Chapter 390 374: I Don't Want to Be Hunted, So I Had to Make the Client Disappear (Part 2)

However, he had no intention of killing Jiang Qiu out of jealousy for his talent. After all, he himself was a genius and had always been the object of others' envy. There was no need for him to turn around and be jealous of someone else.

It went against the principles of the Three-Life Race.

"Since you're unwilling to join me or any other major power, you'll need to be very careful," Tianxing said, his tone grave. "You're too much in the spotlight right now. You instantly killed the Soul Race's Saint Heir, Hun, during your fiftieth-win-streak match. With countless people as witnesses to you killing him, the Soul Race has already issued their highest-level bounty for you. That bounty is quite tempting even for some Cultivators who have just entered the Harmonization Realm."

"Whatever you do, don't leave Celestial Star City. Otherwise, even I will have a hard time protecting you."

To him, the reputation of the Celestial Star Arena and the Three-Life Race was far more valuable. According to the rules, he was obligated to protect any winning-streak champion who brought such immense profit to the Celestial Star Arena.

And since the major powers feared his background and that of the Three-Life Race, it was impossible for them to openly appear in Celestial Star City and assassinate Jiang Qiu.

Of course, this protection wasn't limitless. The Celestial Star Arena's protection only extended to the boundaries of Celestial Star City. Any further was beyond their reach. Moreover, they were also worried about their champions getting into trouble and attracting bad karma.

Jiang Qiu naturally understood what he meant and simply nodded. "I understand. The Soul Race has a high bounty on me on the Dark Web. A lot of people want to kill me now."

After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Is it possible to have the bounty rescinded?"

No one wanted to be hunted endlessly, and this world had no shortage of people willing to die for a price. He couldn't just assume that Cultivators would be too afraid of his ability to instantly kill a master at the Peak of Fusion Realm; they might resort to sneak attacks.

'Besides, there's always a bigger fish. The only reason I could instantly kill Hun, a master at the Peak of Fusion Realm, was because my Dragon Spirit Secret Realm Space perfectly countered his Talent. Otherwise, a master of that level could have easily killed me in a single blow.'

'And the bounty the Soul Race posted is so ludicrously high, it wouldn't be surprising if even masters at the Peak of Fusion Realm decided to make a move!'

'I have to find a way to deal with this Dark Web bounty first. Otherwise, any move I make will draw too much attention, and I'll constantly have to watch my back for assassins.'

"Getting the Dark Web bounty removed is basically impossible," Tianxing sighed. "A bounty is only ever rescinded under two circumstances. The first is that the target is eliminated, so the bounty is completed and naturally removed. The second is that the person who posted it either decides it's no longer necessary or can no longer afford to maintain it."

"From what I've seen, the Soul Race has invested heavily in this. Their resources run deep, and they're specifically targeting you. You killed their Saint Heir; this bounty won't be easy to get rid of."

"Of course, you could always choose to join me. The Three-Life Race would help you handle everything."

Hearing this last offer, Jiang Qiu smiled politely. "Thank you, but that won't be necessary. I already have an idea."

'If the client won't rescind the bounty voluntarily, then I'll just have to eliminate the client. The Soul Race? They're naturally countered by me. Nothing to be afraid of!'

'With the unique properties of my Dragon Spirit Secret Realm Space, I could probably just absorb the entire Soul Race and use them for Refinement!'

With this plan in mind, he quickly bade farewell to Tianxing. As for Zhu Weiyi, he had already boarded the Three-Life Race's void-traversing vessel and left the Desolate Realm, free from any further worries.

'First, I'll buy the coordinates to the Soul Race's territory and see where I should make my entrance.'

...

The Desolate Realm had several top-tier Oasis Cities, on par with Celestial Star Oasis City. Among them was the Soul Race Oasis City, the primary residence of the Soul Race.

Unlike other Oasis Cities, only the Soul Race resided here; no other races were present. Their trade district was located elsewhere. The figures on the streets were all pure Soul Bodies, drifting back and forth, making the place look like a city of ghosts.

