Chapter 45: Monster

Page 1/3

Duan Yunfeng was utterly stunned.

He was so shocked that he swore outright.

He had thrown all his strength into one slash, aiming at the big monk’s head, yet he couldn’t even break through the golden light that shielded his body?

Even a genuine mid-stage Voidbreaker realm expert shouldn’t be able to block such a strike with just a layer of golden light on the surface, right?

Suddenly, a golden gleam sparkled in the big monk’s eyes as he swung his stone staff with great force.

It was as straightforward as before, but the momentum was clearly far stronger.

Su Xin’s gaze sharpened instantly, and he unleashed his ultimate technique.

“Secret Art of Thunderfire!”

“Starfire Engulfs the Heavens, One Sword — Dragon’s Demise!”

A terrifying sword shadow howled as it slashed through the air.

Boom!

The void trembled suddenly.

The stone staff slammed down like a mountain weighing billions of pounds. Despite Su Xin’s ultimate technique, he was thrown back immediately.

As for Duan Yunfeng, he was scared out of his wits and hastily retreated. With Su Xin being flung away, he didn’t dare to face the big monk head-on.

Whew!

Su Xin regained his footing, but the hand gripping his sword was still numb.

“Seriously, this guy is ridiculously strong,” Su Xin muttered under his breath.

In a direct confrontation, even with seventy percent of his bloodline power and his thunderfire technique pushed to the limit, plus Duan Yunfeng’s assistance, they couldn’t gain even the slightest advantage. If he were alone, he would certainly be suppressed by the big monk.

He had also witnessed that scene just now: Duan Yunfeng’s full-powered slash was blocked by the big monk’s golden surface light alone. What on earth was that?

His strength was absurdly overwhelming!

His defense was utterly despair-inducing.

The stone staff he wielded appeared simple and brutal, yet it embodied the profound essence of “The Great Way is Simple.”

Each strike of the staff could directly repel Su Xin’s thunderfire ultimate technique.

Every aspect was flawless, with no chinks in the armor.

He was a living aberration, a monster.

Yes, a monster.

Su Xin couldn’t think of any other word to describe the big monk before him.

“Both of your strengths are extraordinary. This humble monk cannot harm either of you, but if you wish to snatch the token I hold, that will be difficult as well. Why not just cease this conflict?” The big monk smiled kindly.

“Cease?” Su Xin’s expression flickered as he glanced at Duan Yunfeng.

“Of course, I have no objection,” Duan Yunfeng nodded repeatedly.

Though their clash was brief, both he and Su Xin had yet to reveal their trump cards. But this big monk—had he already shown his?

Look at that staff technique; it had always seemed casual, only in the last strike revealing his true skill.

Yet there was no doubt he hadn’t exhausted his full strength.

Most importantly, that slash had dealt a severe blow to Duan Yunfeng’s confidence.

He usually acted recklessly, but now he felt a trace of fear toward the big monk.

“Very well, then we shall cease,” Su Xin sheathed his sword.

The big monk still smiled, tucking the stone staff at his waist, then asked, “Have either of you seen Situ Yu in this hunt?”

“No,” Duan Yunfeng shook his head.

“Situ Yu?” Su Xin’s expression shifted. “May I ask why Master is searching for him?”

“Of course, there’s a reason. Since you two haven’t encountered him, this humble monk will not disturb you further.”

“Sigh, time to change locations again. Such a tedious task.”

With that, the big monk strode toward the nearby forest.

Su Xin and Duan Yunfeng dared not block his path, and soon the big monk vanished from their sight.

After his departure, Duan Yunfeng could no longer contain his agitation.

Page 2/3

“Brother, what kind of monster did we just face? Even the two of us combined couldn’t hope to defeat him, let alone kill him. Even Xia Mang wouldn’t be much different, right?”

“And that golden light on his body—I slashed with all my might but couldn’t break through. Does that mean if he just stood there, letting me strike, I’d have no way to harm him?” Duan Yunfeng exclaimed repeatedly.

“The Tianyan Dynasty has countless geniuses participating in this royal city hunt. Not only those listed in the intelligence report but many hidden talents who haven’t revealed their true strength.”

“Xia Mang, though strong, is only recognized as one of the top three, but no one dares to say he is the absolute strongest. That makes sense. Now we’ve encountered someone whose strength is on par with Xia Mang, or perhaps even surpasses him,” Su Xin said.

Although Xia Mang was formidable, according to the intelligence, if he faced the combined might of Su Xin and Duan Yunfeng, he would surely suffer losses.

But the big monk, facing both of them simultaneously, walked away casually, leaving no hope of victory. He was evidently stronger than Xia Mang.

“I hope in the later stages of the hunt, we can avoid this big monk as much as possible, or else...” Su Xin’s expression turned grim.

Facing such an opponent—absurdly strong in strength, speed, defense, and staff technique, without the slightest weakness—anyone would find him difficult to contend with.

“That big monk is still searching for Situ Yu?”

“What does he want with Situ Yu?”

Su Xin wondered. From the big monk’s words, he had been searching for Situ Yu throughout the hunting grounds, changing many places.

And he called it a tedious task. Who assigned it to him?

Shaking his head, Su Xin let the matter drop.

Next, Su Xin and Duan Yunfeng continued to roam the hunting grounds. However, after encountering the big monk, Duan Yunfeng had clearly lost some of his former enthusiasm.

Time passed swiftly until the final day of the hunt.

Night fell.

In previous days, the numerous geniuses would rest in perfect harmony to restore their physical and spiritual energy.

But on this last night, those still lacking sufficient tokens to advance could not sleep.

They fought even more frantically instead of resting.

Su Xin and Duan Yunfeng, having already secured enough tokens, had no need to fight. They found a relatively secluded spot.

