Chapter 51

Xiao Yong felt a blast of cold as he rubbed his eyes and woke from his dream. Relying on the sparse moonlight to look, he could not help but be terror-stricken!

The expensive white fox fur blanket that he covered himself with had already been dyed in fresh blood, turning heavy and wet as if he had just retrieved it from a blood pool.

The corpse of Black Eight-fingers and the goateed men were lying to the side, their four dead eyes blankly staring at him.

Xiao Yong was petrified, hurriedly tearing off the blanket as he checked to see if the fresh blood came from them or him.

That was when a cyan short blade extended from behind him, positioned firmly across his neck. Its sharp edge gave him chills as he shuddered from the fear.

“Don’t move,” Xia Fei coldly remarked. “If you dare shout for help, you’ll end up just like them.”

Xiao Yong forcefully suppressed his terrified expression as his heart started palpitating fast as if it were going to leap out of his chest.

“Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me! I’ve got money! As long as you spare me, I’ll give you all the money I have!” Xiao Yong trembled as he spoke, his cold sweat tracking down his forehead.

Xiao Yong quickly took off the spatial ring that he had on his hand and handed it backward.

The ring he gave up had very fine workmanship. There was a clear emerald space stone inlaid on it. A glimpse was all it took for Xia Fei to recognize this ring to be of a higher grade than the one he got.

Xia Fei took the ring while Chasing Light remained pressed against Xia Yong’s neck, maintaining a ready state that ensured Xiao Yong couldn’t make any unnecessary movement.

Xiao Yong was crying to himself in secret, cursing inwardly at his heartless cousin Xiao Haili, abhorring the fact that he had sent him north. Now, not only he couldn’t get hold of a token, but also he might very well end up losing his life as a result.

“I’ve already given you what I have, don’t you think you should…” Xiao Yong’s voice was shaky as he pleaded.

“Now it’s my turn to ask my question. If you don’t tell me the truth, I’ll send you off to a place that you won’t like, understand?” Xia Fei said solemnly.

Of course, Xiao Yong did not dare to defy the man, repeatedly stuttering out in affirmation.

“Let me ask you, where is Xiao Yu? Was it your man who kidnapped her?” Xia Fei gritted his teeth and asked.

“Who’s Xiao Yu? Oh, how gravely I’ve been wronged. I truly do not know of any Xiao Yu,” Xiao Yong was claiming to be aggrieved, looking particularly pitiful.

Xia Fei felt a chill in his heart. Through Xiao Yong’s words and actions, Xia Fei had confirmed that he was telling the truth and that these people were not related to Xiao Yu’s disappearance. But this was the only clue he had right now!

Xia Fei signed and continued to question, “Then let me ask you again, who sent you northbound?”

Xiao Yong jolted, “No one! No one at all! We had suffered heavy losses out in the east and had decided to come north to try our luck.”

Xiao Yong did not dare to mention Xiao Haili’s association with this because this matter would affect his future. If news about him collaborating with a candidate were to spread, all the hard work that Xiao Haili had done in the past decade would have been all for naught. By then, it would not just be Xiao Haili, but even the people in his familial clan would not let Xiao Yong off so easily. After all, Xiao Haili was the most outstanding talent in the clan out of the younger generation, considered the ray of hope in their clan.

Xia Fei chuckled coldly as he pushed Chasing Light half an inch deeper, the sharp edge of the blade cutting into Xiao Yong’s skin. All he needed to do was exert just a bit more strength and Xiao Yong’s arteries would be severed, and not even the heavens could save him from the inevitable death.

Xiao Yong only felt a searing pain blossom along his neck as some warm liquid flowed down, streaming down into his undershirt as it gradually cooled.

Xiao Yong panicked. He was doing his best to suppress the extreme fear that was seizing his heart right now, sitting there without moving an inch, as even the slightest move would most definitely cause that sharp blade to slash his throat.

Xia Fei moved the blade away slightly, leaving Xiao Yong just enough space to speak.

“Let me ask you once more. Who was it?” Xia Fei asked with a somber expression.

Xiao Yong no longer cared about Xiao Haili by this point. With his life in this person’s hands, he would not hesitate to even betray his own mother, much less a distant relative like his cousin.

He was just about to give the answer when all of a sudden, Xia Fei sensed a cold intent so strong that it felt like it was cutting into his bones from behind him!

“Someone’s here!” Xia Fei felt his heart tighten as he pumped strength into his two legs. He bolted forward and, at the same time, running through Xiao Yong’s arteries and throat with his Chasing Light without a second thought.

Now that the situation had changed, there was no time for him to waste hesitating. It was best if he killed first and talked later!

A few minutes later, Xia Fei was already hiding in a spot approximately 2 kilometers away from his original position. He was crouched on the ground, looking in that direction as his eyes were ablaze with annoyance, ‘Just a few more seconds and I would have learned of that person’s identity. Just who was it that appeared at this time?’

Soon after, a robust figure came leaping down into the ditch. This person approached the three corpses and examined their wounds.

He was almost 190 cm (6′ 2”) tall, wearing only a pair of short pants while exposing a bare chest. His meaty brown muscles were very conspicuous under the moonlight, looking like a well-maintained bodybuilder whose every muscle was well defined and distinct.

