Bounty Order, Rank Eighty-Two: Han Dong

Within Frostmoon Altar, cultivators at the sixth level of the Wheel-Nourishing Realm did not easily come to blows.

Though Moonfrost Ice Lingzhi was precious, it was nowhere near enough to make cultivators of that realm risk their lives fighting over it.

As for the seventh level of the Wheel-Nourishing Realm, Kong Jiao had heard Feng An say that it was already the late stage of the Wheel-Nourishing Realm. Such cultivators would not even look twice at Frostmoon Altar's Moonfrost Ice Lingzhi reward.

So, there should not have been any seventh-level Wheel-Nourishing Realm cultivators within Frostmoon Altar.

Yet now, standing amid the snow and gazing toward where the Sword Qi had just vanished, Kong Jiao could clearly sense that the presence within that blood-red sword light was absolutely beyond the sixth level of the Wheel-Nourishing Realm.

After all, he had fought sixth-level Wheel-Nourishing Realm cultivators before.

The power of that sword light far surpassed the sixth level of the Wheel-Nourishing Realm.

"It's definitely the seventh level. It can only be higher, not lower!" he declared with certainty.

The sudden appearance of a seventh-level Wheel-Nourishing Realm cultivator stirred an inexplicable unease within Kong Jiao.

Especially since that sword light had been utterly strange. Merely looking at it had filled him with irritation.

"Should I go take a look?" Kong Jiao stared toward where the Sword Qi had dispersed, hesitation written across his face.

He had two choices now. Either he could retreat for the day and seek opportunities again tomorrow.

Or he could go over now and find out what exactly had happened there.

"A seventh-level Wheel-Nourishing Realm cultivator suddenly appearing—I have to find out why he came. The appearance of a master at that level is enough to stir up all of Frostmoon Altar."

"If he means harm, I need to make preparations early."

With that in mind, Kong Jiao started walking again, his steps now even more cautious.

He practically moved along the dark edge of the ravine.

Even his breathing was kept to a minimum.

After roughly a dozen breaths, he finally reached the edge of where that battle had taken place.

The snow in that area had been blasted away by the spiritual power shockwaves of the battle, exposing bare ground.

Kong Jiao lay prone at the very edge of the area. Crawling forward, he finally stopped behind a rock wall, revealing only one eye as he looked into the clearing.

He saw three people.

One of them had already fallen into a pool of blood, dead or alive unknown.

Another seemed to be the companion of that man whose fate was unknown.

His condition was no better. His blood-soaked body was half-kneeling on the ground.

A sword was pressed against his chest as well.

Though it was night, the surrounding snow reflected what little moonlight there was, allowing Kong Jiao to barely make out the kneeling man's features.

"Zheng Gang!" Kong Jiao's expression shifted slightly as he called out the name in his heart.

He could never have expected it.

The one who had fought a seventh-level Wheel-Nourishing Realm cultivator was Zheng Gang, the leader of the twelve from the Cangwu Sect and the one with the highest cultivation.

Nor did he believe Zheng Gang had the nerve to provoke a seventh-level Wheel-Nourishing Realm master.

There had to be a reason for it.

As countless thoughts raced through his mind,

the man who had defeated Zheng Gang and slaughtered his companion spoke.

His voice was not loud, but in the silent surroundings, it reached Kong Jiao's ears with perfect clarity.

"You're from the Cangwu Sect? How many people did your sect send?" The man's voice was indifferent, devoid of emotion.

His back faced Kong Jiao, so his features could not be seen. All Kong Jiao could see was his blood-red clothing and his long hair, neatly arranged over both shoulders.

"Han Dong, eighty-second on the Enforcement Hall's Bounty Order!" Rather than answer the question, Zheng Gang shouted fiercely despite his inner weakness, "Who knows how many people in our sect are after your head! And you dare come to Frostmoon Altar!"

"Ah." The man called Han Dong sighed and replied leisurely, "Clearly, I was the one asking you."

As his voice fell, Kong Jiao's eyes narrowed slightly. He saw Han Dong's sword slowly pierce Zheng Gang's chest.

Zheng Gang's expression immediately twisted. Veins bulged across his face as if he were enduring indescribable agony.

At last, the pain broke through the limits of his endurance, and he could no longer hold back a miserable scream.

"Kill me!"

Han Dong bent down to look at Zheng Gang, like an adult soothing a child who had made a mistake. "You want to die? Then answer my question!"

"Ele... eleven! Aaaah!"

