Hunter and Prey

As Wu Tianxiong's commanding order, filled with dominance and bloodshed, slowly echoed above the rocky slope, a silent, deadly hunt targeting Yellow Class Nine officially commenced!

However, seemingly oblivious to the immense threat closing in behind them with unstoppable momentum, Lin Xiao and his group, deep within the Black Wind Mountain Range, appeared... completely unaware.

After the soul-cleansing, utterly ruthless experience personally presided over by Lin Xiao, the fledgling wolves of Yellow Class Nine, who had just tasted blood for the first time, had thoroughly completed their ultimate transformation from "students" to "soldiers"!

They had become like a meticulously programmed, precision killing machine, beginning to clear out every creature in this bloody mountain range that could be called "prey" with an unbelievably terrifying efficiency!

Their advance route was no longer a straight line, but an "S" shaped hunting path filled with death and traps, meticulously planned by Lin Xiao based on the mountain range's terrain and the distribution of demonic beasts!

Every advance was accompanied by a textbook-perfect ambush!

Every strike was guaranteed to take the lives of several, or even dozens, of demonic beasts!

Their coordination had reached a terrifying level of near-telepathic unity!

Shi Lei's "Sharp Shield" would always appear in the most dangerous places at the most opportune moments, holding up an absolutely safe steel sky for his companions behind him!

Su Yue's "Fangs," like two fatal poisoned blades hidden in the shadows, always launched the most deadly piercing attacks from the most unexpected angles!

And Monkey's "Ghost Shadow" had truly embodied the phrase "appearing and disappearing without a trace" to its extreme! They were the coldest reapers on the battlefield, and the guardian gods who cleared all worries for the entire team!

As for Lin Xiao, he was the absolute core—the brain—of this terrifying killing machine!

He rarely took action himself anymore.

More often than not, he would simply stand quietly at the highest point of the battlefield, calmly surveying the entire situation with his deep eyes that seemed to see through everything.

Every command he issued was concise to the extreme.

"Advance three zhang, turn left, raise shields!" "Left flank, Starfall Threefold, block the retreat!" "Rear, Trap Number Three, prepare to activate!"

Yet, these brief commands, which would sound inexplicable to anyone else, could easily slice through any seemingly powerful beast formation like the most precise scalpel, striking directly at its most vulnerable core!

Under Lin Xiao's monstrous tactical command, and with the terrifying execution power of Yellow Class Nine's thirty members, which had been honed to be like an extension of their limbs, in just half a day, they had already swept through and annihilated five Ironback Demonic Wolf packs, each numbering over twenty!

This even included a super-large wolf pack composed of forty ordinary demonic wolves and five elite Second-Order High Grade demonic wolves!

Where they passed, wolf corpses littered the ground, and blood flowed like a river!

The thick, almost impenetrable scent of blood had even dyed the hazy gray clouds above the Black Wind Mountain Range a faint, unsettling crimson!

And their harvest was so immense that it would drive any elite team from Heaven Class mad with envy!

[System Notification: Team Points +80]

[System Notification: Team Points +120]

[System Notification: ...] [Current Total Team Points: 2740!]

[Current Personal Experience: Body Refinement Eighth Level (3450/5000)]

[Acquired Second-Order Lower Grade Beast Cores: 78]

[Acquired Second-Order Middle Grade Beast Cores: 22]

[Acquired Second-Order High Grade Beast Cores: 5]

[...]

Listening to the pleasant system notification sounds constantly echoing in his mind, and looking at the mountain of beast cores radiating pure spiritual energy piled in his storage bag, even with Lin Xiao's composure, a faint joy called "satisfaction" couldn't help but arise in his heart.

However, this trace of joy didn't last long.

Because his superhumanly keen senses and the system's constant high-alert danger warnings were transmitting an extremely ominous signal to him.

It was too quiet.

Ever since they wiped out the super-large wolf pack guarded by five elite demonic wolves half an hour ago, they hadn't encountered a single Ironback Demonic Wolf within a ten-mile radius!

It was as if all the demonic wolves in this area had vanished into thin air simultaneously!

This extremely abnormal and eerie silence instantly tensed Lin Xiao's nerves, which had been honed to extreme sharpness by countless life-or-death crises!

"Everyone, stop advancing! Conceal yourselves on the spot! Monkey, immediately scout all surrounding areas! I need to know what exactly has happened nearby!"

Lin Xiao's voice suddenly became incredibly solemn!

"Yes!"

