the narrow and crowded streets were now desolate, not a single soul in sight.

in the outer district, most of the pale, emaciated humans hid inside their homes, trembling in fear, unwilling to step outside.

“do you think that tremor earlier means the rebels have broken through?”

“are the rebels really that powerful?”

“if it’s really the rebels, they’re humans like us. i hope they win.”

“what’s the use of them winning!”

“do you think they can actually drive out the noble lords? even if they do win and gain some glory, who’s going to clean up the mess afterward?

the noble lords will only vent their anger on us innocent commoners. ugh, today’s probably going to end with more innocent people dying horribly.”

“but... they’re still our kind. the ones tormenting us are those nobles...”

a group of people whispered among themselves, their thoughts tangled and complex, each with their own perspective. hr

on the empty streets, a black-clad man moved quickly, his expression hurried and tense.

suddenly, the sharp call of a bird rang out from a specific direction.

the man’s face shifted slightly, and he immediately turned toward the source of the sound.

in a matter of moments, he arrived at an abandoned courtyard.

within the courtyard were two figures—one was the familiar wu xiang, and the other was a rotund man clad in fine silks.

“deacon li, it’s a big deal!” the obese man spoke, his jowls quivering.

this man was part of the rebel forces, stationed in yunxue city as a hidden agent.

he had been quite successful in his dealings, gaining favor with certain nobles and developing some connections within the inner city.

because of this, he was always one of the first to receive any major news from within the inner city.

hr

“what exactly happened?” the black-clad deacon li asked.

first, there had been the tremor, and then word from the blood tiger gang’s strategist that someone was slaughtering indiscriminately in the inner city.

“they’re dead! all dead!” the fat man exclaimed, his voice frantic and his thoughts scattered.

“calm down!” deacon li’s voice rang out, steady and crisp, immediately silencing the man’s panic.

the fat man finally collected himself, organizing his thoughts before speaking.

“a powerful figure entered the inner city and... killed the god’s daughter—a princess!”

“what... they killed the princess?” deacon li’s breathing quickened.

a princess was the child of a god!

and not just any god—a divine-tier being capable of suppressing the entire quijin realm.

and now, someone had actually killed one of them!

this was practically tearing the heavens apart!

“is the thorned blood faction pursuing him?” deacon li asked.

now he was anxious, unsure if they should even try to recruit this person into the rebel forces.

after all, this could bring catastrophic repercussions.

“no!” the fat man shook his head. “he’s killing the nobles instead!”

“what?” deacon li couldn’t wrap his head around it.

after slaying the god’s daughter, this person hadn’t chosen to flee. instead, they were continuing to slaughter those twisted beings that were neither fully human nor entirely monstrous. was he courting death?

the inner city housed at least a dozen heaven-tier experts.

was this mysterious figure truly so fearsome?

“if he had fled immediately, he might have had a chance to survive. but now that he’s slaughtering nobles, he’s probably already been surrounded by the thorned blood elders,” deacon li speculated, his heart heavy with concern.

“no!” the fat man interrupted again. “he’s already killed all the elders of thorned blood!”

“what?” deacon li was utterly stunned.

he found it difficult to believe the fat man’s words.

while yunxue city wasn’t considered a major city, it still boasted more than a dozen heaven-tier experts.

and now they were all dead?

what kind of monstrous being had descended upon the city?

for context, the rebel force they belonged to was already considered one of the strongest in the area, yet it had only three heaven-tier experts.

now, someone had wiped out all the heaven-tier elders in yunxue city?

“is this true?” deacon li still found it hard to believe.

“absolutely! i’ve already reported this to our leader,” the fat man said earnestly.

if this information weren’t accurate, how could he dare inform the leader?

the rebel leader was thorned blood’s greatest nemesis. if the leader came to yunxue city because of this news and fell into a thorned blood trap, the fat man would be doomed.

hr

deacon li studied the fat man carefully, his gaze sharp and penetrating.

the fat man began to sweat under his scrutiny.

at this moment, wu xiang spoke up. “i trust brother chu.”

hearing this, deacon li’s expression shifted multiple times before he finally spoke.

“this person killed the thorned blood elders and is now rampaging in the city. he’s bound to attract the attention of the gods.

we must hurry to the inner city and warn him to leave!”

deacon li’s plan was straightforward—confirm the situation’s authenticity and, if true, help this individual escape.

after all, this involved a god.

no matter how powerful a mortal was, how could they contend with a god?

in the quijin realm, there were ninety-nine gods in total, each of them invincible and divine!

for a mere mortal to provoke divine wrath was nothing short of courting death.

as for wu xiang’s original request to rendezvous with qi yuan, deacon li had already pushed it aside.

hr hr hr hr

zhao yan’s heart skipped a beat as he cautiously approached the courtyard gate. “who is it?”

