Chapter Thirty-Seven: It’s Not Easy to Be a Hero

Ling Xiao’s ultimate move was truly extraordinary. In one fell swoop, he slew thousands of Earth Roar beasts and left everyone present deeply shaken. He had achieved exactly what he intended: whatever happened next, and no matter how awkward it might be for some, every fellow disciple present now owed him a debt of gratitude. Just imagining the scene—thousands of people cheering him on as he confessed his love to Senior Sister Xiao Rou—filled him with excitement.

Yet, the thrill was fleeting. At this moment, Ling Xiao felt utterly drained, his body an empty shell. He knew he couldn’t muster the strength for a second attack. Without hesitation, he recalled his black flying sword and wobbled through the air toward Wang Li.

Wang Li, hovering above, was at first stunned, but swiftly understood. Ling Xiao was indeed formidable, skilled in spiritual attacks, but he lacked endurance. Though the Earth Roar beasts had retreated for now, the danger was far from over. They might well mount another assault soon, and unless they found a way to eliminate the remaining beasts, no one would be able to rest easy.

Sheng Ye remarked with a sly grin, “Heh, this Ling Xiao is certainly a three-second hero, but I like him!”

“Kid, you’ve seen it now—being a hero comes at a price. If you choose to get involved, you’ll be tied by karma to everyone here. Take my advice: slip away while no one’s watching. I can’t save everyone, but I can get you out!”

Wang Li had no patience for Sheng Ye’s banter. He tossed a pill to Ling Xiao and barked, “Restore your spiritual energy. Wait for my command!”

Ling Xiao caught the pill and swallowed it without even looking.

Wang Li then addressed the crowd: “I am Wang Li, transmission steward of the Sutra Pavilion. I don’t care what rank you are, or whose disciple—you want to live, you’ll follow my orders! The danger isn’t over yet!”

A hush fell over the gathering. Thousands of eyes fixed on Wang Li. No one raised an objection. Everyone understood: having someone step forward to lead was already a blessing. If chaos reigned, the result would only be worse than if they fought on their own. The more advanced cultivators recognized this as well, so none spoke against him.

After confirming that there were no dissenters, Wang Li declared, “Since that’s settled, I now order you—as your steward!”

“All of you, withdraw to the hill ten miles outside the city. You have half an incense stick’s time to gather there. Anyone left behind must fend for themselves!”

With that, he took the lead, flying toward the hill he’d scouted earlier. The others wasted no time, moving at full speed toward the city’s outskirts.

“Senior Jin, what should we do? Should we go with them?” The disciples from Divine Armory Valley, clad in gold, looked to Jin Lan, the most respected among them, for guidance.

Jin Lan glanced at the Purity Sun Temple disciples streaming out of the city and sighed. “This is their home turf—what choice do we have? There’s only a few dozen of us. We’d barely be a snack for the Earth Roar beasts if we stayed. Let’s go—keep up with them!”

“I remind you, keep your pride in check. There are Purity Sun disciples everywhere, and the situation is against us. Do your best to avoid conflict with anyone else, understood?”

“Yes, Senior!”

The Divine Armory Valley disciples quickly came to a consensus and followed the main Purity Sun contingent out of the city.

Unlike the ten thousand strong of the Purity Sun Temple, these disciples from various sects had come as their sects’ elites—each at least at the first stage of Foundation Establishment. Flight was no issue for them, and they had no non-flying juniors to slow them down. Their disadvantage, however, was numbers. When faced with swarms of Earth Roar beasts, they could only evade, not confront them head-on. The greatest threat lurking in the city was the unseen Earth Roar chieftain—none of them felt confident enough to face it alone. Safety lay only in numbers, with the Purity Sun disciples as their shield.

Other sects quickly made the same decision as Divine Armory Valley.

Wang Li alighted on the hillside and, looking back at the sea of fellow disciples behind him, felt a prickle of anxiety. Though he’d gone against Sheng Ye’s advice and taken up temporary command of these ten thousand people, he was far from confident. He believed that once they gathered, the Earth Roar beasts would find it hard to inflict serious harm, but as for what to do next, he was at a loss.

He’d read many books on military strategy, but there was a world of difference between theory and the chaos of real battle.

Sheng Ye taunted, “Told you to run while you had the chance. Don’t you know your own limits? Now look at you, the fool!”

Ignoring Sheng Ye’s jibes, Wang Li wrestled with his thoughts.

“Steward Wang, look out! I can’t control my direction!” Zhou Qian’s panicked shout jolted Wang Li back to the present. He glanced back, cursing Zhou Qian inwardly, and dodged just in time to avoid the overloaded “door plank.”

With a thud, the plank crashed down, and over a hundred figures tumbled off it, rolling across the ground like gourd vines—utterly bedraggled.

“Good heavens, I’m exhausted!” Zhou Qian flopped down on the “door plank,” gasping, and turned to the two fellow disciples behind him. “Thank you, seniors. Without you, this flying vessel would have wrung me dry.”

“Don’t mention it, junior. When a fellow disciple is in trouble, we’re duty-bound to help.”

They laughed. “Zhou Qian, your ‘door plank’ really can hold people—packed seven hundred into a space meant for five hundred. I worried it’d fall apart halfway.”

Zhou Qian protested, “Seniors, it’s a flying vessel, not a door plank!”

“Haha, of course, of course—a flying vessel.”

“Junior, come find me in the inner sect when we get back. I know some folks from Divine Armory Valley and can introduce you.”

The two stepped off the “door plank” with a smile and approached Wang Li.

“Inner sect disciple Hong Luanfeng greets Steward Wang.”

“Inner sect disciple Nan Qi greets Steward Wang!”

They bowed, making Wang Li feel awkward. He knew these two well—they were standouts among the fourth generation of inner sect disciples.

Hong Luanfeng, sixty years old, already at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment.

Nan Qi, thirty-two, newly entered Foundation Establishment.

Both were rare geniuses. Barring disaster, they would surely reach the Golden Core stage within a century.

They often visited the Sutra Pavilion to read, and over time had become familiar with Wang Li, frequently sharing news from the outside world. Their courteous salute now felt strange, putting distance between them. Because they knew him so well, Wang Li worried he might slip up and reveal himself.

Unlike Wang Li’s unease, the two now regarded him not as the novice he’d once been, but as a true elder, speaking with respectful restraint.

To maintain his air of seniority—and to avoid exposing himself—Wang Li only nodded slightly, his expression calm and unruffled.

Hong Luanfeng spoke: “Steward Wang, what should we do next?”

Nan Qi added, “There are at least four or five thousand Earth Roar beasts left in the city, and the chieftain has yet to show itself. We fear they may try to ambush us.”