“Heh, this signal flare is finely made, but you’re wasting it. Hand it over.”
A devilish voice rang in his ear, and the flare vanished from his hand.
The boy dashed alongside him, his relaxed expression clearly toying with him.
Impossible!
The martial artist couldn’t believe his eyes.
He prided himself on his movement technique, a rare gold-grade skill, unmatched by others.
It had saved him from danger countless times.
But today? Was this boy human or ghost?
“Not bad movement, but you haven’t mastered it yet.”
The boy grinned at him, his face almost pitying, “Why bother? I don’t kill unless forced, but you lot keep pushing me. Are you all too comfortable with your lives?”
Though the boy smiled, a chilling terror surged through the martial artist.
He roared, throwing a punch at the boy.
But before it landed, a sword of air from the boy’s finger pierced his throat.
No scream escaped. Eyes wide, the martial artist plummeted to the ground, dead.
Ling Xiao stood atop the hill, eyeing the distant swarm of black dots, a cold killing intent on his face.
“Brave men rise for great rewards, eh? Well, since you all want my life, don’t blame me for being ruthless!
The hunt begins now! Those who come to kill me will die!”
He took the flare and released it from a suitable spot.
As it exploded, martial artists from across the mountains rushed toward it.
They saw only the bounty, blind to the lethal intent hidden in the signal.
…
In the dark, perilous jungle, danger lurked everywhere.
Yet the martial artists seemed unfazed.
Each used their skills, racing toward the flare’s location, none willing to lag behind.
Killing Ling Xiao meant not just Fairy Linglong’s massive bounty but also the treasures he carried.
So many martial artists flooded in that even ferocious beasts hid in fear.
Beasts, though animals, had some intelligence and wouldn’t challenge stronger foes.
An Ice Sparrow, nestled in its lair, watched a martial artist below.
His aura was so strong that the third-tier beast didn’t dare move.
Beasts were terrifying, but human martial artists were just as fearsome.
Suddenly!
A shadow flashed in the sparrow’s eyes.
The formidable martial artist swayed, then his head rolled to the ground.
The sparrow froze in terror. The killer was a boy.
His aura was like a monstrous prehistoric beast.
The boy glanced back and smiled, nearly sending the sparrow fleeing in panic.
“Late Fifth Stage Mortal Realm, tsk tsk. The quality of these hunters isn’t bad.”
Ling Xiao eyed the corpse, casually taking its storage ring, muttering, “That’s the twenty-third. Such fools. Reaching this level isn’t easy, so why not stay home and cultivate? Why come to kill me? Haven’t they heard that those who kill will be killed?”
In just a quarter of an hour, Ling Xiao had taken down twenty-three martial artists hunting him.
But this was only the start.
Nearly a thousand had entered the mountains.
This killing game would end when he’d slain them all or they fled in fear.
Otherwise, it was kill or be killed. No debate.
He wouldn’t just let them hunt him without retaliating. Ling Xiao wasn’t that kind of saint.
“Onward!”
Ling Xiao let out a cold smirk.
He’d already gauged the strength of these martial artists.
Only one was too strong for a direct fight—a Seventh Stage Mortal Realm warrior with formidable combat skills.
Interestingly, this one was an inner disciple of the Moonlight Sect, just below the core disciples.
For someone like that to come to the Fulong Mountains to kill him?
Ling Xiao wouldn’t believe for a second that Elder Jin and his ilk weren’t involved.
As for the others, they were no match. He could kill them without resistance.
Surrounding him was impossible.
With his speed, movement skills, and a few key formation stones, he’d never be trapped unless he got careless.
He’d interrogated a martial artist close to Fairy Linglong about her whereabouts.
The man boasted that she was protected by a core disciple from the Beast King Palace, an Eighth Stage Mortal Realm powerhouse, far beyond someone like Ling Xiao.
That was true.
Killing an Eighth Stage martial artist now would require his Primordial Golden Dragon form, and even then, he’d likely be gravely injured.
So, he shelved his plan to storm Shajiabao, focusing instead on hunting these martial artists while honing his combat skills and boosting his strength.
Fighting beasts was one thing; fighting martial artists was another.
Killing just twenty-three had already helped him form his fifth air sword.
This technique clearly thrived in combat—the more he fought, the faster he mastered it.
“Fairy Linglong, oh Fairy Linglong, these dead martial artists will surely blame you. Let’s see how you keep convincing others to fight for you. The hunting game’s just begun, and since you love to play, I’ll indulge you!”
…
“Over five hundred dead! Five hundred!”
Fairy Linglong slumped in her seat.
In just two days, more than half the martial artists sent to hunt Ling Xiao in the Fulong Mountains were dead.
The rest, terrified, had fled early and left Shajiabao.
Fairy Linglong was truly scared now.
These were inner disciples from various sects, and they’d died mysteriously in the Fulong Mountains.
Unable to find Ling Xiao for revenge, those sects would surely come for her.
Worst of all, Ling Xiao had left no evidence.
Everyone who saw him died.
Those who returned alive hadn’t laid eyes on him.
Even if she accused Ling Xiao of the killings, would the sect leaders risk war with the Moonlight Sect over her word alone?
