“What’s wrong, Wun Fan?” asked Hung Yu Fei out of concern when she saw Wun Fan muttering to himself.
“It’s nothing,” said Wun Fan as he shook his head. He returned to the topic at hand, “Alright, let’s proceed according to plan.”
“Alright,” said Fung Ching. In Fung Ching’s mind, Wun Fan had no reason to care so much about the number of wolfapes and inner cores if it wasn’t for his mission from the Heaven’s Bow Order. He didn’t have to think of a plan to hunt down all seventy of these wolfapes either.
That was why Fung Ching would do his very best to cooperate with Wun Fan.
He immediately moved after hearing Wun Fan’s orders. He hopped onto the highest branch he could find. He channelled soul energy to his feet and wrapped himself tightly against the tree as he got into a combat stance.
Before Wun Fan could say anything, Hung Yu Fei stepped in front of him. She placed her hands on her shoulder and said in a gentle voice, “Wun Fan, take care.” Frost and snow appeared on the bottom of Hung Yu Fei’s feet and she slid away before Wun Fan could react. She jumped a few times, climbing up a tree and finding a suitable spot.
She waved her hand as if performing a magic trick. Light flashed and a large bouquet of red flowers appeared in her hand. She was ready.
Wun Fan remained on the ground. He stared at the seventy wolfapes in front of him. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous. In particular, the area in front of him was wide and had only a few trees. It was completely without cover. There were advantages and disadvantages to a terrain like this.
Judging from the dexterous fingers of the wolfapes, it wasn’t hard to tell that they were adept climbers. Fighting them in the woods would subject themselves to ambushes and make it very easy for the wolfapes to flee. A flat terrain was free from these problems, but on the other hand, it made it very easy for the wolfapes to surround them. However, Wun Fan’s martial techniques had no blind spots. He did not need to worry about being surrounded.
After weighing the pros and cons, Wun Fan finally decided on fighting in the clearing. He took a deep breath and started to channel his soul energy. He took out a small pouch from his storage ring. It was the Beastmania Powder leftover form last time!
“Old Lei, can you sense the presence of any other magical beasts nearby, other than the wolfapes?” asked Wun Fan. Of course he was going to use Old Lei as a radar again. After all, he had exceptional senses. If he detected a powerful magical beast nearby, it would not be a good idea to use the Beastmania Powder.
“No,” said Old Lei’s ancient-sounding voice. He continued in a grave tone, “However, kid, I must warn you. There’s nothing wrong with treading the razor’s edge, but if you keep treading the edge, eventually you will fall on the wrong side.”
“I know!” said Wun Fan, without really taking the words to heart. It didn’t matter as long as his plans worked out. To the victor goes the spoils! He couldn’t be bothered to consider the consequences!
Old Lei knew Wun Fan had not really taken his advice. He signed. It was true that the young tend to be arrogant, just as a newborn calf is not fearless before a tiger. Perhaps he will only learn once he has suffered the conseuqnces of his actions.
Wun Fan opened the pouch with the powder in it. He dipped two fingers in it and took out a small handful. He said, “Let’s spice it up.”
His method was simple and brutal. If he wanted to make sure the wolfapes don’t run, all he had to do was make sure they were coming at him! All he had to do after that was defend himself!
“Hup!”
He immediately threw the Beastmania Powder over himself and put the pouch away. He then lunged forward and showed himself in front of the wolfapes.
“Martial soul, descend!” shouted Wun Fan, quickly summoning his martial soul. The soul energy in his body circulated rapidly. Meanwhile, inside his martial heart, Li’l Black started roaring in excitement. Every dragon roar resonated with Wun Fan, causing his killing intent to increase in intensity.
Hiss. Wun Fan’s sudden appearance caused twenty of the wolfapes to flinch and shy away. They stood behind their leader, as if seeking its protection.
The leader immediately got up from its relaxed posture when it saw Wun Fan and got into a combat stance. It bent its legs and pressed its hands to the ground, hunching over, as if ready to attack Wun Fan at any moment.
However, a strange smell emanated from Wun Fan, quickly finding its way into the noses of all the wolfapes. The blood in their body instantly went berserk. An odd feeling rose from their inner cores as the wolfape’s violent tendencies were amplified several-fold. Their eyes turned red and their breathing turned hot.
Old Lei’s voice echoed in Wun Fan’s mind, “The Beastmania Powder’s berserking effect is due to the presence of a special herb, known as tombweed. It’s a herb that only grows near the graves of magical beasts. Moreover, the conditions for its growth are very harsh. It requires that the grave be shrouded in negative energy, and the owner of the grave to have a completely unblemished inner core. Moreover, every inner core can only sustain the growth of two tombweeds.”
That was also why only magical beasts, who had inner cores, were affected by this powder. It also explained why the powder made them go berserk.
One of the wolfapes let out a sharp cry. It was easy to hear the madness in its voice. It could no longer hold back its killing intent. It leaped forward and lunged at Wun Fan.
“Lethality: Crushing Dragon’s Claw!” shouted Wun Fan. Killing intent rose from his body, triggering his innermost inclinations for violence. He stared at the wolfape in front of him. Just as he was about to strike, a trace of compassion carried over from his previous life pulled at his heartstrings, Was he really going to kill?