The members of Yellow Class Nine, whose "absolute obedience" had been etched into their bones, didn't hesitate in the slightest. They instantly scattered like the most well-trained special forces, finding cover and perfectly blending their forms and auras with the surrounding rocks, plants, and trees!

Monkey, on the other hand, moved like a wisp of genuine smoke, disappearing into the dense jungle depths within a few flashes.

A quarter of an hour later.

When Monkey's figure reappeared before Lin Xiao like a phantom, his face, which had always held a hint of a roguish smile, was now filled with unprecedented solemnity and horror!

"Chief Instructor!"

He lowered his voice, but it still carried an uncontrollable tremor!

"We... we seem to be... surrounded!"

"What?!"

Hearing this news, even Shi Lei and Su Yue, who had mentally prepared themselves, couldn't help but change color drastically!

"Explain clearly!" Lin Xiao's gaze instantly became as sharp as a knife!

"I... I found traces of human activity in the wolf valley five miles behind us, the one we just cleared... a lot of them!" Monkey's breathing quickened. "Moreover, judging by the incredibly dominant sword marks and the scorching spiritual energy residue left at the scene, the opponent's strength is absolutely far superior to ours!"

"Not only that!" A deep look of lingering fear appeared on Monkey's face. "I also discovered that there are two other teams, with unknown numbers but extremely powerful auras, on the left and right flanks of our advance direction. They are moving towards us in a fan-shaped formation!"

"They... they want to trap us and kill us all in this valley!"

BOOM!

Monkey's words exploded like a bombshell in the hearts of all Yellow Class Nine members!

Trapped?!

And surrounded by three mysterious teams far stronger than them?!

An invisible, enormous shadow of "death" instantly enveloped everyone's hearts!

However, just as everyone felt their limbs go cold and their scalps tingle, Lin Xiao, their pillar of support, showed no fear or panic upon hearing Monkey's report. Instead, a chilling, cruel, and sinister smile slowly curved the corners of his lips!

"Heavenly Martial Society..."

He slowly uttered these three words.

Although there was no evidence, he had almost instantly guessed the identity of the intruders!

In this entire outer court, who else possessed such strength, such motive, and such an overbearing style of action, other than the Heavenly Martial Society, known as the "number one force in the outer court"?!

"They've finally come."

Lin Xiao slowly stood up, his deep gaze sweeping towards the misty, unknown area outside the valley. Instead of any despair of being "prey," his eyes burned with a fierce fighting spirit, capable of igniting the very heavens!

"Since you all want to play a game of 'cat and mouse'..."

"Then I, Lin Xiao, will play with you today!"

"Let's see who the real hunter is!"

"And who is the one about to be mercilessly torn apart..."

"The pathetic prey!"

He suddenly turned around, his eyes, shining like stars in the cold night, slowly swept across the twenty-nine young faces before him, which were equally filled with determination and fighting spirit. His voice was cold yet carried an undeniable power!

"Receive my command!"

"All members, discard all unnecessary heavy gear!"

"Sharp Shield Squad, polish your heavy shields until they gleam! Accumulate your strength to the limit!"

"Fangs Squad, anoint your sharp blades with the most potent poison! Maximize your speed!"

"Ghost Shadow Squad, set up your traps in every corner of this valley! Conceal yourselves into an emptiness that even ghosts and gods cannot detect!"

"We're not leaving today!"

"We'll prepare a 'super gift' right here for our esteemed 'number one person in the outer court' that will make him unforgettable for a lifetime..."

"A super gift!"

Meanwhile.

In a mountain hollow less than three miles from Lin Xiao and the others.

Wu Tianxiong sat comfortably on a large rock temporarily cleared by his subordinates.

At his feet lay the ferocious corpse of a wolf, even larger than any elite demonic wolf Lin Xiao and the others had encountered before!

This was none other than the Ironback Wolf King, which had resided in the Black Wind Mountain Range for years and had reached the Third-Order Lower Grade.

Yet, this terrifying existence, capable of despairing any B-rank mission team, was now a cold corpse.

Its head had been brutally blown apart in an extremely overbearing and cruel manner!

Behind Wu Tianxiong, Zhao Wuji and dozens of equally powerful "Heavenly Martial Society" elite members surrounded him with fanatical fervor, as if worshipping an undefeated god of war!

"Guild Master, the flanking teams on the left and right wings are in position."

Zhao Wuji stepped forward and reported respectfully, a cruel joy on his face. "In at most half an hour, we will completely seal off all escape routes for those damned Yellow Class brats!"

"Mm."

