867 The First Match

Mo Wen sat with a cold smile on his face. The criminals were not stupid; each of them was even more sly and crafty than the other.

He realized earlier that wanting to find them in the Red Stone Forest was no simple task. They had all hidden away.

The criminals lived in the Red Stone Forest all year long and were familiar with it. Once they hid, the competitors, who were not from the area, would find it difficult to find them.

When he realized that there were signs of a fight earlier, he realized that a shadowy aura was getting closer. It was obvious that the aura had been attracted by the signs of a fight.

The aura was strong and vicious. It was like several ferocious, blood-thirsty beasts. People with that aura were definitely criminals who were locked up there.

That was why Mo Wen said that while there were gains up in front, there was danger behind.

The fight between the two people led to a deathly threat.

Li Jiangcheng and the other man finally realized what Mo Wen meant.

It was obvious that Mo Wen had long realized that they were surrounded.

Li Jiangcheng laughed bitterly. He finally understood Mo Wen's vague smile. Mo Wen probably knew long ago that even if he let him off, Li Jiangcheng might not be able to stay in the Red Stone Forest.

The criminals surrounding them were all very powerful. They were at least in the Golden Elixir realm. Furthermore, they were all buff and looked like they could fight well. It would be difficult for them to just fight one of the criminals, let alone so many of them.

"We caught three little mice just on the first day. My luck is not bad at all."

A large, strong, bald man emerged from the crowd. He wore only a pair of leather pants. The tattoos and scars on his upper body and his bronze skin made him seem powerful and strong.

The moment the large man appeared, a powerful aura swirled toward them and bashed heavily upon Mo Wen and the other two.

A Martial Arts Grandmaster!

The large man had the cultivation of a martial arts grandmaster. It was evident that he was the leader of the criminals that surrounded them.

"Be good and hand over the jade pendant. I will consider letting you all leave alive."

The large bald man approached them one step at a time. He radiated a powerful aura that pressed down upon the three. His steps were unhurried, calm, and steady. With every step he took, the ground shook slightly. It was as if he was trying to create psychological pressure on Mo Wen and the other two.

"This is heaven's will."

The young man beside Li Jiangcheng sighed and flicked his wrist sharply. He was about to crush the jade pendant and leave the Red Stone forest completely.

He knew that he had no way to escape alive when surrounded like that. He could only stay alive by leaving completely.

He trusted Mo Wen, but he did not trust the criminals.

The criminals could do anything. If he handed them the jade pendant, he might be dead the next minute. The vicious and cruel criminals were unreasonable and had no honor. He would rather withdraw from the competition than to take the risk.

Furthermore, once he lost the jade pendant, he would not be able to collect points in the future unless he stole one from other competitors. Otherwise, he would remain pointless until the end of the competition.

"You want to leave? Dream on!"

When the large bald man saw that the young man was about to crush the jade pendant and flee, his expression changed. He took one step forward and hurtled toward the youth.

If the young man were to escape, it would mean that the prey already in his grasp had flown away. The jade pendant was the lifeline of criminals. He would not just watch as the young man fled.

He was a martial arts grandmaster and leaped forward with all his strength. He appeared near the youth in mere moments. An enormous force shadowed the young man as a hand appeared in mid-air, clutching the young man's throat.

How could a young warrior in the mid Golden Elixir realm defend himself against such a vicious and ruthless martial arts grandmaster? His body seemed to have sunk into quicksand. He could not bear the powerful aura. The hand had come out of nowhere. It was difficult to block.

He knew that it was too late for him to crush the jade pendant now. He would definitely die at the hand of the ruthless criminal when he crushed the jade pendant. He had to escape and crush the jade pendant when he had the chance.

In the face of great danger, the young man calmed down. Those who could enter the Red Stone Forest were not ordinary. They had all been tested by high-pressure situations.

Everyone knew that if they became flustered, they would likely be killed by a martial arts grandmaster.

When the burly bald man leaped at him, the young man bent his knees. Then, he shot upwards and stood upright again. He managed to emerge from the burly bald man's suffocating aura.

However, his move was very dangerous. Even though his neck had avoided the burly man's attack, his chest was completely exposed.

"You're seeking death!"

The bald, burly man's expression was cold. He did not expect that the youth would explode with such power at such a critical moment. The young man had managed to avoid his attack.

"Die."

The ruthless convict's face twisted menacingly. His hand, which was extended, changed trajectory and grabbed the young man's chest, as if he was about to plunge his hand into his chest at the young man's heart, killing him in a single strike.

A dead person would not be able to flee.

