Chapter 160: Chapter 157: Trying to Rob Me? I’ll One-Shot You and Scatter Your Ashes
Wang Meng’s face was filled with sincere amazement.
"This isn’t some combat Talent!"
"This is clearly a walking, talking treasure-seeking radar!"
Han Feng just smiled without offering much of an explanation.
The two had made an agreement long ago.
Whoever found something got to keep it.
If assistance was needed, the spoils would be divided based on contribution.
Han Feng had discovered this piece of "Blue Smoke Crystal."
Wang Meng had only put in the labor and voluntarily asked for just a ten percent finder’s fee.
Han Feng didn’t stand on ceremony with him and put the ore away directly.
Having gotten a taste of success, the two continued forward.
Han Feng’s Perception Field had become the most efficient ore detector.
It was uncannily accurate, especially for Spiritual Artifacts buried deep underground.
Along the way, they successively unearthed three more pieces of Tier One Upper Grade Fire Copper Ore, as well as a small cluster of the Tier Two Spirit Plant, "Blood Coagulation Grass," growing deep within a rock crevice.
Wang Meng, following behind, went from initial shock to later numbness.
Now, he had completely turned into Han Feng’s personal excavator.
Although these items weren’t as valuable as the Blue Smoke Crystal, their strength was in their quantity.
Small amounts added up, and it was a considerable sum.
The two couldn’t be bothered to deal with the Demon Beasts they encountered along the path, unless the beasts attacked first, or were a particularly rare species.
The materials from Low Tier Demon Beasts here simply weren’t worth much.
They also took up backpack space, making it far more practical to carry a few more ores.
As the two ventured deeper, their backpacks grew increasingly full.
The Spiritual Qi fluctuations emitted by these Spirit Plants and Spirit Ores weren’t strong individually, but when gathered together, they were like a torch in the night.
They began to attract predators with keen senses of smell from the surrounding area.
A few malicious dots of Qi Blood light began to appear in Han Feng’s Perception Field.
They followed from a great distance, maintaining a delicate gap, neither drawing closer nor leaving.
"We’re being watched."
Wang Meng also sensed something was wrong. He glanced back at the empty jungle and tightened his grip on his axe handle.
"Ignore them. As long as they don’t get too close, we’ll be fine."
Han Feng’s voice was calm.
These were mostly Demon Beasts at the Late Middle Stage of Tier One, attracted by the "wealth" they carried, but too afraid to approach recklessly.
But trouble always had a way of showing up uninvited.
Just as the two were passing through a dense thicket of bushes, a sudden, urgent alarm blared at the edge of Han Feng’s Perception Field!
"Watch out!"
Before the words had even left his mouth, three black shadows dove down from the treetops to the side like lightning!
Their target was Wang Meng, who was walking in front!
The three Demon Beasts were not large. They looked like monkeys, with grayish-brown fur that blended almost perfectly with the tree trunks.
They were extremely fast and agile, leaping without a sound.
"Get lost!"
Wang Meng’s reaction was also incredibly fast. With a roar, he swept his Giant Axe out horizontally.
But the three gray monkeys were exceptionally cunning, easily dodging the axe blade in mid-air.
They kicked off the flat of the axe, using the force to spring away and instantly vanish into the dense surrounding woods.
Han Feng immediately raised his "Sand Python" pistol.
But in his [Spiritual Vision], the creatures were leaping up and down in the jungle, their figures obscured by countless branches and leaves, making it impossible to get a lock.
"Damn it, what the hell are those things!"
Wang Meng cursed in frustration.
The two had no choice but to stand back-to-back, warily watching their surroundings.
CHITTER! CHITTER!
Shrill cries came from all directions.
More gray monkeys emerged from the woods, over a dozen of them, completely surrounding the pair.
The creatures weren’t in a hurry to attack, merely leaping and harassing them from the periphery.
"They’re ’Jungle Shadow Monkeys,’ Tier One Late Stage Demon Beasts."
Han Feng said in a low voice. "This type of Demon Beast isn’t strong individually, but they excel at hunting in packs. They’re fast and extremely annoying."
"What do we do? We can’t go on like this."
Wang Meng was getting anxious.
"Wait."
Han Feng’s eyes were calm.
"Wait for them to attack first. We’ll play defense and counter."
As soon as his voice fell, the boldest Jungle Shadow Monkey lunged from Han Feng’s blind spot!
Its claws glinted coldly, aiming straight for the back of his neck!
The instant it moved, Han Feng’s body had already reacted.
His Perception Field had long since captured its trajectory.
Without looking back, Han Feng swung the Profound Turtle Shield in his left hand behind him, precisely blocking the path of the claws.
CLANG!
A piercing screech of metal on metal rang out.
The Profound Turtle Shield’s Energy Shield flared to life instantly. The Jungle Shadow Monkey’s claws scraped a long trail of sparks, but failed to do any damage.
Its attack blocked, the Jungle Shadow Monkey flipped over, intending to retreat.
But how could Han Feng give it the chance?
"Die!"
The Black Tungsten Gold Longsword had appeared in his right hand at some point.
With a flash of sword light, the blade, wreathed in silver-gray Sword Qi, drew a fatal arc.
SQUELCH!
The Jungle Shadow Monkey was sliced in two before it could even scream, spilling hot blood and viscera all over the ground.
This single strike completely enraged the pack of monkeys.
SKREEE! SKREEE! SKREEE!
Amidst the ear-piercing shrieks, all the Jungle Shadow Monkeys attacked simultaneously from every direction as if they’d gone mad.
"Brother Meng, hold the line!"
Han Feng shouted in a low voice.
Back to back, the Longsword and Giant Axe in their hands blurred into a flurry of light.
