A faint light rose from the corpse, soaring into the sky. Moments later, on the leaderboard in the Marquis of Wei’s courtyard, the Yin family’s score jumped, securing their place in the top twenty.
The Marquis of Wei, sipping his tea, nodded upon seeing the change, saying, “That girl is finally doing something worthwhile.”
But his steward had a strange look and whispered, “News just came in; it seems Miss Qi Qi hasn’t risen from her bed yet.”
The Marquis nearly spat out his tea. He turned to look at the clock, whose golden hands pointed to nine o’clock. Still sleeping at this hour? This was the Spring Hunt, not a leisurely picnic!
The Marquis’ face darkened. “Then where did this score come from?”
“My lord, there is a guard in the Yin family’s hunting team who is not with the main group. He has ventured into a Level 6 area. This might be his achievement.”
Upon hearing it was a guard, the Marquis lost interest and waved his hand, dismissing the matter.
At that moment, Zhao Junhong stopped and looked in the direction the force projectile had come from, hissing, “It’s that kid!”
Qian Ye revealed himself, readied his Eagle Strike, loaded, charged, and aimed in one fluid motion, calmly pointing at the severely wounded Level 6 earth dragon, then fired a headshot. He then stood up, holstered his gun, and turned to leave.
Zhao Junhong, extremely angry, ignored the remaining earth dragons and bellowed, “Chase him! Kill him!”
Several guards immediately sprinted towards the mountain, covering a kilometer in no time. The fastest one reached the summit, but suddenly let out a cry of alarm. Qian Ye was crouched two hundred meters away, his gun slightly moving, aiming at him!
The guard reacted quickly, judging Qian Ye’s aim and sidestepping to the right. However, he felt an unusual sensation underfoot and, unable to react further, a powerful explosion lifted him into the air.
In the dizzying whirl, the guard thought, “Damn it!”
The Eagle Strike boomed again, this time with a particularly large, dark red force projectile. A burst of crimson light exploded on the guard, shattering his chest armor and sending an arm flying. He was blasted several meters down the slope.
The other guards were nearing the summit when they heard the thunderous explosion and promptly hit the ground. Qian Ye leaped up, rapidly retreating and vanishing into the forest.
Zhao Junhong’s face turned ashen. He had not expected a mere guard to challenge him so brazenly! Although it was within the rules, and clashes would occur in the later stages of the Spring Hunt, it should not have happened now!
In Zhao Junhong’s mind, it should have been a confrontation between hunting teams. Those who dared challenge him were few, and certainly not a Level 5 like this kid!
Most infuriating was the public humiliation. They had failed to capture the offender, and Zhao Junhong felt as if he had been slapped in front of everyone.
Such a humiliating incident could not be hidden. Zhao Junhong knew each noble family had a skilled observer following their hunting teams to ensure fairness and provide protection. If someone like Zhao Junhong, Song Zining, Wei Po Tian, or Yin Qi Qi were in danger, even the Marquis would have trouble explaining. Thus, the entire event was likely observed.
Zhao Junhong slowly climbed to the summit where Qian Ye had hidden.
A guard advised, “Young master, be careful. That kid is cunning and might have set more traps.”
“Hmph! There’s already been one explosion. Why would there be more? If he doesn’t flee, is he waiting to die?”
As Zhao Junhong spoke, a flash of red light caught his eye! Qian Ye, who hadn’t fled, fired another shot from over a thousand meters away!
Zhao Junhong dove into a pile of rocks, while the guard shielded him with his body.
The shot wasn’t aimed at them but at a nearby boulder, which exploded, spewing a foul-smelling, corrosive liquid.
Though the poison was weak, its stench was overpowering. Terrified, the guard didn’t dare move, fearing more traps.
Zhao Junhong, buried in dust and choking on the stench, roared, “Get off me, you fools!”
Other guards rushed up, searching the area, “Young master, let us check. That kid might be nearby…”
Their voices were cut short by distant gunshots, clearly from high-caliber sniper rifles.
Zhao Junhong, initially puzzled by the weak rifles, realized the shots were for the dying earth dragons!
He pushed the guard aside and scrambled onto a rock, looking down into the valley. Three Level 5-6 earth dragons lay dead, their last light flying towards the floating ship. Clearly, these points were not for the Zhao family.
Zhao Junhong almost spat blood.
The Zhao guards had discovered the nest and spent hours preparing, only to have Qian Ye take advantage of his range and kill the dragons. With hundreds of points lost, the gap between the Zhao and Yin families would shrink by several hundred points!
“Find and kill that damned kid!” Zhao Junhong grabbed a guard’s collar. “I want his head by tomorrow!”
The guard, serious, replied, “Yes, Young Master!”
Surveying the area, the guard pinpointed Qian Ye’s last shot and began pursuit. Skilled in mountain warfare, he knew the terrain well. That Level 5 kid, after three shots, should be weak. Patience would lead him to his target.
Zhao Junhong, recognizing this, let the guard pursue. After a moment, he asked, “What’s the kid’s name?”
A guard replied, “Xian Xiao Ye, the only Level 5 in the Yin family’s team.”
Zhao Junhong’s face darkened. Even among the Zhao, Song, and upper-class families, there were no Level 5s in their teams!
The guard, tracking through the forest, found a Level 5 beast’s desiccated corpse. Realizing a blood clan was nearby, he continued without fear, given his experience and the terrain.
After half an hour, he spotted clear signs of Qian Ye, almost depleted of force. From a vantage point, he saw Qian Ye a kilometer away, disappearing into a canyon. When Qian Ye noticed the guard, he sped up and vanished.
The guard accelerated, climbing the ridge. At the top, he saw an open, tree-dotted hill with natural stone pillars. Qian Ye was gone.
Unconvinced, the guard scanned the area, spotting a suspicious black dot in a tall grass patch.
Before he could examine it, the dot exploded with a crimson light! The guard was hurled back, his ears ringing painfully.
“How can he still use the Eagle Strike?” he thought.
Qian Ye, reloading, steadied his aim at the guard’s landing spot. He knew the guard would use stimulants and flee, treating his injuries later.
Qian Ye’s first shot lacked special abilities, so the guard’s injury was moderate. A Level 7 warrior with Zhao family armor was formidable.
Indeed, the guard leaped up, crossing the crosshairs. Qian Ye squeezed the trigger, and the Eagle Strike boomed, hitting the guard’s back!
Shards of armor flew, and the guard screamed, propelled forward. Though badly injured, he managed to run, disappearing into the forest.
Qian Ye, feeling the drain, stood and walked into the dense woods.
The guard, hit twice, especially with the last shot’s enhanced abilities, was gravely wounded. Even if he survived, he would need a long recovery, thus exiting the Spring Hunt.
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