Chapter Seventy-One: Extraordinary Powers Emerge on Campus

"Hu Chaoyang, you're not welcome here."
Tian Qin stepped forward, blocking Hu Chaoyang's path.

There was clearly something happening here, Qin Jing realized, though Yan Yizhen hadn't told him the details.

"This is between me and Qin Jing. If not for him, do you think I'd bother coming here? Move aside!"

Hu Chaoyang's voice was cold and harsh. In that instant, Qin Jing sensed an invisible force emanating from Hu Chaoyang, a power that mysteriously pushed Tian Qin aside.

An Awakened one?

Qin Jing was surprised. Only a few days ago, Hu Chaoyang had been an ordinary person. Clearly, something had happened to change that.

"Hu Chaoyang, say what you need to say," Qin Jing spoke, stepping forward and stopping Yan Yizhen, who was about to intervene. This was his affair with Hu Chaoyang, a grudge that needed to be settled, and he couldn't let Yan Yizhen get involved.

Chen Hua had been watching the scene unfold. Seeing this, she nervously clenched her small fists. She didn't care about Hu Chaoyang; what she saw was how close Yan Yizhen and Qin Jing were—even now, Qin Jing was standing up for Yan Yizhen.

"Heh, so you've got some guts, Qin Jing. Aren't you curious how I got out of prison?" Hu Chaoyang sneered, his narrowed eyes fixed on Qin Jing. "Coming to school is one thing, but now that you're here, don't even think about leaving."

There was an implication in his words that made Qin Jing frown. "What are you getting at?"

Hu Chaoyang suddenly burst into wild, almost maniacal laughter, as if Qin Jing's confusion had emboldened him.

"Has he lost his mind in prison?" Qin Jing watched him closely, noticing a strange, ghostly aura emanating from Hu Chaoyang—yet it was more powerful than a mere specter.

"How pitiful. I once regarded you as a worthy opponent, but now I see you're just a slightly talented ordinary person."

Hu Chaoyang felt an unparalleled sense of satisfaction. In fact, his time in prison had connected his family with a supernatural organization. Through a twist of fate, he had been discovered to possess extraordinary potential. In just seven days, he had advanced to the first rank of the Awakened!

After experiencing this newfound power, Hu Chaoyang viewed "mere mortals" like Qin Jing with disdain, so much so that he even felt inclined to "praise" him.

Looking at Qin Jing with a gaze full of pity, Hu Chaoyang felt like a cat toying with a mouse. "The world is on the brink of great change. I have no interest in old grudges, but you turned away Chao Ge when she asked you for help. That's something I can't tolerate. So, Qin Jing, this is your fault—you think too highly of yourself. Did you really believe that making a few clever deals in school made you special?"

"Let me tell you, there are always greater people and powers out there. The world is far more complex than you can imagine!"

At this moment, Hu Chaoyang felt bathed in a sacred radiance, as though he were the protagonist of a drama, denouncing the villainous Qin Jing.

What would come next? Would he end Qin Jing with a single blow, or watch him struggle in vain? With interest, he looked at Qin Jing, unable to decide.

"What nonsense is this?"

"Did prison scramble his brains?"

"What is he even talking about?"

The students nearby couldn't make sense of Hu Chaoyang's words. They only saw him approach Qin Jing and then start raving like a madman.

"Heh, all you mortals—kneel before me!"

The tone of Hu Chaoyang's words turned commanding, and in the next moment, an invisible pressure radiated from him.

With a rush, those closest to Hu Chaoyang suddenly fell to their knees—not out of submission, but as if a powerful force had bent their bodies. Some of the girls even collapsed face-down on the ground.

"Ouch!"

"What's happening?"

"What's going on?"

Confusion spread among the students, but something even more terrifying followed. A greenish light glimmered on Hu Chaoyang's body, and suddenly, a blood-soaked man's head emerged directly from his chest!

"My god!"

"A ghost!"

Screams erupted in all directions.

Qin Jing, however, remained calm. It was just a specter—he'd caught one before. He hadn't acted immediately because, when Hu Chaoyang unleashed his power, Qin Jing clearly sensed something strange enveloping the entire school. In that moment, the campus turned dim, as if it had been plunged into a haunted realm.

He frowned, thinking to himself: Could the force behind Hu Chaoyang be targeting the school? That seemed unlikely—Lenghai had official agents present. To make such a public move would be suicidal.

"Qin Jing! Are you alright?" Yan Yizhen, face pale with shock, ran to Qin Jing's side. The group around him seemed unaffected by Hu Chaoyang's power, though Yan Yizhen herself sensed only danger and instinctively tried to pull Qin Jing away.

"Hua'er, is—that—a ghost?" Jiang Yuerong trembled, pointing with a shaking finger at Hu Chaoyang, horrified by the ghastly head emerging from his chest.

Chen Hua was also white as a sheet, stunned into silence, her mind blank and unable to process what was happening.

"Ha! Do you see now, Qin Jing? This is my power! Ghosts and gods truly exist in this world!" Hu Chaoyang seemed oblivious to the change in Qin Jing's expression. He spread his arms wide and shouted, while the hideous specter slowly crawled out of his body.

The students began fleeing in terror, crawling and scrambling, but their movements were oddly sluggish, as though weighed down by an unseen force Hu Chaoyang had unleashed.

"I'm fine. Yan Yizhen, gather all the club members together—don't get separated. It's not safe outside either," Qin Jing instructed, stepping forward once more.

Bang.

Invisible energies collided in the air and extinguished each other, a faint crackling sound echoing.

From above, one would see that a barrier had formed, centered on Qin Jing and Hu Chaoyang. On one side, shadows and blood-red hues reigned; on the other, daylight shone brightly—it was, after all, still morning.