The man wore a thick necklace around his neck that was made out of thirty-six black pearls, which glistened with every step he took.

His long black hair was tied into a ponytail, possessing a squarish face and chiseled jaw as his eyes shone with determination.

After examining the wounds on the three bodies, this person exclaimed in shock, “Oh? What beautiful bladework!”

The strapping man turned around and patted his chest in the direction where Xia Fei had hidden, “The name’s Chen Dong! I hail from the Empire of Frost, and I can tell you’ve got very good bladework. I wonder if you have the guts to come and fight it out with me! If you win, all these will belong to you!”

The man’s bellows were thunderous, so anyone in a few miles radius could clearly hear him while his voice was filled with confidence and provocation.

It sounded like he was suggesting a fair and honest challenge between him and Xia Fei, as his words sounded somewhat arrogant, though not unpleasant.

Xia Fei remained prone on the ground, not moving, as he continued to observe him.

All he saw was Chen Dong untie a small cloth bundle and slowly pour everything inside onto the ground.

Among them were a dozen of the red second round tokens! The rest were spatial rings, and the number was no less than a hundred!

‘Could everything there be the spoils he had collected!’ Xia Fei thought to himself.

Shock!

Extreme shock!

Chen Dong had not only managed to escape from the 100,000 candidate slaughter but also managed to gather all the spoils from the candidates he had killed on his way here. Who knew just how many men lost their lives at his hands!

“This person is really fascinating. He treats the assessment like a trial. What he cares about isn’t becoming an adjudicator, but to enjoy the fights he gets into,” Phantom shook his head admiringly, “If he isn’t insane, then he must be a battle idiot.”

Xia Fei nodded, agreeing with Phantom’s evaluation. Even though this person was openly throwing a challenge toward Xia Fei, it was unknown why Xia Fei did not bear any distaste at him but instead admired his audacity.

That was when a layer of ice armor formed around Chen Dong’s body all of a sudden, encasing him in a white frost from head to toe. That shiny white armor he now wore looked exceptionally spectacular under the starlight.

“A Nature Special Ability User!” Phantom’s two eyes shone even as he cried out loudly.

“Nature?” Xia Fei asked, puzzled. The set of ice armor on Chen Dong’s body had appeared from out of nowhere, and he had no idea how that was achieved.

“That’s right,” Phantom was apparently very excited about this. “Nature Special Ability Users possess the mystical power of nature. His ability should be Freeze, to be able to instantly form sturdy ice from the moisture in the air. He couldn’t only use it to protect himself, but he could also use it to deliver intense attacks.”

Xia Fei thought about this for a moment before asking, “How does Nature Special Ability compare against Xiao Yu’s Protection Special Ability?”

Just saying this caused Xia Fei to feel a bout of sadness. It was unknown just where that poor child was and if she were safe or otherwise.

Phantom sighed and sat down on the ground with his head tilted, “Protection Special Abilities prioritize defense and offense is secondary, so naturally, it has a strong defense but weak offense. Conversely, most Nature Special Abilities are attack-oriented, with its defense as supplementary. Chen Dong’s Freeze Special Ability is even more outstanding, providing both a sturdy defense and powerful offense, and is considered the most balanced out of all the Nature Special Abilities.”

The two were quiet for a good moment. On mentioning Xiao Yu, neither Xia Fei nor Phantom felt good, as the atmosphere momentarily got a little heavy.

“Since you’re all here, why not show yourselves? Come out and fight me if you have the guts!” Chen Dong shouted with great enthusiasm. As long as there was a fight to be fought, Chen Dong’s pupils would always be green.

He was now a little annoyed after shouting for so long, yet no one came out, “You cowardly bastards! To actually not have the guts to do anything to me! You’re all just wasting my time!”

Chen Dong then turned in the direction where Xia Fei was hiding, “You, over here! Are you fighting or not? Quick come out and fight if you want. I’ll let you and those cowards behind me gang up on me together!”

Xia Fei was speechless. This Chen Dong character was really interesting, having a love for fighting to the point he was almost crazy over it. Others would usually fight for a reason, like if it was a competition or simply out of anger. But this person here was fighting solely for the sake of fighting like he was born only to fight.

Chen Dong stood there and shouted for some more time, though no one took up on his challenge. Disgruntled, he packed up the items into a cloth bundle and went in the direction he originally came from.

“Pointless. This is so boring! Since you guys aren’t coming over, then I’ll fight my way there!” Chen Dong yelled loudly.

Chen Dong headed back in the direction he came from and strode up with haste, while Xia Fei saw a group of figures immediately scattering in the distance as if they were terrified of Chen Dong, the battle maniac.

Getting up, Xia Fei turned toward the west and began running. Those men who followed Chen Dong were a threat, and Xia Fei was not interested in getting into a fight for no reason, so he decided to avoid them.

Besides, Xiao Yu’s kidnapper had also fled toward the west, so Xia Fei did not wish to let go of any possible clues.

“Phantom, I’ve got a feeling that I’ll have to fight that Chen Dong person, sooner or later,” Xia Fei said even as he ran.