Sovereign of Stars

Chapter 44 – Encounter

Outside the hunting grounds, as a figure was sent out, the many geniuses who had already been eliminated all turned their attention over.

"It's Tang Xuan!"

"The intel said Tang Xuan was one of those who could make it to the top ten in the hunt?"

"How could he be eliminated?"

"Did he encounter Xia Mang?"

Most of these geniuses wore expressions of disbelief.

A top-tier genius like Tang Xuan, who had the potential to break into the top ten of the hunt, should have been able to move unchallenged even if alone in the hunting grounds.

To eliminate him?

In the eyes of these geniuses, only Xia Mang, who was universally acknowledged to be in the top three, could have done it.

After being eliminated, Tang Xuan did not linger on the plains but returned directly to the Imperial Capital.

The Tang family, also a top-tier noble family in the Heavenflame Dynasty, was in no way inferior to the Situ Family in terms of heritage and strength.

"Young Master!"

"Young Master!"

As Tang Xuan returned to the Tang family, everyone he passed greeted him respectfully.

"What happened? Isn't the Young Master supposed to be at the hunt? I heard there are still two days left until the end of the first stage. How did he come out so soon? Could it be... the Young Master was eliminated?"

"Impossible! With the Young Master's strength, it's just the first stage of the hunt. Who could possibly eliminate him?"

Inside the Tang family, discussions were rampant.

"Get lost!"

"All of you, get out!"

Tang Xuan shouted at the maids and servants who came to serve him, then shut himself in his room.

He sat cross-legged with his eyes closed for a long time before reopening them.

"Hu!"

Exhaling lightly, Tang Xuan's mood calmed a bit.

"I always knew that in the Heavenflame Dynasty, with its thirty-six states and billions of citizens, there would be countless geniuses. With my strength, truly breaking into the top ten of the hunt would be extremely difficult. But I never expected that right at the start, in just the first stage, I would be eliminated!"

"Duan Yunfeng, and that sword-wielding Sea Transformation master..."

Tang Xuan clenched his fists tightly, feeling unwilling but helpless.

Whether it was Duan Yunfeng or Su Xin, their strength was indeed much greater than his.

Especially when the two joined forces.

"This hunt is over for me."

"Now, I have two choices. First, directly break through to the Void Shattering Realm, relying on my family's resources to enhance my strength, then go out and train."

"Second, wait another five years for the next hunt. My strength will be greater by then, and I'll have a much better chance of breaking into the top ten."

Tang Xuan weighed his options.

He was only thirty-four this year, and even in five years, he'd still be thirty-nine, still eligible to participate in the Imperial Capital Hunt.

As for the Void Shattering Realm... for a genius like him, he already had the conditions to break through. It would only take a little time to easily achieve it.

But to break through just like that, he was truly unwilling.

After all, although the Tang family was a top-tier family with certain resources, it was nothing compared to the Heavenflame Palace.

That was the true sacred land of cultivation in the entire Heavenflame Dynasty. Disciples who entered the Heavenflame Palace to cultivate were destined to become peak experts in the Void Shattering Realm, with each one being extremely powerful, and there was even a high probability of reaching the Nirvana Realm.

Relying solely on the Tang family's resources and himself, his chances of reaching the Nirvana Realm were slim.

"So, I'll wait!"

"Wait another five years!"

Tang Xuan made up his mind.

"Duan Yunfeng, and that sword-wielding Sea Transformation master, their strength will surely get them into the top ten of this hunt, allowing them to enter the Heavenflame Palace to cultivate. They'll start earlier than me, but the path of cultivation is fraught with difficulties, and anything can happen."

"You two may be stronger than me now, but your future achievements may not necessarily surpass mine."

...

Inside the hunting grounds, Su Xin and Duan Yunfeng were very pleased.

"Su Xin, with the two of us joining forces, we're practically invincible in these hunting grounds. Although Tang Xuan's strength doesn't match ours, encountering him in the later stages of the hunt would have been troublesome. But now, we've eliminated him early," Duan Yunfeng said with a grin, now addressing Su Xin as a brother.

