Chapter 648: Hunting

"Understood."

The woman dressed as a maid nodded at Yin Tianhuang's instructions. Retracting the divinity behind her, she took a single step forward and vanished from the spot.

...

Yin Tianhuang watched the maid disappear, his expression calm.

Finally, he clicked his tongue.

Clearly, he wasn't particularly satisfied with this outcome.

If he had merely wanted to punish that person, he could have handed the task to that woman two weeks ago.

He insisted on handling it personally out of "respect" for the one who had injured his subordinate.

If he couldn't grind such an existence's bones to dust with his own hands, it would be far too dull.

Moreover...

He had other plans in mind.

After standing there for a moment, he turned around. A pitch-black rift appeared behind him, and his figure dissipated into the sky.

He traveled freely through the Space Rift. Every step he took crossed into a new space. This was a realm only those who controlled Space abilities could reach; everything around him morphed into simple, flowing lines beneath his feet.

Several dozen minutes later, he stopped, reached out, and grabbed one of the lines beside him.

Riiip—

A harsh tearing sound echoed as he tore open space and stepped through.

His vision blurred for a second, and he appeared inside a grand hall.

The hall was entirely pitch-black, save for a massive Gilded Seat set upon a high dais.

The seat and the figure resting upon it were the only sources of color in the entire hall.

Of course, now there was also Yin Tianhuang.

The figure on the seat was shrouded entirely in a golden robe. Flanking them were entities wearing Black Robes. Upon seeing Yin Tianhuang arrive, these figures bowed slightly toward him.

"Lord Yin."

...

Yin Tianhuang didn't even glance at the people on either side. He simply looked up at the dais.

"My lord, you summoned me."

"Yes."

The figure on the dais nodded. A muffled sound—like the groan of an old, hollowed-out tree—rumbled in their throat before they spoke:

"The number one spot on the Player Leaderboard has been updated. Have you heard?"

Yin Tianhuang nodded.

"I have heard the rumors."

"This is no small matter."

The figure on the dais sat up straight and stared at Yin Tianhuang. A pair of hawk-like eyes peered out from the golden robe with a piercing gaze.

"Right now, everyone wants to know exactly who claimed first place."

"Do you know how long the previous number one held that position?"

Without waiting for Yin Tianhuang to answer, the figure continued.

"Eight hundred years!"

"He became one of those six, the youngest among them. And the number one before him is also one of those six!"

"Now, it isn't just us mortals looking for this guy; even those six are paying close attention."

"Do you know what this means?"

This time, the figure didn't immediately continue, giving Yin Tianhuang ample time to respond.

Yin Tianhuang nodded.

"It means that if a seventh appears, one of the six will be forced to step down."

The figure on the dais nodded.

"That guy is already a dead man."

"Every faction has mobilized, forming a hunting party composed of the heirs of each power."

"You will go this time."

"Find a way to locate him. It would be best if you could kill him directly to prove your worth. Only then can our Fengqi Pavilion continue its legacy."

...

Hearing this, Yin Tianhuang didn't immediately agree. Instead, he spoke slowly, "I will naturally kill him. But I feel... it isn't about proving my worth, but rather because I am truly stronger than him."

...

Seconds later, the figure on the dais burst into laughter.

"That mindset isn't bad."

"Go forth and find him. Rest assured, no matter how great the faction behind him might be, it will be useless this time. Those six have moved simultaneously; no one dares protect him."

"Once this hunt concludes, the Day of Godhood will descend, and you can seize the initiative."

"Understood."

Yin Tianhuang nodded.

He bowed slightly, then turned and walked toward the door.

But before he could exit the hall, a faint voice echoed behind him.

"How is your practice of the Phoenix Roost Technique coming along lately?"

...

Yin Tianhuang halted, turned his head back, and spoke slowly.

"I make progress every day. Do you need to inspect it?"

...

The entity met Yin Tianhuang's gaze and sneered.

"Next time."

"Then I will take my leave."

Expressionless, Yin Tianhuang walked out of the grand hall.

Only after walking dozens of meters away did a trace of coldness finally appear on his face.

Just now, there were several times he had barely restrained himself from attacking the man outright.

Ever since that person brought him to the Central Region, he had revealed his true colors.

