Hunt Reversed
Lam Minh no longer hid on the mountaintop. He stepped out of the shadows, standing on a high rock ledge, letting the moonlight illuminate his figure. He no longer restrained his aura. The power of a Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, blended with a chilling killing intent, radiated out like a wave, sweeping through the entire forest.
This action immediately drew attention.
The herd of boars and the troop of monkeys, who had been fighting frantically below, suddenly froze. Their animal instincts told them that a predator far more terrifying than the enemy before them had just appeared. They simultaneously raised their heads, looking towards Lam Minh, their eyes no longer filled with aggression, but with fear and submission.
The boar sow and the monkey alpha, the two Mid-stage Foundation Establishment creatures, also felt the absolute suppression. They let out weak whimpers, then signaled their herds to slowly retreat, clearing a path. They did not dare to remain in a place with such a terrifying existence.
In an instant, the chaotic battlefield became strangely quiet. The two monster herds, who had just been slaughtering each other, now silently withdrew, leaving a large empty space in front of the ancient temple.
Inside the base, the sudden change outside was also detected.
"Report! Report, Sir Black Shadow!" the subordinate on duty cried out in panic. "The monsters outside... they've suddenly stopped attacking and are retreating!"
"Retreating?" Black Shadow, who was presiding over the formation, frowned. "Why are they retreating?"
"It's... unclear, sir! But... but the aura monitoring system has just detected an extremely powerful energy signature that just appeared above! Very strong! Stronger than anything we've ever recorded!"
Black Shadow's heart skipped a beat.
He's here!
The tiger he had been waiting for had finally revealed itself.
"What is he doing?" Black Shadow asked, his voice a little rushed.
"He's... he's just standing still on a rock ledge, sir. Not moving at all."
"Standing still?" Black Shadow grew even more suspicious. "What does he want? Is he provoking us?"
He couldn't understand. Why would the enemy choose to reveal himself at this exact moment? Why release such a powerful aura? This was not the style of an assassin at all.
This abnormality made Black Shadow even more vigilant. He ordered his subordinates to continue maintaining the formation, while focusing the entire surveillance system on Lam Minh's position. He believed this was another of the opponent's psychological traps.
He had no idea that Lam Minh was no longer playing psychological games. He was just giving his enemy one last chance to feel the presence of the god of death.
Lam Minh stood on the rock ledge, taking a deep breath. He looked down at the ancient temple below, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
He drew the Thuan Thien sword.
He didn't channel any flashy sword qi. He just slowly poured his spiritual energy into the blade. The entire spiritual energy of a perfected Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, tempered by Dragon qi and the Frost Jade Spirit Ginseng, was condensed to the extreme.
The sword in his hand began to hum, emitting a low buzzing sound. The jade-green glow on its blade didn't explode outwards, but instead, it retracted inwards, making the sword look like a block of deep, profound jade.
He raised the sword, pointing it straight at the ancient temple.
There was no roar. No earth-shattering aura. Only a deathly silence.
He poured all his rage, all his killing intent, into a single attack.
An attack that would end everything.
Primeval Dragon God Art – Third Form: Divine Dragon Rends the Heavens!
He slashed the sword downwards.
Not a single streak of light was created. Not a single sound was emitted.
Only the air in front of him seemed to compress, then shatter in silence.
And from it, an invisible, colorless sword intent, yet carrying an unimaginable destructive power, shot straight towards the ancient temple. It didn't fly through the air, but seemed to pierce through space itself, appearing instantly before its target.
Inside the base.
"He... he swung his sword!" the subordinate yelled. "But... but nothing happened! No sword qi, no energy!"
Black Shadow was also stunned. What kind of joke was this?
But immediately, a feeling of extreme danger, a feeling he only had when facing death, erupted in his heart.
"DEFENSIVE SHIELD!!! MAXIMUM!!!" he roared subconsciously.
But it was too late.
THUMP...
It wasn't an explosion. It was a dull, heavy sound, as if something incredibly heavy had just pierced through.
The base's entire defensive barrier, the one Black Shadow was so proud of, the one that could withstand an attack from a Golden Core cultivator, suddenly shattered like glass, without a single warning sign.
The invisible sword intent continued downwards, piercing through the thick layer of earth and rock, through the metal shell of the base, like a hot knife through a block of butter.
It didn't destroy the entire base. It was aimed at a single target.
The sacrificial altar.
BOOM!!!!
A terrifying explosion finally echoed from deep within the earth. The entire altar area, along with the "Night Shadows" performing the ritual, and the unfortunate victims, were all pulverized into dust by the domineering sword intent.
The base shook violently as if struck by a magnitude 10 earthquake. Earth and rock collapsed. Tunnels caved in.
Black Shadow and his remaining subordinates were thrown aside, fresh blood spraying from their mouths. He was lucky to be on the outer edge of the formation and escaped death, but he was still severely injured, the spiritual energy in his body in chaos.
