The light grew ever dimmer deep within the forest. The branches and leaves of towering ancient trees intertwined into a dense canopy, with only scattered patches of light stubbornly piercing the gaps to fall upon the thick layer of rotting leaves, illuminating the fine dust dancing in the air.
With his pack on his back, Xiao Yan trudged through the woods with "heavy" footsteps. He had casually hung the rusty sword beside his pack, where it clinked softly with each step. His brows were "tightly furrowed," his face tinged with "anxiety." Every so often, he lowered his head and kicked aside a pebble, as though frustrated by his failure to find medicinal herbs.
"Qi-Gathering Grass... Dewdrop Flower... where on earth are they..." he complained under his breath. His voice was quiet, but loud enough for any lurking eyes and ears nearby to hear.
After the "accident" involving the three members of the Mo Family, he could sense that the prying presences around him had temporarily vanished. Presumably, most of those the Mo Family had sent had been lost, while the survivors had either concealed themselves more deeply or gone back to report.
But Xiao Yan did not lower his guard. His Emperor Realm Soul continued scanning a hundred-zhang radius like the most precise radar. He knew the Mo Family would never let the matter rest, and in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, danger came from far more than just them.
Sure enough, after he had walked for about half an hour, a jumble of footsteps and angry shouts came from ahead, breaking the forest's silence.
Xiao Yan stopped, an "alert" expression appearing on his face. He instinctively ducked behind a thick ancient tree and peeked out with half his head, looking toward the source of the noise.
In a clearing not far ahead, more than a dozen men in matching fitted black outfits had surrounded three ragged figures. Each black-clad man wore a wolf-head-shaped token at his waist and had a fierce air about him. They were clearly members of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, which enjoyed considerable fame in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
The three people surrounded by them looked like Rogue Hunters. Two were already injured and gritting their teeth as they struggled to hold on, while the one at their head was a young man who looked about twenty.
The young man wore a short shirt and long trousers utterly at odds with the style of the Dou Qi Continent. His hair was disheveled, and his face held a slick, ingratiating look as he bowed and scraped before the leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, talking incessantly.
"Captain Wang, look at this mess—it's all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!" The young man plastered a smile on his face, his tone fawning. "We only just found this Blood Spirit Grass. We hadn't even had a chance to touch it! How would we dare compete with your Wolf Head Mercenary Group?"
The leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group was a burly man with a brutish face and a broad saber at his waist. He glared viciously at the young man. "A misunderstanding? I saw you reaching for it with my own eyes! In the northern stretch of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, who dares touch anything I've set my sights on?"
"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right!" The young man nodded hastily, making himself as meek as possible. "Of course this Blood Spirit Grass belongs to you, Captain Wang. The three of us had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. We'll clear out right now, right now!"
As he spoke, he tried to pull his two companions away.
"Clear out?" Captain Wang sneered. He stepped forward and kicked one of the injured hunters in the stomach, knocking him to the ground. "You tried to steal my property, and now you think you can just leave? Do you think the Wolf Head Mercenary Group is easy to push around?"
"Aah!" The hunter screamed and curled up on the ground, clutching his stomach.
The young man's expression changed slightly, but he quickly restored his fawning smile. "Please calm down, Captain Wang, calm down! How about... how about the three of us kowtow three times to apologize?"
"You think three kowtows will settle this?" The vicious gleam in Captain Wang's eyes intensified. "Leave an arm behind, and we'll call it even!"
"Captain Wang!" The young man could no longer maintain his smile, and urgency crept into his voice. "Isn't that going too far? We've already backed down..."
"Too far?" Captain Wang scoffed. "Around here, my word is the law! Either leave an arm... or leave your life!"
The surrounding members of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group drew their weapons, and the atmosphere instantly became taut with drawn swords and leveled bows.
Behind the tree, Xiao Yan frowned slightly.
The Wolf Head Mercenary Group was every bit as domineering and brutal as in the original novel. But that was not his main concern. What truly caught his attention was the young man.
From the moment the young man had begun speaking, Xiao Yan's Emperor Realm Soul had detected an extremely strange fluctuation—a soul aura utterly out of place on the Dou Qi Continent, carrying a hint of restlessness and... a "modern feel" that did not belong to this world.