For a moment, the glint of sword and axe clashed relentlessly with the monkeys’ sharp claws.
The dull thuds of weapons hitting flesh and the pained cries of Demon Beasts rose and fell one after another.
It took a full seven or eight minutes for the two of them to slay all dozen-plus Jungle Shadow Monkeys.
The ground was littered with monkey corpses, and both men were panting from exhaustion.
"Damn it, that was a pain in the ass!"
Wang Meng plopped down on the ground, spat on a cut on his hand, and wore a look of utter annoyance.
Han Feng didn’t say anything, just quietly inspected his Profound Turtle Shield.
The light of the Shield’s Energy Shield had dimmed considerably.
’My Attack Power is high enough,’ he thought. ’A single shot or a single strike can pose a fatal threat to a Tier Two Early Stage Demon Beast. But my weaknesses are just as obvious. My agility is too low, and my defense relies entirely on a single shield. Against these speed-type opponents, the advantage of a firearm is greatly diminished. If an opponent’s Attack Power is strong enough to break the Profound Turtle Shield in one hit, I’ll be in real danger. Or, if I run into an enemy skilled at ranged attacks, my Body Tempering Realm physique wouldn’t stand a chance.’
’My strength is still too weak. I have to complete the Sword Bone Transformation as soon as possible.’
Han Feng tightened his grip on his Longsword, the thought more intense than ever before.
Just as the two were resting, intense energy fluctuations and the sounds of battle suddenly came from the distance.
"There’s something going on over there. Let’s go check it out."
The two exchanged a glance, suppressed their auras, and crept over quietly.
After crossing a mountain ridge, the scene ahead made them stop in their tracks.
At the entrance to a valley, a massive, green-scaled lizard was locked in a fierce battle with five human Martial Artists.
The lizard’s strength had shockingly reached the Tier Two Middle Stage!
As for the five people, they wore matching silver-white combat uniforms with a flame-like emblem on the chest. The man in the lead had a Cultivation that had reached the Meridian Passage Realm Third Layer, on par with Captain Zhang Hao.
At the center of their battle, inside the valley, a small, entirely crimson tree bore three fruits.
Tier Two Spirit Fruit, Red Flame Fruit!
Just as Han Feng and Wang Meng were observing the battle, a team member responsible for keeping watch sensed something. He whipped his head around, his gaze sweeping towards their hiding spot.
"Who’s there? Get out here!"
Han Feng had no intention of hiding. He gave Wang Meng a look, and the two walked out openly.
Seeing that it was just two B Level Students from East Sea Martial Arts University—one at the Meridian Passage Realm, the other at the Body Tempering Realm—the five silver-clad people, who had been on high alert, visibly relaxed.
The burly man at the Meridian Passage Realm Third Layer looked the two of them up and down. His gaze lingered for a moment on the bulging backpacks on their backs, and a flash of greed flickered in the depths of his eyes.
"Well, well, if it isn’t a couple of wet-behind-the-ears students."
The burly man’s lips curled, revealing a set of yellow teeth, his tone filled with condescension. "What, has the teaching quality at East Sea Martial Arts University gotten this bad? A Body Tempering Realm rookie dares to venture into the territory of a Tier Two Demon Beast?"
The four team members behind him also burst into jeering laughter.
Wang Meng was furious. He tightened his grip on his Giant Axe and was about to step forward, but Han Feng stopped him.
Han Feng’s expression was calm; he paid no mind to their mockery.
He glanced at the giant lizard, then at the small tree in the valley.
"Just passing through," Han Feng said nonchalantly. "Since you’re all busy, we won’t disturb you. Farewell."
After speaking, he pulled Wang Meng and turned to take a detour.
’The Red Flame Fruit is good,’ he thought, ’but a Tier Two Middle Stage giant lizard is no pushover. Add these five seasoned veterans to the mix, and a direct confrontation isn’t worth it.’
"Hold it."
The burly man’s lazy voice came from behind them.
"Did I say you could leave?"
Han Feng’s steps halted. He turned around, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"Is there something else?"
The burly man chuckled, pointing the tip of his sword at the backpacks on their backs.
"You can scram, but leave the bags."
"Seeing how stuffed your bags are, you must’ve picked up quite a few scraps, huh?"
"This G-13 island is also the territory of our Blazing Fire Mercenary Corps. Paying a little toll isn’t too much to ask, is it?"
When Wang Meng heard this, he was about to explode with rage.
"Toll my ass! Do you own Suspended Mountain? Have you no shame?!"
The smile on the burly man’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a sinister look.
"Watch your mouth, kid."
"Don’t think I won’t touch you just because you’re a student from East Sea Martial Arts University."
"In a godforsaken place like this, plenty of students ’go missing’ every year."
He took a step forward, and the pressure of a Meridian Passage Realm Third Layer expert pressed down on them like a massive boulder.
"I’ll count to three. Leave the bags and scram."
"Otherwise, I don’t mind tossing you over to feed that lizard."
The other four team members also spread out, their weapons glinting coldly, cutting off all avenues of escape.
Clearly, this wasn’t the first time they’d engaged in robbery and murder.
Han Feng held back Wang Meng, who was about to lash out, his own heart turning to ice.
He detested this kind of time-wasting trouble.
He just wanted to get money as quickly as possible, trade for a Cultivation Technique on the Black Market, and then continue his frenzied quest to power-level.
Han Feng looked up, meeting the burly man’s impatient gaze, and asked calmly.
"Really, no room for negotiation?"
The burly man sneered, thinking the student was scared.
He shouldered his longsword and said in a tone that was like passing judgment.
"Drop your stuff. Scram."