Su Xin was also happy.

Although Duan Yunfeng had a peculiar temperament and was somewhat capricious, he was straightforward and had no hidden agendas, making him a suitable friend and brother.

"I'm actually looking forward to encountering Xia Mang in these hunting grounds. When that time comes, we brothers must eliminate him too," Duan Yunfeng said.

With their combined strength, there were few who posed a real threat to them in this hunt, but Xia Mang was undoubtedly the strongest.

"This hunting ground is too vast, and with only two days left, it will be difficult for us to encounter him," Su Xin said.

"Let's try our luck," Duan Yunfeng laughed.

The two continued searching for prey in the surrounding area.

Meanwhile, as they eliminated Tang Xuan, a barefoot, chubby monk with a large string of prayer beads around his neck had arrived in the area.

"It's been almost three days, and I've searched most of the hunting grounds, yet I still haven't found Situ Yu. My luck is just too bad."

"Sigh, this task is really tough."

The monk complained as he wandered around the area.

Before long, the monk sensed the presence of two people through a talisman.

"Two more benefactors. I hope these two know the whereabouts of Situ Yu."

The monk immediately approached.

...

"Su Xin, someone's coming."

"Just one person?"

Su Xin and Duan Yunfeng also sensed the presence of another, and they immediately moved to confront them.

Soon, the two sides met.

"Oh, it's a monk?" Duan Yunfeng laughed.

"This monk didn't run away at the first sight of you?" Su Xin frowned.

Previously, it was just a matter of sensing each other without actually meeting, so it was normal for the other party to approach. But now that they had met, the monk must have recognized Duan Yunfeng, yet he showed no intention of fleeing. Su Xin couldn't even detect any tension on the monk's face.

Moreover, as they got closer, Su Xin instinctively felt a significant pressure from the monk.

"Duan Yunfeng, be careful. This monk's strength might not be weak," Su Xin warned.

"Who cares if he's strong or weak? Let's just kill him," Duan Yunfeng said indifferently.

With his strength, there were only a handful of geniuses in this hunt, including Xia Mang, who could make him wary. Now that he was teamed up with Su Xin, he feared no one.

Swoosh!

Duan Yunfeng leaped forward, charging first. The long blade in his hand traced a brilliant arc in the air.

The blade's light was dazzling, carrying an astonishing momentum and intent, slashing directly at the monk's head.

The monk wore an incredibly kind and gentle smile. As the blade light approached, his expression remained unchanged, and the stone staff in his hand swung out like lightning.

There were no fancy moves!

It was just a casual swing.

It felt as if he was swatting a fly.

But in the next moment... boom!!

A terrifying power erupted, and the blade light Duan Yunfeng unleashed instantly shattered, sending him flying like a meteor into the forest behind him.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Several crashing sounds followed, each accompanied by a tree exploding and a cloud of dust rising. Duan Yunfeng was completely engulfed by the dust.

"How is this possible?" Su Xin was stunned.

That was Duan Yunfeng, a living embodiment of a calamity, with absolute top ten combat power in this hunt.

Yet now, he was swatted away like a fly.

Whoosh!

Like a teleportation, without making a sound, the burly monk appeared before Su Xin.

The same stone staff, with no fancy moves, swung casually at Su Xin.

Su Xin immediately countered.

"Like Thunderfire!"

A fierce sword strike, imbued with intense sword intent and overwhelming momentum, clashed head-on with the stone staff.

Clang!

In an instant, Su Xin felt his arm go numb, a terrifying force transmitted through the sword to his body, sending him flying.

Bang!

Su Xin crashed into a large tree. The trunk cracked but didn't collapse.

Feeling the pain from the impact on his back, Su Xin's heart was already in turmoil.

"Too strong!"

"This power not only surpasses the Sea Transformation Realm but even many early-stage Void Shattering Realm experts can't compare to him in terms of strength."

"Mid-stage Void Shattering Realm, yes, purely in terms of strength, he can definitely match mid-stage Void Shattering Realm experts!"