He was all too familiar with that aura.
An Otherworlder.
[System notification: Otherworldly soul fluctuations detected. Classified as an "Otherworlder," an "Otherworld Interference Source." Elimination recommended.] [Hidden mission issued: Eliminate Otherworlder (No. 073). Requirements: The manner of death must blend into the current environment. Framing another party or staging an accident is permitted. The host's strength must not be exposed. Mission reward: Random Heavenly Flames clue fragment x1.]
The system's notifications confirmed Xiao Yan's suspicion.
His gaze settled on the young man, and his soul power quietly reached out, carefully enveloping the young man's soul as he began probing its memory fragments. The probing of an Emperor Realm Soul was utterly soundless, like a drop of water merging into the sea. An Otherworlder whose strength was at most that of a Dou Zhe could never detect it.
A moment later, Xiao Yan withdrew his soul power. He already had his answer.
This Otherworlder was named Li Ming. He had arrived in this world three days earlier, possessing the body of an unlucky Rogue Hunter. He had read the original novel, Battle Through the Heavens, and knew some of the plot's course. He was planning to use this "foreknowledge" to reap benefits in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, perhaps finding clues to Heavenly Flames before Xiao Yan or clinging to the thigh of some powerful faction.
When he had discovered the Blood Spirit Grass earlier, he had recognized it as the main ingredient for a certain healing pill and knew it was worth a considerable sum. He had wanted to claim it for himself, only to run into the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.
What a fool who knows neither the height of heaven nor the depth of earth, Xiao Yan sneered inwardly.
In a world where strength reigned supreme, he thought a little knowledge of the plot would let him run rampant? It was nothing but a fool's dream.
By now, the conflict in the clearing had escalated.
Seeing that begging was hopeless, Li Ming's face took on a ruthless edge. He gritted his teeth. "Captain Wang, are you really going to force us to our deaths?"
"So what if I am?" Captain Wang pointed his broad saber. "Cripple them!"
Several members of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group immediately charged forward, and flashing blades instantly wove together.
Though Li Ming and the two hunters behind him resisted desperately, the gap in strength was enormous, and they soon fell on the defensive. The two hunters were already injured; within a few exchanges, they were cut down, their fate unknown.
Only Li Ming remained, barely holding on with his somewhat nimble footwork. Several wounds had already appeared on his body, and blood soaked his clothes.
Damn it, why is it so hard to get by in this shitty world! Li Ming cursed inwardly as he dodged. If I'd known the Wolf Head Mercenary Group was this vicious, I never would've messed with them!
A flicker of panic crossed his eyes, and he began regretting his rashness.
Hidden behind the tree, Xiao Yan quietly watched it all, already considering how to "deal with" this Otherworlder.
Killing him directly would be easy, but it could leave traces. The best approach was to kill with a borrowed blade, letting Li Ming die at the hands of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. That would both suit the "current environment" and perfectly absolve Xiao Yan of involvement.
But given Li Ming's present predicament, his death at the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's hands was only a matter of time. Perhaps Xiao Yan did not need to do anything?
Xiao Yan shook his head.
No.
Li Ming was an Otherworlder, and that made him a variable. If he lashed out like a cornered dog and blurted out information about the "plot," or used some method that did not belong to this world—even merely as a bluff—he might attract the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's attention or alter certain details. Any of that could interfere with subsequent "plot correction" missions.
Xiao Yan had to ensure he died at "just the right moment," without leaving any trace of an "Otherworlder."
Xiao Yan's gaze swept around the clearing before finally settling on a patch of bushes nearby. Several plants bearing small purple flowers were faintly visible there, giving off a weak, rank scent.
They were Soul-Dazing Grass, a tier-one poisonous herb. Their poison was not particularly potent, but when exposed to strong Dou Qi fluctuations, they released a hallucinogenic powder that could briefly daze low-ranking Dou Zhe.
An almost imperceptible thread of Dou Qi quietly condensed at Xiao Yan's fingertip—only at the strength of Dou Qi Third Stage. According to the system's rules, that was the highest level he could "expose."
