Chapter 651: Hunting

Chapter 651 -647: Hunting

Nanshan Collection.

Nanshan Collection had already regained some of its former vitality.

After years of silence, the two great experts, the Peacock King and the Xishang King, suddenly reappeared. The first thing they did was annihilate the Lion Tribe and the Great Ape Tribe.

With those two major tribes completely swallowed by the river of history, Peacock Mountain and the Xishang Tribe took full control of Nanshan Collection.

However, Peacock Mountain remained transcendent and aloof, taking no part in any administration.

Coupled with the Peacock King’s extreme trust in the Xishang King, the entirety of Nanshan Collection fell under the Xishang Tribe’s control.

The status of the Xishang Tribe’s experts soared.

As the Xishang King’s only son, a business prodigy, and the one responsible for dispelling the Dao Heart Demon Curse afflicting his father, Xishang Ling’s current status was revered. He now acted entirely in the Xishang King’s stead, carrying out the various commands of the Clan Leader.

Under his management, Nanshan Collection steadily improved.

However, Xishang Ling had been rather listless these past few days.

“Brother Ling, are you thinking about Brother Hongyu again?” An Elf-like figure walked in, her black pearl-like eyes wide with curiosity.

This young woman was, of course, Zhao Feng’Er.

Under the Xishang Tribe’s Shelter, both Zhao Feng’Er and Zhao Hu had found a stable life.

Zhao Hu was sent to the Xishang Tribe’s Military Camp for special training to improve his strength, while Zhao Feng’Er followed Xishang Ling, becoming a rising star in his vast commercial Empire!

“Oh, it’s you, Feng’Er!”

Xishang Ling nodded, looking somewhat troubled. “I used to think making money was interesting, but ever since I met the Boss, I’ve suddenly realized that business is just… this. It’s lacking a certain drive and madness!”

Zhao Feng’Er nodded and sat down beside Xishang Ling, tilting her head. “Brother Hongyu is so powerful, the Hundred Victory War God! Even now, he’s still the most talked-about person in all of Nanshan Collection. I wonder where he is now…”

“Haha, so you two missed me that much?”

Suddenly, a voice came from the doorway.

“Who?”

The two of them froze, then whipped around.

When they got a clear look at the young man standing in the doorway, at the familiar curve of his lips, both of them were stunned.

“Brother… Brother Hongyu?”

“Boss?”

Zhao Feng’Er stared blankly for a moment, then let out a “WAAAH!” and rushed toward Hong Yu, tears of excitement welling in her eyes.

She leaped into his arms, burying her head forcefully in the crook of his neck and wiggling it around. “WAAAH, Brother Hongyu is back! Yay!”

“Haha, get down, little girl. Has it only been a few days? You’ve gotten chubby, haven’t you?” Hong Yu laughed, playfully tapping Zhao Feng’Er on her delicate nose as he teased her.

“No way! I’ve gotten thinner!”

Zhao Feng’Er pouted and stuck out her tongue.

Hong Yu chuckled and set her down.

Xishang Ling walked over, his steps slightly trembling. He looked at Hong Yu with excitement. “B-Boss!”

“Not bad. I’ve heard all about what you’ve been doing. Keep up the good work. I believe that under your leadership, Nanshan Collection will not only return to its peak but even surpass its former glory!” Hong Yu patted Xishang Ling’s shoulder.

Although this young master of the Xishang Tribe was a so-called “High Level” trust-fund kid, deep down, he had a passionate fire in his heart. He was a friend worth trusting!

This much was clear from the fact that, in the days since Hong Yu’s departure, he had already tailored future plans and arrangements for the Zhao siblings.

“Boss, where have you been all this time? A few days ago, several groups of people came to Nanshan Collection looking for you. They seemed aggressive, and I think they were from the core area. Are you okay?” Xishang Ling asked nervously.

Hong Yu shook his head, then said seriously, “Right, I came back this time to ask for your help with something!”

“If you need something, just say it. We’re brothers, what’s this talk about ‘helping’ or ‘not helping’?” Xishang Ling pouted, looking displeased.

Hong Yu laughed. “I know Nanshan Collection must have its own branches throughout the entire Central Area, so I was wondering, if I need to find traces of some people, could you help me locate them?”

“Find people? Of course, we can do that!”

Xishang Ling said, patting his chest confidently.

Nanshan Collection’s business extended throughout the entire Central Area, with branches everywhere responsible for finding and purchasing Treasures to supply their inventory.

Otherwise, where would all of Nanshan Collection’s vast wealth of Treasures come from?

Hong Yu breathed a sigh of relief. “Then help me find out where experts from the core area have recently appeared. I need it fast!”

“Boss, don’t tell me you’re planning to…”

Xishang Ling froze, his eyes widening.

