The Glorious Transcendent-Chapter 51: It’s not time yet.

A body dropped before them.

Bai Tong stared wide-eyed at his partner’s body, an arrow piercing through her skull.

Her beautiful face collapsed to the ground, and he didn’t even get to see her features one last time.

Suddenly, a booming voice rang out:

"Why did you stop running, you sheep? Have you already given up?"

Upon hearing that voice, every last trace of will to fight vanished from their hearts.

All they could think about was to keep running.

Bai Tong stood frozen, eyes locked on his partner’s corpse.

He still hadn’t processed what had happened.

A teammate grabbed his hand.

"Let’s run!" he urged, pulling him along.

But in the very next moment, an arrow struck the back of the teammate’s head and burst out of his mouth.

He collapsed, lifeless.

Bai Tong looked at him—then at the dead man’s hand still clutching his.

"Noooooo!" the man’s partner screamed.

The pain of losing a partner is indescribable—only those who’ve lived it can truly understand.

Tears streamed down her face as she moved toward her partner.

"Chan..."

An arrow pierced through her mouth, killing her instantly.

She collapsed onto her partner’s corpse.

Bai Tong witnessed the death of three of his teammates—all at the same time.

The relentless string of tragic events shattered his nerves.

He showed no expression—

simply because it was

"Too much... This is too much. I can’t take it anymore."

In that moment, Bai Tong’s spirit—just moments ago full of life, energy, and the will to resist—collapsed entirely.

Why?

Because there was nothing left to fight for.

The partner of his life had died right before his eyes.

In the next moment, from within the pitch-black darkness, a man slowly emerged, his bow slung over his shoulder.

He wore black clothing to blend into the shadows.

It was Fu Ren, a notorious sinner of the First Rank.

He worked alone—without a squad—and was known as one of the most powerful and dangerous sinners roaming the outside world.

Bai Tong looked at him with lifeless eyes, void of any spark.

He raised his bow with his left hand and aimed it at Fu Ren.

Fu Ren made no move to resist; he simply stood there with a faint, sideways smile.

Bai Tong released the string—

and the arrow shot straight toward the man’s forehead.

Before their eyes, the arrow struck Fu Ren’s forehead—

and bounced off without leaving even a scratch.

Bai Tong trembled, dropped his bow, and began to laugh.

"Heh..."

"Hahahahaha!"

Suddenly, Fu Ren joined in.

"Hahahahahaha!"

"Hahahahahaha!"

Hysterical laughter echoed through the forest.

Swoosh!

Fu Ren released an arrow toward Bai Tong’s head, sending him flying dozens of steps backward.

"Three hundred essence... Seems like he was so hopeless, he didn’t even bother refining it,"

he muttered as he approached Bai Tong’s corpse and pulled the arrow from his skull.

When ordinary individuals find themselves at a dead end in battle, with no hope of survival, they often choose to refine all of their free essence at once.

This gives them a slight boost in strength—

and more importantly, if they’re killed, their enemy gains nothing.

However, if they survive, it means they’ll never be able to reach the First Rank,

because their refining cycle will have been permanently distorted.

That’s why they’re always hesitant to go through with it.

***

The moment Bai Tong’s partner was killed, the team members fled immediately without wasting a second—they didn’t witness the deaths of Bai Tong and the others.

When they heard the voice of the attacker, they realized they were no match for him.

The gap between ordinary people and the First Rank is vast.

The reason Bai Tong’s partner died was because she spoke, revealing her location.

Before her, Bai Tong had spoken, which is why Fu Ren had aimed at him.

But Bai Tong fell silent at the last moment when his partner interrupted him—so Fu Ren changed his target to her.

And that’s why they ran without saying a word.

’We will surely be killed,’ Mei Lan’s heart sank to the depths.

The chance of escaping from a First Rank individual was almost nonexistent.

Kogan looked around.

There were eleven of them.

Kogan, Mei Lan, Mei Li, and eight others were running for their lives.

But even if they didn’t make a sound with their words, who said running makes no noise?

Swoosh!

An arrow pierced a man’s chest, dropping him dead to the ground.

"Not yet, not yet," a chilling laugh echoed around them.

Goosebumps spread over their entire bodies, prickling their skin like icy needles.

Their breaths came out ragged, chests heaving with panic.

No matter how fast they ran, no matter how hard their feet pounded the earth, that sound — that dreadful sound — chased them relentlessly, as if it were bound to their souls.

It wasn’t just fear; it was terror rooted deep in their bones.

And then, without a word or a glance, they split — one darting left, the other veering sharply to the right.

There had been no signal, no time to think, no plan — just raw instinct.

Somehow, they knew: staying together meant death.

Only by separating did they stand the slightest chance of surviving whatever horror hunted them.

"If you surrender now and give me all your essence, I’ll let you live,"

Hearing this, the team members felt a flicker of hesitation.

There was a chance to survive!

Swoosh!

An arrow pierced another man, killing him instantly.

"Decide quickly before I finish killing you all," Fu Ren continued laughing, his voice echoing through the forest, making him even more terrifying.

But with every passing moment, an unlucky person would fall, pierced by an arrow.

He had given them an offer while continuing to kill them.

They certainly wouldn’t have time to make a decision.

’Not yet,’ Kogan thought.

Only Mie Lan and Mei Li were left around him; the others had taken different paths.

The team members continued to fall one by one, while Fu Ren’s laughter echoed relentlessly.