novelraw Chapter 20 – Hunting begins!
Chapter 20 – Hunting begins!
When Luo Xiu first entered Yaqi Mountain, he noticed these people. However, since there were many martial artists hunting and training in the mountain, he didn't pay much attention to them.
But as these people's presence lingered nearby, gradually forming a surrounding pattern, Luo Xiu couldn't help but grow suspicious.
Hidden completely within a thicket of brambles, Luo Xiu waited. After a moment, he heard footsteps approaching from afar.
Not far from where Luo Xiu was hiding, the corpse of a Black-Armored Wolf lay in a pool of blood. An Iron-Tailed Tiger Demon, drawn by the scent of blood, was tearing into the flesh.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in Luo Xiu's line of sight. "It's him?"
The person Luo Xiu saw was wearing light white armor and carrying an iron spear on his back. It was the same person he had seen at the outpost earlier, who had even smiled at him.
"Roar!"
The Iron-Tailed Tiger Demon, which was devouring the Black-Armored Wolf, also heard the footsteps. As soon as Chen Hu appeared, it leapt at him, claws and fangs bared.
"Courting death!"
Chen Hu snorted coldly, the iron spear on his back falling into his hand. A flash of light, and with a piercing sound, the spear pierced through the Iron-Tailed Tiger Demon's skull.
As a Qi Sea Realm Martial Artist capable of slaying second-level demonic beasts, dealing with a mere first-level beast was a simple task for him.
In his line of sight, Chen Hu also noticed the corpse of the Black-Armored Wolf. He stepped forward to inspect it, frowning as he scanned the surroundings.
"To kill a Black-Armored Wolf alone, that kid must be quite skilled." With his experience, Chen Hu quickly deduced that the wolf had been killed by a person, not the Iron-Tailed Tiger Demon.
More footsteps approached, and five more people emerged from the nearby forest one after another.
"Big Brother!"
"Tiger Bro!..."
Seeing Chen Hu, these five addressed him in a way that confirmed to Luo Xiu, who was hidden in the nearby bushes, that they were all part of the same group, with Chen Hu as their leader.
Including Chen Hu, there were six people, and among them was the only one Luo Xiu recognized—Yuan Dashan.
"Could it be him who wants to kill me?" Luo Xiu frowned in thought. After all, he had killed Wang Yun and Zhang Hun, who were originally Yuan Dashan's men. Perhaps they recognized him at the outpost.
"Big Brother, where's that kid?"
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"We tracked him all the way here. He should be nearby. Why can't we see him?"
"He just killed a Black-Armored Wolf. He can't have gone far!"
As they exchanged words, Chen Hu instructed Yuan Dashan to go harvest the tiger's skin and iron tail.
"Brothers, we've taken the money, so we must eliminate the trouble. Since we've been paid, that kid must die. Everyone, split up and search. If you find him, kill him if you can. If not, send a signal, and others nearby will come over," Chen Hu said solemnly.
"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.
"Yuan Dashan, after you harvest the tiger's skin and iron tail, go search as well. Understood?"
"Yes, Tiger Bro!"
From their conversation, Luo Xiu could roughly determine that the one who wanted him dead wasn't Yuan Dashan but the leader, Chen Hu.
"From what he said, it seems someone hired them to kill me..." Luo Xiu narrowed his eyes. If there was anyone with a grudge against him who wanted him dead, the most likely suspect was Zhang Hai.
After all, he had crippled Zhang Hai, making him the prime suspect.
"I'm a Martial Hall student, protected by the Martial Hall. These guys dare to take on the task of killing me, proving they're reckless desperados who value money over their lives."
Luo Xiu expanded his perception, noticing that Chen Hu and his men had dispersed, searching the area from different directions.
Only Yuan Dashan was closest to him, carefully harvesting the tiger's skin. The more intact the skin, the more valuable it was.
Quickly formulating a plan, Luo Xiu dashed out of the thicket at top speed, heading straight for Yuan Dashan beside the Iron-Tailed Tiger Demon's corpse.
"Who's there?"
Hearing the commotion, Yuan Dashan reacted instantly, hurriedly picking up the twin axes beside him.
"So it's you!" Yuan Dashan's pupils contracted. The person in black clothing and a straw hat was the one Chen Hu wanted dead.
And this person seemed to have been hiding nearby all along!
"Buzz!"
A glow of inner qi emanated from Luo Xiu, a sign that only Martial Apprentices above the sixth level of Body Refining could achieve by pushing their inner qi to the limit.
He knew he had to take down Yuan Dashan quickly; otherwise, if Yuan Dashan sent out a signal, Chen Hu and the others would come rushing over.
"Clang!"
The Azure Edge Sword unsheathed, slashing directly at Yuan Dashan.
Yuan Dashan immediately raised his twin axes to block. With a clanging sound, sparks flew, and Yuan Dashan staggered back three steps, his hands numb.
"What immense strength!" Yuan Dashan thought in shock. As someone at the eighth level of Body Refining, to be forced back in one exchange meant his opponent was at least at the ninth level.
"This guy is tough. I need to signal Chen Hu and the others." Yuan Dashan dropped one of his axes, reaching into his chest to pull out a small red bamboo tube.
But just then, his movements halted abruptly, as a sword was already at his throat.
"If you dare signal, I'll cut off your head," Luo Xiu said coldly. He knew the red bamboo tube was similar to fireworks; once triggered, it would send a signal flare skyward.
