Xuanwu War Sovereign

In the blink of an eye, Qin Fang and his men were gone. Qin Feng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Behind Qin Feng, Yu Yao’s expression was grim. Only now was she beginning to sense just how terrifying this supposed ’good-for-nothing’ was. ’To think he could scare off a prodigy like Qin Fang with nothing but his name.’

’What on earth could Qin Feng have done to make someone as arrogant as Qin Fang so utterly terrified?’

"We need to go, now!" Qin Feng glanced at the passage where Qin Fang’s group had vanished, then his eyes shifted to another passage at the three-way fork. With a flicker, his body shot forward like a gale of wind.

Yu Yao and the others followed close behind.

About fifteen minutes later, just as they were about to exit the Crystal Jade Ore mine, Qin Feng, who had been moving like a hurricane, came to an abrupt halt. Yu Yao and the others quickly stopped in their tracks.

"Young Master, what is it?" Qin Shou asked, confused.

Qin Feng frowned, turning to gaze back into the deep, pitch-black mine shaft. After a moment, he spoke slowly.

"It looks like something powerful has shown up behind us. I don’t think we’re getting out of here."

ROAR! A gloomy, low growl echoed faintly from the deep, dark mine shaft, as if in response to Qin Feng.

Qin Feng glanced at their uneasy faces and waved a hand. "The few of you should go on ahead. You’re no match for it!"

The words had barely left his mouth when Qin Feng’s head snapped up, the pupils of his dark eyes shrinking. A sudden premonition of death gripped his heart. Shocked and enraged, he summoned all his strength and launched a punch toward a spot in the darkness.

As the punch flew, a violent power surged. The sleeve on his arm instantly exploded into shreds. The ferocious force struck the Void, letting out a fierce, explosive boom.

BOOM!

With overwhelming force, Qin Feng was sent flying like a cannonball by a black shadow. The violent impact slammed him into the stone wall, causing the cave ceiling to tremble as if it might collapse at any moment.

"Young Master!" Qin Shou’s expression changed drastically. He spun around, staring fixedly at the monster that was emerging from the darkness.

It was a terrifying monster. Its body was covered in faint, black-gold scales, and it crawled along the ceiling on all fours, a long tail swaying behind it like a whip. The most peculiar thing was its human-like head, but its mouth was full of pitch-black, steel-like teeth. In the darkness, its murky yellow pupils brimmed with cold indifference, cruelty, tyranny, and greed.

This was the terrifying monster that had attacked Qin Feng right under their noses. What was most frightening was that they hadn’t even had time to react before they saw Qin Feng—the strongest among them—sent flying!

The monster leaped lightly, its speed like a flash of lightning. In the darkness, the faces of the group paled as it appeared just a short distance away. It cocked its head, and the eerie, web-like patterns on its terrifying face seemed to part as translucent saliva dripped down, creating a truly horrifying sight.

"KEKEKEKE... such delectable food, such fresh and tender flesh, brimming with spiritual essence. None of you are leaving today!" the evil, ferocious monster said, its ugly head cocked. Its voice was hoarse, deep, and incredibly grating.

"Cough, cough..." Qin Feng forcefully extracted himself from the rock. He grabbed one of his arms and pressed down hard. With a sickening CRACK of grinding bone, a wave of intense pain made his muscles twitch, yet his expression remained unchanged.

Qin Feng glanced at his injuries, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Although he had blocked the attack on pure instinct, the monster’s power was simply immense. Even with a physique stronger than an ordinary Martial Arts Fourth Layer Martial Artist, Qin Feng had still sustained serious injuries, including several broken ribs from that single blow. What made him frown, however, was the paralytic venom on the creature’s claws. A faint numbness was spreading from the point of impact, and when he tried to move, he found he couldn’t muster most of his strength.

Fortunately, the Mystic Turtle Divine Pill inside him once again played a crucial role. A trace of its medicinal power spread out, sending a warm, gentle energy flowing through his meridians, and the numbing sensation instantly vanished.

’This monster is even stronger than I imagined!’

"Young Master, are you alright?" Seeing Qin Feng get to his feet, Qin Shou and the others were overjoyed and rushed to help him up. The pressure from this monster’s sudden appearance was immense; the aura of death it exuded was suffocating. Qin Feng getting up gave them a pillar of support.

"What kind of monster is that?" Beside Qin Shou, Yu Yao clutched her Longsword, her exquisitely beautiful face deathly pale.

Qin Feng looked up at the stunningly beautiful girl. She held her Longsword, tense and on guard, but the perceptive Qin Feng noticed that her sword hand was sweating. ’So, this proud young woman is finally scared.’

A faint smile played at the corners of Qin Feng’s eyes, but his face remained as cold as ice. In a level voice, he said.

