Chapter 220: The First

Chapter 220: The First

The masked figure required Wu Shaluo to wait by the entrance of the haunted house for the Bee Beast to emerge. Upon seeing it, he was to guide it towards the roller coaster track, ensuring that the magical beast would reach the roller coaster installation in the valley.

In private, Wu Shaluo instructed Muershi and the others, who had hurried over after sensing the magic beast's presence, to hold their attack. He wanted to use this magic beast as an opportunity to gauge the capabilities of this group of aspiring exorcists.

That was why the demons hadn't made a move earlier. Only Wu Shaluo had intervened to correct the Honey Beast's trajectory when it veered off course.

The masked figure informed Wu Shaluo that when they reached the roller coaster in the valley, he would witness Wen Ying's disheveled appearance, though he didn't elaborate on the reason.

Now, Wu Shaluo more or less understood why.

This transparent wall, originally intended to trap only Wen Ying inside, was supposed to leave Wen Ying alone to engage in combat with the magical beast.

In the human world, demons are weaker than in their own realm, so it's highly likely that Wen Ying would be in a very awkward and humiliating situation.

But now, he was also inside.

A string of vulgarities flashed through Wu Shaluo's mind.

Together with Wen Ying, he was more than capable of dealing with this magical beast. However, not only did he miss the chance to see Wen Ying's embarrassed appearance, but his efforts had also been in vain.

Wu Shaluo's wings behind him were engulfed in flames, appearing twice their normal size. From afar, they resembled brilliant wings of fire.

A furious little bird, Wen Ying thought to himself. He could tell from Wu Shaluo's grim expression that if his eyes could emit flames, they would be doing so right now.

Something was amiss, Wen Ying mused, stroking his chin. There must be some hidden reason behind Wu Shaluo's agitation.

The observers at a distance also wore grim expressions. The moment they realized Wu Shaluo was inside the transparent wall, their hearts sank. Oh no! If they couldn't severely injure Wen Ying, all their efforts would be for naught.

Suddenly, the transparent wall began to vibrate. Wen Ying glanced sideways; Perseus had returned. It was his attack that had caused the vibrations just now.

Perseus gathered strength in his arm, exerting at least eighty percent of his power. His fist slammed into the transparent wall, creating ripples like those on water, yet showing no signs of dissipating.

Perseus' gaze turned solemn. This didn't seem natural. The accident Wen Ying had mentioned yesterday had indeed occurred. He just wondered if Wen Ying had any plans...

Looking inward, Perseus' inner thoughts ceased. The situation inside surprised him, yet it didn't come as a complete shock.

For some reason, the magical beast only focused its attacks on Wen Ying. As Wen Ying ran to the side, where a fallen bee-like magical beast lay, he wiped his hand on the creature's blood and, before Wu Shaluo could react, smeared it on Wu Shaluo's clothes.

The magic beast halted its assault, hesitantly shifting its gaze between Wu Shaluo and Wen Ying.

Wu Shaluo raged, "You tricked me again!"

Wen Ying responded with an innocent and friendly smile, "Do you dare swear that you had no idea about today's events?"

Wu Shaluo was at a loss for words.

Wen Ying spoke with righteousness, "Clean up your own mess."

Wu Shaluo's eyes widened in disbelief, his voice rising to a near-pitched tone, almost resembling a bird's chirp, "Me? Clean up the mess?!"

Wen Ying nodded, "Is there something wrong? You were involved in this, weren't you?"

Wu Shaluo started, "I-"

Just as he was about to refute, Wen Ying's smile turned sly, "If you don't go, I'll tell everyone that you have a collaboration with the extremist faction, using your actions today as evidence."

"I..." Wu Shaluo, though indignant, found himself faltering under Wen Ying's words. His protest dwindled into a barely audible whisper.

He knew deep down that he hadn't done anything significant; he wasn't even aware of the intentions behind the masked figure's actions. His role was simply to guide the magic beast in this direction.

However, if Wen Ying were to make a scene, his guidance of the magic beast and his attempt to prevent the surrounding demons from intervening would undoubtedly draw suspicion. The most detrimental part was that the transparent barrier had appeared after his punch connected with the beast.

Though he was innocent, others wouldn't know that.

Wu Shaluo's face cycled through various shades of emotion, from black to white, then to red, before he gritted his teeth and spat, "Fine, you win!"

He no longer trusted humans or the Extreme Faction. They promised to embarrass Wen Ying in front of everyone, but in the end, it was Wu Shaluo who ended up humiliated.

After those few rounds of probing, Wu Shaluo had realized that in the human realm, where his power was weakened, he would need to exert all his strength to have any chance of defeating the magic beast. Doing so would reveal to everyone that the mighty demon wasn't as formidable as he seemed.

Wu Shaluo blamed both Wen Ying and the masked figure, along with the forces behind him, for this outcome.

"Learn your lesson and don't collaborate with the Extreme Faction anymore," Wen Ying advised earnestly.

It was unclear whether Wu Shaluo had taken these words to heart, as he suddenly conjured two flaming hoop rings and charged towards the magic beast.

Wen Ying was seeing this kind of enchanted weapon for the first time and examined it with curiosity.

He observed the weapon, then shifted his gaze to Wu Shaluo's actions, noting the differences in his behavior compared to when he was in the Demon Realm. Through these observations, Wen Ying tried to estimate the extent to which a pure-blooded demon's strength would be weakened in the Human Realm.

As he watched, Wen Ying shook his head repeatedly, clicking his tongue in amazement.