Feeling the cold blade against his throat, Yuan Dashan felt a sting as his skin was cut.
At that moment, he felt a bone-chilling cold. His opponent was too fast; he hadn't even had a chance to signal.
Yuan Dashan quickly nodded, discarding the signal device in his hand. He knew his life was entirely in the hands of the person before him.
"Who sent you to kill me?" Luo Xiu asked sternly.
"Whoosh!"
Before Yuan Dashan could answer, a silver-white arrow pierced through his heart from behind.
Luo Xiu's expression changed. His focus had been entirely on Yuan Dashan, so he hadn't noticed someone approaching.
Yuan Dashan's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked down at the arrow through his chest, blood gushing from his mouth.
As his consciousness faded, Chen Hu's voice suddenly reached his ears.
"Kid, I knew you were hiding nearby!"
"Thud!" Yuan Dashan's body fell into the pool of blood.
With the sudden turn of events, Luo Xiu didn't need to expand his life perception to see figures emerging from the trees.
Leading them was Chen Hu, accompanied by three others, with an archer hidden nearby.
Luo Xiu instantly understood that Chen Hu had sent Yuan Dashan to harvest the tiger's skin and iron tail purely as bait.
Realizing this, Luo Xiu turned and fled without a word.
"Whoosh!"
A silver arrow shot towards him, swift as lightning.
As he ran and leaped, Luo Xiu shifted laterally, his speed barely affected, dodging the arrow's attack.
"Chase him!" Chen Hu ordered, and his men immediately spread out, pursuing Luo Xiu in a surrounding formation.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!..."
Swiftly traversing the forest, Luo Xiu moved like a leopard, agile as a monkey. With his Major Achievement in the Inch Step Movement Technique, even the Qi Sea Realm Chen Hu found it hard to keep up with his speed.
Only the arrows from the archer posed a threat, forcing Luo Xiu to remain vigilant, as this archer was far more skilled than Zhang Hun.
"Damn, he's fast!"
Chen Hu's face darkened as Luo Xiu's figure grew more distant and blurred in his sight.
Though he was a Qi Sea Realm Martial Artist, he wasn't adept at speed or movement techniques.
However, he wasn't worried about Luo Xiu escaping and causing trouble for them, as the opponent had no evidence. Even if he reported to the Martial Hall, it wouldn't matter.
In a hidden patch of weeds, Luo Xiu stopped. From his perception, he knew Chen Hu and his men wouldn't catch up anytime soon.
"Who wants me dead? And how did Chen Hu know I was hiding nearby?" Luo Xiu's mind was filled with questions.
For the first question, Luo Xiu suspected the Zhang Clan the most. As for the second, he thought he might have left some traces, which Chen Hu, with his rich forest experience, used to deduce his presence nearby. However, he couldn't pinpoint his exact location, so he used Yuan Dashan as bait.
In his perception range, the life auras of the human martial artists were conspicuously distinct. The five of them were spread out, searching the area, but not too far apart, allowing for mutual assistance if needed.
"Among these five, only Chen Hu is at the Qi Sea Realm. The others are all at the ninth level of Body Refining. Perhaps I can take them down one by one!" A fierce gleam flashed in Luo Xiu's eyes.
Since they were there to kill him, he wouldn't hold back, just like with Wang Yun and Zhang Hun at Shuiwu Mountain, whom he had dispatched decisively!
With the special ability of life perception, Luo Xiu could swiftly navigate the forest, avoiding the demonic beasts lurking in the mountains. However, despite their experience, Chen Hu and his men couldn't completely evade them.
Based on the strength of the life auras, Luo Xiu first locked onto one, then carefully approached, hiding his presence.
"Damn it, a kid at the seventh level of Body Refining is this troublesome."
A small, scarred man moved through the forest, holding a knife and cursing under his breath.
"Hiss!..."
Suddenly, the scarred man's movements halted, his gaze fixed on a large tree ahead, where a thick python was eyeing him, its tongue flicking.
With a cold snort, the scarred man rushed forward, his knife flashing, and the python's head flew off, rolling away as its body fell from the tree.
This python was just a regular first-level demonic beast, easily killed by his ninth-level Body Refining strength.
With a flick of his knife, the scarred man extracted a snake gall.
Just then, he sensed an intense danger, the hairs on his back standing on end. Instinctively, he swung his knife behind him.
"Clang!"
The sound of metal clashing echoed through the forest, the scarred man's hands numbing as he staggered back two steps.
But immediately, a sword light pierced through his body. In his final moments, the scarred man's eyes were filled with terror, unable to comprehend how a seventh-level Body Refining kid could be so fast.
"In martial arts, speed is unbeatable. That saying is indeed true."
Luo Xiu withdrew his sword from the man's body, blood dripping from the blade's groove, his eyes cold.
In just over three months, a series of events had unfolded, transforming not only his body but also his mind.
Without lingering, Luo Xiu quickly left the area. With his Major Achievement in the Inch Step Movement Technique and life perception ability, he held the absolute advantage in this hunt!
Unbeknownst to him, though it wasn't yet night, the sky had darkened. Lightning streaked across the sky, and rain poured down.
Dark clouds rolled in, shrouding the forest in darkness.
"Slash!"
The Azure Edge Sword sliced through the throat of another ninth-level Body Refining martial apprentice. Luo Xiu remained expressionless. "The hunt has only just begun!"