Deep within a dark forest in the Abyssal Mountain Range.
"HUFF... HUFF...!"
Two disheveled figures leaned against the trunk of a large tree as if about to collapse, panting heavily. A deep sense of exhaustion clung to them from head to toe.
These two were none other than Lin Hai and Lin Tao.
After frantically fleeing the site of their battle with Hong Yu, they had continued to run for their lives, terrified that he might be in pursuit. After that fight, Hong Yu was no longer a pushover they could bully at will in their minds; he had transford completely into a deadly nace!
"Big Brother, did... did that guy follow us?" Lin Hai, who had lost an arm, asked, his pale face filled with lingering fear.
Lin Tao glanced behind them and shook his head. "No."
"That's good."
Lin Hai's taut nerves instantly relaxed. He slumped to the ground as if all his strength had vanished, unable to even lift a finger.
Lin Tao took a deep breath, calming his own frayed nerves.
He took out a Rejuvenation Pill and fed it to Lin Hai. Seeing so color return to his face, Lin Tao let out a sigh of relief. But as his gaze swept over his younger brother's empty right sleeve, a sinister and venomous glint flashed through his dark pupils.
Lin Hai sensed Lin Tao's gaze and seed to understand his thoughts. He shook his head and gave a bitter smile. "Father taught us from a young age never to underestimate any enemy, but as our strength grew, we gradually forgot his teachings. This ti, I've paid the price with my right arm!"
"Don't worry, Second Brother. Big Brother will definitely avenge your severed arm," Lin Tao said in a deep voice.
"Big Brother, even together we couldn't handle him. How can we get revenge?" Lin Hai asked with a bitter smile.
A dark glint flickered in Lin Tao's eyes as he gritted his teeth. "If we can't handle him, we'll find others who can. I refuse to believe that with the Lin Family's resources, we can't pay a price to recruit more than half of the Ten Great Celestial Prodigies to hunt him down. You think he can still escape then?"
HISS!
Lin Hai sucked in a sharp breath.
'Uniting with more than half of the Ten Great Celestial Prodigies to hunt down Hong Yu?'
If they actually went through with it, Lin Hai was certain the price the Lin Family would have to pay would be astronomical.
Lin Tao's eyes narrowed as he said coldly, "Don't worry, Second Brother. Big Brother will arrange everything."
"I will absolutely not let him leave the Abyssal Mountain Range alive."
Lin Tao's every word was cold and resolute, each one striking like hamred iron!
After settling on their plan, the two began to roam the Abyssal Mountain Range, searching for the other mbers of the Ten Great Celestial Prodigies participating in the assessnt. This search took them the entire afternoon, and by nightfall, they had finally found four powerful experts to join them.
These four all had cultivation at the middle stage of the Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm or higher. One was even at the Late-stage Essence Realm. Combined with Lin Hai, who was at the Half-Step Earth Soul Realm, the strength of this team was absolutely terrifying.
"Young Master Lin, you gathered us all just to deal with Hong Yu?" The speaker was a man nad Chen Hao, one of the Ten Great Celestial Prodigies, at the Late-stage Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm. He rubbed his nose with a faint, mocking smile, his expression full of disdain. "I've seen that Hong Yu before. His strength is nothing special. Do you really need to make such a big fuss to deal with him?"
Lin Hai glanced at him coolly and snorted. "If you keep underestimating him, you'll be the one to suffer when you run into him."
"He's just from a branch of the Hong Family. How strong can he possibly be?" Chen Hao was still dismissive.
Lin Hai, who had been silent until now, stepped forward. He undid the robe draped over his shoulders, revealing his empty right sleeve, and said flatly, "This arm of mine was severed by Hong Yu. Do you still think soone with that kind of combat power is 'nothing special'?"
At this, everyone fell silent.
Who was Lin Hai?
He was one of the fad "Three Prodigies," a true Celestial Pride Son standing at the very peak of Shishui City.
Even he had an arm severed by Hong Yu. If they still thought this lineup was overkill, wouldn't that be questioning the talent of the "Three Prodigies" themselves?
"Young Master Lin, if Hong Yu is that powerful, we might not be a match for him even if we all attack together," another expert at the middle stage of the Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm said worriedly.
Lin Hai waved a hand and said flatly, "Rest assured, everyone. Since I've decided to deal with him, I have no intention of letting him live. I've already contacted Wang ng. Given his relationship with my Lin Family, he will definitely not refuse my proposal. He'll rendezvous with us by tomorrow morning at the latest."
"Wang ng? Tsk tsk, with all three of the Prodigies gathered, we could even put up a fight against an Earth Soul Realm expert. What's there to fear from Hong Yu?"
"Wait, did you forget about Hong Hu? He's one of the Hongs, too. Could he..."
"Don't worry. I heard a rumor that Hong Yu is from the Third Elder's faction in the Hong Family, while Hong Hu is with the Seventh Elder's faction. The two sides are like fire and water. Hong Hu would probably be thrilled if we killed Hong Yu for him!" Chen Hao said casually, then looked at Lin Hai. "Since Wang ng is joining us, we naturally have no objections. It's just that, the things Young Master Lin promised earlier..."
"Hmph, do you take , Lin Hai, for soone who goes back on his word?" Lin Hai snorted.
Chen Hao gave an awkward laugh, but his expression was one of excitent.
The other three were the sa.
This ti, to invite them to deal with Hong Yu, Lin Hai had truly paid a hefty price. He had promised that after eliminating Hong Yu, he would give each of them a reward of one million Gold Coins and three Rejuvenation Pills. The Lin Family was a family that dealt in Pills to begin with, and their family's businesses were by no ans weak. Furthermore, since he and his brother were the Patriarch's sons and popular candidates to enter the Cyan Nether Sword Sect, getting an advance of a few million Gold Coins was well within their ans.