He had done so much for that person, yet he still hadn't received the core legacy of this faction.

Damn it.

Yin Tianhuang cursed inwardly, then hurried toward the exit.

He could only think about it. After all, there would still be many times he needed to make use of that old bastard.

...

...

Meng Die, dressed as a maid, manifested in midair. She looked at the distant city with a blank expression.

Looking at such an incredibly weak Domain, she wondered just what the opposing party had done to the lord to make him pursue them all the way to this backwater.

"Whatever. I'll just treat it as a relaxing stroll."

Meng Die took a step forward, intending to enter the city directly to find the aura Yin Tianhuang had told her about in advance.

But before she could get close, a figure appeared beside her, sprinting toward her at an unimaginable speed.

Meng Die's pupils shrank.

She wasn't worried about competing in speed; possessing Space abilities, she was confident she wouldn't lose to anyone in a race. But... she still needed reaction time to use her power.

She didn't know what ability her opponent had used to close the distance so Soundlessly, and with such terrifying speed.

Caught off guard, she took a knife directly to the abdomen.

Immediately after, a fist slammed into her face.

She instantly activated her ability to pull away, her figure reappearing in the distance. To her surprise, her opponent vanished as well.

Where did he go?

Rich in experience, she looked around and immediately understood that the other party possessed a concealment ability.

Touching the wound on her abdomen, she furrowed her brow.

A Divine Envoy.

A concealment ability.

Exceptional speed.

This reminded her of someone.

More accurately, it reminded her of an Inner World resident.

An entity from the Inner World codenamed [Hermit].

But...

That shouldn't be the case.

Why would such a being come to the Surface World right on the eve of the Day of Godhood?

And stay in a garbage Domain like this?

Could it be...

The barrier had dissipated?

But there were clearly still two weeks left!

The woman couldn't figure it out, but her opponent obviously didn't want to give her time to think.

The Hermit's figure had appeared behind her at some point, and then he raised his hand.

Bang!!!

The Hermit's hand viciously chopped down.

This time, the prepared woman turned and blocked the strike.

After the clash, she spun around and sprinted into the distance.

Every step covered several meters, as if she were constantly executing high-frequency micro-jumps.

The Hermit instantly gave chase.

Although he lacked the power of Space, his speed was no slower than the woman's. He trailed tightly just dozens of meters behind her.

The woman frowned deeply. Only after turning the corner of a cliff face did her figure instantly vanish.

Behind her, the Hermit continued his pursuit forward.

Seconds later, the woman's figure materialized back in her original spot.

Watching the receding Hermit, she scoffed.

She overturned her previous deduction; this person wasn't the real Hermit.

He seemed completely brainless.

After a moment of thought, she continued creeping toward Yueyin ahead.

Originally, she had no interest in this task, but now things were different.

She hadn't expected such a Domain to be guarded by a Divine Envoy.

This made her curious about the level of strength the others in this Domain possessed.

If they were all at a high level, it would be well worth noting.

Such intelligence needed to be brought back; it likely held great value.

Before long, she landed in Yueyin.

She concealed her aura and disguised herself as an ordinary resident, blending into the crowd.

Looking at the crowds around her, she sneered once more.

It seemed she had overthought things.

Let alone entities of the same level, the vast majority here were only at the Seventh Rank.

She couldn't even spot a single Summit ascender.

As expected of a remote backwater, a low-tier region.

She also finally realized what that thing from earlier was. It was likely a puppet or corpse fetched from the Inner World. Such things were common in the Central Region.

Some Clans had ascended to higher tiers relying on just one such item, using it to guard their Clan for a millennium.

But...

That was all it amounted to.

In the end, such things couldn't compare to a true Divine Envoy, not even measuring up to half of one.

For example, she had just used a minor trick and easily fooled it.

There was no comparison.

"Boring."

The woman retracted her gaze, preparing to carry out a "purge" here in a little while.

A purge.

That meant killing every single person here who displeased her.

This was a very common occurrence in the Central Region.

When young masters and misses came out to play, if they liked a remote Domain, they would "domesticate" it. If they didn't like it, they would "purge" it.

To glean some amusement from their boring lives.

Of course, they usually wouldn't do it themselves. Entities like Meng Die took action to save them the effort.

