Chapter 141 - 91: Give Me a Chance to Prove I’m a Tough Guy

Chapter 141: Chapter 91: Give Me a Chance to Prove I’m a Tough Guy

「In the Black Fog Space.」

Zhao Ci held a long spear, his senses on high alert as he moved cautiously through the dense forest.

The black forest was deathly quiet. Aside from the rustling of leaves, there was no other sound.

It was as if he and the trees were the only living things in the forest, yet this very fact sent an even deeper chill down his spine.

’What’s it like to be in a dense forest with nearly a hundred living people, yet hear not a single sound?’

Finally.

CREAK...

The sound from the branch was faint, but Zhao Ci heard it.

Before he even looked up, his long spear had already shot upward.

CLANG!

Zhao Ci felt a slight resistance against his spear. His opponent had slashed downward with a short blade. Their weapons met and parted in an instant. The attacker clearly knew they couldn’t afford a direct confrontation and tried to retreat the moment their strike failed.

But just then.

TING!

A copper coin began to hum.

The attacker’s attention was drawn to the sound, and he instinctively froze for a moment.

But that fatal moment of hesitation snuffed out his last chance of survival.

The long spear abruptly changed direction. A horizontal sweep of its tip sliced cleanly through the man’s neck.

The body crashed heavily to the ground as warm blood gushed like a fountain, spattering the earth.

The head, however, took a moment longer to fall.

His eyes were wide with terror.

He clearly hadn’t expected Zhao Ci to react so quickly. He was supposed to be the one being ambushed, but in the blink of an eye, the tables had turned.

"Heh!"

Zhao Ci pulled a wet wipe soaked in a medicinal solution from his robes and cleaned the blood spatter from his face, a precaution against any potential toxins in the man’s blood. He had prepared the wipe in advance, thinking it was an unnecessary precaution. ’Guess I needed it after all.’

The man before him wore an Official Uniform. Zhao Ci even recognized him.

Lu Guan! A constable from the County Government Office, skilled at concealing his aura. Though he was primarily responsible for reconnaissance, his blade had claimed the heads of countless fugitives in surprise attacks.

’If my senses weren’t so sharp and my strength so immense, I would’ve been in serious trouble.’

His heart tightened slightly.

’Lv Maogui died so quickly at the start not because he was weak, but because I’d seen through his intentions and seized the initiative.’

’Otherwise, killing him would have been no simple task.’

’Likewise, without the Money-Eyed Talisman, Lu Guan could have retreated with ease even after his failed strike.’

’If I hadn’t been on high alert, I might have even died at his hands.’

’It takes more than just some basic physical tempering to become a Junior Official in Great Yu.’

’Especially in a place like the Northern Three Prefectures. Anyone who dares come here is a hardcase.’

’After Lv Maogui died, these people all went silent. Their movements are perfectly synchronized.’

’The One-Day Flower-Blooming Gu... There must be at least one High-Tier Sub-Insect in this Black Fog Space, which means the Mother Gu can’t be far.’

’Nearly a hundred pairs of eyes on me. The odds are not in my favor.’

’But thankfully, the space here is bizarre, so they’re probably just as confused as I am. Otherwise, I’d already be surrounded!’

’If I really get surrounded, basic spear skills won’t be enough. A Body Suppressing Talisman and a Reconnection Talisman combined would only last for the time it takes an incense stick to burn.’

’I have to kill some of them first, at least.’

Beads of sweat formed on Zhao Ci’s forehead. His hand subconsciously reached for a Heavenly Concealment Talisman. This Talisman Paper could drastically reduce his presence for a full twenty-four hours. Using it would undoubtedly help him avoid most of the danger.

But after a moment’s thought, he put the Talisman Paper away.

’Risk isn’t something you run from.’

He was tense, but the feeling of killing a man with a single thrust of his spear filled him with an unprecedented excitement.

His body trembled with the thrill of it.

Beneath his skin, savage black patterns flickered in and out of view.

The Celestial Demon Body!

The essence of the Celestial Demon Skill was to destroy and then rebuild—to tear down all that was irrational and establish something new that conformed to the Way.

Of course, between destruction and creation, the emphasis was heavily on the former.

Thus, every kill that followed one’s true instincts would fill a Demon Cultivator with immense excitement. The pleasure of slaughter would, in turn, nourish the Celestial Demon Pattern.

As for the Peace Jade and the warm jade from Gu Xiangzhu, he wouldn’t crush them unless he had absolutely no other choice.

He’d spoken with Kan Luotang a few times and knew all too well the consequences. If the Array in the Northern Three Prefectures collapsed, he, as a Prince, certainly wouldn’t be the one most affected. ’But I can’t be that selfish.’

He wouldn’t use them unless it was a matter of life and death.

"A hunt, is it?"

"Then I’ll do some hunting of my own!"

Zhao Ci glanced at the cliff he had seen earlier. He had tried to reach it several times, but the closer he walked, the farther away it seemed to get. The space here was a chaotic patchwork, and he couldn’t make any sense of it.

’In that case, I’ll just have to kill!’

His ears twitched. It sounded like several people were closing in on him.

Sheathing his spear, he immediately retraced his steps.

The spatial distortion was real, but its pattern was consistent. At least, the distortion along the path he had already trod wouldn’t change.

He had already memorized all the anomalies in this small section. In other words, as long as he stayed within this patch of forest, he would hold a geographical advantage.

He took a step back and vanished, reappearing an instant later on a thick tree branch.

The two locations were far apart, yet paradoxically connected.

A moment later.

Three people in different attire appeared before Lu Guan’s corpse.

They stared at the body for a good while without a word, then immediately scattered. Controlled by the Mother Gu, they had no need to communicate.

One of them happened to walk in the direction Zhao Ci had retreated.

He took a single step.

His vision blurred, and a spatial inversion instantly transported him onto the tree.