Chapter 48: Hunting and Retribution (1/2)

Chapter 48- Hunting and Retribution

Along with their men, Prince Qi and the Taoist rushed to the arena and found three bodies on the floor. One’s abdomen was sliced opened by a knife while all that remained of the other two bodies were pools of dirty liquid and battered clothing with black smoke rising from them. The clothes had been terribly corroded by smoke and were worse than those of the previous man who had been attacked by the demonic yin qi.

The middle-aged man’s facial features contorted into an ugly expression as he gazed upon the corpses. Three more dead. Counting the three men who previously died, six of his men were already gone. These were the elites Prince Qi had painstakingly groomed, a team that would be loyal and serve him in the future. The death of a single man was a huge waste of his efforts.

“Your Royal Highness, these corpses indicate the Slaughter Array contains not only people who can attack using the demonic yin qi but other skilled cultivators as well.” The old Taoist suspected the three men had died by different hands. The two who had died from the demonic yin qi had most likely been killed by the same man, while the other man with a slit abdomen might have been killed by someone else. It would never occur to him that, in reality, all three had been killed by the same man.

“We must eradicate the man using the demonic yin qi as soon as possible,” declared the prince. His tone was cold and grave as his face clouded over.

Of the six men who died, three of them succumbed to the demonic yin qi. Thus, the man using the demonic yin qi posed the greatest threat, and his death was paramount. Otherwise, at this rate, the number of people who would die in the same way would be inestimable. Plus, more than a decade of the prince’s efforts would all go to waste.

“Your Royal Highness, it’s not difficult to kill someone; what’s difficult is finding them. Trying to find someone within the vast mountain ranges of the Slaughter Array is a tough task,” the old Taoist responded while frowning. “It’s a pity my teacher left to attend to other matters after he set up the array. He didn’t teach me how to control it; otherwise, controlling the lives of everyone under the array would be nothing, much less searching for someone. He was right.

For an illusionary array, the one who set it up was the director of the space; so, tracking someone down would be easy. However, the monk was not the director, and there was nothing he could do. It wasn’t as if no one wanted to teach the old Taoist, it was just that he was clueless about arrays, so it was useless to teach him.

The middle-aged man looked at the old Taoist with anticipation. “Master Taoist, could you find your teacher?”

The Taoist smiled grimly and shook his head. “My teacher doesn’t have a fixed agenda, and it’s difficult to track his movements. Of course, I will do my best.”

“Hm, that’s that for the time being then. If we have no choice, we can only continue sending our best men into it,” the prince ruthlessly stated with a solemn expression. “We must kill that man.”

The old Taoist looked worried. “Your Royal Highness, I’m afraid that we can’t do that. We’ve reached the limit for the number of people who can enter the Slaughter Array. It has automatically closed already. People can only exit but not enter unless my teacher arrives. Aside from that, we’ll have to wait for the array to expire in three months.”

“What?!” The middle-aged man’s face soured. He had never expected the array to have a limit. Now, he couldn’t control the happenings within the Slaughter Array and could only watch things develop. Even if his son were to be killed by someone inside, the prince could do nothing to stop it. No, not this! Prince Qi hated feeling powerless.

Grinding his teeth, the middle-aged man commanded, “Master Taoist, please find your teacher as soon as possible. I’m saying that you must.” He exuded an imposing aura.

“Yes, Your Royal Highness.” Although the Taoist felt uncomfortable, he could only obey the prince’s commands. The monk had no alternatives and could only send his men to search. Whether his men succeeded would depend on their luck.

In a cave at the foot of a mountain within the Slaughter Array, Qin Yu, Mu Rongyue, and her guard Ruo Feng (the young man in blue) were together. Ruo Feng had suffered a severe injury. Fortunately, Qin Yu knew some first-aid and healing methods. Mu Rongyue had also brought plenty of high-quality pills and medications. Altogether, they managed to save the guard.

“Ruo Feng, are you feeling better?” Mu Rongyue asked with concern, staring at the young man laying on the floor and slightly gasping for air.

“It’s fine, Miss. I won’t die yet,” Ruo Feng grinned and comforted her.

“Don’t worry, Xiao Yue. His injury is not that extreme. He should recover after resting for a few days,” Qin Yu also attempted to soothe Mu Rongyue’s nerves.

Mu Rongyue looked at Qin Yu with gratitude in her eyes. “Da Ge, thank you for saving us.”

“Why should you thank me?” Qin Yu asked curiously and grinned. “By the way, why did you come here? You’re competing in the Martial Arts Examination as well?”

Upon hearing this question, Mu Rongyue’s sophisticated face twisted into an angry and painful expression. “Da Ge, this is no longer a martial arts competition. My father was tricked by my third uncle and heedlessly agreed to establish this Slaughter Array to single out elites. In reality, my third uncle is going to use this array to eradicate all of the Qiongxi’s young talents.”

“Your third uncle?” Qin Yu’s expression turned grave.

“Yes, Mu Tianqi, my third uncle. Currently, Prince Qi holds overwhelming power within the Imperial Court.” Mu Rongyue attempted a grim smile.