Pain warped Zheng Gang's features. His eyes were filled with bloodshot veins, his eyeballs bulging as though they were about to burst from their sockets.

Then Han Dong flicked his sword upward.

Starting from Zheng Gang's chest, the sword mark split open his entire head. Blood sprayed everywhere, and his scream came to an abrupt end.

A sixth-level Wheel-Nourishing Realm master had been cleanly slain by Han Dong, without the slightest hesitation.

"Like slaughtering a chicken!" The sight left Kong Jiao drenched in cold sweat, scarcely daring to breathe.

To be honest, he was beginning to regret coming to watch. He could not even guarantee that Han Dong would not discover him as he retreated.

This was a vicious criminal on the Enforcement Hall's Bounty Order. Everyone who made it onto that list carried debts of blood; not a single one was easy to deal with.

Suddenly, the situation changed.

Kong Jiao's vision blurred.

A dazzling radiance shot into the sky from the hand of Zheng Gang's already dead corpse.

Gold and silver light illuminated the entire ravine as brightly as day.

The radiance pierced through the clouds, rising all the way into the clear vault of the sky beyond even the reach of the dark clouds, before exploding with a boom.

Clang!

A golden-silver firework bloomed like a lotus.

"A Cangwu Sect signal flare." Han Dong looked up at the exploding firework, his demeanor composed.

"Looks like I'll have to speed things up."

"Eleven from the Cangwu Sect, thirteen from the Tempered Gold Gate, ten from the Mo Sheng Sect..."

As he spoke, Han Dong coldly sheathed his sword.

Looking down at Han Dong's feet, Zheng Gang, whom he had slain, and his short, skinny companion's corpse visibly transformed into dried husks.

Several dozen zhang away from Han Dong,

Kong Jiao turned and fled. The instant the firework had burst from Zheng Gang's corpse, he had used the flare's sound and light as cover to make his Escape.

At the same time, he secretly rejoiced. Had that flare not shot into the sky, that fellow named Han Dong would certainly have noticed him.

Zheng Gang's conduct showed just how terrifying Han Dong was.

"He's on the Enforcement Hall's Bounty Order! Rank eighty-two, and he's already this vicious. What kind of monsters must the top ten be?"

As Kong Jiao ran, he recalled the information he had overheard. Cold sweat streamed continuously down his forehead.

Han Dong had clearly come with ill intent, and he had specifically asked how many people the Cangwu Sect had sent to Frostmoon Altar.

Was he planning to wipe them all out?

Kong Jiao no longer cared about opportunities or anything else.

He only wanted to return to the cave at once, call Zhou Tingyu and Feng An, and get out of there fast.

He had a premonition that Frostmoon Altar would run with blood tonight.

In the darkness, Kong Jiao rapidly approached the cave where they usually hid.

Firelight shone out from within the cave.

By the light of the bonfire, Kong Jiao saw Zhou Tingyu and Feng An from afar, standing at the cave entrance.

They must have heard the signal flare and come out to inspect the situation, peering around from the mouth of the cave.

At the same moment he saw them, they happened to see Kong Jiao's bedraggled figure fleeing back.

Feng An had only heard the firework's sound. By the time he came out, the signal flare had already faded, so he asked Kong Jiao as he approached, "Junior Brother Kong, what happened over there just now? Why are you in such a state?"

Though he was asking a question, the lingering fear on Kong Jiao's face brought a trace of unease to Feng An's aged features as well.

He knew how powerful Kong Jiao was. What could possibly have shaken him so deeply?

Zhou Tingyu did not have as many thoughts as Feng An.

Nor did she sense the gravity of the atmosphere. She simply craned her neck curiously and asked, "Did they start fighting over there? We heard a huge commotion just now."

"Whew!" Kong Jiao let out a breath and recounted everything he had seen as concisely as possible.

"Zheng Gang is dead. Han Dong killed him."

"The commotion just now was our sect's signal flare. We need to leave this place quickly."

Those two simple sentences made Feng An and Zhou Tingyu's expressions change drastically.

"Senior Brother Zheng Gang is dead?" Zhou Tingyu was clearly more concerned with whether the leader of their expedition had lived or died.

As for the name Han Dong, she had likely never heard it before.

Feng An, on the other hand, was utterly terrified by those two words. Kong Jiao could see his stooped body visibly tremble twice, and the old man's face, which had regained a little color from consuming blood-replenishing medicines, turned deathly pale at once.

This old fellow had dared to risk his life fighting Jiang Xingtian, yet now, merely hearing Han Dong's name had frightened him so badly that he could not even muster the courage to resist.