Chapter 52: The Beast Hunt Trial Begins

After clarifying Su Yun’s identity, Li Chengfeng and the others finally shifted the conversation.

“By the way, Junior Brother Fan, you rarely participate in the Beast Hunt Trial. I presume you brought Junior Sister Su along for some fun this time?” Li Chengfeng asked, his face alight with curiosity.

Fan Yang chuckled.

“Something like that. My junior sister insisted on joining this Beast Hunt Trial. Our master couldn’t dissuade her, so he had no choice but to send us to protect her. Don’t worry, we’re just here to have some fun; rankings and such mean nothing to us,” Fan Yang declared.

Upon hearing this, the others nodded subtly.

Meanwhile, Su Yun was already searching for Lin Shuang and Lin Xue. After scanning the area, she quickly spotted them, observing her in turn.

However, they deliberately avoided appearing too familiar, primarily to prevent Deng Wenqing from noticing.

Lin Shuang discreetly gestured to Su Yun, seemingly indicating a direction. Su Yun followed Lin Shuang’s gaze and immediately saw Deng Wenqing.

For this trial, Deng Wenqing had assembled a dedicated team composed entirely of his own family members. The leading cultivator, a Foundation Establishment Realm mid-stage expert, was Deng Wenqing’s uncle, Deng Tingxin.

The other four were also Deng family disciples. At that moment, Deng Wenqing was constantly sneaking glances at Lin Shuang and Lin Xue from the corner of his eye.

This man was truly obsessed, his fixation running disturbingly deep.

A team comprised solely of Deng family members likely facilitated their concerted actions.

Su Yun’s eyes gleamed with increasing killing intent. Just then, Deng Wenqing seemed to sense something, abruptly turning his head toward Su Yun’s location.

Once again, he felt the same perilous sensation of death locking onto him.

Yet, his gaze revealed nothing but Li Chengfeng and the others.

‘That feeling again. What’s going on? Could it be that the person who secretly tried to kill me last time is also here?’ Deng Wenqing inexplicably wanted to retreat.

However, recalling the confident plan he had sworn to Deng Taiyan, he forcefully suppressed his fear.

He believed that with the entire sect’s high-ranking members overseeing this Beast Hunt Trial, and with Deng Taiyan specifically tasked to monitor for danger, he had to seize this opportunity to kill Lin Shuang and Lin Xue, and simultaneously uncover the person who sought his life. Otherwise, he would never find peace.

****

After a brief wait, several figures descended from the sky, landing before the assembled disciples.

“Greetings, Sect Master and Elders!” Li Chengfeng and the others promptly bowed.

Jiang Shengming smiled and nodded, his gaze sweeping over the disciples participating in the trial. This trial was not compulsory, so not everyone present intended to enter.

“Another Beast Hunt Trial begins. My words remain the same as always: proceed according to your capabilities. Should danger arise, immediately send out a distress signal. We will respond at once,” Jiang Shengming reminded them.

Having delivered his message, Jiang Shengming fell silent, ceding the floor to Ning Chong.

Ning Chong cleared his throat a few times before beginning to outline the rules.

“For some of you, this is your first Beast Hunt Trial. This elder will briefly explain the rules. This trial calculates points based on six-person teams. Points are awarded according to the number and strength of the demonic beasts you slay. A first-tier beast earns 1 point, a second-tier beast earns 2 points. You only need to extract the beast’s demon core and exchange it for points.”

“Remember, no cheating! Should we discover anyone attempting to pass off demon cores acquired from outside, their trial qualification will be revoked, and they will face severe disciplinary action according to sect rules. As for other requirements, I trust you are already aware of them from before your arrival, so this elder will not elaborate further.”

“I now declare this Beast Hunt Trial officially open! Sect Master, please open the gate to the Lingyuan Mountain trial grounds,” Ning Chong announced.

With that, Jiang Shengming cast a spell, propelling a specially crafted token towards a slot on the tightly sealed gate within the surrounding wall.

As the token embedded itself into the slot, the massive gate began to tremble with a heavy groan. This portal, both vast and formidable, was controlled by a formation.

Once the gate swung fully open, a dense surge of spiritual energy washed out, invigorating everyone present and leaving them feeling exceptionally refreshed, a testament to the abundant spiritual energy within.

“Disciples participating in the trial may now enter,” Ning Chong prompted.

At his words, some quick-thinking disciples immediately led their companions, rushing into Lingyuan Mountain ahead of the others.

“Hurry, don’t let them gain the upper hand!”

Team after team swiftly entered. Upon seeing Lin Shuang and Lin Xue’s team proceed, Su Yun quickly turned to Fan Yang.

