyes.

Then they noticed something strange. The green fire raining down from above had stopped — hovering several hundred meters overhead, unable to descend any further. They couldn't even feel its heat.

Li Qinghe's group stared, eyes wide with disbelief.

Under their astonished gazes, Lu Yuan simply looked up at the Saint Grade Aberration beast in the sky.

A flash of grayish-white light — and in the next instant, the beast that had been relentlessly hunting them went still. Its lifeless body plummeted from the sky.

"????"

The spatial lockdown dissolved instantly. They watched the corpse drift downward, their minds unable to keep up.

*What just happened?!*

That was a Saint-level Aberration beast!

What did he do? Why did it just... die?

They all knew Lu Yuan had grown incredibly powerful, but this defied comprehension.

An awkward silence fell. No one could process the fact that Lu Yuan had killed that Saint Grade Aberration beast as casually as swatting a fly.

After a beat, Li Qinghe was the first to recover. She stared at Lu Yuan, eyes sparkling. "Yuan! How did you kill it?! You didn't even move, and it just died??"

The others watched him with equal curiosity.

Amy exclaimed, "Yeah, yeah! Big liar, how'd you do that??"

Lu Yuan smiled. "It's nothing special — just a death-type Combat Technique that reaps life. That Saint Grade Aberration beast was far too weak compared to me. It couldn't resist."

"A death-type Combat Technique that reaps life? 'Far too weak' compared to you?" Shuangyue couldn't help but grumble. "We were running for our lives from that thing. The way you put it makes us sound pathetic."

Lu Yuan gave her a strange look. "...Shuangyue, when exactly did you get the impression that you weren't?"

In all fairness, even Battle Emperors were considered thoroughly ordinary in the Upper Layer of the Land of Origin. The weakest cultivators here were Battle Kings, Battle Saints were plentiful, and while War Gods were rare, they certainly existed.

Shuangyue: "???"

It wasn't just her — the others' expressions froze as well. Li Qinghe shot Lu Yuan a sidelong glance.

"So now you look down on your sisters for being weak."

Si Tingyu studied the spear in her hand, her face serious. "Yuan's right. We really aren't strong. We need to train harder."

Si Tingxue and Rebecca had already grown accustomed to having their confidence demolished during their time with Lu Yuan. Their mental fortitude was excellent — they simply pretended they hadn't heard a thing.

Amy, on the other hand, grinned with a hint of pride. "Hehehe~ But I'm still young! I've got plenty of room to grow. And besides, isn't that what you're here for, big liar?"

Wang Lingling glanced at Amy, then offered a gentle smile. "My lady, you're the only person who can be so proud of being weak."

Amy's cheeks flushed. She looked around at the others and cleared her throat. "I-I'm not proud of it!"

A flicker of melancholy crossed Yeye's eyes. Not so long ago, she had been stronger than Lu Yuan. She never imagined that in just a few short years, he would surpass her by such an enormous margin.

She was happy for him, truly — but the growing gap between them left an ache in her chest.

Beside her, Small White felt like curling up and disappearing. Was she... the weakest one here?

Lu Yuan noticed the shift in their moods and realized he might have gone too far. After all, Li Qinghe and the others were genuinely talented and had worked incredibly hard. Compared to most people, they were already formidable. Measuring them against himself wasn't fair.

He was different — he had the Evolution Cube. That was the only reason he'd grown so powerful. By any normal standard, they were already remarkably strong.

After a moment's thought, he cleared his throat. "Actually, you're all quite strong. You've each inscribed Transcendent Genes above your own level, after all. And I'll be here to help going forward. You'll definitely become powerful."

Li Qinghe's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled at him. "That's a promise, you know. Your big sister is holding you to it."

Lu Yuan looked at her and shook his head with a helpless smile. "Hold away."

"Ugh, something reeks of sugar over here."

Shuangyue wrinkled her nose at the two of them in exaggerated disgust.

Li Qinghe rolled her eyes. "Why don't you try it yourself?"

Shuangyue let out a sly laugh. "Oh, I'd prefer something... muskier."

Li Qinghe: "???"