Su Xin wasted no time; even while resting in the hunting grounds, he practiced his swordsmanship. Duan Yunfeng sat casually on a treetop.

Perhaps seeing Su Xin itching to practice, Duan Yunfeng leapt down.

“Su Xin, your defensive sword technique is clearly much stronger than when we fought in Dongyang City. Now that we have time, how about sparring again?”

“Of course,” Su Xin’s eyes brightened.

His Mountain and Sea Scroll had reached a bottleneck and needed battles against strong opponents to refine.

His previous fight with Tang Xuan was disappointing as Tang’s strength was somewhat lacking, but Duan Yunfeng was far stronger.

Soon, they began their sparring.

...

The hunting grounds stretched over a hundred miles, vast and sprawling.

Within were towering mountains, dense forests, and shimmering lakes.

By the edge of a breathtakingly beautiful lake sat a young man in elegant robes, with five people standing behind him.

“Xiao Mo, I’ve arrived. Tell me, who do you want me to deal with?” asked a wild-looking man with messy hair and a beard.

Xiao Mo was considered a top talent with chances to break into the top twenty of the hunt and enjoyed great backing within the Tianyan Dynasty.

The wild man who spoke was named Ba Jiu, also a genius qualified to challenge the top twenty.

The other four included a frail young woman and three others, all names noted in the intelligence report as contenders for the top one hundred.

“Don’t rush. We’ll wait until everyone is here,” said the young man in fine robes, Xiao Mo.

“More people?” Ba Jiu looked surprised.

Soon, a stunning woman in blue robes approached.

“Lady Luo Xian?”

Seeing her arrival, Ba Jiu and the others were taken aback.

Luo Xian was the foremost genius of the Ziyun Sect and also qualified to challenge the top twenty.

Because she was a bloodline awakener, wielding bloodline power, Luo Xian had a significant advantage in strength, surpassing both Xiao Mo and Ba Jiu.

Some said the intelligence report underestimated Luo Xian; her strength qualified her for the top ten.

“Xiao Mo, with such a grand assembly, who exactly are you targeting?” Ba Jiu’s expression turned serious.

Page 3/3

Luo Xian, Xiao Mo, and Ba Jiu—three top-tier geniuses aiming for the top twenty—along with three strong contenders named in the intelligence, formed a formidable group.

Such a lineup would likely be sufficient even against the strongest, Xia Mang.

“Since everyone is here, I will not hide it any longer,” Xiao Mo finally stood and whispered, “The person I want to deal with is Duan Yunfeng!”

“Him?”

Luo Xian, Ba Jiu, and the others were stunned.

Though Duan Yunfeng’s displayed strength didn’t surpass Xia Mang, he ranked just below him, among the top talents in the hunt.

No wonder Xiao Mo had called in so many strong allies.

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

“A grudge? Of course!” Xiao Mo’s eyes darkened with hatred.

He would never forget what Duan Yunfeng had done to him.

On his wedding day, before the bride even left her home, Duan Yunfeng had barged in and taken her away.

When Xiao Mo pursued, Duan Yunfeng dealt him a humiliating defeat.

That was the most disgraceful day of his life; he had never suffered such humiliation.

Worst of all, when he tried to seek revenge through his powerful backers, they refused to provoke Duan Yunfeng!

In other words, Duan Yunfeng’s backing was even stronger than his own.

In both background and strength, he was utterly outmatched. He had never found an opportunity for revenge.

Only in this royal city hunt, particularly in the first stage, could he hope to retaliate.

“Duan Yunfeng, I can’t deal with you in daily life, nor can I kill you here, but I can find a way to eliminate you early and shatter your chance of entering the Tianyan Palace,” Xiao Mo thought viciously.

“Xiao Mo, even if you want revenge, the hunting grounds are vast, and this is the last night. How can you be sure to find Duan Yunfeng tonight?” Luo Xian asked.

“Don’t worry, Luo Xian. Since I invited you all, I naturally know how to find Duan Yunfeng’s location,” Xiao Mo said, then looked at the frail young woman among them.

The frail young woman stepped forward and said, “Everyone, I am from the Yuling Sect.”

“Yuling Sect?”

Luo Xian, Ba Jiu, and the others exchanged glances.

Yuling Sect was a minor faction within the Tianyan Dynasty, far weaker than the well-established Ziyun Sect, but its beast-taming techniques were remarkable.

For instance, the purple wind beasts many of them had ridden from various provinces to the royal city had been tamed by Yuling Sect.

“I once encountered Duan Yunfeng in the hunting grounds. At that time, I let one of my tamed beasts leave a scent on him. This scent won’t dissipate for several days, and I can have my beasts track it to find his location,” the frail girl explained.

“Is that so?” Everyone understood immediately.

“There’s one more thing,” she continued. “When I met Duan Yunfeng, he was accompanied by another person.”

“Another person?”

“Duan Yunfeng is so powerful, he still needs a partner?” Ba Jiu and the others were astonished.

“The one accompanying him is a sword-wielding genius. His cultivation is low, only at the pinnacle of the Huahai stage, but his strength is not weak,” the girl said.

She would never forget how, when she and her companions first encountered that Huahai pinnacle cultivator, they had intended to kill him outright, but he had resisted their attacks.

Later, Duan Yunfeng arrived and slaughtered her team, leaving only her lucky to escape.

“Haha, a mere Huahai pinnacle cultivator, how strong can he be? Any one of us could easily crush him,” a nearby genius laughed.

Xiao Mo, Luo Xian, Ba Jiu, and the others paid no heed.

A mere Huahai pinnacle cultivator was hardly worth worrying over.

“Then let’s set out,” Xiao Mo said.

Soon, the seven of them, led by the frail young woman, sped toward the location of Duan Yunfeng and Su Xin.

...