Wu Tianxiong responded indifferently. He didn't even lift his eyelids, merely continuing to meticulously wipe his broad palms, stained with a bit of wolf blood, with a clean white silk scarf.

As if the Yellow Class Nine, which had shaken the entire outer court, was merely a group of ants he could crush at will.

"Give the order."

He spoke lightly, his voice filled with an innate arrogance and disdain.

"Have the left and right wings slow down their advance."

"I want to slowly savor the wonderful expressions of despair and helplessness on the faces of these pathetic 'prey' when they realize they are trapped."

"Yes!" Zhao Wuji's face showed a similarly ferocious smile.

However, at this moment.

An unexpected change occurred!

"Whoosh--!"

An incredibly sharp whistling sound, almost piercing the eardrums, suddenly erupted from the dense jungle above their heads without any warning!

Immediately after, under the horrified gazes of everyone present, a massive, completely black crossbow bolt, exuding a chilling aura of death, broke through the layers of foliage like a lightning bolt of doom from the deepest hell!

It shot towards Wu Tianxiong's head, who was sitting on a giant rock seemingly unprepared, at a terrifying speed that surpassed the limits of human vision!

This arrow came too fast! Too suddenly! And too fatally!

The terrifying power contained within it, capable of piercing metal and stone, even made the surrounding air emit a pained, strained groan!

"Guild Leader! Be careful!"

Zhao Wuji's pupils instantly contracted into the most dangerous pinpoint shape! Without a second thought, he prepared to dash forward to block this fatal blow for Wu Tianxiong!

But how could his speed possibly be faster than that of the deadly crossbow bolt that had been poised for so long?!

It's over!

The words "it's over," filled with despair, simultaneously appeared in the minds of all the "Heavenly Martial Society" members present!

However, just as the terrifying crossbow bolt, capable of instantly killing a cultivator at Body Refinement Eighth Level, was about to hit the center of Wu Tianxiong's forehead, Wu Tianxiong, who had appeared calm and detached as if he had long since disregarded life and death, finally moved!

He didn't stand up, didn't dodge, and didn't even make a single superfluous movement!

He simply slowly raised his right hand.

Then, with two seemingly ordinary fingers.

He lightly and effortlessly pinched the incoming bolt of death!

"Clink--!"

A crisp, pleasant sound, like the clashing of gold and jade!

What followed was a scene that made everyone present's blood run cold and would be unforgettable for the rest of their lives!

The terrifying crossbow bolt, capable of piercing mountains, stopped dead less than half an inch from Wu Tianxiong's forehead!

Its arrowhead was firmly gripped by Wu Tianxiong's two fingers, which were as clear as jade, without even the slightest damage to his skin!

It was as if it wasn't a deadly crossbow bolt capable of instantly killing a powerful cultivator at Body Refinement Eighth Level, but merely a weak embroidery needle that could be picked up at will!

Silence.

The entire mountain hollow fell into a deathly silence once more.

All the "Heavenly Martial Society" members stood frozen as if under a petrification spell, gazing at the imposing figure still leisurely seated on the giant rock with eyes filled with fanaticism and worship, as if they were looking at a deity!

Empty-handed...

No, empty-fingered, catching a weapon?!

No! This... this has completely surpassed their understanding of "martial arts"!

This is simply a miracle!

Only Wu Tianxiong slowly put down the specially made crossbow bolt, which he had already crushed into a ball of scrap metal, and slowly stood up.

His face, which had always held arrogance and disdain, finally became incredibly solemn for the first time.

His gaze, like the sharpest peerless divine weapon, slowly cast towards the direction from which the crossbow bolt was shot, piercing through the layers of dense forest. It seemed to collide fiercely in mid-air with another pair of deep, icy, and battle-filled eyes several miles away!

"Heh heh..."

"Heh heh hahahaha!"

After a brief exchange of glances, Wu Tianxiong could no longer contain himself and let out a burst of unrestrained laughter filled with boundless madness and excitement towards the sky!

"Good! Good! Good!"

"Well done, Lin Xiao, you bold and audacious fellow!"

"What a unique 'welcome gift'!"

"It seems I, Wu Tianxiong, have truly found a treasure today!"

He abruptly suppressed his laughter, and his sharp eyes, like those of a falcon, erupted with an unprecedented and terrifying fighting spirit!

"Pass down my order!"

"All personnel abandon the encirclement tactics!"

"Rally to my central army at the fastest speed!"

"Today, I will personally crush this arrogant young wolf that has bared its ridiculous fangs..."

"...completely!"