"In that case, let's start by searching for that bastard's trail!"
"That's right! Once we find him, we'll wait for Wang ng to arrive. When we all strike together, we'll definitely be able to finish him off with ease!"
All six of them revealed excited and bloodthirsty expressions.
Getting paid to eliminate soone else's problem—and a prodigy on par with the Three Prodigies, no less! What could be more exciting?
Little did they know...
At the sa ti Lin Hai's group was scouring the mountains for Hong Yu, another force within the mountain range had also begun to plot against him.
Hong Hu stared with cold eyes at the woman hidden under a cloak beside him and said in a low voice, "Enchantress, are you certain this battle scene was caused by Hong Yu?"
"Yes, Master."
The Enchantress's voice was slightly hoarse as it ca from beneath her cloak. "The forty-odd Silver Moon Wolves here were all killed by Hong Yu alone. In addition, there are the auras of the two young masters from the Lin Family. I have just calculated that to cause this much destruction, it would require at least two Half-Step Earth Soul Realm experts."
After speaking, the Enchantress stood with her hands by her side, standing next to Hong Hu like a puppet.
Hong Hu's gaze flickered, his expression uncertain. "One of the Half-Step Earth Soul Realm experts must be Lin Hai. He and Wang ng both have that level of strength, while Lin Tao is still a little lacking. Your calculations are never wrong, which ans the other Half-Step Earth Soul Realm expert must be Hong Yu."
BANG!
He smashed a giant tree to the side with an furious punch and snarled through gritted teeth, "To think a re branch family mber could have such talent and strength. Damn it, he seems to be only sixteen years old! Sixteen! At his age, I had only just stepped into the Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm. How can he be more formidable than ? Unforgivable! Hong Yu must die."
Geniuses were prone to jealousy!
This was especially true for soone like Hong Hu, who had been hailed as a prodigy his entire life. He would never tolerate the ergence of soone whose achievents surpassed his own. That this person was a low-status disciple from a branch family made it even more unacceptable.
"Enchantress, send the signal for Hong Qi to co here."
Hong Hu rested a hand on a nearby tree trunk, his gaze dark as he gave the order. After the Enchantress sent the signal, Hong Hu gazed far off in a certain direction, his cold words sounding as if they ca from the Nine Netherworld. "I was going to let you live for a couple more days, but it seems that's no longer necessary. So threats are best eliminated as soon as possible!"
"Master, I have calculated the general direction of Hong Yu's departure," the Enchantress said.
Hong Hu nodded. "Let's go!"
After Hong Hu left, the great tree he had just touched—a tree over twenty ters tall—suddenly trembled. With a "CRACK... CRACK..." sound, it broke and collapsed. On the sundered trunk, a perfectly flat cut appeared on a section as thick as a grown man's waist.
If Hong Yu were still here, he would have been horrified to discover that the trunk had been severed by the sharpest tal Attribute Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
Moreover...
The expert who had cut this tree was clearly no Half-Step Earth Soul Realm practitioner. Although the aura of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was present on the cut, it was far more condensed and pure—it was the Power of Primordial Spirit, possessed only by Earth Soul Realm experts.
Hong Hu, the Unparalleled Genius hailed as the number one person beneath the Four Kings, was actually a genuine Earth Soul Realm expert!
For a ti, all the Ten Great Celestial Prodigies who had ventured deep into the Abyssal Mountain Range for their training trial paused their hunt for Desolate Beasts.
Whether it was the hunting party assembled by Lin Hai or the team with the two Earth Soul Realm experts, Hong Qi and Hong Hu, along with the mysterious Enchantress, all of them stopped hunting. They began to search the Abyssal Mountain Range in an orderly fashion. Though their factions were different, their target was, surprisingly, the sa.
It was that sa ordinary boy from a branch family with no distinguished background and no powerful backer—Hong Yu!
BOOM-CRACK!
A swathe of dark, oppressive clouds rolled in. Streaks of purple, Heaven- and Earth-penetrating lightning flashed, deafeningly loud, and a torrential downpour suddenly began. A chilling wind swept through the entire Abyssal Mountain Range. Amidst the lashing wind and rain, the mountains trembled and swayed, giving the feeling that a storm was brewing.
But Hong Yu, the common target of two powerful teams, was completely unaware of all this.
At this very mont...
Hong Yu was in a hidden valley, sitting cross-legged beneath a towering tree, quietly regulating his breathing to heal his internal injuries. As he circulated his Profound Skill, the Profound Celestial Small Tower slowly materialized from within his body and floated before him. As it hovered there, streams of faint, erald light poured out from the small tower, enveloping him.
Nourished by the enveloping green light, Hong Yu's internal injuries gradually began to stabilize.
After a long while, Hong Yu, who had kept his eyes closed, slowly opened them.
PHEW!
A sharp glint flashed through his eyes. With a flip of his palm, he retracted the Profound Celestial Tower back into his body. Hong Yu's calm gaze swept over the pouring rain. He stared at the Thunder descending from the sky and felt the raging mountain wind, then suddenly leaped to his feet. Grabbing the Long Spear by his side, he charged into the downpour.
A faint victory song spilled from the young man's lips as the Long Spear in his hand, imbued with the Great Dao, suddenly began to dance...
"The fierce wind rages for a thousand li, the clouds roil with anger; I laugh proudly between the vast heaven and earth..."
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