Wu Shaluo, who had been slammed back onto the ground once more, heard the sound amidst his dust-covered appearance. The veins on his forehead bulged as he couldn't retaliate against Wen Ying. Instead, he vented his anger by throwing the magical beast again.

The people who had been kicked out by the transparent wall watched the situation inside with uncertainty.

"That high-ranking demon isn't as powerful as I thought," someone hesitantly said.

"It must be because that magical beast is too strong," another person commented. "I even saw my great-grandmother just now. It was terrifying."

"What kind of magical beast is that? I've never seen it in any books. The ominous aura it gives off still makes my limbs feel cold. No wonder our teacher said that when faced with a truly formidable opponent, we'd have no chance of escaping. My feet wouldn't even move."

Yang Bofeng watched Scarlet Crow inside with anxiety and tension. He instinctively knew that Scarlet Crow's appearance wasn't part of the plan. Something had gone wrong, and he wondered if the Mu family would still fulfill the promised benefits.

The four academy teachers made several attempts to break through the transparent wall, but to no avail. If even the three-headed hellhound couldn't break it, there was no hope for them.

Lu Qingyuan was also very nervous. He was worried about Wen Ying, so he pushed through the crowd and approached the nearest demon, asking, "Excuse me, do you know what kind of magical beast that is?"

Muershi turned his head and saw it was Wen Ying's contractor. He deliberately frowned, pretending that the situation was grave. "This is quite troublesome..."

Hearing this, Lu Qingyuan became even more anxious. "Then what should we do? They won't be severely injured, will they?!"

Muershi chuckled. Two meters away, Wei Er twitched his ears and looked over. "If something happens to me, it won't happen to him."

Lu Qingyuan: "Huh?"

Wei Er's tone was calm and natural, as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

After Wei Er finished speaking, he said to Muershi, "I'm a bit worried about Wu Shaluo."

Not only did Lu Qingyuan hear Wei Er's words, but those standing nearby did as well. It was incredibly unbelievable, injecting a sense of absurdity into the serious and tense atmosphere.

The cat was worried about Scarlet Crow but not the Demon Mirror? Upon reflection, the Demon Mirror seemed stronger in the cat's eyes than himself, even surpassing the Upper Rank Demon, Scarlet Crow!

But the Demon Mirror was only a Lower Rank Demon. How did he possess the ability to make the cat say such a thing?

Confused, their bodies, chilled by the terrifying beast, unexpectedly warmed at the absurdity of the situation.

Zeng Qiyang, who had been maliciously cursing the magic mirror demon in his heart, turned his head sharply at Wei Er's words. How could it be? That was just a magic mirror demon!

Wen Ying suddenly had an uncle who owned a renowned upscale hotel chain, and why did this magic mirror demon, who resembled him, now possess greater strength? Hatred filled Zeng Qiyang's eyes.

Levimo, standing on a branch away from the crowd, cast a glance at Zeng Qiyang. The negativity was thick, and the alluring aura of anger emanating from him was irresistible.

Zeng Qiyang stood there like a lavish feast. Levimo's eyes gradually transformed from human-like to feline pupils, narrowing into slits as he prepared to pounce on his prey.

Feeling a deadly peril, Zeng Qiyang trembled, cold sweat trickling down his palms.

He quickly looked back at the beast, which was still engaged with Scarlet Crow, showing no intention of attacking them.

Unintentionally, Zeng Qiyang lifted his gaze, locking eyes with the nine-tailed fox in the tree. He forgot to breathe, consumed by immense fear as an invisible icy wind seeped into his soul.

Unable to hunt humans casually, a hint of regret flashed across Levimo's face.

Wu Zunlin approached Wei Er and asked, "Classmate Wei Er, I wonder where Wen Jing ranks among your group in terms of strength?"

Muershi whistled and chuckled teasingly. "We've all been in the Human Realm for so long, and it's only now that someone finally asks."

Muershi's reaction only fueled their curiosity further. Was the Mirror Demon really that powerful? What was its exact ranking?

Wei Er scratched his cheek, glancing at Wen Ying before looking back at Muershi, asking with his eyes if he could reveal the information.

Muershi waved his hand. "Sure, sure, let me tell you. That insignificant Mirror Demon ranks... among our thirty demons in terms of overall strength..."

Muershi dragged out his words, and everyone leaned in, eager to shake him by the shoulders if they could just to make him spill the beans.

With their anticipation building, Muershi wore a pleased smile on his curved eyebrows, about to speak when a slightly deep voice came from the side. "First place."

Damn! Muershi felt as if he had been punched in the gut. The amusement in his purple eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a gloomy and dark expression.

Beros strolled over with light steps. Although his face remained expressionless, a subtle hint of pride and pleasure could be seen in the slight shift of his brows and eyes.

Muershi was on the verge of losing his composure. He had held back for so long, waiting for this very moment.

For the first time, the Evil Bird was bested in front of the Cerberus.

Indeed, proximity to ink turns one black. Spending so much time with Wen Ying has changed Beros' disposition. In the past, he would never have engaged in such discussions, let alone in a place filled with the weak creatures he despises.

After a long while, someone exclaimed in astonishment, "First place?!"

"Is it really first? The first as I understand it? The overall score includes both written exams and practical performance, right?"

Muershi nodded indifferently, then said with a sarcastic tone, "Don't be fooled by Beros' pretentious demeanor before you. On the arena, he didn't even defeat the so-called insignificant Mirror Demon you all mentioned."

Beros looked at Muershi, who sneered back at him.

"He... He... He actually defeated the Three-Headed Hellhound?!" A teacher from the academy gasped in shock, their voice piercingly sharp. The overwhelming information that defied their worldview left them with a dazed expression.