Chapter 73 Who Dares to Let Them Purify?

Chapter 73 Who Dares to Let Them Purify?

Zhou Chengkang felt like he was having a truly rotten day.

The monster tide along the coastline had erupted without warning. He'd originally planned to show off his skills and, while he was at it, rake in a hefty sum of points. But no sooner had he arrived than, before he'd even finished warming up, he was nearly dragged into the sea by a mutant moray eel. Thankfully, he managed to deploy his Psychic Shield just in time. Though the eel summoned its companions, he ultimately escaped and made it back to shore.

Looking back at the unfathomable depths of the sea, a cold sweat broke out.

Not only had he failed to earn any points, but his mental energy was almost completely depleted. Perhaps it was due to his Corruption Value skyrocketing, but his Spiritual Sea was throbbing with wave after wave of pain. His teammates urged him to hurry to the Guide waiting point for purification.

"It's right there, in the villa on the cliff. Go quickly."

Zhou Chengkang glanced back at the shore.

There was a three-story villa perched on that cliff.

His head was aching more and more...

Might as well go.

Following the staff's directions, he arrived at one of the rooms where the Guides were waiting.

The door was open.

He knocked, then eagerly poked his head halfway inside, filled with anticipation.

"Knock knock knock."

"Excuse me, is this..."

His words instantly drew the gaze of seven or eight pairs of eyes.

Perhaps he had arrived too early. There was only one Sentinel in the room undergoing purification; the remaining Guides were all staring at him.

"......"

Zhou Chengkang felt his head throb even more intensely.

Purification was supposed to be a relaxing and pleasant affair, yet merely standing there made him feel as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

The personnel in this room were just too peculiar—either department heads or Guides secretly designated by various powerful figures.

Who would dare let *them* purify him?!

Maybe... he should just retreat. Even returning to the battlefield wouldn't be as terrifying as this place.

But just as this thought surfaced, he heard Fang Liyu call out to him: "Sentinel Zhou Chengkang."

"Here."

He instantly snapped to attention.

Fang Liyu smiled and stood up. "Why so tense?"

"Is this an emergency purification?"

"...Yes."

Zhou Chengkang steeled himself and stepped inside.

"Among these, is there any Guide you're familiar with?" Fang Liyu asked.

"Well..."

Zhou Chengkang instinctively scanned the room.

Sitting near the door was the newly arrived S-class Guide, Wen Qi—a great beauty with formidable abilities. It would be a lie to say he wasn't interested, but Wen Qi was currently purifying another Sentinel.

The selection on the couch by the window was even more impressive.

Fang Liyu, department head, former second-in-command of the 4th District headquarters. Not familiar with her—pass.

Zhong Wan, very cute, but he couldn’t beat that icy jerk Lu Wenchuan, so no need to consider.

Fang Ran, also a great beauty. This one went without saying—he didn’t want to die young, so skip.

Shen Ke, this person seemed to have been a healer before, probably not well-versed in this business. Didn’t want to take the risk.

That left Zhao Fan.

He had no impression of this person, but with that disdainful look on his face, he seemed unpleasant.

His head was pounding like crazy, yet he couldn't pick a single one...

"Sentinel Zhou Chengkang." Fang Liyu called him again. "No familiar Guides?"

"I..."

Just then, a few more figures appeared at the door.

"Is this the Guide waiting point?"

A few newly arrived Guides walked in.

Zhou Chengkang jolted, turned around, and felt as if he had been granted a great reprieve.

"This one, this one—we’re very familiar."

The Guide he pointed at looked utterly bewildered, completely unaware of what was happening.

The others covered their mouths and chuckled.

Fang Ran remembered this Sentinel.

That day, when he had just arrived at the headquarters exchange meeting and was sitting under a tree, this person had run up to him and introduced himself enthusiastically. In the end, it seemed he noticed Fu Zhangzhou hiding behind the tree and panicked in exactly the same way.

Some things never change.

He was about to tease Zhong Wan a bit when suddenly his heart skipped a beat, and an inexplicable sensation surged within his Spiritual Sea.

The next moment.

"Boom—"

A tremendous roar erupted in the distance.

It was as if someone had unleashed an astonishing energy deep under the sea, causing the water to explode and sending a massive column of water blasting into the air.

It was daytime, and the light along the seashore was exceptionally bright.

The floor-to-ceiling windows of the villa were like a massive live-stream screen.

Everyone in the room was stunned by the scene outside, their eyes fixed intently on the window.

Fang Ran’s heart was not only racing, but his right palm was also tingling with heat.

He glanced down, but there was nothing there.

Beside him, Zhong Wan suddenly nudged him. “Fang Ran, look!”

Fang Ran looked up when he heard this.

The water column on the sea had already fallen, revealing a layer of red energy barrier beneath.

Trapped inside the energy barrier was a shadowy mass, with over a dozen tentacles writhing around it before coiling into a ball, frantically crashing against the energy barrier.

“What is that thing?” a Guide asked in shock.

“It’s a Class A Kraken,” Zhou Chengkang replied, also watching the battle outside. He frowned and added, “A type of mutated giant squid. If it were a fully mature Kraken... its strength could approach S-Class.”

The moment he finished speaking, the energy barrier suddenly began to contract, enveloping the entire monster. The energy's color intensified, hovering mid-air like a blood-red teardrop on the horizon.

The creature inside seemed to still be struggling, causing the energy field to twist and distort incessantly.

Finally—

*Boom!*

The entire mass of energy exploded violently.

Amid the monster’s piercing shrieks, blinding crimson light radiated in all directions.

Seconds later, the shockwave reached the villa, causing the entire glass window to shake incessantly.

Everyone in the room instinctively recoiled.

The mutated Kraken had been blown into a mist of blood, scattering across the sea surface.

“Wow, so brutal,” Zhong Wan remarked, patting Fang Ran’s shoulder and leaning in to whisper, “Probably your guy's work, huh?”

Fang Ran had been holding his breath, staring outside, and only now did his gaze shift.

He knew Zhong Wan was right.

Because at this moment, his palm was burning as if scorched by fire, and his Spiritual Sea was roiling like a storm.

Ever since the last incident, the connection between their Spiritual Seas had grown increasingly palpable.

That Fu Zhangzhou...

He actually unleashed this much power all at once.

Fang Ran closed his eyes, drew several deep breaths.

Just as he began to calm down, he suddenly heard someone shout:

“Another one.”

Opening his eyes, he saw another water column surge up beside the earlier site.

But this water column didn’t collapse. Instead, it bleached white and solidified, eventually forming a solid ice pillar. A shadowy mass thrashed inside—likely another trapped monster.

Fang Ran turned to Zhong Wan. “Is that Lu Wenchuan?”

Zhong Wan squinted for a moment before shaking his head. “Looks similar, but not quite. A Chuan’s energy has a purple shimmer.”

Really?

Fang Ran turned to look again—the ice pillar was shimmering with a faint bluish energy.

Could it be Lu Wenshan?

Had his Superpower reached such a level?

Just as he was about to look away, his right palm began flaring with heat again.

Beside the ice pillar, another water wall surged up, this one glowing with red energy!

The corner of Fang Ran’s eye twitched.

He lowered his gaze and typed out a message into his terminal:

*Fu Zhangzhou, you fucking bastard!*

*Are you trying to get yourself killed?*