Chapter 9:The Hunters Sent to Die: Kael’s Retribution
Chapter 9: The Hunters Sent to Die
The night was deathly silent.
A cresc:ent moon hung high above the mountains, casting a pale silver glow over the treetops. Beneath its cold light, a group of figures in black robes moved through the dense forest, their steps eerily synchronized, their auras concealed in perfect unison.
These were Blood Fang Enforcers—the elite hunters of the Serpent's Fang Sect. They were not ordinary disciples, nor were they reckless brutes like Luo Qiyan. They were trained killers, assassins molded for one purpose: to eliminate threats with absolute efficiency.
Tonight, their target was Kael Varian.
Leading the squad was a towering figure clad in reinforced robes, his face hidden beneath a metal mask etched with a sinister serpent design. His name was Zhao Xieren, a Core Formation cultivator (4th Realm)—a level that should be far beyond what an unranked rogue like Kael could handle.
"This ends tonight," Zhao Xieren murmured, his voice sharp as steel. "No mistakes."
The enforcers nodded.
As they closed in on their target's last known location, the air grew tense.
Something felt off. But they just could not pinpoint what it was
The forest was too quiet. The wind too still.
Their instincts, honed from countless hunts, screamed a warning.
They immediately raised their guards.
But it was too late.
A single voice shattered the silence.
"You call this an assassination?"
BOOM!
The ground beneath the enforcers exploded.
A massive shockwave ripped through the forest, sending trees flying like broken twigs. Zhao Xieren barely had time to react before a blur of motion descended from above.
Too fast!
A fist crashed into his chest.
BOOM!
The sheer force of the impact caved in his ribs, sending him flying dozens of meters, crashing through tree after tree before slamming into a boulder with a thunderous CRACK!
Blood burst from his mouth. His vision blurred. What…?
The enforcers barely had time to register what had happened before he appeared.
Kael stood amidst the destruction, his crimson eyes glowing in the darkness, his body bathed in the moonlight. He stood alone, hands in his pockets, an amused smirk on his lips.
Jin Mu, who had been watching from the shadows, felt his stomach drop.
They had sent assassins.
But they were the ones being hunted.
Kael slowly exhaled, rolling his shoulders. His body still thrummed with the aftershocks of his previous battle, but his Unparalleled Cultivation Talent had already pushed his refinement further.
The peak of Body Refining had become his playground, and his next breakthrough was already within reach.
But these insects?
They weren't enough.
His Unreasonable Comprehension had already dissected them. Their movements. Their weaknesses. Their fear.
Zhao Xieren coughed up blood, staggering to his feet. His Core Formation Qi flared wildly, trying to stabilize his shattered organs. "You…" His voice trembled. "You can't be at the Body Refining Stage… that's impossible."
Kael chuckled. "You're right."
He stepped forward.
"I'm not just in the Body Refining Stage." His Qi surged, shaking the air itself.
"I'm beyond it."
The enforcers reacted instantly, their Qi Condensation (2nd Realm) and Foundation Establishment (3rd Realm) auras flaring as they moved in perfect formation.
Eight against one.
They struck simultaneously, blades of Qi carving through the air.
Kael moved.
He wasn't just faster.
He was inevitable.
The first enforcer felt something cold press against his throat.
Then—
SILENCE.
Blood sprayed.
Kael had disappeared from sight—only to reappear behind him, his hand flicking away a single bead of blood from his fingertips.
The enforcer collapsed, his throat torn open, his body lifeless before he even understood what had happened.
One down.
Before the others could process the kill, Kael was already among them.
His Unrivaled Combat Mastery had dissected their movements before they even attacked.
Kael's left foot twisted, narrowly avoiding a spear of Qi. His right hand flicked outward—two fingers tapping against an enforcer's elbow joint.
A scream erupted as the enforcer's entire arm shattered, bone piercing through his robes.
Kael's knee shot up.
The man's skull collapsed inward, his body flung into the dirt like a discarded ragdoll.
Two down.
Another lunged at him from behind.
Kael didn't even turn.
His Unreasonable Comprehension had already calculated the exact angle.
His heel lashed out.
CRACK!
A knee snapped backward, and the enforcer's howl of agony was cut short as Kael's palm struck his throat, caving it in.
Three down.
The remaining five hesitated.
Kael grinned.
"Oh?" His voice was mocking. "What happened to 'no mistakes'?"
The enforcers shook.
They were killers. They had slain hundreds.
But they had never encountered something like this.
This wasn't a battle.
This was slaughter.
Zhao Xieren's breath was ragged, his Core Formation Qi struggling to stabilize his injuries. "W-We must retreat—"
BOOM!
Kael appeared before him.
Zhao Xieren's pupils dilated.
Kael's hand wrapped around his face.
And then—
BOOM!
The ground split apart as Kael drove him into the earth, the sheer force sending shockwaves through the entire forest.
A crater formed, and within it—Zhao Xieren did not move.
The remaining enforcers panicked.
They turned to run—
But they never got the chance.
Kael flicked his fingers.
The air hummed.
A single strand of Invisible Qi lashed through the battlefield.
It passed through the fleeing enforcers silently.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
Their bodies fell apart.
No screams. No resistance.
Just death.
Jin Mu stared in horror.
The Serpent's Fang Sect's elite enforcers—the Blood Fang Hunters—had been erased.
Less than two minutes.
Kael exhaled slowly.
The battle was over.
Kael turned to the lifeless corpses around him. His Qi surged, refining the battle's experience into pure progress.
His foundation, already beyond perfection, shifted.
A breakthrough was imminent.
Kael's crimson eyes flickered.
Soon, he would ascend past Body Refining and step into the Qi Condensation Realm.
A realm that should take years—he would crush in moments.
He turned to Jin Mu.
The young cultivator could barely breathe.
Kael smirked.
"We're not done yet."
His eyes burned with limitless hunger.
This was just the beginning.