Proofreader: Papatonks
Ren Cong squinted as he jerked in fright.
It blew his mind, and all his understanding, that Cong Shan and Cong Lin should charge one enemy only to be squeezed to nothing in the enemy’s hands. Such a display left him crushed!
And with his hopes gone, that left nothing but fear when he looked at Zhuo Fan.
He never saw Zhuo Fan in action, but this was enough to get it through his thick skull that the rumors were true enough to get him killed.
[He is a monster I can’t mess with!]
A shame he had done it already. However, he had more present and serious matters to worry about, like the ever-approaching Qi Changlong and his friends with cold smiles.
Now even without Zhuo Fan’s help, the six Ethereal Stage experts against the only Ethereal Stage expert on his side, him, and damn Radiant Stage experts, the rest could do nothing to curb the fear they all felt.
Ren Cong was sweating buckets, his mouth fell, and he teared up. His teammates looked at their young master with pleading gazes.
Even as they knew their young master was in the same boat as them.
Qi Changlong was coming down on them with a savage grin, snapping his finger joints as he made fists.
Ren Cong kept staggering away, filled with sweat.
“Young master Ren, who is the cat and who is the mouse, I wonder?” Zhuo Fan snickered.
Ren Cong gnashed his teeth and turned red in anger.
[The punk is mocking me!]
Zhuo Fan shook his head and smiled, “That’s right, I’m here to shame you, but on account of your exquisite manner yesterday, I am inclined to give you a chance. In a team battle, the rule says that the door outside will open after six hours, and the fight finishes regardless of the outcome. So didn’t you say you’re quite familiar with the area? So be a good mouse and scurry along for a hidey-hole. And if we find you all in the next six hours, then it’s only right that the cat gets to eat its prize, ha-ha-ha…”
Demon Scheming Sect’s disciples cracked up, filled with contempt for them.
Steward Zhuo wanted to toy with them to their last breath.
[He’s the same as Yan Mo!]
The audience chuckled and sighed.
[Such is the way of demonic cultivators.]
“All demonic cultivators are the same, I see. They just love making a show out of their savagery. Ha-ha-ha…” Wen Tao shook his head.
Han Yunfeng glanced over and said, “This is called absolute power. You think you’ll see something like this in an equal match?”
“True cruelty only shows when one side has an overwhelming advantage. Maybe Zhuo Fan is telling the others through this act that they shouldn’t mess with them no matter how strong they are.” Wen Tao sighed.
Han Yunfeng grinned, “Then will you still stand in his way?”
“Regardless of the outcome, I would be happy to know I could fight such an expert!”
Han Yunfeng’s heart shook and fell silent.
Wen Tao’s words cut deep.
Fighting a losing battle was unwise. From the sect’s standpoint, retreat was welcomed against an impossible adversary.
However, to a cultivator whose nature was to go against the natural order, they should fight regardless of adversity and brave any dangers. Having been close to the leadership of a sect, he had forgotten this simple truth, the basic nature of a cultivator.
If he balked in fear against this mighty opponent, how would he progress in his cultivation?
Suddenly, his eyes focused and flicked in Zhuo Fan’s direction. “It seems I was mistaken…”
Wen Tao eyed him and nodded with a smile.
[That’s how a demonic sect’s young master should be!]
“Ten, nine, eight…” Zhuo Fan lifted his arm and started the countdown. Kui Lang and company grinned in Ren Cong’s direction, waiting for them to flee like rats.
[I have never been more insulted in my entire life!]
Yet when it came to choosing between dignity and life, Ren Cong could only think of himself as he ran like the wind under the audience’s ridicule.
The other disciples thought even less, going after their young master like good gofers.
“Three, two, one!”
Zhuo Fan’s counting was slow, but it ended either way quickly. Kui Lang and the others grinned as they began the hunt. They sure loved playing around at another’s expense.
But just as they started, Zhuo Fan’s smirk started, “People, let’s all relish the game!”
They looked at each other and nodded before vanishing. Zhuo Fan smiled and was gone as well.
The little valley regained its tranquility once the game of cat and mouse began. The two gatekeepers closed their eyes, changing the screen outside the dimension by switching through the monitoring arrays already set up inside in search of any movement.
It didn’t take long for a Heaven Trailing Sect disciple to appear, frantic in his run for his life.
He barely made a few steps as Lu Xie came from behind. He pointed, and green light shot his ankle. Then thick green energy spread from his heel to the rest of his body.
“Hi-hi-hi, run, kiddie, run! The faster you go, the faster the poison spreads. And when it reaches your innards, you’re done for!” Lu Xie cackled.
The guy felt his heart beating out of his chest, and he was so scared he was close to soiling himself. Lu Xie, however, was enjoying the moment of tormenting the poor devil.
“Ah!”
Noticing the green energy was almost at his thigh, he could no longer tarry. He instantly chopped his leg off and started jumping around in an attempt to flee.
Lu Xie sneered and shot another green light on the other leg.
He was again forced to choose between his leg and his life.
The guy was horrified and crying in indignity while Lu Xie was taking his sweet time to see what he’d decide, to relish in his sweet torment…
It took only half an hour for the guy to be without arms and legs. Finally, Lu Xie cackled one last time and wiggled over.
The audience sighed in sorrow. Exalted Double Dragons did the same, but out of boredom.
Such an event was happening all over the place in that world. This was no longer a team battle but a one-sided slaughter.
[Just how on earth did Heaven Trailing Sect offend the Demon Scheming Sect to incur such cruel revenge?]
Holding their foreheads, the two exalted no longer bothered to watch and closed their eyes. However, none noticed that no matter how the view changed, Zhuo Fan was nowhere to be seen among the tortures.
He had been gone ever since the hunt began. It was as if he was no longer in there…
Whoosh~
Deep in the forest, a figure appeared. The proud Zhuo turned around and nodded, “Good, this must be the blind spot in the monitoring arrays.”
Then his hand held a sparkling and pure crystal, a sacred stone.
The black energy curled from his hand around the sacred stone and slowly dissolved it. Zhuo Fan focused on the drifting spiritual energy, following its every shift. Then his eyes lit up in glee, “Over there!”
He was gone once more.
This time, Zhuo Fan was sidestepping the monitoring arrays while following the flow of spiritual energy from the sacred stone until he arrived before an unending mountain. The spiritual energy was so thick here it felt like the previous valley could not compare.
To the point that the entire mountain range was like a bright azure dragon as it emitted spiritual energy.
“I knew it. This is a western land’s sacred mine. Who knew they’d sealed it up in here?” Watching the distant mountain range, his heart shivered.
The instant he got here, he was convinced that this place had to have a sacred mine.
But since this was someone else’s home, it was closely monitored. Looking for their treasury under Double Dragon Manor’s nose was asking for the noose.
So, the ingenious Zhuo Fan used Heaven Trailing Sect’s hunt to cover his tracks and let him inspect in peace.
That was why he kept telling the disciples to take it real slow, to give him time to have his share of fun.
Now that he was here, his doubts were cleared…
