An Ambush Once More

This time, they rested for two days, which also meant wasting two days. Though there was still a long time before the trial ended, time waited for no one, and the other participants certainly would not wait for them.

The Southern Mountain Jungle had already been searched over and over by countless people. Perhaps only the true depths of the mountains and forests remained places most people dared not enter. There were many high-level spirit beasts within, but it was also where the most point cards could be found.

After this reckless detour, the card information Huo Hai received from the Star Gu had indeed dwindled considerably. After more than half a day, he had not even obtained a hundred point cards. If this continued, the points he could earn by the end of the trial would be very limited. Even the weaker spirit beasts had been killed by groups, their point cards carved up among them.

There were now only two ways to obtain cards. One was to venture deep into the forest; the other was to rob other people.

The first option meant facing a great number of high-level spirit beasts. This was the most dangerous part of the trial, and it was also the real reason why almost no one had managed to obtain many cards in previous trials—they were all in the hands of spirit beasts.

As for the second option, Huo Hai abandoned it after some thought. If he did not kill them, how could those people possibly hand over their cards obediently? But if he did kill them, Huo Hai knew his own condition all too well. One misstep, and he might lose control of his killing intent. Yet for the sake of Perfect Blood Refinement, he could not force a breakthrough into the Spirit Bone Realm ahead of time.

He could only wait until he had earned enough points, then go to Imperial City Academy and obtain a large quantity of Blood Refining Pills before breaking through. What a contradiction. Forget it. There was no point dwelling on it. He would first head deeper into the forest. Others might not be able to handle the spirit beasts here, but that did not mean he could not.

"Come on. We'll keep heading south and go deeper into the jungle. I refuse to believe I can't get enough points." Enough points? A trace of confusion flashed through Ji Mu's eyes. Why did Huo Hai need so many points? What use were they for?

Could the Huo Family be short on money? Since they were not lacking money, why could they not help him obtain some points? Even cultivating at Imperial City Academy should not consume that many points. If it came down to it, she could give him some herself.

Hmph. This guy would not come ask her. If he did, she might really cover all the points he needed. Ji Mu was growing more and more curious about Huo Hai, and at the same time more and more dissatisfied with him. The reason was strange: this guy actually ignored her. Was that not a good thing? Being stared at by so many people all the time usually made Ji Mu feel terribly uncomfortable.

As the two advanced with their own thoughts, someone quickly analyzed their route. This time, the one following behind was He Wang, the third young master of the He Family. For the moment, no one else held such deep hatred toward Huo Hai.

When hunting someone in secret, it was best not to let others discover it, or the consequences would be extremely troublesome. Since he was now confident, He Wang did not want anyone else to know. As he followed Huo Hai, he even helped erase the traces Huo Hai left behind.

"Young Master Third, we cannot increase our speed. If we continue, we may be discovered," a mercenary suddenly whispered.

After Huo Hai escaped last time, they had analyzed the situation. Based on the duration of the battle and Huo Hai's approximate location at the time, they deduced the range of Huo Hai's detection. There were talented people in every trade in this world. Even if their cultivation was not especially strong, these people were top-notch experts at tracking.

He Wang nodded without blaming them. "Fine, then we'll slow down. How can we ambush that guy? If we can't get close, we can't attack. What a headache." For the first time, He Wang felt he was facing such a troublesome opponent.

If they got close, they would be discovered. If they were discovered, they would not be his match. But if they did not get close, how could they launch an attack?

At that moment, someone beside him said, "According to our analysis, the target intends to enter the depths of the Southern Mountain Jungle to deal with those spirit beasts. He does indeed have that ability. Therefore, he should travel in a straight line from here. As long as we reach the route he will take in advance and lie in wait, we can ambush him."

He Wang frowned. "In advance? We don't know whether he'll keep going. What if he changes routes?" Huo Hai's previous route had constantly looped back and forth. Wherever there were points, he went.

Who knew whether that fellow would enter their encirclement? Even if he was deliberately moving forward, would he not collect a few cards along the way? Many Imperial City Academy point cards were still hidden in relatively secluded places and had not been discovered.

"At this point, we can only rely on luck. If that person leaves the Southern Mountain area, Young Master will face great trouble in the future." What trouble? It was not merely a matter of personal safety. What mattered even more was his inheritance rights. If a powerful person kept causing him trouble, his abilities would definitely be questioned by the Lineage when the time came.

"Fine, I'll gamble with you. If we fail this time, I don't know what will happen to me, but your reputations will probably be finished." He Wang shot his subordinates a cold glance. What he hated most was gambling.

