Chapter 129: The Bounty Hunter

The abyss, nearly ten thousand feet in diameter, was a sight that sent chills down one’s spine, no matter how many times one peered into its depths.

Xu Chen stepped through the void, hovering above the great chasm. Gazing into the abyss, he felt an inexplicable, lingering urge to descend and explore its secrets.

"Come back. There is nothing down there for ten thousand miles but strange beasts," a gentle voice called out.

The Junior Grandmaster stood at the edge of the pit, watching Xu Chen with a faint smile.

Xu Chen stepped through the air and returned to solid ground. "Greetings, Junior Grandmaster," he said, bowing in salute.

"No need for such formalities." The Junior Grandmaster looked up at the sky. "I knew you would come. Whether it is our human race or the Holy Spirit Heavenly Court, almost nine out of every ten have fallen. The natural disasters in the Desolate Ancient Battlefield are far more severe than we imagined."

The two men walked toward the human encampment, which had grown to resemble a small town.

"In the current Desolate Ancient Battlefield, aside from those major legacies, if you want to acquire more treasures or Dharma artifacts, you might have to raid the enemy's main camp."

Hearing this, Xu Chen’s eyes brightened.

"Almost all the upper-echelon races of the Holy Spirit Heavenly Court are concentrated there. Even if Fellow Daoist Xiao were leading the charge, he wouldn't gain any advantage in that stronghold."

The words extinguished Xu Chen’s flicker of hope.

"Since we cannot touch the main camp, we can only hunt down the listed alien races around their perimeter to earn human contribution points. I will be stationed here with three fellow daoists from the Human Emperor Great Dao Palace for the next few days. When we rotate in three days, you can come find me. We shall fight side by side to hunt those listed aliens." The Junior Grandmaster looked at Xu Chen with appreciation.

"Understood!"

That night, in a newly constructed courtyard on the outskirts of the human camp, the light from glowing spirit stones made the room as bright as day.

"We have three months of operational time left. It is no longer realistic to search for treasures throughout the entire battlefield," Zong Changshou said, laying out his hand-drawn maps and piecing them together. "The best strategy is for Junior Brother to go out with the Junior Grandmaster to hunt aliens, while I head out alone to scout for isolated enemy encampments. Little Fu will stay behind to guard our camp."

"Doesn't that make me seem useless?" Li Chengfu asked, looking reluctant.

"Who said you’re useless? You are to gauge our fortune against these maps so I can find treasures faster," Zong Changshou glanced at him.

"That's acceptable, then."

"This works well. We won't waste our final remaining time," Xu Chen agreed. He felt at ease knowing his two senior brothers were well-positioned: one was an expert at concealment, and the other would be protected by the top-tier physical-refining prodigies of the human race.

Three days later, Xu Chen met up with the Junior Grandmaster.

"We're in luck. I just received word that Tong Yan of the Spirit Eye Clan is leading a team five thousand miles to the northwest. He possesses the strength of nine dragons and six tigers, and his two companions are around the level of nine dragons and three tigers," the Junior Grandmaster explained.

"Junior Grandmaster, leave Tong Yan to me. I'll handle the rest," Xu Chen said, his eyes lighting up.

"That was exactly my intention."

The two set off, traversing the sky toward the northwest at high speed.

"Our Daxi Sect is too weak. Every time I team up with those prodigies from the Human Emperor Great Dao Palace, they constantly pressure me to join their sect and become their junior brother. It gets tiresome after a while," the Junior Grandmaster remarked. "It’s fortunate that your strength has risen; otherwise, I wouldn't even have anyone from my own sect to team up with."

As they traveled, Xu Chen could see the Junior Grandmaster was in a good mood, likely relieved to have a reprieve from the constant solicitations. They chatted as they moved, soon arriving at the reported sector.

"Junior Grandmaster, how shall we find them?" Xu Chen asked, looking at the undulating terrain obstructed by distant mountains.

"We shall wait for the rabbit to strike the tree."

The Junior Grandmaster struck the ground with a light palm, and a boulder three feet in diameter flew out of the earth. A surge of immense force caught the rock, sending it soaring into the sky.

"Boom!"

The boulder exploded at an altitude of several hundred feet, showering the sky in dust like a giant umbrella that refused to settle.

"A brilliant method," Xu Chen thought. He didn't know if it worked on others, but he certainly would have come to investigate if he had seen it.

