"Dao, that kid is still up on the high slope. We’ve been keeping an eye on him!"

Zong had a fawning look on his face. Monkey followed behind him, his head bowed, not daring to speak.

For some reason, Monkey felt that Dao was like a man-eating beast, ready to open his gaping maw and devour him at any moment. This was the source of his unease.

’That teenager is probably out of luck,’ Monkey thought. He didn’t know what would happen to the boy, but it certainly wouldn’t be anything good. A pang of guilt struck him at the thought.

Dao said readily, "Good. You two wait here. When this is over, you’ll each get a hundred thousand yuan!" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Hearing the sum of one hundred thousand, Monkey’s head shot up in surprise. For him, this was a huge amount of money. The guilt in his heart instantly vanished.

Zong and Monkey lowered their heads and glanced at each other, both noticing the grins they couldn’t hide.

Zong quickly thumped his chest, pledging his loyalty:

"Yes, boss. From now on, our worthless lives are yours. Whatever you say, we’ll do. No questions asked."

’The main course and the side dish are both here,’ Mr. Qian thought, overjoyed. ’And best of all, it’s just the two of us to enjoy it. That last time with that unlucky bastard Guangzai, the Life Soul Blood we squeezed out of him had to be split seven ways. It wasn’t nearly enough.’

’This time...’ Mr. Qian greedily eyed the faint silhouette on the slope. ’This is a real genius, the cream of the crop among tens of thousands of students in a single county. Back in Shenjing, we never got a turn with such high-grade goods.’

Mr. Qian looked at the fanatical Dao, and a thought flashed through his mind.

’If I could have it all to myself... No, forget it. We’re too short-handed right now, and that psycho Dao is not someone to mess with.’

Unable to contain himself, Dao pulled out a dagger. The hilt was stained with old blood, and it gave off a faint, foul stench.

His voice was frantic. "Mr. Qian, you or me?" Dao was getting impatient.

Mr. Qian licked his lips, his face flushed. "You go. I’ll watch from here, just in case." He was actually afraid the two "consumables" next to him would get scared and run off. Although they couldn’t escape his grasp, it would still be a hassle.

...

Yu Fei, lost in his own inner world, suddenly felt a sense of unease. A cold, sinister feeling washed over him.

’This feeling...’

Yu Fei instantly recalled his experience during the martial arts tournament. He turned his head and saw several figures standing faintly in the distance, next to an SUV.

’Cultists!’

The familiar feeling told him who they were. Without hesitation, Yu Fei took out his phone, sent his location to Yan Sea, and attached a message.

"Teacher, I’ve run into cultists."

DING...

Yan Sea replied almost instantly.

"Run! I’m on my way."

’Run? That’s a good option, but... it’s too late.’

Yu Fei had underestimated his opponent, or rather, he had underestimated a third-realm Martial Artist.

Dao’s Qi Blood erupted. A crimson aura enveloped his body as he charged toward Yu Fei with all his might.

With his seven-fold enhanced neural reaction speed, Dao’s movements seemed much slower to him, like a normal person sprinting.

Yu Fei quickly analyzed the situation. His burst speed was slightly faster than his opponent’s, but not by much. The man’s Qi Blood was abundant; if this turned into a chase, Yu Fei’s own Qi Blood would be depleted, leaving him helpless. And in that time, Yan Sea might not make it.

His Qi Blood was three times that of others at his level, making it no weaker than an average second-realm Martial Artist’s. Coupled with his perfection-level Ruyi Shen Jin and superior neural reaction speed, he stood a fighting chance.

More importantly, he had the Cyan Lotus Sword!

It was a sharp sword blessed by a Grandmaster. No one in the Body Tempering Realm could withstand its edge.

Yu Fei drew his blade. He held the sword in his right hand, its tip angled toward the ground, as he held his breath and focused his mind.

Han Qiubai watched Yu Fei’s movements and couldn’t help but sigh. Of all cold weapons, she specialized in Swordsmanship. Although she had yet to comprehend the ultimate Crown Sword Intent of the Sword Dao, her skills were still highly refined.

From the way Yu Fei held and moved the sword, she could tell at a glance that this Quasi-Celestial Pride had never formally learned Swordsmanship. ’His stance looks cool, but what’s the use of looking cool in front of a powerful enemy? He’d be better off using Ruyi Shen Jin. That’s standard for a Celestial Pride Martial Artist, and he clearly has the strength for it.’

’Those scumbags from the Illuminati might have high realms, but their martial techniques are pathetic. Among the various dark forces, they’re the biggest pushovers at any given realm.’

Han Qiubai judged that if Yu Fei could overcome his fear and fight with Ruyi Shen Jin, even if both opponents attacked him at once, they wouldn’t be able to take him down for a while. That would be enough time for reinforcements to arrive.

She had seen Yu Fei send the message. ’Have to admit, the kid’s danger sense is pretty sharp.’

’Oh, well. I’ll just wait until he’s in a life-or-death crisis and then save him. That’ll leave a deeper impression.’

’He’s a Celestial Pride Martial Artist, after all, with great future potential. I’ll just consider it building some good karma. Besides, as his life-saving benefactor, it’ll be easier to trick—er, persuade—him to choose Yuqing University in the future.’

Han Qiubai thought to herself, ready to intervene at any moment. Two mere pieces of trash from the Illuminati’s Body Tempering Realm were child’s play for her.

BOOM!

Dao landed five meters in front of Yu Fei. The powerful force of his landing blasted a crater in the ground, sending turf flying everywhere.

Yu Fei found it strange. His superhuman neural reaction speed allowed him to determine that this enemy’s Qi Blood was very strong—not as strong as Yan Sea’s, but greater than the second-realm martial arts teachers at his school. His realm had to be the third realm.

But his control over his power was terrible. How terrible? Yu Fei felt the man’s martial techniques weren’t even as good as Ye Feng’s.

’Third-realm Qi Blood, but first-realm techniques?’

Yu Fei mused, ’When he landed, his power flew everywhere, casually blasting a hole in the ground. But that actually means his foundation is weak. His control over his power is almost non-existent when he moves.’

’In that case, I can win this, even if it’s close!’

Dao drew his dagger, twirling it skillfully in his hand.

"Heh... heh... AHAHAHA..."

Gazing at the delectable "meal" before him, Dao could no longer suppress his glee and burst into wild, unrestrained laughter.

He had fled all the way from Shenjing, surviving by the skin of his teeth. He’d finally made it to Y-City, only to almost be crucified by that psycho Rose. And now, at last, he was in Tianning County, but that bastard Di Yunliang had to tell them to lay low, to stay hidden.

Fuck!

Let that bastard Di Yunliang go on cowering! What kind of threat could there be in this shithole of a place?

Dao couldn’t wait to savor the fear. He loved torturing these little "darlings" and listening to their screams.

"Heh heh... Yu Fei is—"

"What the hell are you laughing at? You cultist piece of trash! Did you forget to take your meds this morning?"

Yu Fei raised his sword, pointing it at the man and cutting him off. ’This guy is clearly a psychopath. To win, I have to make him lose his mind.’

Hidden in the shadows, Han Qiubai almost burst out laughing. ’This kid is really brave, and handsome too,’ she thought. ’But sometimes, provoking a mad dog isn’t the best idea.’