Spirit Hall Deacon! The Hunt Begins!
Suotuo City, Spirit Hall!
After returning to the Spirit Hall Branch in Suotuo City, the Demon Hunting Squad immediately reported the news of Crimson Flame Demon's death to the deacon.
The deacon was a middle-aged man of about forty, with a stern face and eyes as sharp as an eagle's.
After hearing the report, he frowned slightly and tapped his fingers gently on the table, apparently pondering something.
"Crimson Flame Demon was no weakling. Whoever killed him must have been at least a Soul Emperor."
"Did you find any clues at the scene?"
The deacon spoke in a low voice.
The captain shook his head. "There was nothing at the scene but Crimson Flame Demon's corpse. Our opponent was far stronger than us, so we didn't dare investigate rashly."
The deacon nodded, a gleam flashing in his eyes. "A bounty hunter codenamed 'Geng Metal' has appeared in Suotuo City recently. I hear he's taken on quite a few difficult missions and never failed. Do you think Crimson Flame Demon's death could have something to do with him?"
The squad members looked at one another. The captain hesitated, then said, "Deacon, we have indeed heard the name 'Geng Metal,' but we've never met him. If he really could kill Crimson Flame Demon, then I'm afraid he's even more formidable than we imagined."
The deacon fell silent for a moment. "Forget it. The man's already dead. I'll go to the Shadow Pavilion myself and ask Geng Metal about it. I can meet this mysterious fellow while I'm at it. If possible, it wouldn't be bad to recruit him into Spirit Hall."
As he said this, his eyes gleamed even brighter.
For now, though, it was only a guess. There was no telling for certain whether Geng Metal had done it.
After leaving the Spirit Hall Branch, the deacon headed straight for the Shadow Pavilion.
The Shadow Pavilion was the largest gathering place for bounty hunters in Suotuo City, as well as a center for trading intelligence.
As a Spirit Hall deacon, he naturally knew where it was.
What was more, Spirit Hall had been in contact with the Shadow Pavilion for a long time.
The deacon walked into the Shadow Pavilion, and the bartender recognized him at once. A hint of surprise appeared on his face. "Lord Deacon, what brings you here in person?"
The deacon said indifferently, "I want to see 'Geng Metal.'"
The bartender's expression changed, and he said quietly, "Lord Deacon, we don't know where 'Geng Metal' is either. He always comes here in person to take missions and never reveals his whereabouts. We don't ask, either. Those are the Shadow Pavilion's rules."
The deacon narrowed his eyes, a hint of threat in his voice. "Doesn't the Shadow Pavilion claim to know everything? You can't even track down one bounty hunter?"
Cold sweat broke out on the bartender's forehead. He hurriedly said, "Lord Deacon, we really don't know exactly where 'Geng Metal' is, but he's taken quite a few missions recently. Perhaps you could find him through those."
The deacon nodded. "Give me a list of the missions 'Geng Metal' has taken."
The bartender didn't dare delay. He quickly took a scroll from beneath the counter and handed it to the deacon. The deacon opened it and scanned the mission list, a chill flashing in his eyes. "Crimson Flame Demon, Venomous Scorpion, Shadow Snake, Blood Wolf... They're all troublesome characters, and he actually took them all on?"
The bartender said quietly, "Yes. 'Geng Metal' is extremely powerful. They say he's never failed a mission. Black Fiend, whom he previously took a mission to kill, was close to becoming a Soul Emperor, and Geng Metal killed him too. Dealing with these people who aren't Soul Emperors shouldn't be a problem for him. I could tell he was very confident."
The deacon was somewhat surprised. Geng Metal had even taken down Black Fiend, who was close to becoming a Soul Emperor?
He hurriedly asked, "Then do you know what he looks like?"
The bartender shook his head. "No. He wore a black mask and a hooded black robe, but judging by the way he spoke, he should be a fairly young man."
"I see. There's something else I came to tell you. Crimson Flame Demon is dead. Our people found his corpse, but his head was missing. Unless something unexpected happened, Geng Metal was probably the one who did it. If he comes back, tell him I want to see him."
The deacon spoke.
He felt that his status as a Spirit Hall deacon was enough to make Dai Fei take him seriously.
There was no way the other party would refuse to give him that face.
"All right, I'll be sure to pass it on!"
"He still has to come back to collect his bounties."
"He's probably planning to kill all eight of them before bringing them back."
The bartender was somewhat surprised to hear this, but he quickly calmed down and nodded as he spoke.
Only then did the deacon leave.
Three days later, Dai Fei stood atop a tall tower.
Below was Dark Crow's secret hideout, where more than a dozen Soul Masters were on patrol.
"An information broker..." A chill flashed in Dai Fei's eyes. "I hope you can give me something useful."
He leaped down, Geng Metal Qi flowing around him as he descended like a bolt of golden lightning.
Before the patrolling Soul Masters could react, golden needles pierced their throats.
"Enemy attack!" The alarm rang out.
Without the slightest panic, Dai Fei used White Tiger Sky-Rending Claw to tear through layer upon layer of defenses and headed straight for the top floor.
In the study on the top floor, Dark Crow was sorting through intelligence.
Hearing the door burst open, he didn't even look up. "You're finally here."
"You knew I was coming?" Dai Fei narrowed his eyes.
Dark Crow turned around, revealing a pale face. "Of course. I'm an information broker, after all. But... I have a proposal."
"Speak."
"I'll trade an earth-shattering secret for my life." Dark Crow pulled a scroll from his robes. "The truth about... Dai Fei, the second prince of the Star Luo Empire."
Dai Fei's pupils contracted slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. "Deal."
Dark Crow breathed a sigh of relief and held out the scroll. "Dai Fei isn't dead. He's using the alias 'Geng Metal' now, and he's hunting Soul Kings..."
Before he could finish, Dai Fei's golden needle had pierced his throat.
"Sorry."
"I know that secret better than you do."
"Sure enough, I can't underestimate the people of this world. There are too many capable people in it."
Dai Fei was quite surprised. He hadn't expected someone here in the Heaven Dou Empire to know about him.
He put the scroll away, then cut off Dark Crow's head and placed it in his storage ring before leaving!
Over the next week, Dai Fei roamed the Heaven Dou Empire like the god of death.
Venomous Scorpion's poisonous mist, Shadow Snake's assassination, Blood Wolf's berserk state... One Soul King after another fell at his hands.
Only after killing them all did he finally finish refining all the Slaughter Qi.
His Soul Power had now reached level forty-seven!
Just three more levels and he could break through to level fifty and become a Soul Ring!
"The Slaughter Qi of ordinary Soul Kings is no longer of much use to me. I need the Slaughter Qi of stronger Soul Emperors."
"After killing so many people, it's time to return to the Shadow Pavilion and collect my rewards."
Standing above a valley, Dai Fei rushed swiftly down into it.
Over the past week and more, his name had truly spread far and wide.
Many people in Suotuo City had heard the name Geng Metal Hunter.
He was also called the Soul King Slaughter Machine!
Spirit Hall, the deacon's office.
The deacon looked at the intelligence and pictures his subordinates had brought him, secretly astonished. "Geng Metal has quite the skill. They really are all dead."
The pictures were all results of his having people investigate the scenes.
They were all eight Soul Kings whose missions Dai Fei had taken. Now, only their corpses remained, their heads all cut off.
"That's eight. Geng Metal should be heading back to the Shadow Pavilion." The deacon stood up and headed for the Shadow Pavilion.
He had waited for more than a week, and he didn't want to wait any longer.