The Scum Is A ***

While Zheng Yi and Cheng Sheng are acting a farce and the sect leaders and elders behind them are watching the show between Xie Lan and the Righteous Alliance elders, with Fan Wen worriedly pulling Xie Lan back to pacify him, the participants in the special space really aren't having it easy.

"Damn it!" Tang Li can't help but utter a curse when he missed an attack against a demon. If it was before, the demon would have already been beheaded by him. But now, he can't even land a hit on its head.

"Tch." Li Yan clicked his tongue as he slid back after he dodged a demon's claw. If it was before, he has already killed three to four demons, and at most six. But, right now, he is having a hard time killing even just one.

"When did they get this strong?" He Shun asked with a frown. Before, he can kill two demons, and a most four. But, now, he is the one being hunted by the demons instead of him hunting it.

He felt like he had gone back to the way he was before – weak and passive. Suddenly, he saw the demon's claw is coming straight at his face! He Shun's body froze and his mind go blank as he looked at the four sharp and long nails near his face! He held his breath.

But, just as those four sharp and long nails could touch him, he felt a strong force pulling him back! Then, he saw a familiar sword swept past beside his face and stabbed the demon's head!

"Are you okay?" Qi Lan's deep voice was heard beside him.

"… en." He Shun answered, feeling breathless, and his face is pale. He looked at the demon's corpse fell before his feet after Qi Lan slowly pulled his sword out of the demon's head to not splash even just a drop of blood on He Shun. "Thank you." He said as he gulped down his saliva. He thought that he was gonna die there!

Thinking this, a bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face. He wouldn't be able to see his father if it happened.

"Everyone! It was done!" they heard Fei Yinzi called out to them.

"Run!" Wen Yan ordered as he pulled Wen Wen with him to fly.

Tang Li and Li Yan immediately followed, while Qi Lan grabbed He Shun's waist before He Shun could react. Then, they also flew away.

"Let's go!" Fei Yinzi told Cui Xiao.

"Mn." Cui Xiao nodded and hopped on Fei Yinzi's back before they also left the area.

The demons were flustered seeing that in just a second, their prey disappeared. They wildly turned around. But, before they could issue even just a sound of bewilderment, they suddenly felt the ground beneath their feet shook. Before they could react, they saw a bright light flashed.

They were incinerated.

…

"That was close!" Wen Wen exclaimed as they watched a cloud of smoke rose in the air while they fly away. They could even feel the heat from the explosion.

"If we didn't let ourselves be the baits, the demons wouldn't bite it." Li Yan said and sighed. He felt tired.

"Although it was scary, it is also thrilling!" Tang Li said as he grinned.

The others rolled their eyes at him, thinking that Tang Li is the only one who is having fun of it. Then, they checked the leaderboard to see their scores. Meanwhile, He Shun was still stupefied as he stood in front of Qi Lan as they all fly. He was the only one who is out of it.

Their plan is to have Fei Yinzi accompany Cui Xiao to protect her while she secretly lay traps in their surroundings while the six of them would act as the baits. The demons have always seen the participant in groups, and at most have six members. They would never expect that this time, to counterattack, they will be having two more people.

But, this is not what He Shun is surprised about. In fact, he isn't surprised since he already knows the plan. What he is distracted about is that Qi Lan… seems to be acting intimate towards him lately. Just like now, Qi Lan is holding him by the waist. Before, He Shun can fly on his own. Even if Qi Lan would pull him with him, Qi Lan would let He Shun fly on his own after.

Yet now… He Shun thought as he looked down. His gaze is on Qi Lan's arm wrapped around his waist. Suddenly, his heart thumped wildly inside his chest. He hopes he is just overthinking this…

…

"Ai. Fortunately, sect leader He isn't around…" Ho Yue sighed in relief after they all saw that the group of eight has successfully escaped. "If he saw his son almost died, or even just scratched by a demon, sect leader He would definitely have a heart attack!" he said.

"En." Ho Ting nodded in agreement. He has stayed in Zhongyang for quite a while and he can see that He Run deeply cares about He Shun.

"Hmm… this other group is also good." Ho Yue continued as he looked at the group of six of Su Mi, Su Yi, Jing Xu, Jing De, Qian Jue and Qian Meng, or the Siblings Group.

"Hahaha." Ho Ting laughed when they saw the similarly bewildered expressions of the demons when they saw that the six disciples disappeared in a flash, like Wen Yan's group earlier. "Being siblings really is an advantage, since you know who to prioritize in the time of crisis." He said.

Ho Yue nodded in agreement. "But, Wen Yan's group of eight is also good…" he said. "Wen Yan taking Wen Wen with him is a given since they are siblings. But, as for the remaining six… they have a fast reaction." He looked at the participants with his eyes filled with participation.

"Yeah… Fei Yinzi taking Cui Xiao with him is because it was a task given to him, to protect her." Ho Ting spoke. "Tang Li and Li Yan… no need to worry about them two since they have a great sense of survival. What is unexpected is…" he looked at Qi Lan and He Shun.

Ho Yue smiled. "En. Qi Lan is a rogue cultivator and supposed to be a lone ranger. But, due to fate, he crossed paths with He Shun." He said.

Ho Ting also knows that Qi Lan has saved He Shun before from a degenerate spirit servant. "He hasn't forgotten He Shun despite that moment earlier is very dangerous." He said.

If Qi Lan was just a second late just to pick up He Shun, who was obviously absent-minded earlier due to shock from almost being clawed to death, Qi Lan would have also died with He Shun in that explosion which was their trap against the demons.

"He is a conscientious man…" Ho Yue said.

Ho Ting nodded. "I agree – " he said, only for his voice to abruptly stop.

Ho Yue also froze when they saw what was happening in the competition. Wen Yan's group of eight stopped by a stream because Qi Lan was wounded on the back! They noticed it late, because Qi Lan was wearing dark clothes so they didn't notice the blood, until they smelled blood and then saw that Qi Lan's face was pale. They then realized that the other must have been injured.

But, this wasn't what made Ho Yue and Ho Ting freeze. It was the long and ugly scar that looked terrifying on Qi Lan's back. The scar was from his right shoulder to his left waist, and obviously, his wound should have been deep before to leave a scar like that.

The audience shuddered in fright when they also saw Qi Lan's scar that was overlapped by claw wounds on his back. "Oh, god! How did he get injured?!" they asked. "And… what was that scar?! So scary!" they added.

Indeed, that scar was very scary. This scar was made by something extremely sharp, and Qi Lan was punctured after he fell. His body swerved due to pain, thus making him be punctured deeper, and the wound longer.

How did Ho Ting and Ho Yue know? Because they have seen how Qi Lan got this wound before, leaving a scar like that on his back! Qi Lan… Ho Ting and Ho Yue knows him. Qi Lan is the son of the leader of their enemies!

"FCK!" Ho Ting cursed and was about to rose from his seat when Ho Yue stopped him. "Uncle?!" he called as he turned to Ho Yue.

Ho Yue's expression looks calm, but his eyes aren't. "Don't create a scene." He told his nephew.

Ho Ting then immediately calmed down. He clenched his fists on his knees. "Why is he here?!" he asked through his gnashed teeth.

"How can I know?" Ho Yue sighed as he looked at Qi Lan's pale face while Fei Yinzi and Cui Xiao treated the wounds on his back.