Chapter 152: Pinned Beneath

Chu Hanyu merely glanced at the manual before putting it down with a sense of boredom. The promises contained within were, to him, if not quite worthless dust, then certainly of little consequence. Indeed, had it not been for Zhang Ning, Chu Hanyu would have felt that remaining in this world served no purpose whatsoever.

Every world has its own trials to endure and combat, yet Chu Hanyu did not believe this realm required any significant assistance. The only place toward which he held deep emotional attachment was, when all was said and done, Azure Heaven Realm.

Moreover, for this lesser world, even without Zhang Ning, other ambitious and capable individuals would eventually emerge, ultimately leading to the same outcome, albeit at a much slower pace.

Once his cultivation and powers had fully recovered, Chu Hanyu used a rudimentary, albeit sufficient, divination technique to calculate the time ratio between this lesser realm and Azure Heaven Realm. Finding it to be one thousand to one, he completely relaxed. Aside from occasional meditation and sensing the condition of Zhang Ning, he suddenly found himself with almost nothing to do.

Tao Ranting’s visit ensured that his day was not entirely wasted, which was why he did not grow angry at Tao Ranting’s attitude. Tucking the manual aside casually, he said, “I understand. You may leave.”

True to being an elite emissary specially chosen to liaise with the gifted, Tao Ranting did not bat an eye. Even though the person before him was merely a Favored One, even though their organization possessed countermeasures capable of restraining such beings, and even though this Favored One, purely in terms of secular power, lacked the standing to even address him, Tao Ranting maintained his composure and wore a steady smile.

“Of course, of course!” he replied. “Please take your time to consider it before making a decision; there is no rush to give us an answer... If you ever wish to have a conversation with us, we look forward to meeting you at any time—at a suitable time and in a suitable place, of course!”

Hearing this, Chu Hanyu’s gaze remained cold and unyielding. Having no mood to play along with any charade at the moment, why would he ever deign to meet some so-called big figure in a minor world? It was an absolute absurdity.

No matter how impeccably trained he was to control his every word and action, Tao Ranting could not help but inwardly scoff: It seems this one is not particularly clever either. Could he be the type who lives only for the present moment, foolishly believing he can ride someone else's coattails for a lifetime?

Just as these thoughts crossed Tao Ranting’s mind, he was suddenly struck by a violent tremor that could only be described as earth-shattering! This unexpected cataclysm left him momentarily stunned, and before he even had time to dodge, he was violently yanked out of the villa.

Although this villa was by no means situated close to other residential areas, Tao Ranting could still clearly hear the wails of residents suddenly plunged into catastrophe.

Tao Ranting’s complexion drained of color, and his legs began to tremble. It was not mere fear of the scene itself, but rather a profound shock at the hellish spectacle unfolding before him. The intensity of the tremor had reached an absurd degree, making it feel as though the apocalypse were arriving at the very next second.

The heavens collapsing and the earth splitting asunder could be no more terrifying than this!

In the distance, countless towering skyscrapers that had previously been visible crashed down in utter ruin. Though he should not have been able to hear it from so far away, Tao Ranting seemed to hear the final, desperate cries of every shattered family. At that moment, only a single thought echoed in his mind: this was hell itself!

Regaining his wits with a supreme effort, Tao Ranting forced himself to stay calm, straightened his tongue, and called out to Chu Hanyu, “Sir! Please beg Lord Qianing to intervene! If he is willing to act, I am authorized by the organization to promise—”

Gritting his teeth, Tao Ranting was on the verge of making commitments completely beyond his authority—promises that would surely invite severe punishment should he utter them. Yet he had no choice. Confronted by this hellish landscape, human strength had its limits; how could he stand idly by and watch countless lives perish without appealing to a supernatural being?

However, when Tao Ranting snapped back to full awareness, he found that the Favored One had long since vanished without a trace.

The Qian Residence

While perfunctorily crying out for help, Zhang Ning went through the motions of self-rescue with utter boredom.

Indeed, at the exact instant the earthquake struck, Zhang Ning had been solidly buried beneath the rubble. Although he sustained not a single scratch, he was temporarily trapped.

Logically speaking, he could have escaped at that very millisecond. However, his adopted parents in this world were still in the living room. In a flash of urgency, Zhang Ning concentrated his mind and used the Art of Infinite Freedom to whisk his foster parents, along with several housekeepers and maids, safely out of danger!

Though the proficiency of his Art of Infinite Freedom had reached a new tier after battling Zhang Guanlan from another realm, doing all that was no easy feat. Having pushed his multitasking to absolute limits, he could not have performed better even if given a second chance—let alone the fact that he had simultaneously activated the "Elven Tear" to compel the ornamental plants in the hall to assist, temporarily delaying the collapse of the structure.

Naturally, because everything happened in the blink of an eye, none of those people noticed anything unusual. Consequently, Zhang Ning, who was otherwise fully capable of extricating himself, was now forced to lie obediently under the debris and wait for rescue.

Yet, Zhang Ning had not entirely given up on saving himself. After all, he was not truly a child dependent on these foster parents for survival; what if they proved unreliable, or encountered other crises after escaping? Therefore, he began striking the nearby wall with purely physical force.

In fact, Zhang Ning had lost all sense of up, down, left, and right.

His spiritual power—or rather, the power of his primordial spirit—had been exhausted to the absolute limit during that momentary clash. Right now, he was overcome by a profound, bone-deep weariness, rendering him completely incapable of employing the Art of Infinite Freedom or channeling the Elven Tear.

Still, a lean camel is bigger than a horse, and he had previously cultivated a portion of physical strength. Who could have imagined that a fist no larger than a small tangerine, when clenched by Zhang Ning, could unleash such terrifying force?

With every heavy blow he struck against the collapsed entertainment wall above him, chunks of plaster and building materials scattered noisily. Debris rained down heavily upon his surroundings and his own body, but Zhang Ning paid it no mind. After all, he was not exerting himself too earnestly; for an "eight-year-old child" to smash his way out with such raw power would simply be too shocking to the world.

Pricking up his ears to listen to the commotion outside, he found the situation exceedingly chaotic. His foster parents seemed to be calling for help, but their family estate had never maintained a large security detail, and all communication devices were currently inoperable. As a result, no one was able to dig Zhang Ning out for the time being.

The more he listened, the more Zhang Ning felt he could no longer keep up this act of playing a trapped child. Although lying motionless beneath the earth was technically the safest course of action, Zhang Ning was far from helpless. He decided to secretly dig a small tunnel and slip out to survey the situation, perhaps even rescue a few people, before sneaking back in to wait for them to dig him out.

As for what would happen if they excavated his location beforehand while he was still away... well, his foster parents would simply have to worry for a little while longer.