Chapter 1437: Who Are They

Shadow Island.

Neon lights flickered, dazzling the eyes.

The nightlife was about to begin, and the streets were filled with smiling pedestrians. Xiong Fen and his son, along with the others, stepped out of their car, wearing white hard hats, chatting and laughing at the street corner.

"Another perfect day. Let's keep up the good work and aim to finish early!"

"There's no more work for today. Let's call it a night and grab some late-night snacks to relax!"

After a few exchanges, the group followed the father and son into a restaurant. The waiter, quick to notice, approached to greet them.

"Manager Xiong, Little Manager Xiong, please come this way to the private room!"

The father and son, dressed in suits, took their seats at the head and secondary positions of the table. Despite their already considerable status, they remained humble, exuding an air of profound mystery.

Seeing this, Lei Qianjue, who was sitting at the same table, couldn't help but praise them.

"Both managers are truly young and capable. We are truly ashamed."

Although the father and son had cultivated for many years, they were still relatively young compared to the ancient beings present. Hearing such praise, they quickly clasped their hands in humility.

"Old Lei, you flatter us. We are just fortunate to have arrived on Shadow Island earlier, which is why we have achieved what we have today."

"That's right, it's all luck. In terms of true ability, Old Lei and the other seniors are the ones we admire. In just a few days, you've been promoted to supervisors, and even that seems like an underutilization of your talents!"

"The way you all carried yourselves in the previous battle is still fresh in our minds!"

The father and son became more and more emotional, showering each other with praise. Their insight and emotional intelligence far surpassed their cultivation level, and even the seniors couldn't help but smile and feel flattered.

Thus, even though their cultivation was stronger, they were willing to work under Xiong Fen and his son.

The atmosphere in the private room grew even more lively until Jiang Yuan sighed with emotion.

"Indeed, as the two of you have said, being able to enter Shadow Island in this lifetime is a great fortune for us!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the room erupted in agreement, pushing the atmosphere to its peak!

"Old Jiang speaks the truth!"

"Exactly! No matter what exists on other planets, they pale in comparison to our Shadow Island!"

"Not just that! The Nine Heavens Sword Maiden, who seems to have reached the supreme realm, is still a servant of the master. With the master guarding Shadow Island, no one in the entire galaxy would dare to cause trouble in front of him!"

"That's right! With the master here, our Shadow Island is unrivaled! And the personal disciples, as well as the legendary guardians, are all terrifyingly powerful. Who would dare to provoke Shadow Island?"

...

Fueled by alcohol, the group grew more and more excited.

Even the waitress, who overheard the conversation, couldn't help but chime in with pride.

Although it was just drunken talk, perhaps with a hint of arrogance, Jiang Yuan didn't refute it. Instead, he nodded with a smile, clearly in agreement.

Indeed, as everyone had said, Shadow Island was likely unrivaled in this galaxy.

This level of glory was something even the ancient Cloud Star could not achieve!

Looking out the window at the dazzling buildings, Jiang Yuan's feelings grew even more profound. He could no longer imagine what level the master had reached. If anyone dared to oppose him, it would only elicit laughter from everyone.

Beside him, Xiong Zhong, his face slightly red from drinking, raised his glass.

"Come on, Old Jiang!"

"Let's finish this glass. As long as we keep working hard for Shadow Island, we'll definitely make a fortune in this lifetime!"

Though the words were crude, the sentiment was true.

Jiang Yuan knew this was a great blessing, so he smiled and raised his glass.

"Alright."

Just as everyone was celebrating and clinking glasses, suddenly—a loud explosion echoed from outside the window!

"Boom!!!"

The terrifying sound startled everyone. Before they could react, the restaurant began to shake, and the ground beneath their feet trembled violently. In the distance, chaotic shouts could be heard!

In an instant, Xiong Fen's drunkenness vanished, replaced by shock.

"An earthquake?!"

He looked around in surprise, but no one responded.

Including his father and Jiang Yuan, everyone stood frozen by the window, staring into the distance.

Seeing this, Xiong Fen grew even more alarmed and hurried over to take a closer look.

What he saw made him drop his glass.

"Crash!"

The sound of the glass shattering echoed not just in his ears but also in his heart.

In his line of sight, the distant street was filled with panicked people. It was unclear where the explosion had occurred or what had happened, but it looked like a scene of mass evacuation—something that had never happened on Shadow Island before.

The next moment, a figure suddenly emerged from the darkness, running wildly toward the crowd. Terrifying cultivation energy gathered around the figure, glowing with an otherworldly light that made even Jiang Yuan's eyes widen in fear.

