Chapter 142 System's Intervention
"There's no escape for you!" Long Tian snarled with a grin.
Hearing the voice again, Zhou Jun's panic escalated; a shroud of horror enveloped him. He spun around, only to find Long Tian advancing, his expression devoid of any friendliness.
"Stay still! Do you even know who my father is?" he shouted, his tone laced with menace.
"Why? Did your mother forget to tell you?" Long Tian sneered, utterly unimpressed by Zhou Jun's threat.
"You!" Zhou Jun seethed with anger.
Without wasting a moment, Long Tian leaped into the air and ruthlessly stomped on Zhou Jun's body.
A sickening "Crack!" echoed, signifying multiple ribs breaking.
Zhou Jun gasped, blood spewing from his mouth; agony consumed his entire being.
Each breath came with excruciating pain; his panic intensified. At this point, he couldn't even articulate a word; Long Tian's stomp had been brutal.
In this heart-stopping moment, Long Tian gripped Zhou Jun's neck, lifting him off the ground.
"I have no reason to kill you, but considering how irritating you are, it won't hurt to soil my hands this time," Long Tian declared, a cold ruthlessness tainting his tone.
Zhou Jun groaned, his expression contorted in agony under Long Tian's merciless grip. He felt Long Tian's fingers tightening further. It seemed that he was genuinely on the brink of ending his life.
'System, save me!' he pleaded desperately in his mind.
Suddenly, a peculiar light enveloped him, and he vanished instantaneously.
Long Tian stood there, dumbfounded, his gaze darting around, but Zhou Jun's presence had vanished.
"What the hell? He disappeared? How is that even possible?" he muttered, his forehead creasing in disbelief.
Every event had a cause, but he genuinely couldn't sense any energy indicating a technique or the like; Zhou Jun had seemingly vanished completely.
His mind was immediately clouded with possibilities, another protagonist apart from Qin Chen.
But he quickly dismissed that thought. Zhou Jun's aura felt significantly different from both Qin Chen and Ye Chen... Usually, he sensed something akin to luck and hope from them. But Zhou Jun's aura was more in line with his own.
Long Tian sighed, clearing all thoughts from his mind. The world was vast, and sudden disappearances like this were within the realm of possibility.
"At least I'll claim that crystal," he said, then made his way towards the rooftop of the building.
---
Meanwhile, inside a room in a luxurious villa...
"Cough!" Blood sprayed out forcefully with a single cough, flowing like a fountain.
Zhou Jun lay on the floor, gasping for air, the pain in his body excruciating.
[One life-saving opportunity for the host has been utilized. Next time, if you find yourself in such a position, system won't be able to intervene]
[You are not a protagonist, and fate does not favor you. System hopes the host will heed the system's advice and avoid S-level danger]
Zhou Jun could hear the system's voice clearly, but he didn't respond. Of course, he was grateful for it still being with him.
But on the other hand, he was genuinely unlucky to face the wrong opponent.
Usually, he wanted to teach a lesson or even kill people who angered him, but facing Long Tian... he felt pure terror.
There was no thought of revenge in his mind.
"System, do you know who that man is?" he asked, his voice weak.
[System can typically identify individuals you encounter. But oddly, the system couldn't identify that man]
Hearing this, Zhou Jun furrowed his brow; he couldn't express his surprise because his body hurt too much.
"Is he a protagonist?" he guessed.
[System didn't sense any characteristics of a protagonist in that man]
[But luckily, during your fight, I detected a Son of Luck]
Zhou Jun's eyebrows lifted in curiosity. "Who is that?" he inquired.
[Unfortunately, system still hasn't determined the name or identity of that Son of Luck]
Hearing this, Zhou Jun didn't inquire further. He would save his curiosity for later. Right now, he was too exhausted and in pain.
---
Back in Tianhai City...
Long Tian lay on the sandy ground, with Ling Han healing him with his techniques.
A green aura enveloped his body, gradually easing the pain and fatigue.
"It's quite rare to see you injured this badly; is that person really that strong?" Ling Han asked, his curiosity piqued.
"He's strong enough, but not enough to make me unleash my full power. I don't know why my demonic power isn't coming out even though I want it to," Long Tian replied.
"Perhaps your affinity for demonic power is lacking. I've had a conversation with Elder Long Jun; he mentioned that special training is needed to use demonic power. Since you've never learned it, that might be the cause," Ling Han explained.
