Sovereign of Stars

Chapter 45 – Monster

Duan Yunfeng was completely stunned.

He was so shocked that he cursed out loud.

His all-out strike, aimed at the head of this big monk, couldn't even break through the layer of golden light on his body?

Even a genuine mid-stage Void Shattering Realm expert couldn't possibly block his strike with just a layer of golden light, right?

Suddenly, a burst of golden light shot from the monk's eyes, and he swung his stone staff with force.

It was still as unadorned as before, but its power was clearly much stronger.

Su Xin's eyes narrowed, and he immediately unleashed his ultimate move.

"Thunderfire Arcane Secret Technique!"

"Sparks Ignite the Sky, One Sword—Dragon Annihilation!"

A terrifying sword shadow whistled through the air.

Boom!

The void trembled abruptly.

The stone staff seemed like a mountain weighing billions of pounds crashing down. Even though Su Xin unleashed his ultimate move, he was still sent flying instantly.

As for Duan Yunfeng, he was so frightened that he quickly retreated. With Su Xin being knocked away, he didn't dare to face the monk head-on.

Whoosh!

Su Xin steadied himself again, but his hand holding the sword was still a bit numb.

"Truly, monstrously strong," Su Xin couldn't help but curse inwardly.

In a direct confrontation, he had activated seventy percent of his bloodline power, pushed the Thunderfire Volume to its limit, and had Duan Yunfeng assisting him, yet they couldn't gain the slightest advantage. If he were alone, he would definitely be suppressed by this monk.

And just now, he saw it too—Duan Yunfeng's full-force strike was blocked by the monk's golden light. What kind of monster is this?

Power, monstrously strong!

Defense, utterly despairing.

The stone staff he wielded seemed simple and brutal, yet it embodied profound Intent Realm.

When he wielded the staff, he could directly knock away Su Xin, who was using the Thunderfire Arcane Secret Technique.

In every aspect, he was flawless, with no weaknesses to exploit.

He was simply a living monster, a freak.

Yes, a monster.

Apart from that word, Su Xin couldn't think of any other way to describe the monk before him.

"The strength of you two benefactors is truly remarkable. This humble monk cannot overcome you, but it will be equally difficult for you to seize the token from my hand. Why not let it go?" The monk said with a smile.

"Let it go?" Su Xin's expression shifted as he glanced at Duan Yunfeng.

"I have no objections," Duan Yunfeng nodded repeatedly.

Although it was a brief exchange, both he and Su Xin still had trump cards and ultimate moves they hadn't used. But had this monk used his trump card?

Look at his staff technique—it was always so casual, and only the last strike seemed to be a real move.

But without a doubt, this monk hadn't gone all out either.

Most importantly, that strike had severely shaken Duan Yunfeng's confidence.

He usually acted recklessly, but now he felt a tinge of fear towards this monk.

"In that case, let's call it off," Su Xin sheathed his sword.

The monk continued to smile, placing the stone staff at his waist, and then asked, "Have either of you seen Situ Yu during this hunt?"

"No," Duan Yunfeng shook his head.

"Situ Yu?" Su Xin's expression changed. "Why is the master looking for Situ Yu?"

"I have my reasons. Since you haven't encountered him, I won't disturb you further."

"Sigh, I have to change places again. What a troublesome task."

With that, the monk walked towards the nearby forest.

Su Xin and Duan Yunfeng dared not stop him, and soon the monk disappeared from their sight.

After the monk left, Duan Yunfeng could no longer remain calm.

"Brother, what kind of monster did we just encounter? The two of us together couldn't even hope to defeat him, let alone eliminate him. Even Xia Mang is probably no better."

"And that layer of golden light on his body—I couldn't break it with my full-force strike. Does that mean he could just stand there, let me hack away, and I still wouldn't be able to do anything to him?" Duan Yunfeng said repeatedly.

"The geniuses participating in this Imperial Capital Hunt from the Heavenflame Dynasty are too many, not just those recorded in the previous intelligence, but also many hidden ones who haven't shown their true strength."

