Chapter 243 - 240: Spare Your Life?
In the crowd of spectators outside the arena, most were focused on the popular contenders, so Feng Hao’s situation didn’t attract much attention.
But on the high platform for spectators, countless gazes witnessed this scene. Jing Lou and the other VIPs present that day all turned to the Thief Master with looks of surprise and doubt.
"Such a fierce attack. This young thief is a bit strange," Jing Lou said, his voice full of surprise and uncertainty.
The Thief Master sneered, "Of course he’s strange. Your eye for talent is leagues below mine."
"Yes, yes, of course." Jing Lou nodded awkwardly and asked with curiosity, "Still, it’s quite strange for someone at level 38 to possess such strength. Could it be he has a special bloodline?"
The Thief Master simply smiled without answering, tacitly confirming Jing Lou’s speculation.
"A bloodline talent does make him worth nurturing," Jing Lou mused. "But the level gap is a clear disadvantage. Against an opponent at level 45 or higher, I doubt he’ll be able to gain any ground."
"Stop beating around the bush with me. Are you saying all this just to try and make me change my mind?" the Thief Master said with a teasing look in his eyes.
Jing Lou gave a sheepish smile and pointed to Huo Yuanjia on the projection. "Just look at Huo Yuanjia. He’s already eliminated more than sixty opponents. The gap between them is enormous."
"What’s the use of eliminating so many? The one who’s left standing at the end is the true King," the Thief Master said dismissively.
"..." Jing Lou was left speechless.
Back with Feng Hao, after finishing off the man in black, he had no choice but to start taking this melee seriously. After all, the memory of the recent ambush was still vivid.
The contestants were all rising stars of the Thief God Hall. Like him, they all possessed the legacy of the Thief God Hall, and most had the [Shadow] stealth Secret Technique. To him, this was the greatest threat.
It couldn’t be helped. Divine Sense had always been his weakest attribute. Facing a group of opponents with higher levels than his was basically like fighting blind.
’It’s a shame I couldn’t get a map. Oh well, I’ll just find my next target.’
He carefully made his way along the mountain pass, his Divine Sense constantly scanning his surroundings. The most urgent task was to get a map as quickly as possible and then meet up with Ming Xin Yan and Lu Linfei. After all, Ming Xin Yan specialized in magic damage and had a significant advantage when it came to Divine Sense.
Feng Hao wasn’t too worried about their safety. Ming Xin Yan was one of the top contenders, so she wouldn’t be eliminated so easily.
As for that kid Lu Linfei, while his combat power was nothing special, his speed was absolutely unrivaled. Unless he was ambushed or instantly killed in a sneak attack, no one could stop him if he decided to run.
Before long, Feng Hao finally emerged from the pass. As he did, a sense of crisis washed over him.
’Some people have probably already formed teams by now. Running around blindly will only be more dangerous,’ Feng Hao muttered to himself.
Probing with his Divine Sense, he could clearly feel faint energy fluctuations in the air—the traces left behind by a fierce battle.
As it turned out, Feng Hao’s guess was spot on. He soon discovered a stretch of decimated forest up ahead. Judging by the scale of the destruction, it clearly wasn’t the result of a simple two-person duel.
"Haha... After running for so long, I finally found an easy target!"
Just as Feng Hao was about to leave, a blond young man came dashing out of the forest from behind.
Feng Hao’s expression tightened, and he subconsciously gripped his Su Mu Dagger. His Crystal Eye scanned the newcomer, quickly discerning his genetic data:
Genetic Level: 45
Qi Blood: 55380 (3280)
Vitality: 136 (41)
Strength: 1672 (195)
Defense: 693 (86)
Speed: 1320 (215)
Attack Speed: 311 (187)
’A level 45 strength-type Mage. His Speed and Attack Speed are slightly high, and he’s wearing a full set of Taichu gear. A sword user... this shouldn’t be a problem,’ Feng Hao’s mind raced, analyzing the threat.
Judging from the man’s base stats, Feng Hao was completely confident he could crush him. The only question was whether the guy had backup.
"Brother Zei, look, I’m only level thirty-eight. How about letting me go?" Feng Hao asked, probing for information.
The blond youth stopped, a look of frustration on his face. "Let you live? Who the hell let *me* live? I’ve been hunted since this whole thing started! I nearly got killed by Huang Danian, and now I’m absolutely furious!"
"..." Feng Hao was speechless. ’So he’s just here to take his frustration out on the world,’ he thought. But at least this confirmed the guy was alone.
"I won’t bully you," the blond youth said, a mocking look in his eyes. "I’ll give you ten seconds to run, starting now. After ten seconds, I’ll start hunting you. It’s about time I get to experience what it’s like to be the hunter."
"Idiot." Feng Hao had no time to waste on nonsense. The moment he confirmed the man was alone, he attacked.
Seeing Feng Hao not only dare to attack but also curse him, the blond youth’s face turned livid. "You’re fucking asking to die!"
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
With an enraged roar, the blond youth slashed out three beams of Sword Qi that crisscrossed as they shot toward Feng Hao.
Not wanting to waste any time, Feng Hao used Shadowstrike and simultaneously entered [Shadow Vanish] state. He swiftly appeared behind the blond youth and unleashed a combo, instantly bringing his health to a critical level.
Before the blond youth could even react, he saw that his Qi Blood had bottomed out. At the same time, a cold dagger was pressed against his throat.
"Hand over the map," Feng Hao threatened in a cold voice.
"Map? What map?" The blond youth was still in a daze, completely confused by what Feng Hao meant.
Feng Hao gritted his teeth and snorted. "The map of the Saint Realm."
"Oh, right, right, I have it!" The blond youth finally understood and hurriedly pulled out the [Jade Scroll Map] of the Saint Realm. "Hey, can you let an old brother like me live?" he stammered.
"Let you live? Who the hell let *me* live?" Feng Hao sneered as he snatched the Jade Scroll Map and slowly loosened his grip on the dagger.
Despite the threat, Feng Hao decided to let him go. After all, since he was taking the guy’s map, it was only fair to do something in return.
But the instant he loosened his grip on the dagger, a storm of ice shards rained down from the sky, followed by a Flowing Light Arrow.
"Shit!"
With no time to think, Feng Hao hastily used [Shadowstrike] to escape the area covered by the ice shards. Even though his defense was very high in his ethereal state, the ice shards still knocked off over eight thousand of his Qi Blood.
The blond youth wasn’t so lucky. After Feng Hao dodged, the Flowing Light Arrow pierced his chest, and the storm of ice shards finished him off, eliminating him from the competition instantly.
’Sorry, buddy. Can’t blame me for that one.’ After a moment of feigned sympathy, Feng Hao quickly activated [Shadow Vanish] and crept toward the direction the ice shards and arrow had come from.
Not far away, the expressions of a pair of twin female thieves changed drastically. The one holding a Magic Staff exclaimed, "Not good! That was a Shadow Secret Skill! Watch your back!"
"Don’t worry, Sis. He’s just a level 38 thief. Watch how I find him," the Archer twin said with a confident smile, activating her Divine Sense to scan the area.
"Huh? I can’t detect him at all," the Archer said, surprised.
The twin with the Magic Staff couldn’t help but chuckle. "Looks like he must have run away."
"That makes sense." The Archer nodded in realization. From their perspective, it was impossible for someone with Feng Hao’s strength to evade their Divine Sense. The only explanation for not detecting him was that he had already fled.
After all, both Bow and Arrow Mages and Magic Masters followed cultivation paths that favored high Divine Sense, and on top of that, the twins had the level advantage.