In the first-class cabin of a passenger plane headed for the Aaron Republic.

"Hello, excuse me. My seat is by the window."

A sweet fragrance wafted over as a beautiful woman appeared at Shu Feng’s side. She wore a white sundress, her skin was as fair as jade, and she had on a large pair of sunglasses. She spoke politely.

Shu Feng drew back his outstretched legs, allowing the beautiful woman to get to the window seat.

"Shu Feng, what a coincidence!"

The beautiful woman took off her Demon Mirror sunglasses and gave Shu Feng a small smile.

"And you are...?"

Shu Feng hesitated, looking at a face so pure and sweet it could rival Zhao Zixing’s.

The pure-faced, beautiful young woman smiled. "How heartbreaking. I thought I was at least a little famous, but I didn’t expect you to have forgotten me! I’m Chen Xue, from your class year. Do you remember now?"

Shu Feng thought for a long moment before it clicked. "Chen Xue! Chen Xue, I remember now. You’re Chen Xue from Class Two!"

Chen Xue was one of the three great beauties among the freshmen, a young singing starlet in the Qianyuan Republic’s entertainment industry. Shu Feng only remembered her name because Ma Yu had been chattering about her in his ear all day long.

Chen Xue smiled wryly. "That’s right. I’m that piece of cannon fodder your Summoned Beast took out during the freshman class tournament!"

Shu Feng chuckled. "My apologies."

During the Original Dream Tree freshman competition, the only girl who had left a deep impression on Shu Feng was Zhao Zixing. Chen Xue was beautiful and a fantastic singer, but she was far too weak. In that tournament, she really was just cannon fodder, a minor character Shu Feng had disposed of without a second thought.

The two chatted pleasantly, and Shu Feng learned that Chen Xue was on her way to the Aaron Republic for a concert.

Chen Xue asked, "Shu Feng, where in the Aaron Republic are you headed?"

Shu Feng replied, "Outland Town."

Chen Xue’s eyes lit up with excitement. "What a coincidence! I’m going there for the Outland Music Festival! How about we travel there together?"

"Sure," Shu Feng agreed.

As soon as Shu Feng and Chen Xue stepped out of the airport, an all-black, understatedly luxurious car worth thirty million pulled up in front of them.

"Lord Shu Feng, my name is Maggie. I will be your driver and secretary in the Aaron Republic. Please feel free to let me know if there’s anything you need."

A beautiful woman with blue hair and brown eyes stepped out of the driver’s seat. She was about twenty-five or twenty-six, with a stunning figure accentuated by her professional attire. She opened the rear door of the car and bowed respectfully.

’This is the power of a Noble Family like the Qianyuan Republic’s Li Family.’ Their influence spanned the entirety of Blue Star, with countless people in their employ. For them, anything that could be solved with money was no issue at all.

’Of course, Shu Feng was also wealthy. A single Top-grade Spirit Stone could easily fetch a sky-high price of over a trillion at a top auction house. However, converting that vast sum of money into a network of influence would take time. That was precisely why he’d chosen to make the Noble Li Family his vassals; it made accomplishing many things much easier.’

’Naturally, Shu Feng hadn’t forgotten to cultivate his own power base. Adnan, Hanani, and some of the Lord of the Dark Night’s followers were already active on Blue Star, building up his secondary network of influence.’

"Mm."

Shu Feng gave a slight nod and got into the luxury car with Chen Xue.

With Maggie at the wheel, the luxury car headed toward Outland Town.

Wisps of fog began to rise from the road to Outland Town, growing thicker the closer they got.

"Help!! Somebody save me! Help!!"

Suddenly, a terrified scream echoed from the dense fog. A sedan shot out of it like an arrow loosed from its bow, speeding crazily toward their luxury car on a collision course.

Maggie’s face paled and she slammed her foot on the brake. But just then, a large, transparent hand abruptly shot out from under her seat. It grabbed her calf and forced her foot down hard on the accelerator, causing the luxury car to speed up and rush toward the oncoming sedan.

"Hmph!"

Shu Feng snorted coldly. His terrifying Spiritual Pressure—at the Great Spirit Master Peak and almost comparable to the Spirit Sect Level—erupted from him. He merely glanced at the transparent hand.

The immense Spiritual Pressure bore down on the transparent hand.

POP! The hand instantly shattered, dissipating into wisps of smoke.

’He killed a Ghostly Void Demon with a single glance... Incredible!’

Witnessing this, Chen Xue’s eyes lit up with a flash of excitement.

Ever since the Original Dream Tree battle at Shuijing High School, where she had been eliminated as mere cannon fodder by Shu Feng, Chen Xue had been immensely curious about the boy who had defeated her.

She had since investigated all of his exploits: conquering a Little World in the Erosion Realm, destroying the Lord of the Dark Night Church in the Leiyin Republic, and hunting countless experts of the Void Demon Race in the Void Demon Hunting Ground. She had committed every detail to memory.

Shu Feng pointed a finger. Ripples spread through the empty air, and the Steel Beast materialized. It reached out and grabbed the sedan with its claws.

BANG!

The Steel Beast seized the front of the sedan, lifting the entire vehicle into the air.

Steel blades shot out from the Steel Beast’s body, slicing the car to pieces. A man and a woman fell from the wreckage. They were already dead, their faces a deathly, waxy pale.

"Lord Shu Feng, that town is too dangerous. C-can I go back?"

Maggie’s face was pale and her voice trembled as she stared at the abruptly materialized Steel Beast, her mind replaying the image of the transparent hand reaching out from under her seat.

This incident highlighted the difference between hired help and talent cultivated by the old Noble Families. An elite hired for money, like Maggie, would choose to retreat at the first sign of mortal danger. In contrast, retainers raised by a Noble Family would grit their teeth and follow their master into a deathtrap without hesitation.

"Then walk back. This will protect you."

Shu Feng snapped his fingers, and a Spirit Master Level Ghost-devouring Demon materialized beside him.

"Thank you, my Lord!"

Maggie finally breathed a sigh of relief. She immediately got out of the car and began walking back the way they came, staying close to the Ghost-devouring Demon. As a Spirit Warrior Apprentice herself, she was able to see the creature.

Chen Xue smiled. "I can drive. I have my license. How about you sit in the passenger seat and protect me?"

Shu Feng frowned slightly. "Outland Town is clearly not what it seems. There could be a terrifying Void Demon lurking inside. Are you sure you want to go in with me?"

’The fact that a Ghostly Void Demon was killing people so brazenly outside of town meant there was definitely something even more terrifying hidden within its borders.’