"As strong as Xia Mang is, he's only considered a sure bet for the top three, but no one dares to say he's number one, and there's a reason for that. Now we've encountered someone whose strength is not weaker than Xia Mang's, perhaps even stronger," Su Xin said.

Although Xia Mang was strong, if he were as described in the intelligence, he would definitely suffer a loss against Su Xin and Duan Yunfeng's combined forces.

But the monk they just faced could leave calmly while facing both of them, even making them see no hope of victory, clearly stronger than Xia Mang.

"I hope in the subsequent stages of the hunt, we can avoid this monk as much as possible, or else..." Su Xin's face was grave.

Facing an opponent with absurd strength, speed, defense, and staff technique, with no weaknesses, anyone would find it troublesome.

"This monk is still looking for Situ Yu?"

"What's he looking for Situ Yu for?"

Su Xin was puzzled. From the monk's words, it seemed he had been searching for Situ Yu in the hunting grounds for a long time, changing many places.

And he mentioned it was a troublesome task. Who assigned it to him?

Shaking his head, Su Xin stopped thinking about it.

Next, Su Xin and Duan Yunfeng continued to roam the hunting grounds, but Duan Yunfeng was clearly affected by the encounter with the monk, lacking the previous enthusiasm.

Time passed, and soon it was the last day of the hunt.

Night fell.

If it were the previous days, the many geniuses would have rested in unison to recover their strength and spiritual power.

But on this last night, those geniuses whose tokens were insufficient for advancement couldn't sleep.

Not only did they not rest, but they fought even more fiercely.

Su Xin and Duan Yunfeng had already secured enough tokens, so there was no need for them to fight. They found a relatively secluded place.

Su Xin didn't waste time. Even while resting in the hunting grounds, he was honing his swordsmanship, while Duan Yunfeng casually sat on the treetop of a large tree.

Perhaps seeing Su Xin practicing his swordsmanship made him itch for a fight, so Duan Yunfeng jumped down.

"Su Xin, your defensive swordsmanship is clearly much better than when we sparred in Dongyang City. Now that we have time, how about we spar again?" Duan Yunfeng suggested.

"Of course," Su Xin's eyes lit up.

His Mountain-Sea Volume had reached a bottleneck, and he needed to fight strong opponents to hone it.

Previously, when he fought Tang Xuan, the latter's strength was slightly weaker, leaving him disappointed, but Duan Yunfeng's strength was much greater than Tang Xuan's.

Soon, the two began to spar.

...

This hunting ground spanned over a hundred miles, a vast area.

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Inside the hunting ground, there were mountains, forests, and even lakes.

At this moment, by the edge of a picturesque lake, a young man in luxurious robes sat, with five people standing behind him.

"Xiao Mo, I'm here. Tell me, who do you want me to help you deal with?" asked a wild-looking man with disheveled hair and a beard.

Xiao Mo, considered a top genius with a chance to break into the top twenty of the hunt, also had significant backing in the Heavenflame Dynasty.

The wild man who spoke was named Ba Jiu, also a genius with a chance to break into the top twenty.

As for the other four, aside from a delicate-looking girl, the names of the other three were also on that intelligence list, all qualified to break into the top hundred.

"Don't rush. Let's wait for everyone to arrive," said Xiao Mo, the young man in luxurious robes sitting on the ground.

"More people?" Ba Jiu was surprised.

The six of them didn't wait long by the lake before a beautiful woman in a green dress walked over.

"Fairy Luo?"

Seeing the newcomer, Ba Jiu and the other geniuses were shocked.

Fairy Luo, the current top genius of the Purple Cloud Sect, also had a chance to break into the top twenty.

And because Fairy Luo was an Awakened One with bloodline power, she had a significant advantage in strength, making her stronger than Xiao Mo and Ba Jiu.

Some said the intelligence underestimated Fairy Luo, and her strength was enough to challenge the top ten.