"The upper-echelon races of the Holy Spirit Heavenly Court are mostly arrogant, especially those with the strength of nine dragons or more," the Junior Grandmaster said, like an experienced hunter. "Making a little noise is enough to lure them right to us."

Indeed, it wasn't long before a group of three Spirit Eye clansmen appeared in the distance, walking with a swagger and curious gazes.

"Stick to the plan," the Junior Grandmaster said, stepping through the void and launching a palm strike at the trio. Xu Chen followed closely behind.

"Boom!" A massive palm print slammed into the ground, missing the trio.

"Haha! Isn't this the loser who was defeated by our Elder Xuan?" one of them sneered. "You two dare to ambush us? You truly have no idea how high the sky is. I'll take the strong one; you two deal with the trash."

Tong Yan surged with blood energy, a phantom image appearing behind him as he charged at the Junior Grandmaster.

Xu Chen, standing nearby, grew sullen. *Damn it, being ignored again.*

Two figures charged at Xu Chen. He drew his eight-foot black dragon battle saber from his back. "I'll show you who the real trash is!"

A torrential wave of saber intent swept across the battlefield. Xu Chen braced himself and engaged the two Spirit Eye clansmen. Their pincer attack put enough pressure on him that he felt no need to activate his secret techniques to boost his blood energy. He swung his eight-foot blade, unleashing long, scorching rivers of saber light.

The two opponents turned red with frustration.

"Is that all you've got? If so, you two can go to your graves."

A phantom of a sea of holy solar fire manifested behind Xu Chen. As he unleashed his full power, he channeled the might of a whale leaping over the dragon gate to transform into a dragon. The two Spirit Eye clansmen couldn't even withstand ten of his strikes before their heads were severed.

Xu Chen looked toward the distant battlefield, where the Junior Grandmaster was suppressing Tong Yan.

"Wait for me for a moment," the Junior Grandmaster sent a telepathic message during the heat of battle.

"Understood." Xu Chen sat on a boulder and watched.

"It’s not just about overpowering them with raw blood energy; there’s a certain artistry to it," Xu Chen mused. The two combatants were mere blurs, flickering back and forth in the sky. "The Junior Grandmaster is truly formidable; his combat prowess must be the result of specialized training. That Tong Yan is also impressive—his blood energy is slightly weaker, but he is incredibly tenacious, utilizing his clan's innate talents to the absolute limit."

The battle lasted two hours before the Junior Grandmaster finally caught a flaw and took the opponent's head.

"If my blood energy hadn't been slightly stronger than his, the outcome would have been hard to predict," the Junior Grandmaster said, placing the head into a stone box. "If we encounter anyone stronger, we might have to fight together. When we return, I will record this; forty percent of the human contribution points will be yours."

"Twenty percent is enough; forty is too much," Xu Chen waved his hand, refusing.

"I said forty, and so it shall be."

Over the following period, Xu Chen and the Junior Grandmaster acted as bounty hunters. Most missions were successful, though they occasionally returned wounded when they encountered stronger foes. By the eleventh month of the Desolate Ancient Battlefield, Xu Chen had a share in the heads of five listed aliens.

In the courtyard at the edge of the human camp, Zong Changshou reviewed their recent gains. "We haven't found a single enemy encampment, but we have collected a fair amount of treasure following the directions Little Fu gave us."

"That's enough. Every alien has hunkered down now; the only ones daring to come out are those upper-echelon races with the strength of nine dragons or more," Xu Chen said, lounging in a chair.

It seemed as though a silent agreement had been reached between the human race and the Holy Spirit Heavenly Court: neither side would interfere with the other's main camp, instead slaughtering each other throughout the rest of the battlefield.

With less than a month remaining, the group decided to return to the teleportation point early.

"That's fine. We've gained more than enough," Xu Chen said, looking at the storage room that had been expanded twice.

The next day, the trio set off. The Junior Grandmaster escorted them for three thousand miles before departing.

"Under the Junior Grandmaster's leadership, our Daxi Sect will surely become the greatest sect in Leizhou," Zong Changshou remarked as he watched their mentor leave.

"The Junior Grandmaster is truly a good person," Xu Chen added.

As the trio moved further away from the center of the battlefield, they found another treasure cache. Li Chengfu joyfully loaded the unearthed legacy items and damaged ancient artifacts onto their cart.

Just as they were putting significant distance between themselves and the center of the battlefield, a brilliant white light and a gray light swept across the entire Desolate Ancient Battlefield.