Huo Hai could not keep his attention focused for long. This sort of vigilance needed to be cultivated over time before it could slowly become instinctive. So it was perfectly normal for Huo Hai to have moments when he let down his guard.
But Huo Hai lowering his guard did not mean he lacked the ability to defend himself. The instant the attack reached him, his skin prickled and he sensed danger. Danger deadly enough to kill him.
Huo Hai himself had no time to react, but with a thought, the Star Gu protecting him reacted first. A large number of Star Gu flew up from Huo Hai's body, forming a faint protective layer. Though sparse, it covered his entire body. The instant the crystalline glow formed, more than a dozen attacks struck the barrier.
Clink, clink, clink... It sounded like raindrops falling. That thin layer of defense actually blocked more than a dozen arrows. The defense merely rippled once before the arrows fell from the air. It was simply unbelievable.
"How, how could this happen? What kind of defense is that? No, this isn't spiritual power defense. Otherwise, how could the Spirit-Breaking Arrows have been blocked? This is bad. Retreat, quickly!" Realizing something was wrong, the captain immediately ordered everyone to withdraw.
Unfortunately, it was already too late. How could Huo Hai not care after being attacked? The incident had happened too suddenly just now, and he simply had not reacted quickly enough. But now that he had reacted, he naturally would not let them escape.
"You damned bastards, you actually dared to ambush me. You all deserve to die." The Killing Aura Huo Hai had been suppressing erupted from his heart once more. His eyes instantly showed signs of reddening. Since their master was enraged, the Star Gu naturally would not stand idly by. Other than the Star Gu protecting Huo Hai at his side, the surrounding Star Gu swiftly found their targets and launched their attacks.
Perhaps they had not noticed before, but could the Star Gu possibly not know where the attacks had come from? Even if they did not, every moving object in the vicinity was now their target.
"Huo Hai, don't do this. You'll lose control of yourself again." Seeing that Huo Hai was about to lose control once more, Ji Mu hurried forward and grabbed him. After thinking for a moment, she gritted her teeth and wrapped both arms around Huo Hai from behind.
Huo Hai's body was enveloped in softness, and the fury in his heart subsided considerably. A moment later, Huo Hai regained his senses. He secretly counted himself fortunate. Luckily, Ji Mu was by his side; otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Without realizing it, Huo Hai's heart had begun to stir toward Ji Mu, giving rise to a certain special feeling. Especially as he felt the softness against his back, Huo Hai's face suddenly began to redden. Before he could think any further, the Star Gu sent word that they had found their targets. Huo Hai's gaze turned cold. "Kill them. Leave none alive." In his heart, he issued the Star Gu an order of absolute extermination.
Then he closed his eyes and temporarily blocked the messages sent by the Star Gu. He did not want to feel their slaughter, or he would lose control again. After several muffled groans, the forest fell completely silent.
Speaking of which, those people had not positioned themselves very close to him for the ambush. Feeling the Killing Aura around Huo Hai dissipate, Ji Mu's heart finally settled. Suddenly, she pushed Huo Hai away, turned her head aside, and said nothing.
Why had she done that? How could she have done such a thing? How was she supposed to face anyone now? Recalling what she had just done, Ji Mu's face grew redder and redder. She secretly glanced at Huo Hai. Seeing that he was currently suppressing the Killing Aura in his heart, Ji Mu finally let out a breath of relief. For some reason, though, a trace of disappointment suddenly flashed through her heart, along with a little regret.
After an unknown amount of time, Huo Hai opened his eyes and looked at Ji Mu. "Ji Mu, thank you this time. If you hadn't been here, I don't know what I would have become. If you ever need my help in the future, just say the word."
"Really? It's fine as long as you're all right. In the future... I'll trouble you then." Ji Mu did not know what she was thinking, much less how valuable Huo Hai's promise truly was. Her mind was in complete turmoil, and she did not know what to think.
Huo Hai did not pay it much mind. When he connected with the Star Gu again, the news they sent him was that all enemies nearby had been cleaned up, and even their corpses had been eaten. They had done such things countless times already, until it had become familiar beyond familiarity. Huo Hai nodded, unwilling to learn the details. He feared he would not be able to suppress his Killing Aura.
Lowering his head, Huo Hai picked up an arrow that had fallen beside him. This time, the arrow had not been eaten immediately, because the Star Gu had needed to protect his whole body. They could only defend him and could not bite while maintaining their defense.
There were only a few marks on the arrow, left when the Star Gu had bitten it during the attack. Huo Hai picked up the arrows on the ground and inspected them carefully. With the danger gone, the Star Gu no longer needed to protect him from all around.
"These... why do these look so familiar?" Huo Hai looked at the arrows, unable to remember where he had seen them before.