"Xiao Mo, with such a grand setup, who exactly are you planning to deal with?" Ba Jiu's expression became serious.

Fairy Luo, Xiao Mo, and himself—three top geniuses capable of breaking into the top twenty, plus three others listed in the intelligence as strong contenders.

Such a formidable lineup could probably deal with even the strongest, Xia Mang.

"Now that everyone is here, I won't hide it from you."

Xiao Mo finally stood up and said in a low voice, "The person I want to deal with is Duan Yunfeng!"

"Him?"

Fairy Luo, Ba Jiu, and the others were all surprised.

Duan Yunfeng, although not as strong as Xia Mang, was still one of the top geniuses in this hunt.

No wonder Xiao Mo invited so many strong individuals.

"Xiao Mo, do you have a grudge against Duan Yunfeng?" Ba Jiu asked.

"A grudge? Of course!" Xiao Mo's eyes turned venomous.

He couldn't forget what Duan Yunfeng did to him.

On his wedding day, before the bride even left the house, Duan Yunfeng barged in and took her away.

When he chased after them, Duan Yunfeng beat and humiliated him severely.

It was the most humiliating day of his life; he had never suffered such indignity.

Most importantly, when he tried to rely on his background for revenge, those behind him said they didn't want to provoke Duan Yunfeng!

In other words, Duan Yunfeng's background was even stronger than his.

In terms of background and personal strength, he was utterly outmatched by Duan Yunfeng... He couldn't find any opportunity to take revenge.

Only in this Imperial Capital Hunt, and during this first stage, could he seek revenge.

"Duan Yunfeng, I can't do anything to you in ordinary times, and I can't kill you in this hunt, but I can find a way to eliminate you early, cutting off your hope of entering the Heavenflame Palace," Xiao Mo thought viciously.

"Xiao Mo, even if you want to take revenge on Duan Yunfeng, this hunting ground is vast, and it's the last night. How can you ensure you'll find Duan Yunfeng tonight?" Fairy Luo asked.

"Fairy Luo, rest assured. Since I invited you all here, I naturally have a way to locate Duan Yunfeng," Xiao Mo said, then looked at the most inconspicuous delicate girl among them.

The delicate girl stepped forward and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I come from the Beast Spirit Sect."

"The Beast Spirit Sect?"

Fairy Luo, Ba Jiu, and the others were intrigued.

The Beast Spirit Sect was just a small sect within the Heavenflame Dynasty, incomparable to a well-established sect like the Purple Cloud Sect, but their beast-taming skills were quite impressive.

For example, the Purple Wind Beasts they rode from various states to the Imperial Capital were mostly tamed by the Beast Spirit Sect.

"When I was roaming the hunting grounds earlier, I encountered Duan Yunfeng once. At that time, I had my tamed beast leave some scent on him, which won't dissipate for a few days. I can have my beast follow that scent to find him," the delicate girl explained.

"Is that so?" The others immediately understood.

"There's one more thing," the delicate girl continued. "When I met Duan Yunfeng, he was accompanied by someone."

"Accompanied by someone?"

"Duan Yunfeng, with such formidable strength, needs to team up with someone?"

Ba Jiu and the others were all surprised.

"The person with him is a sword-wielding genius. His cultivation is low, only at the Sea Transformation level, but his strength is not weak," the delicate girl said.

She wouldn't forget how she and her team encountered that Sea Transformation level individual, initially intending to kill him outright, only to find he could fend off their attacks.

Later, when Duan Yunfeng arrived, her team was slaughtered, and she barely escaped with her life.

"Haha, just a Sea Transformation level. How strong can he be? Any one of us here could easily crush him," one of the geniuses laughed.

Xiao Mo, Fairy Luo, Ba Jiu, and the others didn't pay much attention.

Just a Sea Transformation level, nothing to worry about.

"In that case, let's set off," Xiao Mo said.

Soon, the group of seven, led by the delicate girl, sped towards the location of Duan Yunfeng and Su Xin.