Like a tiny snake, that thread of Dou Qi slipped silently underground, traveled through the soil, and finally reached the roots of the Soul-Dazing Grass.
At that moment, Li Ming had been driven into a desperate corner in the clearing. Captain Wang personally advanced with his broad saber and hacked at his head, determined to kill him.
"All or nothing!" A flicker of madness flashed through Li Ming's eyes. He abruptly pulled a Flame Talisman from his clothes, obtained from who knew where, poured Dou Qi into it, and hurled it at Captain Wang.
"Hm?" At the sight, Captain Wang's pupils contracted slightly, and he instinctively twisted aside to dodge.
Boom!
The talisman exploded in midair. Though it was not particularly powerful, it produced a burst of flames and a shock wave that forced Captain Wang back.
Seizing the opening, Li Ming turned to flee, heading straight toward the bushes containing the Soul-Dazing Grass.
Now!
A sharp gleam flashed through Xiao Yan's eyes, and the thread of Dou Qi he had injected into the roots and stems of the Soul-Dazing Grass instantly erupted!
Hiss...
As though stimulated, the purple petals of the Soul-Dazing Grass suddenly spread open. A great quantity of fine purple powder dispersed on the shock wave, shrouding Li Ming's escape route.
Li Ming was running at full speed and failed to notice the powder, inhaling a considerable amount in a single breath.
The next moment, a wave of dizziness struck him. The scene before his eyes began twisting, and his steps faltered.
This is bad! Alarm rang through his mind. He knew he had fallen victim to something.
Captain Wang, who had just avoided the Flame Talisman, saw Li Ming suddenly stagger and broke into a savage grin. "Courting death!"
Without further hesitation, he swung his broad saber like lightning, raising a vicious gust!
Squelch!
Blood sprayed.
Li Ming's body froze where it stood. His head fell to the ground, its face filled with shock and bitter unwillingness. His eyes stared fixedly at the sky, as though even in death he could not understand why he had suddenly lost his senses.
Captain Wang put away his broad saber and spat. "Trash."
He signaled his men to clean up the scene and dig up the Blood Spirit Grass, then swaggered away with them, sparing no concern for the three corpses on the ground. In the Magical Beast Mountain Range, such things happened every day.
Only after the Wolf Head Mercenary Group had vanished completely into the depths of the forest did Xiao Yan emerge from behind the tree.
He walked over to Li Ming's corpse, an expression of "terror" appearing on his face, as though this were his first time witnessing such a bloody scene. His stomach churned like an overturned sea, and he could not help crouching down to dry-heave.
[System notification: Otherworlder (No. 073) eliminated. Evaluating the nature of death...] [Evaluation result: Killed by the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. The process of death blended naturally with the environment (Soul-Dazing Grass). No evidence points to the host. Classified as a "perfect elimination."] [Mission reward: Random Heavenly Flames clue fragment x1 issued. Fragment information: Related to "Purifying Lotus."]
Xiao Yan retched a few times and wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. Looking "shaken," he backed away several steps, as though afraid of getting blood on himself.
His gaze swept "casually" over Li Ming's corpse and the Soul-Dazing Grass, which had already returned to stillness. Not a ripple stirred in his heart.
An Otherworlder who had attempted to disrupt the plot had vanished just like that, without a sound, as though he had never existed.
And Xiao Yan had not even laid a finger on him.
Xiao Yan steadied himself, glanced in the direction the Wolf Head Mercenary Group had taken, then looked deeper into the forest. In the end, he chose to keep moving.
He needed to find the precise location of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Map as soon as possible. The clue fragment rewarded by the system had mentioned "Purifying Lotus," so it was clearly connected to the Fragment Map he had sensed earlier.
As for the Wolf Head Mercenary Group...
Xiao Yan's gaze grew colder.
That debt would be settled sooner or later.
He adjusted his pack, donned that "timid" mask once more, and walked step by step into the depths of the forest with his head lowered, as though he were merely an ordinary youth struggling to survive in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Only his gaze, hidden in the shadows, remained sharp as a blade as it swept over every inch of ground ahead.
Anyone who stood in his way would be reduced to dust.
Before you continue