One-Sided Slaughter

Most of these people were far from incompetent.

They had simply grown accustomed to dependence, to seeking safety under the protection of the strong.

To put it kindly, their mindset hadn’t shifted—they lacked grit, lacked independence.

To put it harshly… well, no need to be that blunt.

Only when that protection was no longer within easy reach were they forced to unleash their survival instincts.

Su Qi… was this intentional on his part, or did he truly not care?

Perhaps only he knew the answer.

The atmosphere in the group had grown unbearably tense.

Just as some began entertaining thoughts like, "Maybe it’d be better to die here,"

Su Qi’s footsteps paused ever so slightly ahead.

Every heart in the group lurched in response.

What had happened?

Then, Su Qi raised his hand, pointing slightly to the right of their path.

Faint outlines of buildings were barely visible in the distance.

"We’re almost there."

With that, he strode forward without another word.

The group froze.

That was it?

No reassurance, just a simple statement.

Yet it was precisely this simplicity that reignited hope in the nearly broken group.

Painful as the journey had been, at least the direction was clear.

The instinct to survive drowned out all resentment.

Supporting one another, gritting their teeth, they followed Su Qi’s lead.

As they advanced, the ashen haze noticeably thinned.

The scene ahead was like a damp glass wiped haphazardly—blurry, but the outlines became clearer.

The suffocating, scorching air eased slightly.

They were on the right path!

A few in the group staggered, knees nearly buckling.

Not from exhaustion, but from the sudden release of tension at the sight of hope.

Liu Yuan, clutching Su Qi’s sleeve, finally allowed herself a relieved exhale.

They were almost out of that desolate wasteland of ash.

"We… we made it…"

A young examinee muttered hoarsely, voice cracking with emotion.

"Saved…"

Relief surged like a tide, washing away fatigue and fear.

But Su Qi frowned. "Wait before going further."

Most hesitated, then forced themselves to endure the lingering discomfort, trusting his judgment.

A handful, however, saw safety within reach—open terrain, no visible threats.

Even if danger lurked, wouldn’t Su Qi, a powerhouse capable of annihilating tenth-tier Source Realm creatures, intervene? Surely he wouldn’t let them die?

Five examinees broke away, breaking into a sprint.

The moment the first crossed fifty meters—

Disaster struck.

The ground beneath them erupted without warning.

Dozens of crimson shadows, like coiled vipers, shot from the fractured earth.

They were no larger than hounds, but their limbs were thick, ending in razor-sharp bone blades.

Worst were their heads—clusters of compound eyes gleaming with predatory hunger.

"Ah—!"

The three in front had no time to react. Bone blades impaled them mid-stride; others were pounced on, needle-like mouthparts piercing their throats.

"Holy shit!"

"Damn it!"

The remaining two scrambled back, stumbling.

These Source Beasts weren’t high-tier, maybe fourth or fifth at most.

Natives of this Source Realm, they’d fled here when the ash descended, surviving in its fringes.

Normally, the five could’ve handled them easily.

But now, drained by the ash and depleted of energy, they stood no chance.

Even their reflexive counterattacks faltered—exhaustion and empty reserves left them defenseless.

The red beasts weren’t about to let prey escape.

They lunged, closing the gap.

Su Qi moved.

A single step forward placed him squarely before Liu Yuan.

A larger beast—likely the pack leader—zeroed in on her, bone blade aimed at her neck.

Su Qi’s motion seemed unhurried, yet his hand intercepted with precision.

A hair’s breadth from contact, his fingers closed around the creature’s skull.

Crack!

The sound of shattering bone.

The beast’s head crumpled like an eggshell in his grip.

He flung the carcass aside, smashing two others mid-leap.

His expression never wavered, as if swatting a fly.

The remaining pack didn’t retreat. If anything, their bloodlust intensified.

Screeching, they charged the weakened examinees, blades scraping sparks from the ground.

Death loomed again.

Even the official escorts were spent, having shielded the group from the ash’s worst effects.

Now, they could only rally for a desperate stand.

Yun Huang’s pupils constricted. These beasts weren’t strong individually, but numbers and the group’s exhaustion tipped the scales.

If Su Qi only protected Liu Yuan, the others would—

Yet amid the chaos, Su Qi remained still.

Unfazed, as if the onslaught were merely gnats to be brushed aside.

The lead beast vaulted toward a paralyzed examinee, blade gleaming in the dim light.

The boy shut his eyes, bracing for impact.

One second.

Two.

No pain came.

Cracking one eye open, he witnessed the impossible.

The beast hung mid-air, frozen inches from his face.

Then—

Thud.

Its chest caved inward, as if crushed by an invisible fist, before exploding in a shower of gore.

Foul blood drenched the boy, but he barely registered it, gaping at the spectacle.

What… just happened?

Before he could process it—

Thud! Thud! THUD—!

A rapid-fire sequence of bursts followed.

Every crimson beast met the same fate—bodies detonating mid-charge, painting the ashen ground in visceral carnage.

Some had just leaped into mid-air, others had barely lifted their front claws, and a few even had their mouthparts mere inches from the examinees' skin.

Yet at the same exact moment, it was as if something inside their bodies detonated, bursting them apart from within.

There were no violent explosions, no surges of energy.

Just an eerie, inexplicable disintegration—one after another, they erupted into showers of gore and fragmented flesh.

In mere seconds, dozens of ferocious crimson source beasts were reduced to a gruesome mess on the ground.

The air thickened with a nauseating, metallic stench of blood.

Everywhere except the small patch of ground where Su Qi and Liu Yuan stood, it looked as though a grotesque rain of viscera had fallen.

Everyone froze in shock.

They had expected Su Qi to intervene.

They had even anticipated her striking down the source beasts with overwhelming force.

But no one could have imagined it would happen like this—in a manner so bizarre, so utterly incomprehensible!

This wasn’t a battle.

This was a one-sided slaughter.

No—not even slaughter.

This defied description.