"Well, that makes sense. I might visit the Heavenly Demon Sect someday," Long Tian said.
"And don't forget to bring me; I'll bring Long Shan. Mo Yuegang, that scoundrel, might still harbor resentment against you, young master," Ling Han suggested.
"I'm sure he's aware after that incident," Long Tian responded.
"Well, let's hope so," Ling Han nodded.
Long Tian lay back down as Ling Han continued his healing techniques.
------------
More than an hour had passed, and the Rampage had been successfully dealt with, leaving no soul beasts behind.
Cultivators from various factions had begun to return to their respective headquarters. However, many were still engaged in television broadcasts.
The news was hot as the city center of Tianhai had been completely transformed into a desert. Reporters explained that it would take at least 2 years to restore Tianhai's city center to its original form. The estimated national loss was also staggering, amounting to 10 trillion Yuan.
---
At this moment, Long Tian felt much better and was walking alongside Ling Han, Gu Jie, and many others, leaving Tianhai City.
The highways were covered in sand, slowing down their progress.
"Long Tian, you'll be graduating soon. Want to join the Emberwing Academy? Our philosophy revolves around wings and fire, which aligns perfectly with the Long family's criteria and your martial spirit, a dragon. I can recommend you directly to the Grand Elder; I'm sure you'll pass without any tests," Gu Jie suggested.
Long Tian smiled, shaking his head, "Thank you for your offer, but I might join the Xuantian Academy," he replied.
Gu Jie nodded, although slightly disappointed. "Well, I can't force you. Xuantian Academy is also an excellent institution," he said.
They chatted about various topics. However, Long Tian's gaze suddenly fell upon a long-haired man dressed as a cultivator, talking to a few people some distance ahead.
"Ohh, that's Senior Lu Zhen. It seems he hasn't returned to the Profound Heaven Academy yet. His performance against the giant monster was truly amazing," Gu Jie remarked, noticing Lu Zhen's presence.
The man in his thirties beside him responded, "Well, he's one of the few cultivators who have reached the legendary Transcendent realm. If I were at the same level, I could also face that monster."
"Heh, you're just dreaming," Gu Jie teased.
Long Tian ignored the two people beside him, his gaze still fixed on Lu Zhen. He was still curious about Lu Zhen's martial spirit.
Unnoticed by the crowd, he released the energy of Shen Long, his gaze fixated on Lu Zhen, awaiting his response.
To his surprise, Lu Zhen sensed the disturbance, scanning his surroundings before locking eyes with Long Tian.
A thin smile curled on Long Tian's lips, genuinely impressed by Lu Zhen's ability to perceive such a subtle energy presence.
In the next moment, Lu Zhen suddenly appeared before him, catching him shocked, including Gu Jie and the others.
Lu Zhen's sharp eyes bore into Long Tian. "I sensed a familiar aura earlier. Was it yours?" he inquired, his voice steady, belying the tension beneath.
A smirk played on Long Tian's lips. "Impressive. Not many can discern such a faint aura," he acknowledged, his tone laced with respect.
Lu Zhen's hand absentmindedly brushed his black beard. "Your face does strike a chord, kid. Long Zuandi's kin, I assume?" he questioned.
"He's my grandfather," Long Tian confirmed, a note of pride in his voice.
Lu Zhen nodded knowingly. "I suspected as much. Now, why did you emit that aura?" he probed, his tone growing more intense.
Gu Jie, noticing the tension, swiftly stepped in. "Um, Senior Lu Zhen, there might be a misunderstanding here. Long Tian probably emitted that aura unintentionally."
"He clearly released it with intent. Why? Are you intrigued by my martial spirit? I possess a dragon martial spirit, even though I'm not from the Long family," Lu Zhen teased, his tone laced with amusement.
Long Tian didn't hold back, "I won't lie, I'm genuinely intrigued by your martial spirit, Elder Lu Zhen. I believe our martial spirits share a certain resemblance," he said, releasing the Shen Long aura once more.
Lu Zhen's interest piqued even more; the aura felt uncannily similar to his own. "Well, it does seem incredibly alike. I suspect we might have the same breed of dragon. Can you manifest it for me?" he inquired.
"Sure," Long Tian nodded.
In response, a crimson aura began to radiate from him, and in the next moment, the colossal figure of Shen Long materialized above him.
"That's..." Lu Zhen trailed off, utterly dumbfounded, completely taken aback by the sheer size of Shen Long.
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