Chapter 16

“Bang.”

A deafening loud noise made everyone who was still struggling look up. At the spot where the whirlpool should have been, a huge opening suddenly appeared.

The entire sky was instantly torn apart, and in that moment, all the various-sized whirlpools transformed into vortex holes.

Immediately after, a surge of sinister energy drifted down from above.

“Snap!”

In the Federation conference room, a man suddenly stood up with a swish, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at the large screen showing one whirlpool after another “exploding,” their depths seeming as if something was about to break free.

The man’s lips trembled as he stammered, unable to speak properly, but the shaking of his body was impossible to ignore.

“What’s wrong with you? Did you discover something?”

“What’s going on? How did holes appear inside the whirlpools?”

“Could it be that the sinister demons really appeared?”

The voices echoed clearly in the meeting room, while the man with the blood-red eyes, still red-eyed, shakily took out his light brain device and appeared to be sending a message to someone.

No one interrupted him, they continued to stare at the large screen in front of them.

Inside the selection competition, everyone was stunned after discovering that the vortex holes were continuously releasing sinister energy.

They watched in disbelief as black dots jumped out one after another from the vortex holes—and on closer inspection, they realized they were sinister demons.

Everyone was shocked.

“Heavens… it’s sinister demons! Demons are actually leaping out from those ghostly vortex holes! How could demons possibly ascend to the sky?”

No one knew whose shout it was, but it snapped everyone’s attention back. Upon realizing the demons were dangerously close, they instinctively took a step back.

【！！！！】

【They really are demons! Damn, did demons ever fall from the sky before? This feels like something out of a fantasy.】

【+Live Stream ID, how could demons fall from the sky?】

【The more I think about it, the scarier it is. Where on earth did they come from?】

【Suddenly don’t want to go outside anymore, ahhhh!】

The furious comments in the chat and the shocked faces of the players on the barren planet live stream both truthfully proved that such a situation had never happened before.

“Attention! Prepare for battle! Trap the demons!”

Jian Xiangxue, like the backbone of the group, shouted loudly, but panic showed in her eyes.

It seemed no one had ever imagined that demons could actually fall from the sky—a horrifying and unbelievable statement.

But now, it was happening.

Meanwhile, Su Lanjin stood straight and firm, her spiritual energy sword planted beside her. The wind howled fiercely as golden runes exploded into sight.

Su Lanjin raised both hands and drew spiritual energy symbols with just a few strokes.

The talisman was complete!

With another wave of her hand, the talisman radiated from her center, spreading out like an innate shield, enveloping some of the surrounding players.

“Everyone, charge! Attack the demons when you see them!”

“What are we waiting for? They’re all demons, all points!”

“Damn it, why are these demons everywhere?!”

After the talisman was formed, the prepared contestants launched into their own battles.

Each person seemed to muster all their strength, sprinting toward the demons. In an instant, the surrounding spiritual energy surged and radiated light. After a few seconds, there were screams, some demons were trapped, and the smell of blood filled the entire area.

The battle was about to erupt. Both the demons and the contestants fought fiercely, their eyes red with rage. Under the protection of Su Lanjin’s talisman, the contestants suffered only minor injuries.

Only at this moment did they realize that standing on the high ground was not just to be seen by the demons, but also to train their skills in trapping demons. After all, only from the highest point could they control everything.

At this moment, all the contestants sincerely began to admire Su Lanjin. Without her, they would not have been able to trap the demons, earn points, or face their fears directly.

This was the first lesson they had to learn as adults. It turned out every question Su Lanjin asked had a purpose.

The audience watching the live stream were dumbfounded.

【So many demons, really so many.】

【Is this really happening? @Federation @Demon Management Office @Boundary Control Institute…】

【By the way, isn’t there supposed to be a rescue? The rescue team hasn’t arrived yet? What is the Federation even doing?】

【Just checked — after seeing Su Lanjin and her group emerge, the rescue team received other missions and has already headed to other planets.】

【… To be honest, so frustrating I have no words.】

【So can’t the teachers inside go help? There are more demons here than in the Demon Lair, and they even seem like level-three demons. Are they really going to make everyone withdraw to get a chance for rescue?】

【What are the people in charge doing?! They can’t just mess things up because they’re retiring this year!】

The chat was filled with anger and despair. People felt the contestants might not come out unscathed but still kept staring at the stream, hoping for a miracle.

The contestants still fighting the demons were barely able to handle the situation. They began to get exhausted and short of spiritual energy. Some even lost control of their trapping techniques because of insufficient energy, nearly getting hurt by the demons.

“What do we do? So many demons, we can’t trap them all.”

Ni Shushu’s face was covered in blood. The formation she was casting kept stacking beneath everyone’s feet, continuously supplying spiritual energy to them, but it simply couldn’t keep up with their rate of consumption.

Within half an hour, Ni Shushu started bleeding from her mouth and nose, completely unable to sustain the spiritual energy supply. Even the formation under their feet became very unstable, showing signs of breaking apart.

“If this continues, we’ll have to admit defeat here. There are just too many demons, and they’re very strong.”

Gong Jiaxin kept resisting, constantly drawing talismans, but still couldn’t withstand the demons’ attacks.

Before long, everyone was overwhelmed and broken, their bodies covered in wounds both large and small.

“Ah!”

Song Juncai suddenly screamed as a chunk of flesh on his hand was torn off by a demon, leaving it bloodied and mangled.

The smell of fresh blood and the shifting spiritual energy immediately drove the demons into a frenzy. Their eyes turned blood red as they snarled, eager to devour everyone in front of them.

Because of the sudden bite, Song Juncai’s mind was overwhelmed by a dull pain. His spiritual energy kept dissipating, and at the same time, a continuous flow of demonic energy surged inside him.

Su Lanjin raised her hands again, spiritual energy radiating from her body like it was endless, spraying outward. Each beam of spiritual energy struck the nearby demons, instantly wiping them out.

The number of demons on the battlefield quickly decreased, easing the pressure on the others.

For a moment, it seemed as if the demons had identified the main threat—they all swarmed toward Su Lanjin.

Even from the vortex hole above, demons kept jumping down and rushing toward her.

The whole world suddenly seemed small.

Su Lanjin sensed the demonic energy continuously rising, and the number of demons increasing. Once their numbers reached a certain point, even if she could withstand it, the others would not be able to endure the overwhelming demonic energy.

Thinking this, Su Lanjin gripped her spiritual sword tightly, flashed toward the demons’ direction, and with one strike after another, killed every demon around her.

The entire mountain peak seemed like Su Lanjin’s battlefield alone. Her unstoppable momentum, killing god or Buddha alike, not only intimidated the surrounding contestants but also stunned the audience watching the live stream.

【Su Lanjin is truly the strongest in this age group right now. Does anyone disagree with me?】

【She’s so strong. Every time I see Su Lanjin kill demons, it’s like watching a grand feast—it makes me forget how destructive demons really are.】

【She’s the strongest rookie in recent years, no, maybe ever. Such terrifying strength.】