He crawled out from the rubble, looking towards the center of the base, which was now just a deep, dark pit, his eyes filled with horror and disbelief.
One blow.
Just a single sword strike from several kilometers away.
It had completely destroyed the defensive system and the heart of his base.
This power... was absolutely not that of a Golden Core cultivator.
"Nascent... Nascent Soul...?" he stammered, absolute fear enveloping him.
The being they were facing was not a tiger.
It was a true dragon.
...
Chaos engulfed the "Night Shadow" base. The sounds of screams, collapsing earth, and blaring alarms were everywhere. The shock from the earth-shattering attack had completely destroyed the fighting will of the remaining assassins.
Black Shadow crawled from the rubble, his chest aching, blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the horror that had seized his mind.
"A Nascent Soul... It must be a Nascent Soul Realm expert from the human race!" he murmured, his voice trembling.
Now he understood. Everything, from the killing of the first two assassins to the rebellion of the two monster herds, had all been part of that being's calculation. He wasn't playing games; he was toying with them. He had enough power to flatten this place at any time, but he chose to slowly torture them, to strangle their spirits.
This was a humiliation, but also a warning.
"Retreat! Everyone retreat immediately!" Black Shadow roared, without a shred of hesitation. "Leave everything behind! Use escape route number 3! Now!"
Staying here for another second was suicide. He didn't know when the second attack would fall. Facing a Nascent Soul expert, all resistance was meaningless.
The surviving "Night Shadows," about ten of them, scurried like frightened rats, quickly obeying the order. They no longer had the cold demeanor of top assassins, only panic and a thirst for life. They pushed and shoved each other, rushing towards a secret tunnel.
Black Shadow was the last to flee. Before leaving, he turned back, looking at the deep pit in the center of the base, his eyes filled with hatred and fear. He would remember this blood debt.
On the high mountain.
Lam Minh was still standing there, observing silently. His spiritual sense had "seen" the entire chaos inside the base.
He saw them fleeing in panic.
"Trying to run?" he smirked. "But the fun has only just begun."
He didn't give chase immediately. He knew where the escape route they were taking would lead. Blood Fang's memories had told him every nook and cranny of this base.
He slowly walked down the mountain, not fast, not slow, like a stroller enjoying the fresh air after a rain.
He walked to the main entrance of the ancient temple, where the steel door was already dented. He didn't need to break it. He just gently placed his hand on it, and a powerful stream of spiritual energy flowed in.
CRACKLE...
The internal mechanical lock was destroyed. The tens-of-tons-heavy door slowly swung open, revealing a dark tunnel leading underground.
Lam Minh leisurely stepped inside. He didn't look like someone on a hunt, but more like a king inspecting his domain.
He walked through the ruined corridors, the destroyed rooms. He saw torture instruments, iron cages, and dried pools of blood. Evidence of the crimes they had committed.
The killing intent in his eyes grew even thicker.
Finally, he arrived before a stone wall. This was the entrance to escape tunnel number 3. This wall was made of a special kind of rock, capable of isolating spiritual sense. Without prior knowledge, no one would ever discover it.
He could hear the sound of hurried footsteps and panting from inside. They were getting very close.
Lam Minh didn't break the wall. He just stood there, leaning against a stone pillar, his arms crossed over his chest, waiting silently.
He was waiting for his prey to walk right into his trap.
Inside the tunnel, Black Shadow and his subordinates were running for their lives. The faint light at the end of the tunnel was visible. The exit was right in front of them.
"Hurry up! We're almost out!" Black Shadow yelled, urging them on.
The hope of survival flared in their hearts.
Black Shadow was the first to rush out of the tunnel exit. He took a deep breath of the outside air. He had escaped!
But his joy didn't last for even a second.
He froze, his entire body rigid. He saw, right in front of him, not far away, a person standing there.
A young human male, dressed in ordinary clothes, was leaning against a stone pillar with his arms crossed, looking at him with a half-smile.
A smile he would never forget.
"Hello," Lam Minh said, his voice calm. "Where are you all off to in such a hurry?"
Black Shadow's subordinates also rushed out. When they saw Lam Minh, they were all stunned. The person they were trying to flee from, the "Nascent Soul Realm" monster of their imagination, was standing right here, blocking their only escape route.
The glimmer of hope that had just been kindled was, in an instant, extinguished by an even greater despair.
"You... you..." Black Shadow stammered, unable to form a complete sentence. He couldn't sense Lam Minh's aura. In his eyes, Lam Minh looked like an ordinary person, an illusion. But it was this very ordinariness that terrified him even more.
"What's the matter? Surprised?" Lam Minh stepped forward, the Thuan Thien sword slowly materializing in his hand. "The game of hide-and-seek is over. Now, it's time to 'settle the score'."
The hunt had been completely reversed.
The hunters were now cornered by their own prey, with no way out.