“it’s me!” a crisp, familiar voice answered.

the tension melted away from zhao yan’s face, replaced by a look of joy.

“hong mei, it’s you!”

the door swung open, revealing a young woman in tight-fitting attire.

zhao yan’s face lit up with happiness as he recognized the familiar figure.

three years ago, he had stumbled upon this injured, unconscious girl in yunxue city.

this girl, now standing before him, was hong mei.

unlike most women, hong mei had always dreamed of finding the fabled “learning academy.”

in fact, zhao yan only learned about the existence of the learning academy through her.

the learning academy’s master was a mysterious figure, known to travel across countless worlds, recruiting disciples and compiling ancient texts.

currently, the master of the learning academy was said to be in the quijin realm.

if they could meet the learning academy’s master, join the academy, and serve under this enigmatic figure, they might even gain the master’s protection and escape from this wretched world.

hr

“three years have passed, and zhao yan, you’re still the same as ever!” hong mei said with a teasing smile, her eyes sparkling with vitality.

“hong mei, why have you come back?” zhao yan’s face was filled with barely contained joy.

he had long harbored feelings for hong mei.

“i have good news for you...”

“you found the learning academy?” zhao yan asked eagerly.

“yes!” hong mei nodded. “two years ago, i finally encountered some disciples of the learning academy. after enduring numerous trials and hardships, i passed their tests and joined the academy.”

she spoke lightly, but zhao yan knew that the process must have been anything but easy.

“congratulations!” zhao yan said sincerely, genuinely happy for her.

to join the fabled learning academy was to secure a chance of escaping this cage-like realm.

“now, the learning academy’s master has come to the dark-eye domain to gather knowledge and compile texts. i came here with some senior brothers and sisters, and since we were near yunxue city, i thought i’d come to see you.”

her gaze softened as she looked at zhao yan, emotions flickering in her eyes.

“hey, last time, you refused to leave with me. now that i’ve found the learning academy, will you come with me? you can even bring your master if you’re worried about him!”

hong mei looked at him expectantly.

she had once invited zhao yan to join her in seeking the learning academy, but he had declined.

“i...” zhao yan hesitated, his face troubled. “my master... his temperament is such that he would never go to the learning academy.

he raised me and took great care of me. i can’t just abandon him—i owe him that much.”

the gratitude he felt toward his master was deeply rooted, something he could never ignore.

moreover, now that his master had offended the blood tiger gang, how could he walk away and leave him to face it alone?

hong mei’s expression faltered slightly, disappointment flashing in her eyes.

but, at the same time, this was precisely the quality she admired in zhao yan.

if he were someone cold and ungrateful, she wouldn’t have fallen for him in the first place.

“fine. i’ll be staying here for a while anyway. can i stay with you?” hong mei decided not to press the matter further.

after all, she couldn’t be certain zhao yan would even pass the academy’s rigorous tests.

“no problem!” zhao yan replied enthusiastically.

“by the way, has anything interesting happened in yunxue city recently? you know, the learning academy’s master wants to record all significant events in the world and compile them into books.”

“not really... nothing major.” zhao yan shook his head.

the trouble with the blood tiger gang might have been a big deal for them personally, but in the grand scope of history, it was a trivial matter.

“no worries. we’ll have plenty of time to catch up,” hong mei said cheerfully.

reuniting with an old friend felt like rain after a long drought.

hr

among the mountains and rivers...

a young girl followed an elderly man in a long robe, her face filled with innocent curiosity.

“grandfather, has something major happened? it’s rare to see you so amused.”

the old man, his face weathered with age, walked with a hunched back, as though carrying the weight of countless years.

but this frail-looking elder was none other than the renowned master of the learning academy.

“i am undergoing mortal transcendence. disturb me, and you will end up like this beast!”

“marvelous! simply marvelous! the events in the quijin realm this time are worth the trip for this alone!”

the learning academy’s master laughed heartily, a sound of pure delight, something seldom heard from him.

the young girl processed the latest information being relayed to her, her expression turning serious as she grasped its significance.

“to think such a hero would emerge in an enemy-occupied zone,” she said, her tone filled with admiration.

to slay a god in the midst of enemy territory—what did this mean?

it meant an unending stream of enemies.

it meant making the entire world one’s adversary.

the quijin realm’s gods would converge, combining their might to hunt this individual down.

even if he managed to escape this ordeal, other gods from different realms would eventually join the pursuit, leaving no place for him to hide.

“what an extraordinary hero. i wish i could meet him. after all, when the divine wood universe eventually falls, i don’t want its glorious civilization and the countless heroes who sacrificed everything to be forgotten.”

the learning academy’s master was writing a book—a monumental work titled outline of universal history.

he feared that when the divine wood universe inevitably perished, there would be no one left to remember its greatness.

no one to recall the brilliant civilization it once nurtured.

and so, he traversed world after world, documenting history with his pen, meticulously crafting the outline of universal history.