Chapter 2040 - 2037: Death of the Soul Hunter

Chapter 2040: Chapter 2037: Death of the Soul Hunter

Lin Tian had read ancient texts and knew a bit about cold weapons. In ancient Huaxia, dual-handed giant swords were rarely seen as weapons, but rarely does not mean never.

For instance, the Giant Que Sword is a giant sword, demanding great strength from its user. Though there were strength-type Martial Artists in ancient times, they seldom used such dual-handed giant swords, opting instead for other heavy weapons like big axes or twin hammers.

Therefore, seeing this woman wield a dual-handed giant sword, Lin Tian was very surprised. However, her tone was unpleasant, as she clearly didn’t believe in the heroic feats of Lin Tian and his companions.

It’s no wonder, Xiao Manxuan and Zhang Lingyu were dainty and fair-skinned, hardly looking like strong warriors capable of defeating evil spirits.

With a thump, the woman heavily set down the giant sword, pausing on the ground, causing the stone slabs to crack, making the surrounding male Soul Hunters glance curiously.

He Shan, being a rough-hewn type, saw someone disrespect Lin Tian and glared, ready to rebut. But Lin Tian patted his shoulder gently and said, "Let it go. What they think is their business. Don’t attract unnecessary attention, lest it affects my subsequent actions."

"Alright, you decide, your matters are more important." He Shan shrugged it off, knowing the Blood Sea was dangerous, and further trouble from the Soul Hunters would be disastrous.

He Shan raised an eyebrow to the woman and shouted loudly, "Shangguan Ao Yue, I, Old He, won’t stoop to your level. I’m here for a reason today, don’t cause trouble."

"Cause trouble?" Shangguan Ao Yue also raised an eyebrow and cheerfully retorted, "I haven’t even acted, how is that causing trouble? Well, since you said I’m causing trouble, why don’t we have a contest? How about your friend behind you? I won’t bully him; wrist wrestling will do."

Speaking of wrist wrestling, the expressions of the surrounding Soul Hunters turned odd, especially the male ones, considering many likely have lost to her in arm wrestling.

Losing in arm wrestling to a woman? Of course, it was embarrassing for them.

"This woman is so arrogant." Xiao Manxuan whispered, though the little girl seemed quite amused, not really caring.

"Look at the Soul Hunters behind her, quite respectful towards her. I bet they’re a team; leading a Soul Hunter team surely isn’t simple." Zhang Lingyu analyzed, though her tone remained light.

The two women were indifferent, while the burly He Shan couldn’t hold back. He raised his voice and shouted, "Shangguan Ao Yue, what’s with your arrogance, don’t think I’m afraid of you."

"Fine, your friend doesn’t dare to compete, you can come instead." Shangguan Ao Yue seemed unperturbed by He Shan’s stature.

The two were about to clash when suddenly, screams rang out from the back of the Soul Hunters.

"Ah... kill me..."

The screams shattered the tense atmosphere. The group of Soul Hunters, who had been crowded together, scattered, and only then did Lin Tian see at the back, a stretcher on the ground, on which lay a Soul Hunter with both legs severed. Beside him were his companions.

Lin Tian immediately recognized these Soul Hunters as the ones he’d encountered earlier at the city gate. The legless Soul Hunter thrashed violently, expression contorted with pain and ferocity.

"What’s going on?" He Shan asked with a frown. He only knew that a Soul Hunter team had returned, but hadn’t expected one to be so severely wounded.

Shangguan Ao Yue sneered coldly, saying, "Clearly, an unfortunate one."

He Shan gave her a look and walked over, asking solemnly, "Why put the wounded here in the backyard, not inside the rooms? And why not call a healer?"

"He was examined, but they said there’s no way to heal him. Also, he kept crying inside, so we had to move him here temporarily." The injured man’s companion said with worry.

He Shan furrowed his brow and said, "Let me see the wound."

The companion nodded and lifted the cloth covering the wound, exposing the severed legs to everybody. Many Soul Hunters took a few steps back, including the injured man’s companion, and some even had fear flash across their faces.

The Soul Hunter’s severed legs had neither turned-out muscles nor putrefaction, but sprouted many fleshy buds that squirmed continuously, seeming like they had an independent life, wanting to escape the Soul Hunter’s body.

The sight was both eerie and terrifying, making Xiao Manxuan’s face pale. She clung tightly to Lin Tian’s sleeve. Lin Tian stepped forward, slightly blocking her view.

Apart from Lin Tian, He Shan, Mu Yun, and Zhang Lingyu weren’t afraid, along with some Soul Hunters, including Shangguan Ao Yue, who even kept her gaze fixed on the wound.

"How did it come to this?" The injured man’s companion asked, very tense.

"You were his teammates; how come you don’t know about his condition?" He Shan asked in a deep voice.

The companion quickly replied, "He wasn’t like this when we just returned, this... we’ve never seen such a wound before."

A more horrific scream burst from the wounded hunter’s mouth, his face grotesquely distorted. Without teammates holding him down, he violently struggled, flipping the stretcher. With a few more attempts, he freed himself from the restraints.

Using his hands, the legless Soul Hunter crawled on the ground, dragging his half-body. The more he crawled, the more furiously the meaty buds squirmed at the wound, leaving a black mark behind him, like a trail of blood.

No Soul Hunter dared approach, or perhaps didn’t want to; He Shan didn’t move either. The injured Soul Hunter, whether by instinct or retaining a sliver of consciousness, crawled to He Shan’s feet and pleaded, "Kill... kill me..."

He Shan looked toward the companions of the wounded man, who hesitated briefly but finally nodded. He Shan swiftly drew the knife from his waist and sliced downward.

Decisive and without hesitation, the blade flashed past the neck, a head rolled free. Apart from the pain and menace, there seemed to be a thread of release and gratitude in the expression on the decapitated head.

However, the scene of blood spraying did not occur; only a trickle of black fluid seeped from the neck, as if the wounded hunter’s blood had long been exhausted. Even stranger, though the Soul Hunter was dead, the meaty buds at the severed legs kept writhing, more frenzied than ever, a chilling sight.

"To avoid any infection, it’s best to burn it." A Soul Hunter suggested.

Though silent, the expressions on the other Soul Hunters evidently concurred. Whether it was heartless or accustomed to such scenes, losing one Soul Hunter seemed insignificant compared to teams never returning at all.

Several companions put the severed head back onto the neck, then sprinkled some powder on the corpse that ignited instantly. A towering flame rose.

From within the flames came the sound of sizzling, an unnaturally high-pitched noise, reminding all Soul Hunters of the meaty buds, like they were struggling in the blaze.

The firelight cast their faces in different shades, but Lin Tian knew one thing was shared among them: the bizarre events today would undoubtedly leave a shadow in their hearts.

The sizzling gradually lessened, then disappeared, as did the flames, growing weaker until finally extinguished, leaving only a small pile of ashes on the ground.