Translator: CinderTL
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Zhang San was hiding.
This innate martial artist clearly intended to hide until the end, waiting for the three innate martial artists and over twenty martial artists to exhaust each other before making his move.
He carefully concealed his aura, burying himself under a layer of grass, completely devoid of the dignity and bearing expected of an innate martial artist.
In this situation, not only did the other martial artists fail to find him, but even the keenly perceptive Li Chunjun, after wandering through the Snow Forest for a long time, couldn't locate him.
Reluctantly, Li Chunjun turned his attention to the other martial artists.
After dealing with two top-tier martial artists and three high-level martial artists, the remaining ones…
All went into hiding.
This scene left Li Chunjun utterly speechless.
So, what kind of "battle of the hunters" was this?
Might as well call it a game of hide-and-seek.
He hadn't specialized in reconnaissance skills, so he couldn't track down Zhang San and the remaining two top-tier martial artists, along with four ordinary martial artists.
Thus, he headed to the center of the arena where the golden cauldron stood.
The golden cauldron wasn't actually made of gold.
Rather than a large cauldron, it was more like a series of lamps.
The one who seized the golden cauldron could activate it, causing it to emit a dazzling golden light every half hour.
If the golden light flashed ten times in a row—equivalent to five hours—without interruption, the battle for supremacy would be considered decided.
Similarly, if the golden cauldron remained active for two hours without interruption, ferocious beasts would be released into the Snow Forest arena.
Those hiding methods that could evade the notice of other martial artists might not be as effective against the beasts.
…
Time passed.
The remaining martial artists, whether they had lost the courage to confront Li Chunjun or were simply extremely patient, didn't show themselves for two hours.
Once the two hours were up, the beasts entered the arena.
One after another, blood-red wolves, standing nearly 1.4 meters tall at the shoulder, howled as they entered the Snow Forest, hunting down their opponents within.
These were blood wolves!
Monsters capable of killing tigers!
Even armed martial artists couldn't withstand a coordinated attack from a pack of blood wolves.
The light from the golden cauldron had the effect of repelling the blood wolves, minimizing the threat they posed to the cauldron holder.
But…
Blood wolves were ultimately creatures of great ferocity.
When their numbers grew large enough, even if they feared the light of the golden cauldron, they would still attack.
This was likely the plan the martial artists had in mind.
Li Chunjun had killed too many martial artists, leaving the dozens of blood wolves that should have been evenly distributed among the martial artists without enough targets. Now, over a dozen of them were converging toward Li Chunjun's location.
Although the dozen or so blood wolves hadn't yet attacked due to their numbers…
Their lingering presence was enough to prove that an inevitable battle was coming.
"The Summit Tower sure knows how to play."
Li Chunjun shook the sword in his hand and stepped out of the golden cauldron's range.
The blood wolves growled, issuing threats.
Li Chunjun acted as if he didn't notice, suddenly accelerating and charging into the pack of blood wolves. In a few leaps, three blood wolves were slain.
After killing three blood wolves, he glanced at the Human Emperor's Banner.
"As expected…"
Just like when he had slaughtered cattle and sheep before.
Even killing powerful creatures like blood wolves yielded no "experience" gain.
After killing three more blood wolves, the remaining ones scattered in fear.
Just as Li Chunjun was about to return to the golden cauldron, he keenly noticed something and immediately turned, abandoning the cauldron and striding swiftly in a certain direction.
Less than a kilometer away, four martial artists came into his view.
Among these four, the core figure wasn't the innate martial artist Zhang San or the other two top-tier martial artists.
Instead, it was a newly promoted martial artist who had achieved the integration realm.
Though a newly promoted martial artist, he held a flute, continuously producing strange sounds. Under the influence of these sounds, he single-handedly drove over twenty blood wolves.
These blood wolves gathered together, forming a red tide, clearly being driven to attack Li Chunjun, who was near the golden cauldron.
"Beast control?"
Li Chunjun glanced at them.
Without hesitation, he charged forward with full momentum, heading straight for the beast-controlling martial artist protected by the three martial artists.