By then, Ji Mu had finished letting her thoughts run wild and recovered. She walked to Huo Hai's side, hesitated for a moment, and said, "These are Spirit-Breaking Arrows, contraband generally only available in the Black Market. It seems these people truly wanted you dead." Ji Mu's expression turned chilly. If Huo Hai died, what would become of her?
After thinking for a moment, Ji Mu suddenly ran off. Not long afterward, she returned with a metal fragment in her hand that the Star Gu had not yet finished eating. There was a special symbol on it that Huo Hai could not recognize.
"This is the He Family crest. The one who acted just now was either He Wang or He Lu. Given He Lu's temperament, he should not have come looking for trouble with us on his own initiative. And He Lu would not openly use Spirit-Breaking Arrows either. The one who made a move was most likely He Wang." Huo Hai had been worrying over who had attacked him, yet Ji Mu had unexpectedly uncovered the culprit.
He had still been too impulsive. Next time, he had to make the Star Gu eat more slowly, or leave some things behind.
"He Wang, He Ya, hmph, and the He Family too. I, Huo Hai, will not let this end so easily." Huo Hai spared no effort in assuming the worst of others. Since the He Family's two young masters had attacked him, the entire He Family was the same.
While Huo Hai vented his anger here, He Wang was scared out of his wits. He had never imagined that more than a dozen Spirit-Breaking Arrows fired at once would still be blocked. Spirit-Breaking Arrows were things only the Imperial Family and the military could use openly. Contraband ordinarily usable only on the battlefield, they possessed exceptionally great power against ordinary people.
Yet he had never imagined that Huo Hai would not only block the attack, but also kill every one of the ambushers in an instant. At this moment, only two subordinates remained by his side, and neither was particularly strong.
After discovering that those people had died, He Wang did not dare move at all. Only after two hours had passed, when all outside sounds had completely quieted, did he pull the two men beside him and hurry into the distance. He would never cross paths with that fellow again.
"Th-third young master, what should we do? Are we still continuing?" A young mercenary swallowed hard and spoke with difficulty.
He Wang glared fiercely at him. "C-continue what? H-hurry up and leave. From now on, never, never meet that guy again." He Wang suddenly realized that even his voice had begun to tremble.
The hatred in his heart for Huo Hai instantly rose another level. Huo Hai was entirely to blame for frightening him into such a state. "Damn Huo Hai, I won't let this end so easily. Don't let me find an opportunity. I'll make you die. I'll make you die!" He Wang's eyes were bloodshot as he glared viciously at his two subordinates. The two hurriedly lowered their heads, indicating that they had seen nothing.
After a long while, He Wang took a deep breath. "For now, we should withdraw first. With the points we have, they are already enough for us to enter Imperial City Academy. Even adding the two of you will not be a problem. We can make long-term plans afterward."
The two had never expected that misfortune would turn into fortune. Originally, their points could only have been concentrated on one person, but now the two of them could enter along with him. As ordinary mercenaries, joining Imperial City Academy was something they had never even dared dream of.
"Thank you, Young Master. From now on, we brothers will follow Young Master's lead as a horse follows its rider. We will harbor absolutely no second thoughts. Rest assured, Young Master, we know nothing about what happened just now. Everything was done by those people themselves; they brought it upon themselves."
As servants, they hurriedly declared their stance. The other was a little slower, but he too quickly expressed his loyalty. He Wang nodded. These two knew how to read the wind and steer their sails, otherwise they would not have remained at his side. Even though they had seen things they should not have seen, they would not speak of them.
Very well. Since that was the case, they would leave first. With only three people left, they could not accomplish anything here anyway. If they did not leave soon, they might be surrounded by other teams. Leaving early meant there would not yet be anyone lying in ambush near the exit. If they waited too long, this so-called young master would be in trouble.
He Wang fled outward with his subordinates. Huo Hai, on the other hand, after suppressing the Killing Aura in his heart, took Ji Mu and headed in the opposite direction. In his current state, Huo Hai had no mind to pursue even the most basic matters.
According to the original plan, they would first enter the mountain forest. The battle just now had given Huo Hai a method to avoid the aftereffects of killing. Once he found prey, he only needed to order the Star Gu to attack, then sever his connection with them.
That way, he would not receive any information about the Star Gu's slaughter. Though it carried a hint of burying one's head in the sand, it truly had a miraculous effect on suppressing his Killing Aura. Once the Star Gu had eaten the prey clean, he could go over. By then, even if he knew that Spirit Beasts or humans had died there, Huo Hai would not be affected in the slightest.
He had never expected that being ambushed once would allow him to find such a good method. Huo Hai was so delighted that words could not describe it.
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