Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

  After walking a large circle around the mountain, Jiang He finally saw the big willow tree.

  It was too huge!

  That was Jiang He’s first thought when he saw the willow tree.

  It would probably take a dozen people to make a circle around its thick, massive trunk, and that colossal tree crown shrouded an area of over several hundred meters. At the same time, the branches that dangled down from it were glimmering in faint crystalline green radiance beneath the night sky.

  And beneath the tree was a pile of white bones.

  Jiang He’s vision had became stronger after eating carrots every day.

  As he looked out from a far, he noticed a Feral passing beneath the willow tree just then.

  It was a wild hare that was over a meter in length and must have evolved only recently—it actually stopped when it passed by the big tree to graze the weeds beneath it.

  One of the dangling willow branches promptly descended at that.

  In that spit second, the pale green light over it flashed…… like a glow stick.

  Pow!

  The wild hare was instantly quartered.

  Its flesh and blood soon seeped into the soil beneath, leaving only a pile of white bones.

  Jiang He’s eyes tightened and he couldn’t help exclaiming, “So powerful! A single branch’s blow almost reached rank-seven. If that struck me……”


  After some thought, he then said, “It might hurt a lot.”


  “.……”


  The black panther rolled its eyes.

  Hurt a lot?

  That willow tree was outrageous—there was no telling how many of those dangling branches there were, and would you not be blown into pieces with a single trike?

  Being a smart creature, an idea struck the black panther then.

  If this human was blown into pieces, it should be freed, right?

  With that in mind, it quickly communicated, “Bro, plants are certainty tough, but they have one weakness—they can’t move. Since you are quicker than I am, you would definitely be able to avoid those branches and stand a chance of defeating it.”


  Jiang He simply slapped the beast in return, snorting, “Are you crazy? I have to be within its range of attack if I want to attack it. How could I avoid so many branches?”


  The black panther saw stars from that slap, and did not dare to breathe.

  Still, Jiang He then smiled. “That actually doesn’t matter much. If I give it my everything, the willow trees would only be scratching my itch.”


  He then turned towards the black panther and asked, “Where is the two humans you mentioned?”


  The black panther pointed behind the peak, saying, “There’s a palace over there. Most humans who come up these mountains would rest there.”


  “Let’s go have a look.”


  Jiang He walked around the mountain, crossing a goat path with the black panther’s directions and soon arriving at the palace. Having studied Mount Helan onling before and knowing the history of the palace, he couldn’t help blinking and thought, ‘Does this mean I’m at Rolling Bell Mouth already?’


  ‘According to Wang Meng, he found the mutated black wood-ears over here…… but there’s no rush. I’ll chop down the tree first, and it won’t be too late to look for the mushrooms later.’


  ***

  One of the buildings inside the palace.

  There was bonfire burning over the floor.

  Guilty Star, Bound Star and the Third Elder of the Sky Demon Cult was sitting cross-legged around the fire and having some smoked meat.

  “Third Elder, I’ve alerted our apprentices nearby, and they should be able to come before sunrise.” Bound Star said. “I’ve checked—of the eighteen persons aside from us, there are sixteen martial artists and two Awakened. The most powerful are rank-fives and the weakest is a D-class superstrength user, who probably awakened just recently.”


  He made a chopping gesture to kill, somberly saying, “They must be martial artists who came by chance, but if word of what we’re doing gets out and caught the attention of the Martial Arts Department (MAD) and the military, we would be disadvantaged.”


  “No rush.”


  Third Elder smiled. “I’ve checked myself that there’s no telco signals here, so there’s no communicating with the outside unless via satellite phone. Those martial artists would have spread the word earlier if they really wanted to.”


  His tone suddenly changed then and he asked, “You two had came with Sixth Elder to Western Xia…… what happened to him?”


  Third Elder’s expression darkened then, and even his voice became colder. “I’ve read the report about this fall…… but that report was utter nonsense.”


  “Oh?”


  Guilty Star’s gaze twitched as he asked, “Third Elder…… did the report really say that Sixth Elder was killed by a rank-five martial artist named Jiang He?”


  “Absolutely.”


  Third Elder nodded. “That is what the report said, but Jiang He is rank-six but rank-five. It even describes in detail how Jiang He killed Sixth Elder.”