Wun Fan’s claw suddenly froze in midair. The wolfape’s claws struck Wun Fan in the thigh, causing a large, bleeding gash.
“Lethality: Arrow of the Sprinting Thunder and Splitting Wind!” came a cry in the distance. A quick arrow shot out from the distance, embedding itself in the wolfape’s throat, killing it on the spot. Fung Ching shouted furiously, “Wun Fan, snap back to your senses!”
He didn’t know why Wun Fan had suddenly stopped moving. He had no choice but to channel soul energy to his bow and fired and arrow into the sky. Protecting Wun Fan was his priority. He chanted, “Lethality: Demonslayer’s Meteor Rain.”
A bright light shot into the clouds, causing a rain of thirty arrows to fall down around Wun Fan. This rain of arrows repelled the wolfapes that were charging at Wun Fan. This attack’s purpose was to cover Wun Fan, not to kill the enemies. Fung Ching shouted at him again, “Come on, wake up!”
“Do I need to go down there?” asked Hung Yu Fei anxiously. She didn’t know why Wun Fan was stuck in a daze.
“Not yet. Wait ten seconds. If he doesn’t respond, then go,” said Fung Ching. He wasn’t an idiot either. The fact that he was able to become a Martial Scholar at the age of sixteen, despite the lack of resources, was an indication of his talent. Naturally, he was able to assess the situation accurately. He attacked again, shouting, “Lethality: Blinding Light of Relentless Pursuit!”
Meanwhile, a battle was raging inside Wun Fan’s mind. All sorts of images, and all sorts of thoughts were flooding his head. He was confused. A strange feeling tugged at his heart. He continued to interrogate himself, “Was it right to kill? What about his humanity? What about his morals? What about his conscience?”
The Green Wolf Gang were evildoers. They deserved to die. The Green Wolf Gang tried to hunt them down. They deserved to die. The ironhead mastiffs ambushed them. They deserved to die.
But what about the wolfapes in front of them?
Why did they have to die? Because of the Martial Artist Guild’s mission? Because of the Heaven’s Bow Order’s mission? Because of his relationship with Fung Ching?
They didn’t even know why this bounty over the wolfapes had been placed in the Martial Artist Guild, so why were they killing them? Wun Fan’s compassion from his previous life continued to ask himself why he had to kill.
Wun Fan paused for a moment at this thought. He took two breaths and calmed his mind. The corners of his mouth lifted as killing intent burst forth from within him. A malicious aura engulfed him as he steeled his heart and said, “Kill.”
If his path is a path of killing, then he would not stop to consider the consequences of his actions. As long as it benefitted himself, what was wrong with murder? In this world where power stood supreme above all else, it was survival of the fittest. What was the purpose of morality, humanity and conscience? Humans are evil at their very core. Only those who speak falsehoods had to resort to lies to conceal the truth.
Since ancient times, honor and morality had only brought disaster to those who held them close to heart. There was no truth in morality.
Justice, honor, morality, all of it is but a useless illusion! In the end, all of these things were pointless in the face of human nature. All the rules and laws in the world were made only to bind the peasants and the fools. Words like villain and hero are only empty titles.
When a lion hunts its prey, it’s praised for its power and bravery, but who mourns for the poor rabbit?
I will not kill without reason, but I will not restrain myself!
There was nothing wrong with killing as long as he held fast to his principles. As long as he remembered who he was, and killed those that deserved while sparing those that did not deserve it, he would remain himself. This would be the maxim he lived in Heaven’s Martial World.
“Aaah! Better I betray the world, than let the world betray me!” cried Wun Fan furiously. His thunder voice shook the air itself as he broke free of the lingering compassion of his past life.
Let bygones be gone! He would not suffer their hinderance!
Hung Yu Fei and Fung Ching were stunned when they heard Wun Fan’s domineering declaration. Hung Yu Fei was completely dazed. She looked on with an enraptured expression as she thought to herself, Was this boy…really eleven years old?
Li’l Black snarled and flashed its claws and fangs. It soared around the martial heart with overflowing excitement. It wanted to slaughter everything it saw before him. The Spiritstartler Ring hummed in resonance with Wun Fan, vibrating on his finger. It pushed Wun Fan’s killing intent to a climactic peak, so dense that it almost turned solid.
“This killing intent…” muttered Old Lei to himself. He hoped that things would not turn out for the worse in the future.
The thick killing intent filled the air, frightening the wolfapes. For a moment, not a single one of them dared to move!
Hiss! The leader let out an angry cry. It was the most powerful of them and an extremely intelligent creature as well. It clung on to the last vestiges of its conscious mind and gave the order to kill the enemy. The wolfapes moved instantly, baring their fangs and claws as they snapped at Wun Fan.
“Zenith’s Forge,” said Wun Fan. He tossed the materializing weapon lightly into the air and grabbed it with a reverse grip. He swung his arm backward in a throwing motion.
Lethality: Black Dragon’s Halberd Shot.118Please respect copyright.PENANAgvmXosvBBM