At that moment, inside the central tower of the Soul Race Oasis City, the patriarch of the Soul Race, Hun Tian, let out a wild laugh. "JIE JIE JIE! What an arrogant brat, daring to refuse the Three-Life Race's offer and go it alone?"

"You must have a death wish!"

He and the upper echelons of the Soul Race had already seen the public information online. Jiang Qiu had rejected the invitations from all the top powers and was apparently planning to pursue his Cultivation alone.

Of course, the boy had used his brain a little. He was apparently preparing to hole up in Celestial Star Oasis City, which meant they couldn't touch him for the time being, lest they offend Tianxing of the Three-Life Race.

"However, destroying Jiang Qiu to avenge our Saint Heir is only a matter of time!"

His face, formed of swirling black mist, was filled with rage. He looked like a deeply grieving father who had just lost his son. But in reality...

"JIE JIE JIE! And before that, we can go on a frantic hunt for the Human Race in the Desolate Realm and reap a wave of their souls!"

'Was a Saint Heir important?'

'Of course, he was. He was the face of the race, a peerless prodigy who could have made history. But in another sense, it didn't matter. The Saint Heir was already dead. Wouldn't avenging a dead man be a waste of resources?'

As the patriarch of the Soul Race, Hun Tian saw a much grander opportunity. He needed to use Hun's death to build momentum, to let the entire Desolate Realm—and even other Great Realms where the Human Race existed—know that the entire Soul Race was now furious and would seek revenge on all of humanity!

The Human Race were natives in the Desolate Realm, just as they were natives in many of the smaller worlds outside. Their lives weren't worth much, but their souls possessed a surprising quality.

In the words of the Yin Yang Great Realm, this was called "possessing a complete Primal Form." One had to understand that the Yin Yang Great Realm was one of the strongest Great Realms in the entire Primordial world cluster, a renowned Dominator Level world in this void. Its systemic culture radiated out to all the surrounding worlds.

If something had a corresponding concept in the Yin Yang Great Realm, its value was undeniable. And one of the Cultivation paths within the Yin Yang Great Realm involved a Cultivator transforming into a humanoid shape.

Why a humanoid shape?

Because transforming into a human-like form allowed their Path of Cultivation to draw closer to the complete Primal Form. It was a process of evolution.

Of course, there were many other Cultivation paths and racial traits. But those races were, without exception, super-races from history, all of whom had more clout than the Soul Race.

Their Cultivation didn't model itself after the weak, but after those with a complete Primal Form and outstanding souls. The Human Race was one such example.

This was also why the Soul Race's Ancestor had originally put down roots in the Desolate Realm. There were simply too many natives here, like a massive, untapped Treasure Vault.

They established their community in the Soul Race Oasis City, plundering the lives and souls of the natives to fuel their own Cultivation. It was a very pleasant affair.

However, they were often restricted by other races. There was a pact that they couldn't openly slaughter the Human Race on a massive scale, to avoid upsetting the ecological balance.

But things were different now. Using the pretext of a member of the Human Race, Jiang Qiu, instantly killing their Saint Heir, the powerful Soul Race could now vent their fury on most of the other races. They were determined to slaughter the Human Race with impunity!

The Human Race was a weak race to begin with, with no significant backing to speak of. No one was particularly obligated to protect them. Some of the less powerful races could only compromise with the Soul Race, permitting them to slaughter humans within their managed territories in exchange for a small compensation in resources later on.

And the timing was excellent. In another year, a certain world-cluster-level Secret Realm was due to open, and this was the perfect opportunity to prepare.

At this thought, the arrogance in Hun Tian's chest swelled. He could already picture himself, one year from now, using an Ancient Token he'd happened to acquire to enter that super Secret Realm and hunt for treasure.

A Dusk Token, condensed from the consciousness of an entire world cluster, was practically priceless.

The Dusk Holy Ruins, remnants from the collapse of the previous epoch. It might contain peerless Divine Artifacts left over from that lost world, or perhaps an invincible legacy...

Just as Hun Tian was lost in his grand fantasies, someone suddenly cried out, "This is bad! A black hole suddenly appeared, and a large number of our clansmen are being sucked inside!"