Luck

Although the Eighth-level Warrior Blood-Veined Great Ape was terrifying enough to make many people tremble with fear, some were also puzzled. After all, they could hear its roars from time to time, but never any sounds of fighting.

The night passed peacefully, without a single danger. Even the low-level magic beasts that sometimes appeared were nowhere to be seen.

Wester Academy student camp.

"Mentor Edita, the noises have stopped."

Before long, a student with dark circles under his eyes cautiously approached the young female mentor.

Because of the Blood-Veined Great Ape, they hadn't dared sleep all night. If it hadn't been so late, they would even have considered leaving the Sunset Mountain Range.

An Eighth-level Warrior magic beast—terrifying!

Especially since they had heard that a Blood-Veined Great Ape had once torn a Velociraptor in half with ease.

The young mentor herself was an eighth-level mage, so she was naturally in much better shape than these second- and third-level students. Her shoulder-length sky-blue hair fell loosely around her face, and her eyes were a deep blue. She wore a neat, pale-blue mage's robe and held a specially made staff.

"Pack up quickly. We're leaving the Sunset Mountain Range."

Edita spoke without hesitation.

Although training was important, the Sunset Mountain Range had clearly become dangerous. It could no longer serve as a place for them to train.

She wasn't afraid of an eighth-level magic beast, but one appearing on the outskirts of the range was highly unusual. Something must have happened.

The Sunset Mountain Range bordered Chiyang City. If anything went wrong, the entire city would be the first to bear the brunt.

At Edita's words, the other students began gathering their belongings. They had been thrilled when they arrived, but now they were leaving in a panic.

Edita gazed ahead with a grave expression, feeling uneasy. Had the Blood-Veined Great Ape suddenly appeared on the outskirts because an even more powerful magic beast had emerged in the depths of the range?

When high-level magic beasts left their territory, the most likely reason was that an even stronger beast had claimed their land, forcing them to flee.

It wasn't just the students from Wester Academy. Even the weaker mercenaries were hurrying to leave the Sunset Mountain Range.

Before long, news that an eighth-level magic beast had appeared on the outskirts of the Sunset Mountain Range spread rapidly through Chiyang City.

As for Duyanlong and his companions, they were in a sorry state. They were hungry, exhausted, and so tired their feet could barely lift.

Even as warriors, they were nearly worn out after spending the whole night defending themselves without a break.

They no longer had time to think about Fang Yun. All they wanted was to get out of this godforsaken place as quickly as possible.

But every time they tried to run, that damned Blood-Veined Great Ape would appear. It wouldn't attack. As soon as they raised their defenses and prepared to fight, it would leave.

Before they could rest or try to leave again, the Blood-Veined Great Ape would show up once more. After a whole night of this, even Duyanlong, a sixth-level warrior, was exhausted. As for the others, many could no longer muster enough battle qi to form a defensive barrier.

After being targeted all night by the Blood-Veined Great Ape, Duyanlong and his group were close to breaking down.

They had seen eighth-level magic beasts before, but never in a situation like this.

It was as if the damned beast was playing around while driving them away.

"Boss, is it over?"

One of the men could barely stay on his feet.

Duyanlong was panting too. He warily scanned their surroundings. "Damn it, stay alert. Move."

Just as they cautiously parted some grass and rounded a narrow path shaded by tall trees, they came face-to-face with the Blood-Veined Great Ape sitting on the ground.

"Ah!"

The man in front stumbled and fell backward.

The others' faces changed as well. They tried to defend themselves, but only two managed to raise a thin layer of battle-qi defense. The rest could no longer summon one at all.

The near-constant exertion throughout the night had left them too weak to do anything.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

The Blood-Veined Great Ape sprang to its feet excitedly, pounding its chest with both fists as it roared.

This was the closest they had been to the Blood-Veined Great Ape all night.

When the weakest warrior saw the ten-meter-tall beast, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.

In the distance, Fang Yun stretched and glanced at them before easily jumping down from a branch.

When the Blood-Veined Great Ape saw Fang Yun, it stopped roaring and sat down stiffly instead. This human was terrifying.

Seeing the beast's behavior, the others cautiously looked behind them. When they spotted Fang Yun, their hearts sank.

In that instant, they seemed to understand what had happened.

This young man wasn't a "prey" at all. He was a supreme expert—or perhaps a scion of a powerful clan who had contracted an eighth-level magic beast. Otherwise, there was no way to explain what they had gone through that night.

"Young master, I..."

Duyanlong forced a smile, though in his heart he wanted to beat to death the man who had reported Fang Yun to him.

Just then, a commotion came from the distance.

A group from Wester Academy emerged from the path.

When they saw the Blood-Veined Great Ape, everyone's expression changed. Edita especially, as she took out her staff and prepared for a fight.

She hadn't expected to make it through the whole night without incident, only to encounter the Blood-Veined Great Ape on the way back!

Was the beast planning to kill people? If a magic beast really was attacking humans, she wouldn't hesitate to help them.

Relations between magic beasts and humans were hardly harmonious.

The others noticed Edita and her group too. But with Fang Yun and the Blood-Veined Great Ape there, Duyanlong and his men didn't dare move.

Fang Yun paid no attention to Edita's group. He casually waved at the Blood-Veined Great Ape. Seeing his gesture, the beast let out a low call, then stood up and carefully moved behind him.

Seeing this, Duyanlong and the others became even more certain that the young man before them was responsible for everything they had suffered that night.

Damn it. Why had they ever provoked someone like him?

Even if the young man had contracted an eighth-level magic beast through his family, a clan with that kind of power was beyond their reach. Why had someone like this come to the outskirts of the Sunset Mountain Range?

Seeing that the Blood-Veined Great Ape seemed to obey Fang Yun, Edita's gaze sharpened slightly.

Was the Blood-Veined Great Ape his magic beast? How else could it be so obedient?

Did he have an eighth-level contracted magic beast?

Could this young man be a ninth-level expert? How was that possible?

Edita could hardly believe it. She considered herself quite talented, having reached the level of an eighth-level mage at twenty. But the person before her looked about her age. Could he already be a ninth-level expert?!

The other students were even more shocked. Some of them had contracted magic beasts too, but they were mostly low-level beasts, no stronger than first or second level.

An eighth-level magic beast? They wouldn't even dare dream of it.

"So cool."

A boy with short blue hair saw how obedient the Blood-Veined Great Ape was toward Fang Yun and couldn't help murmuring, his eyes full of envy.

Once they knew the beast was under someone's control, the group felt much more at ease. A controlled magic beast wasn't as bloodthirsty and murderous as a wild one. As long as they didn't provoke it, it generally wouldn't kill them without reason.

"Sis, is he a ninth-level expert?"

The blue-haired boy gazed at Fang Yun, his eyes shining. He didn't even blink.

"A ninth-level expert?"

Hearing the boy's guess, several of the young students couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath.

A ninth-level expert could easily become the king of a kingdom. Even in an empire, such experts held an extremely exalted position. After all, unless a war threatened to destroy a nation, Saint-level experts wouldn't act lightly. That made ninth-level experts the most powerful people around, capable of influencing the course of a war.

Even the headmaster of Wester Academy was only a ninth-level expert.

Had they really met one?

It was the realm they had always longed to reach.

After a moment's thought, Edita nodded slightly. "It's very possible."

Judging by the Blood-Veined Great Ape's behavior, it was highly likely.

The higher one's level, the harder it was to advance. Although she was currently an eighth-level mage, she had no idea when she might reach the ninth level.

When had such a young ninth-level expert appeared in the Rhine Empire?

Someone at that level was a genius, not only in the Rhine Empire but across the entire Yulan Continent.

Duyanlong and his group had no mind for anything else. When they saw Fang Yun wave and the Blood-Veined Great Ape leave, they were so frightened their bodies trembled.

Thud!

Duyanlong dropped to his knees, his face deathly pale. "Young master, spare us!"

"Spare you?"

Fang Yun raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You really are naive."

Fang Yun might have been young, but he had Clementin's countless years of cultivation experience, including plenty of hard-won lessons from battle. He could hardly be incapable of accepting killing.

Especially in this situation—he couldn't let anyone who wanted to harm him go.

Letting them live through the night had already been an immense act of mercy.

At those words, Duyanlong and the others' faces changed drastically.

"Run!"

Duyanlong shouted and bolted.

If his group had been at full strength, he was confident that even if Fang Yun had been a seventh- or even an eighth-level warrior, they wouldn't have been in such a sorry state.

But a night of exhaustion had greatly weakened their combat strength. They were no match for an eighth-level magic beast now. They couldn't even fight back.

At Duyanlong's shout, the others turned pale and scattered in every direction. If they ran separately, perhaps someone would survive.

Fang Yun waved, and the Blood-Veined Great Ape behind him understood. Roaring, it took a huge step and stomped directly toward the fleeing men.

They were only a bunch of weak humans. It could have killed them all with ease the previous night.

Splat!

Duyanlong was the first to be crushed beneath the Blood-Veined Great Ape's foot. Even the battle-qi defense he had raised was useless.

An eighth-level magic beast's strength was beyond their understanding.

As the Blood-Veined Great Ape got carried away, it pounded its chest and continued stomping toward the remaining men.

Seeing this, Edita furrowed her brow and stepped forward to shield several of the students. "Elite, get back. All of you."

"So powerful..."

The blue-haired boy, Elite, looked somewhat pale as he watched. Though the Blood-Veined Great Ape's slaughter frightened him, he had also gained a vague understanding of its strength.

It was far too powerful.

"When will I be able to tame a Blood-Veined Great Ape too?"

The little boy's eyes gleamed with excitement.

If only he could have a Blood-Veined Great Ape as his magic beast...

It wasn't just Elite. Faced with this scene, most of the Wester Academy group were afraid, and many covered their eyes with both hands. Even so, they peeked through their fingers.

Beneath their fear, their eyes were also filled with fervor and excitement.

After all, war was the central theme of the entire Yulan Continent. Since childhood, they had been taught to fight, to kill, and that might made right.

Even when confronted with a bloody scene, they could handle it better than ordinary people.

In their eyes, these mercenaries must have provoked the ninth-level expert and been killed in return.

Although their deaths were gruesome, they felt it was only right. No one could challenge the dignity of a powerful expert.

Before long, every member of Duyanlong's group had died beneath the Blood-Veined Great Ape's feet.

The Blood-Veined Great Ape seemed to be enjoying the killing. Its bloodthirsty instincts had been roused, and it continued roaring furiously. It swung an arm, uprooting a nearby tree and sending dirt flying everywhere.

The sight left several of the students pale with fear. Even Edita looked grave.

"Is this thing planning to kill us all to keep us quiet?"

Edita grew wary.

Although she was an eighth-level mage, she was still at a disadvantage against an eighth-level magic beast. And with a man who was very likely a ninth-level expert here too, she had no chance of fighting back.

She had every reason to be cautious.

Fang Yun had been about to see whether the corpses held anything valuable. But when he heard the Blood-Veined Great Ape's roar and saw it waving a tree around, he realized the beast had gotten carried away.

After all, it wasn't his contracted magic beast, so he didn't actually control it. It had obeyed him earlier only because it feared him. That was entirely different from a contracted magic beast.

A contracted magic beast wouldn't behave like this.

The Blood-Veined Great Ape roared, its eyes turning red. It swept its gaze over the group, then saw Fang Yun's calm, emotionless eyes and instantly came to its senses.

A Saint-level expert!

Its roars stopped abruptly, as if it had suddenly been strangled. It began to whimper, looking almost pitiful.

The Blood-Veined Great Ape was terrified. Was it about to be beaten to death?

Seeing that it had gotten itself under control, Fang Yun gave a soft snort. If not for the fact that it had chased Duyanlong's group all night, he would have killed it outright.

"Go."

Fang Yun impatiently waved the Blood-Veined Great Ape away.

Seeing this, the beast roared twice, then turned and ran toward the depths of the Sunset Mountain Range without looking back.

Edita's group didn't understand what was going on. What was this?

He was telling his magic beast to leave?

But they didn't dare ask. Who knew what kind of temperament this ninth-level expert had?

Fang Yun paid no attention to Edita and the others. He picked up a branch and casually rummaged through the corpses, looking for anything valuable. He didn't have much money on him. Unless he hunted a few magic beasts and sold their Magic Beast Cores, he was short on cash.

But that meant going somewhere to sell them. He could do that later.

Edita and the others watched cautiously as Fang Yun searched the bodies.

Just as Fang Yun found a ring with unusual decorations on Duyanlong, Edita's expression changed at once. She stared at it in disbelief. "Mentor Cherifet's ring..."

Fang Yun found the ring and examined it. A moment later, he looked surprised. "This is... a Space Ring?"

It was no wonder Fang Yun was surprised. How could a mere sixth-level warrior have something like a Space Ring?

After all, these were rare treasures across the entire Yulan Continent. Even Saint-level experts weren't guaranteed to own one.

He had been planning to go to the capital of the Rhine Empire to see if he could get a Space Ring. He hadn't expected to pick one up now.

He really was lucky.