After taking their bath in the river, it was now late at night, and the hunters were ready to begin the hunt. Xuan and Mei Long made their way towards the meeting spot.
However, when they reached there, only faded smoke escaped the bonfire, with no one in sight.
"Tsk... Just imagine the types of morons Tai Lei called to assist me," Mei Long quickly jumped to the conclusion that the hunters had already deserted.
But Xuan kept scanning the bushes. The path they were on was a narrow walkway with hard ground, while on their sides were bushes and trees—so an ambush would be perfect.
"Come on, Xuan. We'll have to report back at the sanctuary."
"What about the spider demon?" Xuan asked, still keeping his eyes on the rustling bushes. The moment he said that, Mei Long's mood changed.
"You'll get hurt. My special cultivator talent is detecting how strong an opponent is. You haven't passed the Meridian Stage, so I'm—"
"Bwahahaha... What? What did I just hear? Bwahaha!"
Mei Long was startled by the sudden hyena-like voice from the bush. The hunters came out laughing and pointing at Xuan.
"Is that true? So you haven't passed Meridian Stage? Man, that's like the beginning of cultivation!"
"Hahaha, I can only imagine a cripple starting from that stage because everyone starts from Spirit Combustion Stage 01, so how the fuck?"
"Hmph, since you're weak, it's gonna be easy to slit your throat then."
Having learned Xuan's true strength and that he was weak, Mei Long gave Xuan a dagger and stood in front of him while pushing him back.
"Stay away from Xuan," said Mei Long.
"Hey, Ms. Mei Long, telling Tai Lei you cultivated with this man will guarantee your death, so there's no need to be careful anymore. Now, listen," the sharp-bearded hunter took a step forward with piercing, sharp eyes.
"Step away from the boy."
Mei Long saw the words as mere threats and still stood protecting Xuan. "She thinks I'm bluffing. Roast them both."
Xuan just stood looking at the hunters. He honestly didn't think they would hurt Mei Long. However, the one with the strange big shotgun walked out smiling.
"Hehehe..."
Accompanying his irritating laugh, the gun exploded with a big black ball on fire storming towards them—so fast that the flames caused cracks on the floor.
At this point, Mei Long couldn't do anything. She just froze there, until Xuan stepped in... Boom! A resounding explosion became the aftermath of the attack, with Mei Long skidding meters away in a cloud of dust.
A hunter stood frightened, touching his face as he felt blood had painted him whole.
As the dust cleared, someone's head was missing—the head of the shotgun hunter was nowhere to be found, completely blown to pieces by an attack twice as strong as the shotgun blast.
"What... what... what just happened?"
Even the bearded spear hunter was frightened as well, while Mei Long wasn't really surprised. Could Xuan have actually passed Martial Stage and now be able to conceal his strength? thought Xuan.
The unspoken demon finally spoke, his voice sending chills down their spines.
"Listen. Attacking me is attacking yourself—but with twice the strength you used," said Xuan. He rotated the blade with a demonic smile, like his grin could reach behind his ears.
"Now listen—be still and just let me cut off your necks," said Xuan. He took a step forward, and most of the hunters stepped back.
"Fuck that shit, mere fucking threaaaaat—"
Boom!
The big hunter among them didn't believe Xuan's theory. His temper was provoked, and he dashed at Xuan with a tremendous fist, clenched tight enough to put a hole in Xuan's stomach.
Bam! Crack!
The moment he connected the punch that barely touched Xuan—aiming for Xuan's neck—his neck twisted without his body, facing the hunters. And that's how he died.
Xuan was now laughing silently. Every step he took sent fear to the point where one of the hunters couldn't move. As Xuan closed the space—
"What... what are you?"
"Just a guy who loves cultivating."
Slit! After his words fell on the man's ears, the man's neck fell before his body, forming a little pool of blood where he lifelessly dropped.
"Opponent killed. You gained their 5 Yin points."
Xuan, who was enjoying it—and with the system ringing inside his head—was getting more vibes to kill them all. However, the remaining four hunters suddenly became courageous.
"Hehehe, got you," said the hunter. The sudden expression changed Xuan, and he stopped for some reason.
"You think you're the only one with unseen tricks? You've just stepped in our explosive seed mine," said the hunter, adjusting his lens for a job well done.
"Make a—"
"Rewind." Accompanying Xuan's silent voice, the world around him played like a movie in reverse, and he was back to the moment where he slashed a head off.
Then, with a satisfied smile—surely, the skill he got was unimaginably useful. He looked at the ground carefully, spotting the red seeds. Xuan swiftly made his way through.
"Bwahahahahahahahaha..." Xuan kept laughing menacingly—laughing mentally in front of the lens hunter, who couldn't move because he was scared of how Xuan managed to trespass his seeds.
Xuan, on the other hand, did not hesitate to slash off the hunter's neck—with a brutal force that sent the head up into the sky. Before the man's body fell down, Xuan took the pouch.
Opening it, he saw the very tiny red seeds. Xuan brought out a lot and tossed them at the hunters.
"Now, there's nowhere to run," said Xuan. His grin, his mindset and plan, his movement, and how he heartlessly killed the hunters were becoming too terrifying even for Mei Long.
"You fool! You obviously don't know the rank my family holds in the sanctuary. You think no one will investigate?" yelled the sharp-bearded hunter.
"Okay," Xuan muttered. As he took a step, the most frightened one stepped back and—boom—his whole body exploded to pieces.
The one next to him started crying. He knew he was already dead and just fell on his knees, crying and begging Xuan with a runny nose.
However, Xuan smiled and stabbed the bastard in the head—leaving him with the last man, the sharp-bearded hunter.
"Choose: run towards me or run the other way," Xuan asked. Without thinking twice, the hunter ran towards Xuan—and before he could speed past—
Slit!
A clean cut. His head was cut clean from his body, which landed heavily on the floor. As of now, Mei Long didn't see Xuan as the man she had sex with—rather, a monster.
When Xuan turned towards her, still wearing his dead look, he grabbed the dagger tight enough that veins bulged on the surface of his fist—and boom—
Xuan threw the dagger towards Mei Long's head. The dagger went so fast, like lightning, slicing a blade of Mei Long's hair and stabbing the spider demon in the head.
The monster roared ferociously before it died. Mei Long turned to look at it, but when she turned back again, Xuan was gone.