“Senior Brother, follow closely behind Senior Sister Lin Xue’s team. You understand what I mean.”

Fan Yang nodded, then gestured to Zhou Bo and the others to protect Su Yun as they soared into Lingyuan Mountain, weaving through the dense, primeval forest.

The atmosphere here was indeed remarkably pleasant, unlike Yunfeng Ridge, which was characterized by its mountainous terrain rather than such a thick and towering forest.

“This place is truly comfortable,” Su Yun exclaimed.

Fan Yang and the others concurred. If not for the inherent dangers, this place would be a secluded paradise, capable of accelerating cultivation.

However, Su Yun was not here for leisure.

“Senior Brother, I’ve already told you everything that needed to be said. You understand my intentions, don’t you?” Su Yun asked Fan Yang with a knowing smile.

Fan Yang nodded, but Zhou Bo and the others, puzzled by what Su Yun and Fan Yang were conspiring, quickly inquired, “Senior Brother, Junior Sister, what are you two plotting? Could it be that we’ve come here on a secret mission?”

Fan Yang and Su Yun exchanged a smile.

“Otherwise, did you think we truly came just for fun? Don’t ask too many questions; just follow Junior Sister’s instructions later,” Fan Yang replied.

Yet, as they conversed, a group of monkey-like demonic beasts suddenly leaped from the nearby trees. These monkeys, radiating a malevolent aura, lunged at Su Yun and her companions.

This was a trial ground, so demonic beast attacks were perfectly normal. Furthermore, they had to deal with any beasts they encountered without making their true intentions too obvious.

“They’re Thorn-Stinger Monkeys!” The group quickly halted, landing on the ground. The five of them immediately formed a protective circle around Su Yun.

Su Yun quickly scanned her surroundings, noticing at least a dozen Thorn-Stinger Monkeys. These were first-tier demonic beasts capable of attacking with their venomous fur. If a lone Qi Condensation Realm cultivator encountered so many first-tier beasts, they would almost certainly die.

From all directions, a barrage of poisonous needles rained down. However, Fan Yang and the others simply unleashed their magic shields, intercepting all the monkeys’ attacks.

With five Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators present, these first-tier demonic beasts stood no chance.

Seeing the unfavorable situation, the monkeys immediately let out a series of grating shrieks, seemingly preparing to flee.

“Bang!” Just then, a loud bang echoed, and the apparent leader of the monkey beasts was instantly pierced through the forehead by a bullet. Its shriek abruptly ceased.

This scene startled Fan Yang and the others. They had been about to ask Su Yun if they should eliminate all the monkeys, but Su Yun had already acted.

“Your screeching is truly unbearable. Just shut up,” Su Yun declared, holding her pistol with an annoyed expression.

Then, another pistol appeared in Su Yun’s hand. She fired more than a dozen shots at the surrounding monkeys, each bullet finding its mark. The monkeys had no time to escape before they all tumbled from the trees. Su Yun had single-handedly annihilated the entire demonic beast pack.

This was primarily because the commanding monkey had been struck down by Su Yun, leaving the others stunned. Their escape speed simply couldn’t outpace a bullet.

Currently, Su Yun’s pistols possessed enough power to take down any cultivator below the Foundation Establishment Realm with a single shot.

“Phew… done,” Su Yun said with a cheerful smile.

“What? Junior Sister, what kind of magical artifact is that? Its attack speed and power are incredible—one shot, one monkey!” Zhou Bo and the others stared in astonishment.

They found it far too easy. If it had been other Qi Condensation Realm cultivators, let alone annihilating these monkeys, their very survival would have been questionable.

Of course, Thorn-Stinger Monkeys were not particularly formidable among first-tier demonic beasts. Being pack animals, they were generally weaker than solitary beasts.

Among beasts of the same tier, strength depended on cultivation and bloodline. Some demonic beast species had very low cultivation ceilings, their combat power perhaps only reaching Qi Condensation Realm fifth or sixth stage, while others could reach the ninth stage.

These monkeys had probably never encountered humans wielding such weapons, and thus had no time to react.

Indeed, the firing speed of a pistol was something that cultivators and demonic beasts in the Qi Condensation Realm simply couldn’t react to.

“It’s a type of hidden weapon artifact that I invented myself. Come on, let’s collect the demon cores from those monkeys,” Su Yun instructed.

The group quickly moved to clean up the battlefield. Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators didn’t need to disembowel the monkeys; with a wave of their hands, a thumb-sized, bright green crystal would fly out from each monkey’s body.

These were demon cores—wood-attributed demon cores.

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