The Vice Dean Was Dead? The Death Hunt!

At around six in the evening, 108 students and eighteen instructors reached the outskirts of the Wuxia Mountains.

The students divided up the work and began pitching their tents. After all, this was hardly their first training expedition outside the academy.

Yet for some reason, tonight alone, everyone felt as though a bone-chilling cold constantly surrounded them, making their hair stand on end.

If not for the eight Innate Realm instructors present and the Vice Dean, who claimed to be protecting them from the shadows at all times, they might already have turned back toward the academy.

Inside Class Nine's tent, twelve students sat around Wei Hong and Yun Che, discussing their plans for tomorrow's training.

More precisely, they were discussing them with Wei Hong. After all, Wei Hong was in the Innate Realm, while Yun Che was an ordinary man who had never set foot on the martial path.

Yet as they spent time together, everyone was surprised to discover that Instructor Yun was unexpectedly knowledgeable.

Despite being an academic instructor with no cultivation, he could guide them in practicing their cultivation methods and combat techniques. Even Wei Hong, an Innate Realm expert, asked Yun Che several questions.

The twelve students gazed at Yun Che with burning eagerness, wishing they could master every secret of their cultivation methods and combat techniques in a single night.

"All right, that's all I can teach you. Experiment more tomorrow and put it into practice. Your strength is sure to improve."

"Yes. Thank you, Instructor Yun." The twelve students bowed respectfully to Yun Che. Good instructors like him, who held nothing back, were truly rare.

Ruan Caocao's eyes curved with a smile. Seeing Yun Che win her classmates' approval seemed to make her happier than improving her own strength.

Wei Hong's attitude toward Yun Che had also changed considerably. Looking at the seventeen-year-old, he said with feeling, "To think that someone so young could understand cultivation methods and combat techniques so thoroughly. You put me to shame!"

Yun Che smiled. "It's only a little theoretical knowledge. It hardly compares to your genuine expertise, Instructor Wei."

Wei Hong nodded slightly, agreeing wholeheartedly. The Great Yuan Empire valued martial prowess over scholarly learning. Even if someone read their books to tatters, wouldn't they still end up cowering behind powerful martial artists just to survive?

In this world, learned scholars could earn people's respect, but their standing could never surpass that of powerful martial artists.

This mindset prevailed not only in the Great Yuan Empire, but also in other empires and throughout the Divine Martial Continent.

Everyone seemed hot-tempered, unwilling to listen to reason and interested only in letting their fists do the talking.

If my fists were stronger, you had to accept what I said-even if it was wrong!

Bang!

Just then, a heavy crash suddenly sounded outside the tents. All the students and instructors hurried out to investigate.

The sight before them left everyone petrified, Yun Che included.

There, in a deep crater ahead of them, lay the Vice Dean, all four limbs severed, blood still pouring from his mouth and nose.

"Quick... get out of here! Bandits..."

The Vice Dean struggled to utter those few words, his eyes fixed on the sky, then breathed his last.

Silence fell over the scene. Everyone held their breath, their eyes filled with horror and disbelief as they stared blankly at the old man in the crater, his eyes still wide open in death.

The Vice Dean of their Falling Moon Academy, an absolute powerhouse at the peak of the Grandmaster Realm, had died just like that?

Suddenly, torches flared to life all around them, densely packed together. At a glance, there were at least a hundred.

Then cries of "Ho! Hey! Ho! Hey! Ho! Hey!" rang out from every direction.

Hearing those cries, everyone went pale, their sword hands trembling uncontrollably.

This was how the Red Skull Bandits, one of the four great bandit forces, announced their arrival.

"H-how could it be the Red Skull Bandit Group? Aren't there only small bands of brigands in the Wuxia Mountains?" Wei Hong's lips trembled. Clearly, he could not believe what he was seeing.

Suddenly, Fan Chong, Class One's instructor, shouted, "Run! Hurry!"

His cry set everyone into motion. All the instructors led their students deeper into the Wuxia Mountains.

Strangely, the Red Skull Bandits did not pursue them. They only chanted "Ho! Hey!" even louder, their cries carrying more than a hint of excitement.

After the nine groups of instructors and students had fled into the distance, Hong Mian, the delicate-featured, handsome third chief, emerged with more than a dozen masked people. The most distinguished among them was the man in a golden mask standing in front of Hong Mian.

Tapping a folding fan against his palm, he asked with some displeasure, "Hong Mian, explain this to everyone. Unless you give us a satisfactory answer, I'm afraid I can only tell you that your request cannot be fulfilled."

Still expressionless, Hong Mian stepped forward and said, "I felt that always entertaining our honored guests with women was becoming rather dull and monotonous. However beautiful a woman may be, she offers only a few minutes of pleasure. Given your positions, my lords, I'm sure you have no shortage of either those few minutes or beautiful women."

"Although there are fewer than thirty women in this event, I guarantee that all of you will enjoy yourselves to the fullest."

"From this moment on, please forget your identities and become members of our Red Skull Bandits. Hunt down whichever targets take your fancy, or violate the fleeing women wherever you catch them."

"Do whatever you please. We of Red Skull will bear every sin. Rest assured, my lords, our people surround this area. They won't get far, and we won't let you waste too much energy."

"Moreover, I have prepared a mysterious gift for whichever lord claims the most kills."

At these words, everyone's eyes lit up. They already seemed eager to begin.

The man in the golden mask laughed heartily. "Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! Very well, let's see what mysterious gift you've prepared!"

Hong Mian clapped his hands, and men immediately emerged carrying several weapon racks. Every kind of weapon was available, along with a few instruments of torture.

"My lords, please choose whichever weapons you wish. I hope you all enjoy yourselves."

The moment Hong Mian finished speaking, a man wearing a wolf mask laughed and picked up a longbow from one of the racks.

"Golden Mask, this is just a game. Don't throw your rank around if you lose!"

Golden Mask took two hand crossbows and said disdainfully, "If you want to beat me, brat, train for another ten years first. Let's begin."

The dozen or so mysterious figures in animal masks selected their preferred weapons, mimicked the Red Skull Bandit Group's howls, and hurried after their prey.

Holding Ruan Caocao's hand, Yun Che followed behind Wei Hong, his expression grim.

Sure enough, the plot had changed completely. This was nothing like the story he knew.

He had already guessed why things had turned out this way. He had killed those two Red Skull men, causing the third chief to change his plans.

Damn it! Yun Che cursed inwardly. He had thought that killing the Red Skull infiltrators would most likely force them to cancel the plan.

But now, their plan seemed to have succeeded in a different form.

He had originally suspected the Vice Dean was behind it, but now that the Vice Dean was dead, he was at a loss.

Most importantly, who exactly had let them into the city? It seemed Falling Moon City had quite a few infiltrators!