Chapter 64: The Blood Demon Dies. (1/2)

A resplendently dressed young man with a hint of a royal temperament entered. “Your Highness! Your Highness!” The people present shuffled to the sides respectfully. Even Can Bao dared not stand on a higher platform, and he hurried down to face the young man.

“Your Highness,” said Can Bao, bowing slightly. The affluent young man was none other than the son of Qiongxi’s Prince Qi (Mu Tianqi), Mu Rongrui. A few days ago, he’d pleaded to bring a small team of ten elites into the Illusory Battlefield to hunt down the man who used the demonic yin qi to attack others. However, Mu Rongrui had yet to find this man. The culprit might have died in the Battlefield for all he knew. Nonetheless, he was furious that his efforts seemed wasted and what he’d done useless.

Mu Rongrui’s indifferent gaze fixed on Can Bao, and the young man’s pupils constricted slightly. He’d long heard of Can Bao’s incredible reputation: His father referred to him as a cultivator so gifted that it would be impossible to find another like him in a thousand years. At merely 20 years old, Can Bao became a strong cultivator in the Transformation Realm and had even grasped the spiritual nature of Wind. At least in the country of Qiongxi, none before had achieved such accomplishments, and probably none would ever again.

Every time his father spoke highly of Can Bao, Mu Rongrui felt very indignant. He’d long wanted to meet this man and even desired to fight him to see who was the stronger. He wanted to know precisely who’s a genius that could not be found in a thousand years. Today, Mu Rongrui finally encountered Can Bao; although, more precisely, he’d seen Can Bao in a painting before. The hundred elites groomed by Prince Qi all had portraits stowed in a secret place. “You’re Can Bao?” Mu Rongrui stared sharply at the King of Hunters as he questioned him.

Can Bao lifted his head and nodded slightly. “Yes, I am your subordinate, Can Bao.” To Can Bao, Mu Rongrui couldn’t be more familiar: He’d once protected Mu Rongrui in secret; so, he’d seen Mu Rongrui, but the young man had never seen him.

“Release all of your aura and show me,” Mu Rongrui commanded in a deep voice.

Can Bao was stunned for a moment, but he didn’t dare go against his order and could only comply. “Yes.” The strength of his aura increased manifold at an unfathomable rate, and the air danced around him in turbulent torrents. “Your Highness, is this enough?” Can Bao looked at Mu Rongrui’s shocked expression and asked with a slight grin.

“Ye-yes,” Mu Rongrui exhaled, his heart disturbed. He’d been indignant, but now he was truly convinced: Can Bao could, indeed, be considered as unsurpassed by those before and after him! “You’re very strong and truly live up to your title as the elected King of the Hunters,” walking to the highest platform, Mu Rongrui praised Can Bao. The young man’s eyes dropped to a pair chasing each other within the mountain ranges of the Battlefield. “Why didn’t you kill them both in the tower? Why did you let them go? ”

Can Bao walked to Mu Rongrui’s side and said calmly, “Your Highness, the Illusory Battlefield will only open after three months. It hasn’t even been a month, and we have ample time. At least they could amuse us in the meanwhile.” Mu Rongrui’s fair face twitched, and he gave Can Bao a weird glance; this man enjoyed playing with the lives of others. But, Can Bao was right: Only 20 days of the three months had passed; and, without any distractions, the Illusory Battlefield would be extremely boring indeed.

What would the participants of the Martial Competition think of this conversation if they had heard?! The contenders had undergone round after round of elimination, fighting to the last for glory and a bright future. Now, they were finally eligible for pre-selection and had entered the so-called Examination Array. But, the absurd thing was that the competitors were simply toys to amuse others, and their lives were being played with.

“Hm? What’s wrong? Why is nothing happening?!” Someone beside them suddenly shouted, startling the rest. Mu Rongrui swiftly shifted his gaze away from Can Bao, and his eyes fixated on the vast mountain ranges. The peaks shrouded in mist had, indeed, become peaceful once again. The howls of the Blood Demon, the booming noises produced by the ferocious attacks, and the sound of the sky and earth giving way were all gone. Even the two silhouettes had disappeared into the hills.

“The battle is probably over, and the Blood Demon has killed the man,” someone guessed.

“Summon the Blood Demon,” Can Bao gravely ordered.

“Yes,” a man responded, and he lifted a small scarlet bell and shook it slowly. The sound produced was strange. The bell didn’t clang, but sobbed; the sound resembled the cries of evil spirits from the depths of an ancient hell. However, after the man shook the bell for some time, a look of confusion surfaced on his face. “The Blood Demon hasn’t responded.”

“What did you say?” The faces of the surrounding people changed.

Can Bao remained calm. His hostile gaze swept the Battlefield, and he commanded with a cold voice, “Shi Yan, take some men down to check.” 1

“Yes,” a man of strong build answered and flew out of the tower with a few men. They headed into the deep areas within the mountain ranges below.

……

Shi Yan and his men rushed through the vast mountain ranges. Since the hunters had made a mark on the Blood Demon, they easily found it. But, the current Blood Demon was no longer a Blood Demon; it was just a corpse rotting in black Qi. When the hunters stepped closer for a look, they found the corpse was beyond recognition. If it was not for the marking, the men would have suspected they’d found the wrong person. However, the marking was that of the Blood Demon and the only reason the corpse did not sink into the ground and disappear like the others. Otherwise, the hunters would have found nothing.

“Senior Shi Yan, how…how could this happen? The Blood Demon has died?!” The few of them standing around the corpse could barely believe their eyes. The Blood Demon had the Demonic Blood-Devouring Blade and was undefeatable within the Illusory Battlefield. How could he die?

Upon recalling the Demon’s weapon, everyone suddenly realized something, and someone yelled, “Right, where’s the Demonic Blood-Devouring Blade?!”

Comparatively, as the leader, Shi Yan appeared very calm. His gaze swept indifferently over the rotting corpse, and he reasoned, “The Demonic Blade is likely to be in the hands of the new Blood Demon. He’ll definitely be stronger.”