Li Chunjun's appearance caught the martial artists off guard.
But they reacted quickly.
The beast-controlling martial artist immediately produced urgent sounds.
Over twenty blood wolves roared in unison, charging directly at Li Chunjun.
Meanwhile, Zhang San, the innate martial artist, followed closely behind the blood wolves, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
There was no fancy maneuvering.
Li Chunjun, charging at full speed, collided with the roaring, pouncing blood wolves.
He didn't use his sword.
Instead, he delivered a flying kick.
The fastest blood wolf was kicked in the head, its hundred-kilogram body sent flying as if hit by a truck, crashing into the oncoming pack.
Immediately after, his sword swept through the air with a piercing whistle, its sharp blade tearing through a blood wolf that pounced from the side.
As his body swung with the sword's motion, he swung again, slashing the face of a blood wolf trying to flank him from behind.
At the same time, his left hand brushed past his waist, and a pale red, fang-like dagger was hurled like lightning.
Zhang San, who had followed the blood wolves and was now less than ten meters away, reacted instantly.
He raised his sword to block.
"Clang!"
Sparks flew as the dagger was deflected to the side.
In that brief moment of delay, Li Chunjun, having completed a full 360-degree spin, exploded into action again. Like a tiger roaring through the forest, he carried a gale-force killing intent, charging fiercely toward Zhang San.
His sword swung with full force, like a battle blade sweeping across a battlefield, sealing off all of Zhang San's possible escape routes.
There was no way to dodge!
Zhang San twisted his sword, precisely blocking Li Chunjun's blade-like strike.
As the two swords clashed, the sheer force of the Nine Heavens Thunder Sword Technique, combined with Li Chunjun's absolute superiority in life level, instantly caused Zhang San's expression to change drastically.
Without hesitation, Zhang San's left hand slapped the blade of his blocking sword, barely preventing the rebounding sword from continuing its trajectory toward his body.
Even so, the violent force sent his body flying uncontrollably to the side.
His balance was completely lost.
Seizing the opportunity, Li Chunjun flicked his sword, its blade cutting through the air as it followed Zhang San's retreating figure.
This sudden change left Zhang San, who had no time to adjust his stance, with no choice but to retreat hastily!
But as he retreated, he realized that Li Chunjun wasn't pursuing him!
Or rather, he wasn't pursuing Zhang San!
As Zhang San retreated, Li Chunjun's body shot forward like an arrow from a bow, unstoppable and razor-sharp, crossing over ten meters of air to land directly in front of the beast-controlling martial artist.
A top-tier martial artist swung his blade to intercept, but Li Chunjun's charging sword was suddenly hurled forward.
"Whoosh!"
A cold light pierced through the air!
The thrown sword instantly pierced through the beast-controlling martial artist's skull!
Immediately after, facing the top-tier martial artist who had swung his blade to block, Li Chunjun's hands moved with precision, gripping the incoming blade.
"Buzz!"
With a flick of force!
The top-tier martial artist's palm webbing split open, and the blade he held was forcibly wrested away. Li Chunjun then swung it horizontally, slashing the martial artist's throat before spinning and hurling the blade toward another top-tier martial artist protecting the beast controller.
"Clang!"
Sparks flew!
The other top-tier martial artist, who had rushed to assist, was forced to block in horror, halting his advance.
At that moment, Li Chunjun, now unarmed, lunged toward the beast-controlling martial artist. Before the body, pierced through the skull, had even hit the ground, Li Chunjun grabbed the hilt of the sword he had thrown earlier…
Pulled it out!
Turned!
Adjusted his stance!
And once again faced the approaching Zhang San!
From repelling Zhang San, the innate martial artist, to throwing a sword to kill the beast-controlling martial artist, to disarming and slashing the throat of a top-tier martial artist, and finally hurling the blade to force back another top-tier martial artist.
The entire process flowed like water, without the slightest delay.
The beauty of slaughter was fully displayed in this sequence, vivid and intense.
(End of the Chapter)
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