Killing Again, Deep into Southern Mountain

Huo Hai could not keep his attention focused for long. This kind of vigilance needed to be cultivated over time before it could slowly become instinct. So it was perfectly normal for Huo Hai to let down his guard at times.

But Huo Hai relaxing his vigilance did not mean he had no means of defense. The instant the attack neared him, his skin prickled and he sensed danger. It was danger enough to be fatal.

Huo Hai himself had no time to react, but at a thought, the Star Gu protecting him reacted. A great number of Star Gu flew up from his body, forming a faint protective layer. Though the protection was somewhat sparse, it still covered his entire body. The moment the crystalline light formed, more than a dozen attacks struck that layer of defense.

"Clang, clang, clang..." It sounded like raindrops falling. That thin layer of defense had actually blocked more than a dozen arrows. The barrier merely rippled once before the arrows fell from the air. It was simply unbelievable.

"How, how could this be? What kind of defense is that? No, this isn't spiritual energy defense, or how could the Spirit-Breaking Arrows have been blocked? This is bad, retreat!" Realizing something was wrong, the captain immediately ordered everyone to withdraw.

Unfortunately, it was already too late. How could Huo Hai not care at all after being attacked? The incident had happened too suddenly, and he simply had not reacted quickly enough. Now that he had come to his senses, he naturally would not let them escape.

"You damned bastards! You actually dared to ambush me! You all deserve to die." The killing intent Huo Hai had been suppressing surged forth 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. Aside from 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 paid attention just now, 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 him from behind.

Huo Hai's body was enveloped by softness, and the fire in his heart subsided considerably because of it. A moment later, Huo Hai came back to his senses. He secretly counted himself fortunate. Luckily, Ji Mu had been by his side, or the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Without realizing it, Huo Hai's heart had begun to stir toward Ji Mu, developing a peculiar feeling. Especially as he felt the softness against his back, his face suddenly began to flush. Before Huo Hai could think further, the Star Gu sent news that they had found their targets. His gaze turned cold. "Kill them. Leave none alive." In his heart, he issued the Star Gu an extermination order.

Then he closed his eyes and temporarily cut off the messages sent by the Star Gu. He did not want to feel their slaughter, or he would lose control of himself. After several muffled groans, the forest fell completely silent.

Speaking of which, in order to ambush him, those people had not positioned themselves too close to him. Feeling the killing intent around Huo Hai dissipate, Ji Mu's heart finally calmed. Suddenly, she pushed Huo Hai away, turned her head aside, and said nothing.

Why had she done something like that? How could this have happened? How was she supposed to face anyone after this? 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 intent in his heart, Ji Mu finally let out a breath of relief. For some reason, a trace of disappointment and regret suddenly flashed through her heart.

After an unknown amount of time, Huo Hai opened his eyes and looked at Ji Mu. "Ji Mu, thank you for 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 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 message they sent him was that every enemy in the area had been cleaned up, and even the corpses had been eaten. They had done this sort of thing countless times already, until it had become more familiar than familiar. Huo Hai nodded and did not wish to learn more. He feared he would be unable to suppress his killing intent.

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 entire body. They could only defend him and could not bite while defending him.

There were only a few marks on the arrow, left by the Star Gu biting it when it attacked him. 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.

"This... why does this look so familiar?" Huo Hai stared at the arrows, unable to recall where he had seen them before.

By then, Ji Mu had recovered after finishing her wild thoughts. She walked to Huo Hai's side, hesitated for a moment, then said, "These are Spirit-Breaking Arrows, contraband generally only available on the black market. It seems these people truly wanted you dead." Ji Mu's expression turned cold. If Huo Hai died, what would happen to her?

After some thought, Ji Mu suddenly ran off. Before long, 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 emblem. The person who attacked just now was either He Wang or He Lu. Given He Lu's personality, he probably would not take the initiative to cause us trouble. And He Lu would not openly use Spirit-Breaking Arrows either. The one who made the move was most likely He Wang." Huo Hai had been worrying over who had attacked him, yet Ji Mu had unexpectedly identified them for him.

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 as well. I, Huo Hai, will not let this end so easily." Huo Hai did not hesitate to view others in the worst possible light. Since the He Family's two young masters had attacked him, then the entire He Family was the same.

While Huo Hai was venting his anger here, He Wang had been frightened out of his wits. He had never imagined that even after using more than a dozen Spirit-Breaking Arrows at once, they would still be blocked. Spirit-Breaking Arrows were things only the imperial family and the military could use openly. Contraband normally only used on the battlefield, they were extraordinarily powerful against ordinary people.

Yet he had never imagined that Huo Hai would not only block the attack, but instantly slaughter every person who had ambushed him. At this moment, only two subordinates remained at his side, and neither was particularly strong.

After discovering that those people had died, He Wang did not dare move an inch. Only after a long while, when all sound outside had completely died away, did He Wang grab the two men beside him and hurriedly flee into the distance. He would never face that guy again.

"Th-third young master, what do we do? Are we still continuing?" A young mercenary swallowed hard and asked with difficulty.

He Wang shot the man a fierce glare. "C-continue what? H-hurry up and leave. From now on, n-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 deepened another layer. Huo Hai was the reason he had been scared 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 fiercely at his two subordinates. The two immediately lowered their heads, indicating that they had seen nothing.

After a long while, He Wang took a deep breath. "For now, let's get out first. With the points we have, it's already enough to enter Imperial City Academy. Even adding the two of you won't be a problem. We'll make long-term plans afterward."

The two had not expected disaster to turn into a blessing. Originally, their points could only have been concentrated on one person, yet now the two of them could be brought along as well. As ordinary mercenaries, entering Imperial City Academy was something they had never even dared dream of.

"Thank you, Young Master. From now on, we two brothers will follow Young Master's lead alone, with 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 loyalty. The other was slightly slower, but he too hastily expressed his devotion. He Wang nodded. These two were tactful; otherwise, they would not have remained by his side. They would not speak of what they had seen that they should not have seen.

Very good. Since that was the case, they should leave first. With only three people left, they could not accomplish anything here anyway. If they did not leave early, they might be surrounded by other teams. If they left now, there would not yet be many people lying in ambush near the exit. If they waited any longer, this so-called young master would be in trouble.

He Wang fled outward with his subordinates, but Huo Hai was different. After suppressing the killing intent in his heart, he took Ji Mu and headed in the opposite direction. In his current state, Huo Hai had no mind to pursue the matter for the time being.

Following the original plan, they first entered the forest. The battle just now had allowed Huo Hai to discover a method to avoid the aftereffects of killing. Once he found prey, he only needed to order the Star Gu to attack, then cut off his connection with them.

That way, he could not feel any information about the Star Gu's slaughter. Although it was somewhat like burying his head in the sand, it truly had miraculous effects when it came to suppressing killing intent. After the Star Gu finished eating the prey, he could walk over. By then, even if he knew that spirit beasts or even 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 beside himself with joy.