"This monster is also one of the Low-level Demon Monsters from the Earth Abyssal Esophagus. However, compared to a cannon-fodder race like the Dog-headed Demons, it’s a more advanced model. This kind of monster has an impressive name: Hunter."

"They move like the wind and specialize in hunting in dark environments. They have no body heat or scent, making them exceptionally hard to track in the darkness. They also possess the sharp claws and fangs of a top predator. Most frighteningly, their claws and fangs usually carry a paralytic venom—a single scratch is enough to induce full-body paralysis!"

Qin Feng concluded with a cold laugh, "Under normal circumstances, their combat prowess is comparable to an expert at the Martial Arts Sixth Layer Heaven. An elite Hunter could even prey on a Martial Artist of the Martial Arts Seventh Layer Heaven!"

The group’s faces went deathly white at Qin Feng’s explanation. The strongest among them was only at the Late-stage Martial Arts Fourth Layer. In their eyes, a Hunter that could take down a master of the Martial Arts Sixth Layer Heaven was no different from the Death God.

"Then what do we do now? This Hunter is so powerful, we can’t possibly fight it. Are we just supposed to wait here and die?" Yu Yao’s lovely face was ashen. She bit her lip, her large, bewitching eyes filled with despair and indignation.

Qin Feng smirked. As Yu Yao’s expression faltered, he shook his head and said, "Correction. *You* can’t beat it. That doesn’t mean *I* can’t." Disbelief was plain in Yu Yao’s eyes. This Hunter was comparable to a martial artist at the Peak of Martial Arts Sixth Realm, while Qin Feng was merely at the Martial Arts Fourth Layer. The gap was simply too vast.

’He’s about to die and he’s still posturing!’ Yu Yao thought. She didn’t say it out loud, but the disdain in her eyes was unmistakable.

"KEKEKEKE... A little bug with such tenacious Life Force. To think you can still stand. Your flesh and blood must be quite fragrant and chewy. I can hardly wait!" the Hunter’s strange, greedy voice echoed from the darkness again.

A thread of sinister cold power tore through the air, fast as lightning! A claw struck out, its frigid aura like an ice needle formed over a millennium, piercing the air. In an instant, it was right in front of Qin Feng! It had locked onto him completely!

A cold light flashed in Qin Feng’s eyes. His reflexes were incredibly fast. With a flick of his wrist, the Cyan Gold Ancient Sword in his hand trembled, creating three phantasmal blades that slashed through the air toward the incoming claw.

The faint sword images flickered past, their chilling glint almost imperceptible. A hint of fear flashed in the Hunter’s murky, vertical pupils. It leaped, nimbly flipping backward to retreat, landing in the middle of the tunnel to stare from a distance at the Ancient Sword in Qin Feng’s hand.

Seizing the moment while the Hunter’s attention was completely fixed on him, Qin Feng glanced at his tense companions. Pointing his Longsword at the creature, he barked, "The rest of you, go now!"

Upon hearing his order, Qin Shou and the others immediately took off. Though Qin Shou and Qin Gang were worried, they knew their own combat strength was limited. Staying would only make them a burden to Qin Feng, so it was better to retreat.

Seeing their decisive retreat, Qin Feng nodded slightly. ’This is the team I worked so hard to build. I can’t let them all get wiped out by this Hunter.’

"Little bugs, none of you are escaping today!" the evil, cold voice shrieked. How could the Hunter tolerate prey escaping from right under its nose? It already considered them its prize. A black shadow shot forward, blocking Qin Shou’s group. Its gaunt, small figure was as agile as lightning as it raised its claws, sharp as steel hooks and incredibly deadly!

A cold killing intent enveloped Qin Shou, who was leading the group. Just as he was about to be killed by the Hunter, Qin Feng’s eyes turned frigid. He took a single step, moving like a faint shadow on a gentle breeze. His Clear Wind Step, mastered to the stage of Great Success, erupted with full force. His body flickered, moving at unbelievable speed as he thrust his sword, its faint shadow perfectly intercepting the Hunter’s razor-sharp claws.

CLANG! CLANG! The clash between the Ancient Sword and the claws rang out like striking metal.

Although Qin Feng’s Swordsmanship wasn’t particularly refined, it was incredibly lethal! Fast, precise, and ruthless!

The Hunter’s attention was completely focused on the fleeing humans. It had also underestimated the speed of Qin Feng’s strike. Unable to dodge in time, two or three talons on one of its claws were sliced clean off by the sharp Ancient Sword, causing it to let out a piercing shriek.

Seizing the opportunity, Qin Shou and the others bolted like spooked horses, darting past the Hunter. Their figures flickered and soon vanished into the darkness.

The Hunter could only watch helplessly as the others escaped. Its ferocious face twisted into a terrifying mask of rage. Its murky yellow, beastly eyes locked onto Qin Feng, the venom and savagery within them so thick it was almost tangible. A chill ran down Qin Feng’s spine as the overwhelming aura of death washed over him.