Everyone nodded. Then, skirting around the range Huo Hai might detect, the group ran toward the planned route. This time, they truly had to rely on luck. They could not follow behind Huo Hai forever; even the traces he left behind would eventually disappear.

Before long, the group arrived ahead of Huo Hai at a place near the depths of Southern Mountain. Their luck was fairly good—there were no powerful spirit beasts here. They exchanged glances, then began looking for suitable places to hide.

Simply hiding and remaining motionless was not enough. They also feared Huo Hai might discover them. So they used materials from their surroundings—leaves, branches, stones, and the like—to surround themselves. As long as they did not move, they would truly be difficult to notice.

This time, their luck was genuinely good. Because Huo Hai did not want to waste time, he ignored the other point cards along the way and ran straight toward the depths of the forest. Those scattered cards no longer held any appeal for him. If he wanted to obtain the most cards in the shortest time, the powerful spirit beasts in the depths of the forest were still his best choice.

The two of them ran almost in a straight line. Neither was unfamiliar with the forest, and both had an excellent sense of direction, so they did not take any wrong turns. Before they realized it, they had drawn near the ambush zone.

Huo Hai's Star Gu had been scouting the surrounding area the entire time, sending all sorts of information back. When he escaped last time, Huo Hai discovered that his control over the Star Gu actually had a certain range. He had never noticed it before.

With Huo Hai's current strength, that range was roughly two thousand meters. Beyond it, the Star Gu would lose contact with him, become at a loss, and not know what to do. For this reason, Huo Hai had not left the Star Gu behind to monitor other groups. Instead, he had them fly back and remain within a certain distance of him at all times.

If they exceeded the range, he might end up losing Gu Insects. In the forest now, every Star Gu was a precious resource. He absolutely could not afford the slightest loss. The area the Star Gu scouted was also only part of the range around Huo Hai.

As they flew through the area, the messages from the Star Gu reported no danger at all. In truth, this was a matter of the Star Gu's limited intelligence.

What Huo Hai had instructed the Star Gu to search for were point cards, people, and spirit beasts. These people had hidden themselves among shrubs or rocks, and from the outside, they did not look like people at all. Even if the Star Gu noticed their eyes, it would not care.

In the Star Gu's eyes, these things were neither people nor spirit beasts, merely ordinary objects. Therefore, there was no danger. Perhaps because he had used the Star Gu so much lately, Huo Hai held no suspicion toward them at all. He directly trusted their scouting. Since there was no danger, he only needed to keep moving forward. Besides, almost no one came here in the first place.

"He's here. Everyone, get ready. The target has appeared. When the time comes, kill Huo Hai with everything you have. The other person is nothing to worry about."

Upon receiving the message, He Wang immediately ordered everyone to prepare to act. At the same time, excitement rose in his heart. He had not expected their luck this time to be so good. Huo Hai had actually entered the ambush zone. Excellent.

As long as they could eliminate Huo Hai, it would be a tremendous achievement within the He Family in the future. Without an heir, the Huo Family would sooner or later face decline. And this heir was a fellow whose strength and potential were terrifyingly great.

He Wang was not positioned around the ambush zone. Worried that something might go wrong, he stayed some distance away, entirely outside the ambush perimeter. At this moment, some of those who could not attack Huo Hai began quietly moving forward. Every step was taken with extreme care, striving to get within range to attack Huo Hai, but everyone remained cautious for fear of being discovered.

"He's here. Attack." The instant Huo Hai entered the ambush zone, the captain narrowed his eyes and gave the order.

By then, Huo Hai had completely entered the small clearing. He glanced into the distance, excitement flashing across his face. "Great. We're almost in the depths of Southern Mountain. This is the most dangerous place in the entire Southern Mountain Trial Grounds."

The greatest danger also meant the greatest harvest and the most point cards. This time, he needed not only enough points to cultivate in the Spirit Blood Realm, but preferably enough for the Spirit Bone Realm as well. No matter what, he had to achieve Perfect Foundation Establishment. If he could not even accomplish this, what right did he have to gain a foothold in this world?

"Fine, but be careful. When killing spirit beasts, do not kill too many at once. If there are too many, do not go look at them up close. Otherwise, you'll lose control of yourself again." Ji Mu spoke helplessly. In any case, she could not control this guy.

Just then, a sudden series of whooshes rang out beside them. Several silver-white flashes streaked past from afar, their target the excited Huo Hai. This was precisely when Huo Hai was at his most relaxed.