Who wants to become a god? Aren't you all forcing me?

#164 - Chapter 164 Big Shot

"Damn, an Eight-Forbidden Awakened, really?"

"Did Li Chenqiu leave us just now to… to eliminate the Eight-Forbidden Awakened? No way!"

"Isn't Li Chenqiu only Three-Forbidden? How can he eliminate an Eight-Forbidden Awakened? That's ridiculous!"

"Yeah, is Teacher Gao confused? Three-Forbidden eliminating an Eight-Forbidden Awakened is like an ant winning an arm wrestle against an elephant! Are you kidding me?"

Doubt, shock, astonishment, disbelief…

All sorts of expressions appeared on the students' faces.

"Eight-Forbidden? Has Dream Disaster broken through to Eight-Forbidden?!" Bai Hong's pupils dilated.

Gao Fushuai glanced at Zhu Lan, whose emotions were gradually stabilizing, and nodded. "Yes, Dream Disaster ate Teacher Lin Ling, so… so it broke through."

Zhu Lan took a deep breath, put her hands on her hips, and turned away, no longer facing the crowd.

Chen Shan sized up Li Chenqiu and tentatively asked, "You're Three-Forbidden?"

Li Chenqiu nodded.

Hearing this, Chen Shan covered his mouth with his hand and looked at Gao Fushuai. "You're not kidding us, are you? You should know the difference between Eight-Forbidden and Three-Forbidden. Li Chenqiu is strong, but how could he possibly eliminate Dream Disaster?"

Bai Hong also chimed in, "The gap between each Forbidden level increases as you go higher. I know Li Chenqiu can fight beyond his Forbidden level, but not this ridiculously far!"

Gao Fushuai didn't refute or explain, and turned to the students. "Don't follow us."

After speaking, he winked at Bai Hong and the others, then walked towards the deserted shade of the trees.

The others exchanged glances and followed him.

Once they left, the crowd instantly surrounded Li Chenqiu, leaving no space at all.

"Li Chenqiu, is what Teacher Gao said true? Did you really eliminate the Eight-Forbidden Awakened?"

"You're not Three-Forbidden? How can you eliminate an Eight-Forbidden Awakened?"

"Were you hiding your strength from the beginning? Concealing your true power?"

Surrounded in the center, Li Chenqiu couldn't hear anything clearly. All he heard was a buzzing sound.

How could he explain? He couldn't just openly say that someone was secretly protecting him!

Li Chenqiu raised his arms. "Everyone, stop crowding! Let's go over there and I'll make up… cough! I'll tell you about it. Don't disturb Teacher Gao and the others!"

…

Under the shade of the trees in the distance.

Chen Shan said in a deep voice, "Say what you need to say!"

"Alright." Gao Fushuai glanced at Li Chenqiu's back. "Before…"

Dong, dong, dong!

A crisp knocking sound came from not far away.

Gao Fushuai closed his mouth and looked towards the direction of the sound in confusion.

It was the location of the truck's cargo bed.

"Hmm?" Gao Fushuai raised his eyebrows. "Is there still someone who hasn't gotten off the truck?"

No one answered because the others were also looking bewildered.

"Did your An Tongs Si send five people?"

"There are only four of us. Are they from your War Academy?"

"I'm the only one from the War Academy."

"I'm the only one from the Star Plucking Academy."

After Bai Hong finished speaking, the nerves of everyone present instantly tightened.

Dong, dong, dong!

The crisp knocking sound rang out again.

Chen Shan's gaze was as sharp as an eagle as he stared intently at the truck's cargo bed.

He drew the horizontal blade from his waist and ordered, "You guys protect the students."

The other three members of An Tongs Si nodded and spread out in a triangular formation, silently including the students in their protective circle.

Bai Hong narrowed his eyes and guessed, "Is it an Awakened from the New World?"

"Not sure, but they probably don't have good intentions. I'll go take a look. You guys be on guard nearby."

Chen Shan took a deep breath and walked steadily, step by step, towards the cargo bed.

Gao Fushuai was about to take action, but Bai Hong stopped him. "You're injured and you don't have a weapon. Don't try to be a hero. Protect the students."

Gao Fushuai was slightly stunned and eventually took a step back.

As Bai Hong said, he really didn't have much combat power now. He was probably only a little stronger than a Six-Forbidden, so going up wouldn't change anything. He might as well protect the students.

Soon, Bai Hong and Zhu Lan stood on the left and right sides of the cargo bed, waiting for Chen Shan's command.

Chen Shan pursed his lips, not daring to breathe loudly, and with a movement of his feet, he disappeared from the spot with a "whoosh."

When he reappeared, he was standing directly in front of the cargo bed.

"This…" Chen Shan's pupils shrank suddenly, and the horizontal blade he was holding against his chest fell to the ground with a "clang."

Inside the cargo bed, an old man with graying hair was leaning against the corner.

The old man's back was slightly hunched, his skin was dry and dull, and his face was as dry as old tree bark. His old and frail appearance was like a withered branch in the dead of winter, as if a gust of cold wind could easily break it.

"Hmm?"

The old man's ears twitched, and he slowly raised his head, looking straight at Chen Shan.

"This… this…"

Chen Shan's pupils trembled, and he stammered for a long time without uttering a complete sentence.

The old man's eyebrows and eyes curved like crescent moons, and he smiled kindly. "Hello, young man."

Chen Shan's Adam's apple bobbed, and he said in a trembling voice, "You are…"

Li Bai asked curiously, "This old man is called Li Bai. Have you heard of my name?"

Chen Shan's expression shook.

How could he not have heard of the name Li Bai?

The previous Minister of the Disaster Elimination Department of An Tongs Si, now the Vice President of Star Plucking Academy, and the Dean of the Extreme Body Department, a big shot standing at the pinnacle of the Tianyuan Federation.

"Looks like you've heard of me. I thought no one in An Tongs Si remembered this old man anymore. Aren't you going to talk about that something-something Disaster? Come in and talk. I want to hear it too."

Li Bai said in a calm tone.

Chen Shan was stunned for a moment, then nodded blankly. "Uh… okay."

After speaking, he left the front of the cargo bed with stiff steps, out of Li Bai's sight.

Bai Hong and Zhu Lan, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately surrounded him with concern when they saw Chen Shan leaving the front of the cargo bed.

"Why are you in this state?"

"What happened? What's in the cargo bed?"

Chen Shan didn't speak, and waved to Gao Fushuai, who was standing in the distance.

Gao Fushuai ran over in confusion, and asked puzzledly, "What's wrong?"

Chen Shan suppressed the shock in his heart and said as calmly as possible, "There's an old man in the cargo bed."

"An old man?" Zhu Lan frowned. "What old man turned you into this?"

Chen Shan said in a deep voice, "You should all know this old man. His surname is Li, and his name is Bai."

"Vice President Li?"

Gao Fushuai and Bai Hong said in unison, exchanging glances with shock in their eyes.

Gao Fushuai asked in surprise, "Vice President Li came along too?"

Bai Hong shook his head blankly. "I… I don't know…"

"Alright, Old Li wants us all to go in. Let's go in and talk!"

Chen Shan interrupted the conversation, pointed to the cargo bed, and then took the lead towards the cargo bed. The three of them followed suit.