As Shangguan Bing Xue went into the mutated forest to fulfill her most important part of the whole plan that had been worked out for part of the evening and most of the night, the atmosphere outside the forest was considerably quiet.
The survivors were in the library several streets away, anxiously awaiting the triumphant return of the four main leaders of the group.
While Fu Xuefeng, Cai Jingyi, Zhong De, and Kang Lan had stayed with the survivors to protect them since with their current strength they had no chance against a First Order beast, they all knew that if Bai Zemin, Shangguan Bing Xue, Chen He, and Liang Peng were defeated then it was extremely improbable that the rest would be able to survive.
After all, if even the four of them could not defeat the beasts in the forest then it was only a matter of time before they were all devoured since they would have no way to safely leave the university.
On the other hand, Chen He and Liang Peng held on to their weapons tightly while their eyes remained fixed and focused on the trees and bushes several meters away. If a mutated animal or insect appeared they were both prepared to attack immediately.
Unlike the two of them, Bai Zemin was apparently more relaxed. Standing on top of one of the tallest buildings in the area, he stared ahead for several seconds in silence before asking in a low voice:
"So… You're sure it's not a Second Order beast, right?"
Lilith chuckled and said lightly, "I already told you it's not… The creature inside that forest has a strange ability but it's only at the top of the First Order. It hasn't been able to advance yet… But if it's left as it is, then it could be problematic in the future."
Bai Zemin secretly sighed in relief. As long as his enemy was not in the Second Order, even if it was a level 49 or 50 First Order existence he was confident of coming out victorious regardless of what kind of skill his enemy had.
"What a pity… If only the death of that Platinum Ape yesterday had counted at this point I might have successfully evolved to First Order by now." He couldn't help but scratch his head with his free hand and sighed a little regretfully.
"You think the Soul Record is that simple?" Lilith couldn't help but roll her eyes charmingly and pointed out, "Countless beings tried to circumvent the Soul Record and tried to explore or find some sort of loophole when it came to fulfilling evolutionary requirements but they all failed miserably."
"Tell me more about it please." Bai Zemin's ears perked up immediately and he felt curious about the story.
"Whenever the Soul Record presents an evolution requirement, that requirement must be completed correctly and only by the person who wishes to evolve." Lilith responded briefly but concisely, "Outside help is not allowed in any way. Also, if you use weapons of mass destruction or long-range weapons that you did not create with your own hands you are likely to fail as well."
Bai Zemin frowned and said hesitantly, "This… So, let's say I shoot a First Order creature in the head…"
"Hahaha…" Lilith couldn't help but laugh. She looked at him with amusement and questioned, "You think Mana. an energy capable of forcing all existences to evolve or die, is that simple? Bai Zemin, except against zombies or other animals without evolving properly, normal firearms do not have the power to pierce the natural Mana surrounding a First Order beast. To kill one, you'll probably need missiles or battle tanks… Maybe heavy machine guns will also do the trick."
"In fact, if you had used a firearm to kill your first enemy back then, there is a possibility that the Soul Record would deny you the loser's Soul Power depending on the circumstances." Lilith shrugged her shoulders and her voice was a bit bitter before concluding, "As for how this works, don't ask me. The Soul Record is an entity that is still being studied even to this day."
Bai Zemin couldn't help but gasp when he heard this and his eyes trembled with fear.
Humans were weak by nature and most of them didn't even have the courage to fight. If firearms lost their effect, then how was humanity going to survive this apocalypse?
As if she knew his thoughts, she reassured him with her soft voice: "But don't worry too much… First Order creatures are not so normal since it's only been eleven days since the Soul Record reached this galaxy. As for Second Order… Let's hope there aren't any yet or humanity in that area would be annihilated unless they had truly outstanding military might."
Bai Zemin smiled bitterly and shook his head. He only knew the world inside this university, how was he to know the situation outside? The only thing he hoped was that his loved ones or otherwise… He didn't even want to think about that.
At least now he knew that the Soul Record was not an entity to be played with casually. Although it was pretty obvious if he thought about it more carefully. After all, just like Lilith said before; how could an entity capable of causing so many changes in the blink of an eye be simple?
It was probably for the reasons Lilith mentioned earlier that those driving the buses did not receive any experience even though they killed several zombies by crushing them mercilessly.
As Bai Zemin was lost in thought, a terrifying howl coming from inside the mutated forest caused his face to change and his expression turned serious.
"It's finally starting." He muttered as he raised the blood trident that glowed like a ruby over his shoulder, leaned his arm as far back as possible, and used Blood Manipulation on himself, focusing all his power and ability to perform a single strike!
With his right foot behind and his left foot forward, Bai Zemin leaned his body slightly backward. His bright eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of frost as he looked up slightly in search of the accorded signal.
Bang!
An explosion echoed from within the mutated forest and soon after a wave of water more than twenty meters high rose into the sky. However, under the gaze of the three men present, the water wave moved in a strange direction before freezing into an ice statue.
The corner of Bai Zemin's mouth curved upward slightly and he could not help but praise, "What a beautiful sculpture."
The right foot behind him suddenly stepped forward, overtaking the left foot by a wide margin, and the muscles of his right arm expanded to the maximum extent possible. Without delay, his right arm became like a whip that shot forward at full speed and after reaching its maximum extension he released his grip on the blood trident.
A split second before the blood trident left his hand, the Blazing Ring on his finger glowed and immediately a crimson radiance surrounded the trident covered by a layer of Mana, raising the temperature of the surroundings to impressive heights. However, that was not all.
Bang!
The Hurricane Necklace resting on Bai Zemin's chest shone with a green glow and a tornado of wind perpendicular to the ground shot forward, reaching the blood trident surrounded by crimson flames in less than a second.
BANG!
With the strong wind impulse added to the great force with which Bai Zemin had launched it, the blood trident containing over 240 Mana points broke the sound barrier, disappearing from everyone's sight and leaving several mach cones behind.
[You have learned the Third Order Active Skill 'Crimson Blood Judgment' level 5].