Su Xin stared intently at the monk, who still wore a kind smile.

He had fought Zhao Tianlei, a mid-stage Void Shattering Realm expert, and knew the kind of strength they possessed.

Both he and Duan Yunfeng, even at their full strength, could barely reach the threshold of the Void Shattering Realm, but compared to this monk, they were clearly lacking.

"Duan Yunfeng, are you alright?" Su Xin looked to the side.

Duan Yunfeng was also struggling to stand up.

Hearing Su Xin's words, he turned to look at Su Xin, his eyes filled with bewilderment.

Clearly, that strike had left him a bit dazed.

"Brother, who did we just encounter? Xia Mang?" Duan Yunfeng asked.

"Not Xia Mang, but maybe even stronger than Xia Mang!" Su Xin said, his face showing unprecedented seriousness.

"Both of you have impressive strength," the monk said with a smile.

It wasn't mockery.

In three days, he had encountered countless geniuses in the hunting grounds, but none had survived a single strike from him without being eliminated.

But both Su Xin and Duan Yunfeng had managed to withstand it.

"Duan Yunfeng, we have to give it our all in this fight," Su Xin said solemnly.

"Yes." Duan Yunfeng nodded heavily, clearly regaining his composure.

"I'll engage him head-on, and you assist from the side, looking for a chance to strike his vital points," Su Xin said.

"You're going to engage him head-on? Are you sure?" Duan Yunfeng gave Su Xin a strange look.

Given the monk's strength, Duan Yunfeng wouldn't dare to face him head-on.

"It should be fine," Su Xin replied.

"Alright then." Duan Yunfeng nodded.

Boom!

Su Xin made his move.

In an instant, he unleashed his bloodline power, which he had only used up to fifty percent since the start of the hunt, now surging to seventy percent!

With his cultivation and the unique nature of his Bloodline Inheritance Cultivation Art, fifty percent of his bloodline power already made his strength comparable to the peak of the Sea Transformation Realm. When unleashed to seventy percent, his power reached the threshold of the Void Shattering Realm.

In terms of swordsmanship, Su Xin pushed his power and intent to the limit.

The sword technique, like Thunderfire, was extremely fierce, slashing directly at the monk.

Duan Yunfeng moved like a ghost, his body now glowing red, clearly using some technique to boost his strength.

Apart from not unleashing his bloodline power to the fullest, both Su Xin and Duan Yunfeng were giving it their all.

The monk, still smiling, swung his stone staff again without any fancy moves.

Bang!

The monk's stone staff clashed with Su Xin's sword again, but this time, Su Xin's body only trembled slightly before he attacked again.

"First level of sword intent?"

A hint of surprise flashed in the monk's eyes.

Concept Comprehension, from shallow to deep, was divided into three levels. Even in the Void Shattering Realm, only the most elite and powerful could reach the first level.

Among the nearly ten thousand geniuses in this hunt, only Xia Mang was known to have reached the first level of Concept Comprehension.

But now, Su Xin's swordsmanship clearly showed that his intent had reached the first level.

"Haha!!"

The monk laughed, swinging his stone staff faster and faster, clashing with Su Xin repeatedly, but Su Xin showed no fear.

Meanwhile, Duan Yunfeng seized the opportunity.

His long blade moved with eerie precision and immense strength. Initially, the monk could defend against it, but Duan Yunfeng's blade technique became faster and more unpredictable.

Gradually, the monk couldn't keep up.

Finally, Duan Yunfeng found an opening.

"Monk, let me send you on your way."

Duan Yunfeng smirked coldly, a brilliant blade light slashing toward the monk's head. The monk, preoccupied with Su Xin's swordsmanship, couldn't block the blade light with his stone staff.

But then, a layer of hazy golden light suddenly appeared on the monk's body.

Clang!

Duan Yunfeng's blade struck the golden light, producing a metallic sound. The monk turned, playfully winking at Duan Yunfeng.

"Fing Hell..."

Duan Yunfeng's eyes widened in shock.

...