He Anhe was not a madman. But deep in his bones, he craved attention. He longed to be in the spotlight and worshiped by the masses. That was why, on the night of his fateful encounter, he had been too excited to sleep. He had partied like a madman and begun secretly building his own faction. He believed that, just like the protagonists in those novels, he was destined to stand at the absolute pinnacle of the world.
And in this moment, he wasn't thinking about how to scurry away from the pincer attack of two Golden Core experts and the military. He was thinking about making a desperate last stand!
His three years of careful planning, along with hundreds of fanatical followers addicted to the power of Gu bugs, finally launched their long-suppressed operation at this very moment.
Every single one of them was a Cultivator—the lucky one-in-a-hundred of this era. However, this fortune had only brought them boundless arrogance.
Power, wealth, and beautiful women. These things belonged to them. They were Cultivators! They could achieve immortality; they could become revered deities! Those pathetic mortals, destined to be ordinary for their entire lives, ought to obey their commands and serve as their slaves. They should live humbly under their protection, just like the people in those overseas cities.
This was the ultimate truth of the era! And today was the day they would declare this truth to the nation!
A dozen or so Cultivators who hadn't yet reached the Divine Thought Stage formed a squad and stormed a jewelry store by the street. The screams and expressions of terror only fueled their excitement.
They were utterly unbridled and arrogant! It was a complete moral decay and a twisted display of humanity!
But then—
"You bunch of animals! Do you have any idea what you're doing?" an old man in a white tank top on the sidewalk glared at them, trembling with rage.
"Hahaha! The old geezer is just jealous because he's too weak to do it himself."
"You are a disgrace to our nation! A disgrace!"
The old man's body shook, but his gaze gradually hardened. With a flip of his hand, his Divine Thought flared! A sudden gale erupted, and a terrifying cyclone instantly blasted several men away. This inconspicuous elderly man was actually a Divine Thought Stage master!
"Old Mr. Hao, why waste your breath on this scum?" A few other armed individuals gradually gathered from nearby. One of the middle-aged men recognized the old man. "The authorities have issued an emergency request for assistance. Let's take care of these guys and hurry over to help elsewhere."
"All right..." The faint trace of a smile finally squeezed onto the face of the old man in the white tank top.
Where there was evil, there would always be justice. Some were intoxicated by power, but others deeply appreciated the beauty of order and could withstand the test of morality. Across all of East City, there were nearly ten thousand Cultivators. Only a few hundred had turned out to be absolute scum.
However, the most destructive among them were those who had cultivated Divine Thought and could control the Gu bugs. They were like harbingers of plague. Wherever they went, the ordinary people around them would clutch their chests and collapse in agony. They didn't wear arrogant or savage expressions. They were simply completing a mission—calm, composed, and... completely unhinged.
After this battle, the Gu Sect would undoubtedly become world-renowned. Their future was promising! Even if they had only barely broken through to the Divine Thought Stage by relying on the power of the Gu bugs, they had still stepped into a whole new realm. What they craved now was the next step toward greater power. They had transcended base desires, but that only made them all the more terrifying!
"All units! Fire at will! Prioritize the execution of Divine Thought Stage criminals!" Zhong Huiyun's face was terrifyingly grim.
It wasn't just her; the soldiers were also burning with fury.
The deafening roar of anti-materiel sniper rifles and heavy weaponry echoed continuously throughout the city. The soldiers, who had long been standing by, raised their weapons and launched a highly coordinated assault on their respective targets. They weren't looking to take captives; they only sought to execute the criminals on the spot in the shortest time possible!
Their battle was even more monumental and visually striking. Cars, streetlights, and even ordinary civilians—everything became a weapon for the criminals. They leaped between skyscrapers and scurried through alleyways, continuously evading the pursuit of the Cultivator Combat Teams while recklessly triggering their Gu bugs.
The chaos was steadily escalating.
Through the media, this chaotic scene in East City was broadcast to the entire world.
"Ten minutes ago, the criminal He Anhe released a riot manifesto on the internet. Parts of the East City refugee camp have fallen into chaos. The military and police are currently doing everything in their power to suppress it..."
"Viewers, as you can see from the drone footage, there is a pursuit happening on the rooftops. Those are plainclothes soldiers."
"Golden Core Stage Master Miaoyun is currently engaging the enemy in the West District, completely unmatched..."
"This is truly terrifying! So many people around me are just suddenly dropping to the ground. Hey! Hey, are you okay? What's going on?! Can someone help?!"
In an instant, the global internet was flooded with news articles, livestreams, and photos. Countless media outlets had already gathered here because of Shen Yun's arrival. And now, some of the bolder journalists and livestreamers were risking their lives to film the various battlefronts on the ground.
Truthfully, people had seen similar scenes countless times before. But previously, it had always been footage from foreign countries. It was only now that the netizens who usually enjoyed watching the drama unfold felt a visceral, empathetic terror.
This was the first large-scale Cultivator crime incident within their own borders!
If this was only the beginning... If the entire country devolved into this state... If Cultivators in every city started mimicking these actions, and if the social order collapsed... That would be the true nightmare for ordinary people! Compared to that, living in a refugee camp was nothing.
...
Meanwhile, still hovering in mid-air, Shen Yun was witnessing firsthand the massive threat that supernatural powers posed to societal order. After all, he had only been in this world for two days.
The sight of people fleeing in a panic, exactly like a disaster movie, left him deeply shaken. He wondered if this was the kind of world he would be living in from now on.
"Master, everything is ready," Xiao Jiu's gentle voice echoed in Shen Yun's mind.
"Ready for what?" Shen Yun asked instinctively. He touched Xiao Jiu, who was resting against his chest, feeling a bit lost. He wasn't Xiao Jiu, nor was he a true Golden Core expert. He had no idea what he was actually capable of doing.
But Xiao Jiu knew.
"To fight, of course. That is what you want to do, isn't it, Master?" Xiao Jiu understood Shen Yun well. In an instant, a surging torrent of electrical currents began crackling around him. Under the deepening twilight, this brilliant light was faintly visible across the entire city.
People tilted their heads back, gazing at the figure slowly ascending higher into the sky.
He looked like a Thunder God.