Chapter 129: Aftermath of the Catastrophe (Part II)

Just as everyone was waiting for Lin Xueyou to enlighten them, she turned to Zhen Ba and the others and asked:

"Do you want to give brother Li Hao something even more thrilling?"

Qin Zhen, with his eager nature, nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes!"

Lu Yao asked in confusion: "Sister Xueyou, what could be more thrilling?"

As soon as Lu Yao asked, the curiosity of the group deepened. "Exactly, what is it?"

At this moment, Li Hao was already suffering immensely, trapped by so many young, excited maidens. Imagine being swarmed by such an enthusiastic crowd; who could possibly endure it?

Caught up in their excitement, the maidens didn't notice the movements of Lin Xueyou and her companions. At this point, even if their own mothers were calling them for dinner, they wouldn't have paid any attention, so entranced were they by Li Hao.

Many of the young men watching Lin Xueyou and her friends guessed that she must have another surprise in store for them.

It was indeed a surprise. Everyone gathered the laws of heaven and earth into their ears, trying their hardest to listen, yet none could catch the answer they were looking for. They only felt that something interesting was afoot and waited impatiently for the upcoming reveal.

Lin Xueyou saw the question in their eyes and simply gestured toward the vast ocean beneath their feet. After much deliberation and intense thought, they finally understood what she meant.

Once they realized, everyone looked at Li Hao with a mischievous smile. If Li Hao had known the surprise his friends had carefully designed for him, he would not have known whether to be touched or moved to tears.

At that moment, Li Hao was silently praying for a savior. As if in response to his inner plea, his rescuers arrived—not just one, but nine.

These nine were led by Lin Xueyou, followed by Lu Yao, Qing’er, Xiao Jiu, Zhen Ba, Ling Guanghan, Kui Hu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen. With all their might, they summoned a protective barrier.

Just as the maidens below were waiting to catch the falling Li Hao, the nine of them suddenly appeared, each utilizing their power to intercept him. From that moment on, the maidens lost their chance to catch him.

Lin Xueyou and her group supported Li Hao’s falling body with their barrier, descending alongside him. The maidens nearby were gently pushed back by the barrier; this time, it was merely a soft repelling force, unlike the powerful, domineering blast Lin Xueyou had used on the young men previously.

Li Hao felt a surge of joy, thinking they had come to rescue him. But just as he felt relieved, the nine of them tossed him back into the high air.

He was thrown even higher this time, and just as he was about to fall back toward them, they suddenly retracted their power and scattered.

Splash!

Water sprayed everywhere.

The sound echoed the moment Li Hao plummeted into the vast ocean below.

"Hahaha...!"

After a moment of stunned silence, the sound of laughter erupted, shaking heaven and earth.

Li Hao sank into the depths of the ocean, sinking, sinking, and sinking further...

This time, no one came to save him. It seemed as though everyone had decided to let him fend for himself.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths... ten breaths... one minute... five minutes... ten minutes passed, yet Li Hao was nowhere to be seen.

As time dragged on, their initial amusement slowly gave way to genuine concern.

Lu Yao asked Lin Xueyou anxiously: "Sister Xueyou, will brother Li Hao be alright?"

Lin Xueyou comforted her: "Don't worry, Yao'er, he will be fine. When I caught him earlier, I had already unlocked the sealing laws on his body."

"Then why hasn't brother Li Hao come back up?"

Hearing Lu Yao’s worry and seeing the concerned expressions around her, Xiao Jiu spoke up: "Young master is fine. In fact, just when sister Xueyou released the seal, I felt faint signs of him having a breakthrough."

Everyone heard this and replied calmly: "Oh, so that's it."

"Wait! What?"

"Xiao Jiu, are you saying the young master is having another breakthrough?"

Only then did the weight of the news sink in.

Qing’er felt that a breakthrough was something to celebrate, so she asked with confusion: "Shouldn't everyone be happy that young master Li Hao is breaking through? Why do you all have such expressions?"

Only now did they notice Qing’er’s presence. They felt a sudden wave of awkwardness, not knowing how to respond.

Zhen Ba looked at Qing’er, a strange glint in his eyes. He paused for a moment before answering: "You wouldn't know, miss, but it has only been about a day since his last breakthrough."

Qing’er’s heart, once calm, rippled with shock. Her expression could only be described as astonished.

Lu Yao looked at her and said mildly: "Sister, don't be so surprised. If you knew more about brother Li Hao, you’d be scared out of your wits."

Qing’er thought to herself: "My heart is already being scared out of its wits. Is there anything more terrifying than someone who can freely manipulate their elemental attributes and break through realms so rapidly?"

It wasn't just Qing’er; even Lin Xueyou and the others were shocked, though they had grown accustomed to Li Hao’s extraordinary nature over time.

Qin Zhen regained his composure and said with a mischievous grin: "Don't be so surprised. Lu Yao is right. To save you from future shocks, I’ll tell you this: we only met him ten days ago, when the selection registration began. Back then, he was only at the peak of the Foundation Building Realm. Now, after just ten days, he is about to reach the late stage of the Outbound Realm."

"Ah!"

"What?"

"Too incredible!"

Qing’er was completely pale. She covered her mouth with her delicate hands, unable to speak. The young men and women nearby who heard this were equally thunderstruck, their minds racing with disbelief.

Zhen Ba added: "If that shocks you, what will you do when you realize he is only twelve years old? Other, more earth-shattering things about him are not for me to say; you will have to discover them yourselves."

If Qin Zhen’s words were a shock, Zhen Ba’s statement was like a bolt of lightning, leaving Qing’er stunned and her mind blank.

Zhen Ba knew that while this was a fact, it was dangerous. He decided it was better to reveal it now to prevent those with ulterior motives from investigating Li Hao and potentially stumbling upon his other heaven-defying abilities, which could lead to endless trouble.

Though Zhen Ba’s words sounded casual, his intentions were deep, though no one else had yet realized it.

The surrounding crowd was in the same state as Qing’er—dumbfounded and speechless. Those further away, seeing the bizarre atmosphere, were bewildered.

Someone curious asked: "What is wrong with you all?"

The boy he addressed didn't respond, looking as if he had lost his soul. The curious boy shook him gently, and the youth finally snapped out of it, saying in shock: "Just now, that young master who saved us... he! he! he!..."

The curious boy asked anxiously: "Did something happen to him?"

The youth replied: "Something happened, a huge thing. I'm just worried about you!"

The curious boy was even more confused, but after much prodding, the youth finally spilled the truth: "Our benefactor, who saved everyone just now, is only twelve years old. In ten days, he went from the peak of the Foundation Building Realm to the late stage of the Outbound Realm."

When the news was met with skepticism, the youth gritted his teeth: "Believe it or not, this isn't my word. You don't have to believe me, but you should believe the friends of that benefactor in the red robe, right?"

The curious boy nodded, along with everyone else who heard.

"I heard it directly from his friends," the youth insisted. When asked if he might have misheard, he swore on his life: "I am willing to sign a Covenant of Heaven and Earth to prove it!"

As his words fell, the news swept through the crowd like a violent storm, shattering their composure completely. The Covenant of Heaven and Earth was the ultimate, binding law of the universe.