"What terrifying cultivation!"

"Not good! This person seems to be about to self-destruct!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes widened in shock.

If even Jiang Yuan was wary of this person's cultivation, what would happen if they self-destructed?

They didn't dare to imagine!

Just as everyone was frozen in fear, a figure stepped in front of the crowd.

It was the second young master, Wu Tao!

Today, he looked different from his usual lazy self. His expression was serious as he spat out a toothpick and muttered softly.

"This lunatic..."

"Although he can't hurt me in the slightest, I can't let him destroy the city. To be safe, I can't afford even a one in ten thousand chance of failure. Not a single one can be spared!"

"This street will be protected by me, Wu Tao!"

With that, Wu Tao raised his hands and focused his will.

In the next moment, a sea of clones—ten billion of them—poured out onto the street. Even though the street stretched for miles, it was completely filled. As soon as the self-destructing figure emerged, the overwhelming number of clones pressed down on them, preventing the explosion from spreading!

Everything that happened in those few seconds left everyone wide-eyed.

"So it was a suicide bomber!"

"Thank goodness the second young master intervened! If it weren't for this personal disciple, the explosion just now would have caused heavy casualties!"

"To think someone could cause damage to our Shadow Island—this person is no ordinary foe!"

"Who on earth would dare to attack Shadow Island?"

As they spoke, the tension grew, and their eyes flickered with both fear and anger.

Especially Xiong Zhong, who was so furious he started cursing.

"Damn it!"

"Who the hell dares to cause trouble on Shadow Island? That's the road I just finished today! If I catch the person responsible, I'll skin them alive!"

With that, Xiong Zhong was about to storm out in a rage.

But the fact that the attacker could destroy asphalt roads showed how terrifying their cultivation was. Moreover, they were a suicide bomber, making direct confrontation impossible!

Realizing the danger, Xiong Fen quickly grabbed Xiong Zhong and the others, leading them out of the restaurant to join the fleeing crowd.

Meanwhile, in the northern district of the city, near the waste disposal and recycling center.

Master Lu clenched his fists, his expression grim as he stared at a dark figure in the distance.

The figure's origin was unknown, and their aura was unusually strange, filling Master Lu with unease. What was even more frightening was the overwhelming killing intent in the air, which made Master Lu's heart race with fear.

Suddenly, the figure began gathering cultivation energy, and the terrifying pressure made Master Lu's heart sink.

He instinctively prepared to activate his divine abilities, but he wasn't confident. He didn't even have time to think about where such a powerful being had come from.

All he felt was a sense of impending doom—today, he might meet his end!

At the critical moment, Li Taibai appeared, riding his green ox backward. With a wave of his sleeve, he twisted the space around the dark figure, instantly transporting the impending self-destruction to an unknown location.

Only when the dark figure completely disappeared did Li Taibai let out a long breath, his temples damp with sweat.

Witnessing this, Master Lu's back was drenched in cold sweat.

...

In the urban-rural fringe, another dark figure tore through the void, gathering boundless cultivation energy as they charged madly toward a residential high-rise.

Fortunately, Hong Kuang appeared just in time, embracing the figure with even greater madness. The moment the figure's cultivation and flesh were about to explode, Hong Kuang countered with an equally powerful explosion, matching the force blow for blow.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A series of explosions echoed, but their power was far less than before.

In just a few seconds, Hong Kuang had to manipulate thousands of identical explosions, a feat that required immense mental and physical energy. If it weren't for Hong Kuang, no one else could have pulled it off.

After a few moments, the explosions finally subsided. Hong Kuang's body had been reduced to fragments, and though he reformed, he was panting heavily, leaning on his knees with a look of exhaustion.

"Ha... ha..."

"My art is the strongest!"

Similar incidents occurred all over the city, with personal disciples appearing almost simultaneously to stop the attacks. The entire Shadow Island was thrown into chaos.

In less than half an hour, the night raid was finally quelled. All the disciples gathered in the central conference room, most of them looking exhausted as they recounted what they had seen.

After hearing the reports, Su Yunyun's expression was grave, her eyes filled with doubt.

"Who on earth could have infiltrated Shadow Island and carried out such a heinous attack?"

"Both their cultivation and their ruthless methods are far from ordinary..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the conference room grew even more oppressive.

All the disciples looked puzzled, with no one having any clue. Even the highly regarded Mo Tianji could only shake her head slightly.

"I don't know either."

"I can only predict that something terrible will happen tonight, but as for who is behind it, there's no trace."

Hearing this, the conference room fell into silence.

An unprecedented sense of crisis silently enveloped Shadow Island...