  The Third Elder of the Sky Demon Cult paused then.

  There was a mystified look on his face, and as both Bound Star and Guilty Star looked on expectantly, he said slowly, “According to the report, Jiang He first ran his blade through Sixth Elder’s heart, and then again through his lungs, before a wild swing cut off one of his shoulder blades.

  Bound Star and Guilty Star then waited for a while, but when Third Elder said nothing, he could not help asking, “And then?”


  “That was it.”


  The room turned quiet right then.

  After half a bit, Bound Star seethed through clenched teeth, “Are they trying to fool a child? Sixth Elder had grasped blade will, and even the best rank-nines would have a hard time killing him. But a mere rank-five…… I mean, rank-six turning the tables against him?”


  Guilty Star said somberly, “It seems like my hunch was right…… Jiang He is just a bait!”


  “Hmmm?”


  The trio’s expressions changed all of a sudden then, and all of them looked out towards the distance.

  They could feel a powerful presence slowly approaching.

  “A powerful rank-seven Feral…… it must be rank-seven advanced!” Third Elder’s powerful senses instantly knew, though he soon appeared taken aback as he exclaimed in surprise, “And there’s a rank-six pinnacle martial-artist walking alongside it…… but the Feral is actually not attacking him?”


  Bound Star laughed out loud. “It probably was his pet, and it evolved into a powerful Feral by chance. Still, a rank-seven Feral and a rank-six martial artist aren’t significant.”


  Third Elder frowned in return, saying, “The other martial artists don’t matter. However, we have to give a rank-seven Feral some attention. Bound Star, deal with them.”


  His reaction was nonchalant.

  So what if a rank-six pinnacle martial artist could strangely bring along a rank-seven Feral?

  As a veteran rank-nine, he did not even have to lift a finger to kill a rank-six, and only one strike was needed to down a rank-seven Feral!

  Bound Star hence turned and left the room.

  Killing intent broiled over his body.

  He had always been bloodthirsty. It was a pity that Third Elder forbade him from ridding them off those random martial artists, but now that he had Third Elder’s permission, he was only too happy to kill.

  An earthen-yellow hue flickered over his body, and he seemed to fuse with the ground itself.

  Being an earth-type Awakened, he had a mysterious affinity for the ground in the first place, and could even use it as a medium to hear the winds blowing on a blade grass from thousands of meters away.

  That was when he heard the rank-six pinnacle martial artist approaching the villa laugh and say, “Big kitty, what are you afraid of?”


  “Like you’ve said, there’s only two rank-eights and no need for concern.”


  “Moreover, I’m going to reason with them and not fight them. Perhaps, my persuasion might word and they would give up on the willow tree……”


  “Us humans are different from you thickheaded Ferals……”


  Jiang He was striding forward on the mountain path.

  He was now less than a hundred meters away from the villa.

  His expression changed and he promptly leapt backwards. After loud rumble, the spot where he had been standing suddenly blew up.

  A figure overflowing with killing intent left the shadows then, smirking, “You’re merely a rank-six pinnacle, but you have quite the mouth despite your average strength. I would really like to see how you would persuade us…… oh?”


  Bound Star’s pupils tightened before he finished, and he couldn’t help crying out, “Aren’t you Jiang He?”


  Having read Jiang He’s data, he certainly knows what Jiang He looked like.

  Jiang He’s gaze turned dark and he coldly said, “You know me? But it’s no use even if you know me!”


  He was really angry.

  ‘I’m here to reason with me, but you’re actually trying to kill me?’


  Whoosh!

  He instantly turned into an after image, his body arriving before Bound Star in a flash.

  Boom!

  Violent True Qi exploded in a split second as the silhouettes of two great suns rose behind him. A dragon’s roar and an elephant’s trumpeting echoed at the same time, and as Jiang He’s pushed out his palm, the silhouette of a golden dragon was printed upon Bound Star’s chest.

  Jiang He was too fast. Seizing the instant of Bound Star’s distraction, he reached him in a flash!

  Bound Star only had the time to direct his earth-type powers to defend his chest, but it crumbled instantly with a crunch under Jiang He’s palm!

  Feeling as if a high-speed rail moving at top speed struck his chest, Bound Star was sent flying backwards before landing heavily dozens of meters away, coughing blood profusely.