Meng Die made up her mind, her heart completely untroubled.

This wasn't a decision that required emotional fluctuation.

If she felt like it, she did it; if she didn't, she wouldn't.

She felt as though she had been tricked by that puppet outside.

Therefore, she was a little displeased.

That was all.

After wandering for a while longer, she felt even more bored.

She then reached out her hand toward an old man in the distance.

In just the blink of an eye, the old man's head appeared in her palm, his body dangling in midair.

"Help..."

The old man cried out in panic, but in the next second, Meng Die's hand had already pierced through his neck.

Warm blood sprayed from the old man's neck, and Meng Die laughed.

This was the only genuine laugh she had let out since arriving in this boring Domain.

"All of you, listen closely."

She looked at the terrified faces around her and smiled.

"I, Meng Die of Fengqi Pavilion, declare that this Domain will now be purged."

As she spoke, divinity surged around her. She truly looked the part of a Divine Envoy.

The so-called purge was neither a request nor an order.

It was a declaration of the will of the Deity standing behind her.

She then tossed the half-dead old man aside and began searching for her next target.

But before she could pick a target...

A figure appeared and caught the old man.

Then, a crystal-clear drop of liquid flowed from Yan Jing's palm and fell into the old man's mouth.

Almost instantly, the wound on the old man's neck completely healed. His complexion turned incredibly rosy, and when he opened his eyes, they were even more spirited than before.

Yan Jing smiled at Meng Die.

"May I ask who you are?"

Meng Die didn't reply; she was under no obligation to do so. Her eyes simply lit up as she stared at the liquid drop in Yan Jing's hand.

"What is that?"

"You haven't answered my question yet," Yan Jing said with a smile.

Meng Die frowned.

"I asked you, what is that?"

Yan Jing chuckled and said, "Answer my question first, and I will answer yours."

...

Meng Die glared at Yan Jing, coldness flashing in her eyes.

Finally, she laughed.

"Alright. Let's see where your confidence comes from."

In the next instant, her figure vanished.

And in the instant after that, she appeared right in front of Yan Jing.

"Heh..."

Looking at the seemingly stunned Yan Jing, the corners of her lips curled up as twin blades extended from her hands.

And then...

Bang!!!

The surrounding crowd couldn't even see what had happened; they only heard a terrifying crash.

And then...

Meng Die lay on the ground like a dead dog.

A spiderweb of blood covered her body. Her eyes rolled back into her head, and her limbs twitched unconsciously. Her skull, chest, and shoulders were all caved in; it looked as if she had been run over by a massive truck.

"Scatter."

Yan Jing smiled at the onlookers, his tone gentle.

Yet, hearing that tone, everyone shuddered involuntarily.

They instantly scattered in all directions.

Slap, slap, slap—

Yan Jing patted Meng Die's cheek.

"Hhk—hhk—"

Meng Die opened her eyes. Even though she was already on her last breath, the moment she saw Yan Jing, she instinctively thrashed her half-crippled limbs, desperately trying to escape.

"Hhk—hhk!!!"

Her eyes were filled with absolute terror as she stared at Yan Jing. Even her ragged breathing trembled with fear.

"Roosting Phoenix Tower, purge."

Yan Jing smiled.

"You are very interesting. We can delve a little deeper into this."

With that, he grabbed Meng Die's arm.

"Hhk—"

Meng Die struggled desperately to break free, but it was useless.

She could only watch helplessly as Yan Jing dragged her off into the distance.

Moments later, Yan Jing dragged Meng Die into a room.

"Let's conduct a little research."

Countless threads extended from Yan Jing's palm and pierced into Meng Die's body.

"I recently acquired something new."

Yan Jing looked at the terrified Meng Die as a crystal-clear drop of liquid condensed in his palm.

It was exactly identical to the drop he had just given the old man.

"It will keep you from dying."

Yan Jing smiled.

"So we can run plenty of experiments."

"Hhk—hhk!!!"

Her ragged gasps gradually turned into screams, which were muffled within the room.

...

...

"Is everyone here?"

A man wearing a silver-white robe looked at the crowd in front of him. Seeing that no one answered...

He nodded and said, "Then, let the hunt begin."