Chapter 121: On the Warship (Part-20)

A terrifying aura swallowed the sky as torrents of scorching magma burst forth out of thin air.

Even though there was no ground beneath them, the Mountain Splitting still unleashed its full might. Flames roared, magma surged, and the air itself seemed to boil as the violent energy swept through the heavens.

The entire sky turned into a sea of fire, as if hell itself had opened its gates. Even from afar, the heat was unbearable, searing the skin and choking the breath.

The Upper Exalts of the Skeleton Warship were instantly thrown into panic.

Fear flooded their faces as they desperately looked around for a way out.

But there was nowhere to escape. In a sky engulfed by flames and magma, retreat was nothing more than a fantasy.

In that instant, regret consumed them.

They regretted underestimating Ryan.

They regretted treating him as nothing more than an impulsive youth. But regret was useless. There was no second chance waiting for them.

The sky continued to tremble as the magma storm swallowed everything in its path. A scorching stench filled the air as bodies were incinerated, reduced to ash that scattered and vanished into the void. In the blink of an eye, the battlefield was wiped clean.

When the flames finally faded and the temperature began to drop, silence fell.

More than twenty Upper Exalts were gone.

Not injured. Not defeated.

Erased.

Prompt after prompt rang out in Ryan’s mind, each one announcing the death of an Upper Exalt and the massive experience gained. The flood of notifications made his heart surge with exhilaration, and an overwhelming sense of pride rose within him.

So this was his strength.

So this was the answer to the doubt.

Behind him, Elder Lu finally caught up. He stared at the empty sky ahead, his mind completely blank. He rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing. The lingering smell of scorching heat and drifting black ash told him this was no illusion.

More than twenty Upper Exalts… annihilated in a single strike.

Even he, a Lord rank expert, could not accomplish something like that so cleanly.

What shocked him even more was the golden-masked Lord rank expert still floating ahead. Though alive, the man’s once-majestic appearance was gone. His clothes were tattered, his body blackened, his hair scorched. He looked nothing like the imposing emperor he had been moments ago.

Ryan’s strike had not only wiped out the Upper Exalts. It had injured a Lord rank expert.

An Upper Exalt injuring a Lord rank expert. Crossing such a vast realm gap.

Elder Lu’s heart shook violently. At this moment, he finally understood that Ryan had not been boasting. If anyone could fight alongside him against this golden-masked enemy, it was Ryan.

Elsewhere, the Western Mansion examiners who had been preparing to retreat were drawn by the earth-shaking explosion. When they looked up and saw the aftermath, they froze midair. Their retreat plans vanished from their minds as they stared in stunned silence.

More than twenty Upper Exalts had fallen, and even the golden-masked Lord rank expert had been wounded.

All of it… done by Ryan alone.

How could this be?

How could he possibly be this strong?

Moments ago, many of the Western Mansion examiners still doubted him, believing that facing a Lord rank expert head-on was nothing more than courting death.

Now, not a single person dared to voice that thought again.

With one strike, Ryan had erased more than twenty Upper Exalts and even wounded a Lord rank expert. Such a feat shattered all common sense. Among Upper Exalts, who else could accomplish something like this?

Ryan had proven himself with cold, undeniable facts. He was not boasting, nor was he acting on reckless courage. He truly possessed the strength to stand on the same battlefield as a Lord rank expert.

On the Void Warship, the candidates and the Western Mansion powerhouses were also watching the sky. Compared to the shock of the examiners above, their reactions were noticeably calmer. They had already witnessed too many miracles from Ryan during this battle.

From the moment the Reaper Bandits appeared until now, Ryan had overturned expectations again and again. They were no longer shocked, only quietly awed, almost numb to it all.

At this point, even if someone claimed that Ryan could defeat a Lord rank expert outright, many of them would nod without hesitation.

In the sky, the golden-masked Lord rank expert stared at his own miserable appearance, his heart filled with disbelief. He had never imagined that a young Upper Exalt could unleash such terrifying power. His name was Du Penghui, a One-Star Lord rank expert, only half a step away from the next realm. It had taken him sixty long years to cultivate to this level.

Before meeting Ryan, Du Penghui had been proud of himself. Reaching the Lord rank expert realm in sixty years made him a genius among geniuses in his own eyes. But now, facing Ryan, he felt as if those sixty years had been lived in vain.

Ryan was only in his youth, yet he had already reached the Upper Exalt realm and could slaughter dozens of Upper Exalts in a single blow. If such a monster were given a few more decades, what terrifying height would he reach?

For the first time, Du Penghui felt that he had truly encountered a prodigy beyond reason.

Thinking back, Du Penghui’s expression darkened. When Ryan had charged earlier, he had dismissed him completely. By the time he sensed the terrifying energy gathering in Ryan’s attack and tried to intervene, it was already too late. The deaths of those Upper Exalts were, in truth, the price of his own contempt.

If he had taken Ryan seriously from the start and killed him before that attack landed, none of this would have happened.

But the world had no room for “if only.”

“Who are you?” Du Penghui finally asked, his voice deep and weathered, carrying the weight of countless years and battles.

Ryan met his gaze calmly. “Who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’m the one who will end your life.”

Du Penghui sneered. “Young people, confidence is a virtue, but arrogance leads to an early grave. Tell me, are you confident… or simply arrogant?”

“Confident,” Ryan replied without hesitation.

Du Penghui shook his head with disdain. “In my eyes, you’re just arrogant. You killed a few Upper Exalts and think that means you can stand against me? That’s childish.”

To him, even a powerful ant was still just an ant.

“If he isn’t enough,” a voice cut in coldly, “what about me?”

Elder Lu had arrived at Ryan’s side.

Ryan turned and nodded. “Elder Lu.”

Elder Lu nodded back, then looked straight at Du Penghui. “I acknowledge this young man’s strength. He is qualified to stand with me against a strong enemy.”

Ryan clasped his fists. “Thank you, Elder Lu.”

“For now,” Elder Lu said quietly, “let’s focus on the enemy.”

Du Penghui burst into laughter. “You? Still able to fight? My Tianxuan Storm should have left you half-dead. The fact that you survived was already a miracle, and you still dare come back for more?”

“Whether I can fight or not,” Elder Lu replied coolly, “you’ll find out soon enough.”

He surged forward and struck out with a palm.

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