Chapter 37: First Prey

Years of hunting in the Black Wind Wildlands had made Ye Jun learn its terrain like the back of his hand. He brought Meihui to the eastern side, which he knew the best, and entered the Wildlands.

He was used to hunting in the outskirts and usually, these areas were filled with only Monsters and Low-Grade Tier 1 Spiritual Beasts, so it made things easier for him.

But things were different now. It was the time after the Black Winter, which meant that the Spiritual Beasts gathered here were bound to be more powerful.

However, that wasn’t his objective here, as he simply avoided most of the Spiritual Beasts he met along the way. It was easier to do when he knew all the ways to come and go in the outskirts.

His proficiency in the Dao of Hunt also helped him.

“Good idea!” Meihui commented as she leisurely followed him, having a nonchalant expression on her face. “We’re entering the deeper territories faster, so we also have a head start.”

This was Ye Jun’s plan. Since others entered the areas with large populations of Spiritual Beasts, he would just enter the deeper territories where powerful Spiritual Beasts resided.

“You do know we’re being followed, right?” Meihui said, still having a calm expression.

“I know. That’s why I’m finding that spot,” Ye Jun grinned as he jumped over the messed-up vines growing all around him. “I have a surprise for them.”

The air was cold and damp around them, vegetation trying its best to take whatever sunlight the tall trees let through after covering everything with their canopies.

After passing through a maze of Black Clover trees, they entered a less dense region with trees thin and tall, as if they were reaching for the sun to escape the cold winter.

Unfortunately, the trees here grew at a distance, which let in more than enough sunlight, so the grass here was tall. But it didn’t hinder their pace at all, as they continued to move forward until they found themselves standing on a steep cliff.

“Found it!” Ye Jun smiled, looking at the scenery before him.

The cliff opened up to a deep, dark gorge. The other side was only a hundred metres away, with the gorge going down to deep underground waters.

It was the Mercy River that dominated the Black Wind Wildlands, so Ye Jun was sure it had carved out this gorge.

Meihui turned around and said, “They’re here. Four of them. One at Ninth-Stage Body Strengthening Realm and the other three in the Eighth-Stage Body Strengthening Realm.”

She jumped and landed gracefully on a tree branch, with a small smile playing on her lips. “I hope you don’t disappoint me.”

“They’re not leaving this area alive,” Ye Jun said, his voice turning cold. “As long as they belong to the Ye Clan, they are dead to me.”

He didn’t have to wait long before four figures burst out of the bushes and surrounded him. As he expected, the youngsters wore the green colour of the Ye Clan, and he recognised one of them too.

Not by name, but by face.

The young man had a short figure, a long nose, and messed-up teeth. He cracked his knuckles and said, “My wait is finally over. I can have my revenge for my brother.”

He was going to say more, but Ye Jun moved suddenly and reached for the young woman on his right. His speed surprised her and made her eyes widen, but before she could even do anything, Ye Jun thrust his hand at her neck.

His hand, shaped like a claw, snapped right against her throat as he looked down at her with cold eyes. Then, right before her horror-filled gaze, he ripped apart the spinal bone connecting to her skull.

Blood poured down like a fountain, covering his hand and the ground below in deep red. The woman convulsed, her body dropping into her own blood as her horrified eyes remained locked with his cold ones.

The area turned dead silent as the three stood frozen in their spots, too shocked by the sudden change of events. Didn’t they come here to kill Ye Jun? What happened to that?

Ye Jun moved again. This time he went for the young man standing behind him. The man reacted in time and tried to parry his punch, but the blow instantly shattered his bones, filling the forest with agony-filled screams.

Ye Jun was too fast for him.

“What are you waiting for?” the short man shouted after coming out of his daze. “Kill him!”

Both of them lunged at Ye Jun, using their respective strongest martial arts to attack him. One aimed at his chest, the other at his limbs’ joints.

Nonetheless, Ye Jun was simply too fast for either of them, as he used nimble footwork to get out of their encirclement and reached behind the injured man. His screams could still be heard echoing all around.

With the cold precision of an assassin, Ye Jun grabbed his skull and twisted it in a wild fury. A loud crack resounded, and the screams died along with it.

The man’s body fell limp on the ground as the other two simply stared at him with terrified eyes. They would have to be complete idiots not to see the gap between them after this.

The short man backed away, sweat dripping from his forehead as he considered his options. And only escape came to his mind.

“You’re a nobody,” Ye Jun said, wiping his hands with a handkerchief. “Why would I waste my time listening to your rant?”

He looked up at him. “You’re Ye Cheng’s brother, right? I’ve seen you wandering around Ye Chen quite often. Came looking for revenge.”

Throwing away the handkerchief, he stepped forward and smiled. “Yes, I killed him. He died in that fire, screaming for his life. But guess what? I broke every single bone in his limbs so he couldn’t even move properly.”

The short man shuddered as rage began to boil in his heart. All thoughts of running away escaped from his mind.

“All he could do there was burn and scream in agony until he became a fried chicken.”

“You bastard!” the short man shrieked. “I’ll kill you.”

In the next second, Ye Jun moved again, and the third dead body dropped to the ground, turning the grass the colour of thick blood.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep