Volume Two: The Thousand Faces of Youth, Illusion and Reality Chapter Ninety-Eight: A Choice Between Two

Qin Shiqian swallowed hard—Huo was truly a monster! Fortunately, it wasn’t their Frostbite Domain clashing directly with the Star Collective; otherwise, even if they had devised a war mode strategy, victory would have been far from certain.

The Burning Mountain Clan’s attack was not a baseless provocation against the Star Collective; it was a decision reached after deliberation among several major clans. Yet, in truth, only four clans were involved. Initially, they intended to assemble a larger force to test the Star Collective’s strength and uncover their trump cards. However, emissaries from the Dark Hall stated that their leader would not confront Huo before the official clan war began, as a mark of respect. Well, Tan Xiao’s dramatic tendencies needed no further explanation.

When Huo Xialan received the invitation to the meeting, she simply said one word: “Leave.” Naturally, she wouldn’t let outsiders bully her cousin. On the contrary, she was tempted to storm every major clan’s headquarters. Put simply, Huo Xialan had irrevocably embarked on the path of a devoted sibling warrior.

As for Feng Wuming, he considered Huo a tea companion—a gentlemanly friendship as mild as water—but still a friend. Moreover, as a monk, he should not be involved in such controversies. Hence, he declined the invitation.

Thus, only Thunderclap Lightning, Burning Mountain, Frostbite Domain, and the Circle of Truth attended the meeting.

Ultimately, they agreed that one clan would engage the Star Collective in battle while the others observed. Losses would be shared equally, but the victorious clan would reap all the rewards.

Originally, Jin Puxian, burning with a desire for revenge, strongly advocated for the Circle of Truth to fight. However, considering Jin had just been discharged from the hospital and had suffered a humiliating defeat in the racing event, they feared he might act rashly, and so his proposal was rejected.

The representative from Thunderclap Lightning was a man of few words, leaving the decision between Burning Mountain and Frostbite Domain. They flipped a coin to settle who would take on the battle.

Now, Qin Shiqian was grateful he had chosen the “character” side.

Feng Wuming was unsurprised to be invited as a guest, suspecting the move was to intimidate the three clans that had yet to confront the Star Collective directly. Since the representatives of the Light of the Holy Ring and the Dark Hall were unavailable, they came to him, a more approachable figure.

“But you all really underestimate Brother Huo, and the Star Collective as well,” Feng Wuming thought.

Afterwards, Huo Ye used an imperceptible sound-locating ability to relentlessly seek out the underground Bloodwing Mole Crickets. Their speed in hunting these disasters far outpaced Burning Mountain.

After dispatching two hundred in just three seconds, Huo Ye deliberately restrained his power, calmly killing the Bloodwing Mole Crickets alongside Jiang Feng. Whenever the kill count between them grew too wide, Huo Ye would unleash a burst to close the gap.

“Killing these disasters isn’t about mindless hacking; you must think—study their behavior patterns. If you were this disaster, where would you hide your core? Where would you feel safest, least likely to be attacked? Where, even if targeted, would offer multiple escape routes? These are lessons learned only through experience,” Huo Ye said, crossing his arms as he imparted wisdom to Jiang Feng. He cared little if viewers watching on screen learned his techniques; on the contrary, more people mastering these strategies meant greater security on future battlefields. In this regard, Huo Ye was generous.

“Yes!” Jiang Feng responded without complaint, despite Huo Ye standing still. He trusted his leader to protect him and knew that only by staying alert in danger could he grow faster.

The more perilous the situation became, the more adrenaline surged through his body—breathing quickened, heart raced—accelerating his powers’ development. This was the fastest way to grow his abilities.

Waving off Bloodwing Mole Crickets that tried to gnaw his thighs, Jiang Feng called out, “Boss, they’re swarming too many at once! Help me out!” Yet when he turned, he saw Huo Ye staring thoughtfully at the distant horizon.

“Boss!” Jiang Feng shouted again.

Snapping back, Huo Ye cleared the swarm blocking Jiang Feng with ease.

“Whew, Boss, what were you thinking about just now?” Jiang Feng asked.

“Something feels off. The disasters should be scattered at regular intervals, gathering in clusters. But now, it seems vast areas of Bloodwing Mole Crickets have vanished, as if someone cleared them out,” Huo Ye explained.

Jiang Feng guessed, “Could it be the Flame Demon Hall’s previous activity zone? Maybe they wiped them out.”

Huo Ye shook his head. “No battle traces here… Wait, I hear something!” He grabbed Jiang Feng and hid behind a large rock, intent on eavesdropping.

Though the two were uncertain, the spectators knew exactly what was happening.

Less than five hundred meters from Huo Ye’s hiding spot, members of Flame Demon Hall and Xiao Linghuo were fleeing in all directions, pursued by a tidal wave of thousands of Bloodwing Mole Crickets.

“I told you not to gather so many! Even fire trains have limits!” Xiao Linghuo shouted.

“How was I supposed to know one blast would summon this many?” Flame Demon Hall shouted back.

Xiao Linghuo complained bitterly, “With the firepower and my poison spread so thin, the flame can’t kill them all, and the core remains untouched. I told you, your plan’s a self-made grave!”

“Is this the time to argue? Let’s find a way out! If we get eaten, it’s a sure loss!”

“What else can I do now? Just run as hard as I can.”

They had watched Huo Ye’s steady kill count and the occasional massive leap, guessing he was holding back. Driven by fierce determination, Flame Demon Hall had devised what they believed was a perfect upgraded plan: amass a huge swarm of disasters and kill them all at once, maximizing their fire-element advantage. But the world has a saying: too much is as bad as too little. As Xiao Linghuo warned, even a fire train must have limits. The swarm’s density now exceeded their control.

Life was like a play, full of unpredictable twists. More dramatically, their escape path led directly toward Huo Ye’s hiding place.

“Wow, Boss, are they crazy?” Jiang Feng exclaimed.

“I think so. Well, no point hiding anymore; let’s go out and greet them,” Huo Ye said, his expression turning cold as he drew his blade and stepped forward, clearly intent on intercepting the Burning Mountain duo.

“Look! It’s Huo Ye!”

“Ugh, why did we run into him?”

“Forget that, call for backup! Hey, Clan Leader Huo, help—ah!”

Before Xiao Linghuo could finish, Huo Ye’s blade swung toward him. Seeing the imminent danger, Xiao Linghuo hurled a dark purple poisonous flame in front of him. Huo Ye narrowly dodged it and leapt forward, but Flame Demon Hall had already shielded Xiao Linghuo, so Huo Ye held back from a reckless attack.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you? With such a huge swarm of disasters, why attack us?” Flame Demon Hall demanded.

Huo Ye’s deadpan eyes met theirs as he coolly retorted, “Then who do you think unleashed that locust-like swarm?”

The two were speechless.

Huo Ye continued, “So, I don’t need to emphasize it further: this situation is not my fault. Facing two enemies, and victory assured by eliminating one, naturally I choose the easier side. If this were a real battlefield, I’d save you. But sorry, this is VRF. So here are your two choices: be cut down by me or jump into the swarm and get bitten to death. Either way, you’re doomed.”

Hidden behind the rock, Jiang Feng was dumbfounded. “Boss, your words make you sound like a villain. In any show, you wouldn’t last an episode!”