Her mind short-circuited. Shuangyue's shamelessness was too much even for her, and her face turned a deep scarlet.

"You absolute deviant!"

Lu Yuan's expression remained perfectly innocent.

*What are they talking about? Sounds awfully sophisticated. I don't understand a word of it.*

Amy and Yeye looked equally bewildered, while the others' cheeks tinted pink — neither of those two had any filter, apparently.

Si Tingyu, Wang Lingling, and Small White at least had some understanding of such matters. Si Tingxue and Rebecca, having firsthand experience, naturally understood all too well.

Only Yeye and Amy remained blissfully oblivious.

After the awkward pause, Si Tingyu steered the conversation elsewhere, her cheeks still faintly flushed. "The Aberration activity here seems severe. Yuan, what should we do?"

Lu Yuan surveyed the area where the Aberration energy was most concentrated, his eyes narrowing slightly as a smile formed. "Just hunt Feral Beasts as you normally would. I'll handle the rest."

As he spoke, a dark figure stepped out of his shadow — his Shadow Divine Messenger.

"This is my Shadow Divine Messenger. It possesses eighty percent of my combat power. With it guarding you, you won't be in any danger."

Eighty percent of Lu Yuan's power meant instant death for even a Battle Saint. And if a War God appeared, Lu Yuan was confident he could use Spatial Rift to spirit the group to safety.

Everyone studied the pitch-black figure with fascination.

Li Qinghe, Yeye, and Small White all wielded dark-type powers, making them especially curious about the Shadow Divine Messenger. They could sense an extraordinarily pure darkness emanating from it — a profound, mysterious force that sent shivers through them.

The three exchanged glances, shock written across their faces.

"This Shadow Divine Messenger is incredibly powerful!"

Li Qinghe exclaimed, then looked at Lu Yuan. "Is this a Saint Grade gene?"

Lu Yuan smiled. "Divine Grade."

Everyone: "???"

Silence. Their minds went blank, the words *Divine Grade gene* echoing endlessly.

A Divine Grade gene — that meant Lu Yuan was destined to reach War God.

They had always believed he would get there eventually, but none of them had imagined he would inscribe a Divine Grade gene this soon.

Li Qinghe and Si Tingyu knew Lu Yuan could evolve his genes, yet even they hadn't expected him to produce a Divine Grade gene so quickly. The shock was immense.

Seeing their stunned silence, Lu Yuan smiled. "I'll head out now. The sooner I deal with the Aberration Source, the better — otherwise, the Gene Warriors in this area will suffer heavy casualties."

Everyone snapped back to attention and nodded.

Li Qinghe looked at him. "Go ahead, Yuan. Be careful."

Lu Yuan nodded, then vanished.

Deep within Thorn Plateau, two Spatial Rifts hung suspended in the air. Cascades of green flame poured from them, incinerating every thorn in the vicinity. The eerie emerald glow suffused the entire area, painting even the dim sky above in sickly green.

Near the rifts, two newly anointed Apostles of the Heavenly Calamity Cult hovered in the air, standing guard.

One was a towering figure with gray-iron skin and a single massive eye — an Iron Cyclops. The other was a strikingly beautiful human woman.

The Iron Cyclops stood with arms crossed, his green robes snapping in the wind. Green flames burned within the solitary eye that dominated half his face as he spoke in a slow, deliberate tone.

"We've caused quite a commotion here. It'll definitely draw the Battle Saints of the Upper Layer. We'll wait right here — sit back and pick them off as they come." He let out a low chuckle. "The fewer Human Race Battle Saints remain, the weaker their resistance. Then our Heavenly Calamity Cult's missionary work — and the Corruption of star systems — will both go much more smoothly."

The human woman beside him had pale green hair drifting in the wind and wore a faint smile. "This is our first mission as Apostles. We need to make it a spectacular success — we can't disappoint the Bishop or Lady Xue Han."

"Relax. We won't."

The Iron Cyclops bared his teeth in a savage grin.

Just then, three powerful auras surged toward them at speed. Both turned to look.

The Iron Cyclops sneered.

"The prey has taken the bait."