Chapter 164: Hunt

Ace found this mission difficult because even if he manages to pull of thievery on Pill Flame and Beast Calling, it would not be the case for Nightmare Ghosts. 

Because no one know where their capital-level branches were located!     

As for how they conduct the business of assassination… hah, it's for later. 

Ace smiled bitterly after he didn't get any information from the system like always. He could now do nothing but burn in this fire that he set by himself. 

"You guys bought this upon yourself!" Ace mumbles in an icy tone while clenching his fists, "I'll make sure to empty everything and not only just from your main branches!" 

Ace blame everything on those organizations since the system was only doing what it was supposed to be. It's just that the timing was very terrible and this put Ace in a lousy mood!

"[A true thief never let an opportunity pass by!]" A crisp voice rang in Ace's mind at this moment. 

"Heh, just like you." Ace click this tongue and sneered because he knew this wasn't the system.

'I should also continue moving, now that those two are gone in different directions. I should first find that lizard.' Ace thought and toss this mission topic back to his head since it was not the time to mull over it neither the location.

In the heavy Rain, Ace used the breathless stealth and lightning steps and headed straight to the depth of this forest with no hint of hesitation. 

Now that the martial sense was not present to hinder him anymore Ace was moving at full speed. 

Ace knew he had little time before that expert would come back and he also didn't know just when would this rain going to stop falling. 

That's why he first wanted to find the Phantom Horn Lizard so he could hide and leave when he thought the time was right. 

Ten hours pass. 

The rain was coming heavy, and it didn't show any sign of slowing down. Now one could see the black water on muddy ground which mean the black swap was overflowing. 

Ace didn't stop moving for even a second until now because he sense something. 

This place was filled with wild night blue flowers and tall black bark tress.

Ace was standing on a black branch of a tall tree, he was using his heavenly sense and calmly observing something fifty meters from his position. 

There was an eight inches long lizard, it was pitch black included its big round eyes that cover half of its skull and there was no iris in them nor eye shuttles.

However, there was a blue horn on its head. This horn was only one inch long, and it was curved like a new moon and sharp like a blade. This was the Phantom Horn Lizard of the fifth Qi gate realm! 

Currently, this Phantom Horn Lizard was resting on a large black mushroom with no care of its surroundings because this part was the core of the dark swamp forest and also the most toxic!   

No one dares to come here until they're peak stage Qi foundation realm cultivators with many years of experience and a huge amount of antidotes pills! 

Moreover, this Phantom Horn Lizard was a lethal poison itself and that's why its predators were in single digits in this entire forest. 

However, Ace was not like anyone and this place was like the outside world to him except for the rain and swamp or the annoying bugs. 

At this moment the phantom horn lizard was lazing around when suddenly the luster in its pitch-black eyes faded because it was dead!

The very next moment, Ryan's figure emerged beside the dead Phantom Horn Lizard like a ghost. 

"Too easy." Ace chuckles lightly and with a wave of his hand place the corpse of the Phantom Lizard in his thief's space. 

Ace easily killed this lizard with a soul-piercing bullet from fifty meters away. This soul attack was too powerful for any being to handle below Ace's cultivation base and its range was profoundly connected with Ace's Heavenly Sense! 

Meaning he can kill anyone from 250Meters away!

He could still pick Qi fluctuation or soul signatures from 500 meters away with his soul sense, though.

'I'm hundreds of miles inside this forest and there are still eleven days remaining until the end of the competition. That expert was watching the contestants and probably wouldn't think I can pick his martial sense which lesser his chance to come here anytime soon much less he didn't have this kind of martial sense range. I should just stay here for ten days before sneaking back.' Ace mused and stuck with his plan of staying in this part of the forest. 

Ace found an excellent hiding place and chose to stay there for ten days.

Although, he was almost sure that Alvin would not come here from his experience. But he didn't take any chances and made some preparation in the case Alvin decide to come. 

After preparing everything, he sat there cross-legged and also closed his eyes while he pondered over Soul Barrier of Soul Guardian Barrier Art. 

He didn't dare to practice rune crafting here openly, so he only left with Soul Barrier that he recently began to learn and also camouflage steps.

---

Three days past and the heavy rain finally stopped but the dark swamp flooded almost the entire forest. 

This makes things very difficult for hot-blooded participants. 

In these six days, almost ten thousand of them die by poison, and fifteen thousand die by the small poisonous insects and bugs that come with black water swamp. 

No place was safe even the trees were deadly. 

Those who survived had a hard time just staying alive, and that's why over thirty thousand participants escape the forest leaving with their lives and an unforgettable deathly experience.

One thing that was worth mentioning was because of rain no one found any phantom horn lizard and this make those with ambitions agitate and the moment the rain stopped they all came out from their hiding places. 

Just like that the competition starts again! 

---

The ninth day of the Kingdom-level Test. 

"How're things progressing?" A voice sounded from the shadow of a tree.

"Very good my Lord, these youngster looks quite promising from any previous batches of Regal Kingdom." A husky voice replied. 

"Hmm. Interesting… how many can pass the Kingdoms Level Test?" That voice question again.

"NONE… But they will give satisfactory performance for us to receive our promised rewards from the institute." In answer, a sweet voice of a girl echoed.

"Good, very good!" That voice sounded extremely pleased before it speaks again. "Any trace of that Sky Stealer?" 

"No, it seemed he has vanished… our guess is he leave the Regal Kingdom." 

"Hehe, just a disappointment in the end." That person's disdainful laugh rang the area with a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice. 

----

The eleventh day of the Kingdom-level Test.

Ace has patiently waited in his hiding place to this day just like he decided to and no one came here not any participant or any experts. 

Now was the time to leave this forest without alerting anyone those hidden experts and report back to the regal city. 

Ace thought many of the contestants would've left by now so this was the right time for him as well and if he was lucky enough, those experts might also give up on finding him in this place. 

But Ace would not take his chances and after making himself as muddy as possible and ripping his clothes carefully he began his journey back. He looked just like a gutter rat at this moment and even smell like one. 

However, Ace wasn't bothered by this since these looks can probably save his life. 

On his way back, Ace didn't use stealth or any flashy skill like lightning steps and he only relays on silent steps to go back. 

After eighteen hours of journey Ace finally reached the area where he was separated from Nola's party. 

"I wonder if those guys are still alive." Ace mumbles to himself as a hint of grievance flashes past his eyes while looking at the quiet place. 

Ace knew probably none of them would've to remain alive in their conditions and with no Qi in this place, except Natalia.

He like his previous party's quite a lot even if he spends little time with them especially Dewan and Nola. 

Ace vividly remembered Nola's painful face when she abandoned everyone for her survival and the final determined look on Dewan's face when he put his life on the line for strangers. 

"Sigh... May we meet again!" Ace mutter before continuing his journey. 

But before he could use the silent steps Ace abruptly stopped while narrowing his eyes into slits. 

'This soul signature!'

Ace looked southeast with a profound look and the next moment an icy smile crept out on his face!