However, he was still one step behind the young man. The young man had estimated well. He crushed the jade pendant the moment he rushed out of the terrifying aura that enveloped him. A flash of white light that enveloped the young man. The bald, burly man's palm hit the white light and his power reduced by half immediately. The blow, which could have killed the young man caused him a severe injury instead and made him throw up blood.

There was a flash of white light and the young man disappeared from the Red Stone Forest, leaving behind a pool of blood on the ground.

"Damn it. Damn it to hell!"

The burly bald man pounded the ground angrily. A crater appeared, and sand and dust flew into the air.

The prey he had caught had managed to escape right under his watch.

As a convict, it was difficult to capture participants. The participants could be transported away at any time as long as they crushed the jade pendant.

While there were thousands of participants in the Red Stone Forest, there were very few jade pendants that would end up in the convicts' hands.

That was why Huatian Palace dared to issue them a pardon for their crimes if they were able to submit five pendants. It was not an easy task to get five jade pendants.

"Why didn't the two of you run?"

The large bald man turned around suddenly and looked at Mo Wen and Li Jiangcheng. The two had no intention of running. The bald man could not help the ferocious smile that twisted on his face.

What he was most afraid of were the people who ran away upon seeing him. Those people were the hardest to capture. The ones who still had hope and did not run away immediately were the people the convicts liked the most. Usually, people like that would not flee at first and in the end, even if they wanted to escape, they would not be able to. Most of them ended up in the convicts' hands.

Li Jiangcheng held the jade pendant tightly, prepared to crush it at any moment. However, he did not flee immediately. Instead, he could not help but move closer to Mo Wen. He could not see any anxiety or fear in Mo Wen's eyes. No matter his gaze, they were both calm and composed. Mo Wen did not seem to be afraid of the convicts.

He did not want to lose the opportunity easily, so he decided to take another risk. At least there was still hope before him. Perhaps a miracle might happen.

"Why must we run?" Mo Wen blinked and sat down on a rock. He did not even look at the convicts that surrounded them.

"I like handsome and talented young men like you who do not run. How about we fight. As long as you can block ten of my blows, I will let the both of you go."

The bald burly man laughed heartily and looked at Mo Wen challengingly. As a convict on the death penalty, he understood very well how important it was to give his opponent hope. As long as there was hope, they would not give up easily. When he said they should exchange ten blows, he just wanted to give his opponent an illusion of hope.

Indeed, Li Jiangcheng's eyes brightened when he heard that. Even though he did not know Mo Wen's exact cultivation level, he was sure that Mo Wen was at least at the peak of the Golden Elixir realm. Otherwise, he would not have been able to defeat him and the young man so easily.

Even though it was difficult for a warrior at the pinnacle of the Golden Elixir realm to go against a martial arts grandmaster, it was not impossible.

"But I do not want to escape. I want your lives." Mo Wen shook his head seriously.

"This lad is mad. I, Hu San, would not dare to say I enjoy bragging after meeting him."

"Haha, this lad is really quite ambitious. Is he interested in our points? He's not afraid of death."

"He's just a kid, and he dares to brag so much. I can kill him in just a minute."

The convicts around them roared in laughter as they mocked Mo Wen. He was just in his early 20s and could not be too strong. As convicts, they were sly and crafty and naturally had sharp eyes.

"You want our lives?"

The bald burly man paused for a moment before he burst out laughing. "I like people like you who don't want their lives the most. My life is here. Take it if you can."

"Then watch carefully. I'm going to take it now."

Mo Wen's lips curled up in a smile, and he disappeared from where he was standing without a trace. It was as if he had melted into the wind.

The bald burly man's pupils narrowed. What strong powers. He felt his sight blur for that moment.

There was a flash of white, and Mo Wen appeared beside the bald burly man. He reached out with one hand and caught the man's throat. His hand was completely black, and enveloping it was a terrifying cold that would not dissipate. It was as if the cold of the entire north pole had condensed.

"What a trifle of a skill!"

The bald burly man did not feel threatened by the hand. He thought that Mo Wen was just slightly powerful and not anything out of the ordinary.

He hurled his fist forward and smashed it hard against Mo Wen's palm.

Mo Wen smirked coldly. The black palm suddenly burst with ten thousand feet of brilliance. At the same time, a dark sun appeared between the two and collided forcefully with the bald burly man.

Crash!

The black light shone for tens of thousands of feet and a startling cold swept through the area. The ten-mile radius around them was enveloped in cold. Large snowflakes fell, and a terrifying aura spread from the black light, pressing down against the leader of the criminals in mere moments.

Crash!

A figure flew into the air and hit a large rock. The red rock broke into pieces.

The criminals all felt a chill run down their spines as they watched the scene with wide eyes and mouths agape. The person who had been tossed into the air was their leader, a man in the martial arts grandmaster realm!