He suddenly felt that the world had gone mad.

The core area!

That was the domain of the Four Great Divine Cities and the Eight Great Battle Clans, the powers that dominated the True Dragon Battlefield.

Any random fringe power from the core area could rival a top-tier existence in the Central Area like Nanshan Collection!

There was a saying: “Without entering the core, one cannot know a True Dragon!”

The meaning was that the true Celestial Pride Sons, True Dragon Demon Fiends, and supreme experts were all gathered in the core area.

Because of this, whether in the minds of the War Race or the consensus of human experts, it was known that one must never provoke a power from the core area. Even if you offended them by accident, you had to hide and do everything possible to avoid being found. Otherwise, what awaited you would be a thunderous strike, leading to certain death!

When Xishang Ling had first heard that experts from the core area were looking for Hong Yu, he had assumed Hong Yu had surely gone into hiding.

But who would have thought, after such a short time?

Hong Yu had returned and was now asking him to find the whereabouts of those core area experts. This was a clear sign that he intended to hunt them like prey!

Hong Yu grinned. “You don’t need to ask any more questions. Just go and find out for me. Get me their information as soon as possible.”

“Alright!”

Without hesitation, Xishang Ling nodded and left excitedly.

He could feel his heart pounding violently. ‘Someone is actually going to ambush experts from the core area! This is something that hasn’t happened in thousands of years!’

‘This is simply defying the heavens!’

‘Hahaha, my eye for talent is truly unparalleled! The Boss I chose is so damn awesome, hahaha…’

Xishang Ling laughed heartily, almost drooling.

「Through all of history.」

On the True Dragon Battlefield, the divisions of strength and status were incredibly clear. The outer area was the lowest, the Central Area was next, and the core area was a Venerable-like existence.

Even an underachieving expert from the core area would be worshipped like a Deity if they came to the Central Area or the outer area. No one would dare to defy the will of an expert from the core area.

Yet now, Hong Yu was going to hunt them as prey!

Snatching the Treasure that allowed entry into the core area—if this wasn’t defying the heavens, what was?

Xishang Ling was not gone for long.

About two hours later, he hurried back, his face flushed with excitement. “Boss, I found them.”

“So fast?”

Hong Yu was taken aback.

Xishang Ling scratched his head and grinned. “Because my father is personally in charge of the intelligence network. When I went back to ask him just now, he told me that they’ve actually been secretly monitoring the movements of the core area experts all along. I just organized the information a bit and brought it back!”

Hong Yu nodded, a hint of excitement in his eyes.

Then, he took out the intelligence reports.

A single glance was enough to leave him shaken by the terrifying power concealed within Nanshan Collection. It was as if they had placed an eye on every expert from the core area; even the exact time they arrived at a location, their next destination, and their estimated time of arrival were all recorded with perfect clarity.

Hong Yu did a quick scan and discovered that the reports also contained information on the Snake King, the Chrysanthemum King, Tan Tianhuo, and the Fire-Devouring King.

However, it was clear that the news of him killing the Snake King and the Chrysanthemum King and forcing the Fire-Devouring King to retreat had not leaked out. Even Nanshan Collection didn’t know.

Only the information regarding Tan Tianhuo caught Hong Yu’s particular attention.

‘So that guy already fled back to the core area. In that case, all that’s left are the experts from Xiakang Divine City and the Seven Great War Clans.’ Hong Yu rubbed his nose, a sharp glint flickering in his eyes. ‘So, who should be the first prey?’

Hong Yu hesitated, choosing among the eight remaining forces.

Finally, he pulled out one of the reports, slammed it onto the table, and grinned. “The first prey will be you!”

Xishang Ling curiously craned his neck to look at the report in Hong Yu’s hand. His expression changed slightly, and he cautioned, “Boss, the Celestial Horse Race’s strength is nothing to scoff at! Plus, they have some connection to the Centaur Race. I heard that Ma Xiao of the Centaur Race died a miserable death at your hands, and the Centaur Race is furious. Now, their two races have joined forces to deal with you. Choosing them…”

Although the Centaur Race as a whole couldn’t compare to the former Four Great Tribes, they were still a top-tier tribal power in the Central Area.

Furthermore, the Clan Leader of the Centaur Race—the father of Ma Lie and Ma Xiao, Ma Tengtian—was an expert comparable to the Xishang King.

Adding the experts from the core area’s Celestial Horse Race to the mix created a powerful alliance.

This was an incredibly formidable force.

It was only natural for Xishang Ling to be worried.

“Ma Lie? Ma Xiao? Heh, this is just perfect. During the Hundred Victory War God battle, I only managed to kill Ma Xiao and let Ma Lie escape. I was just regretting that!”

Hong Yu licked the corner of his lips.

If Ma Lie hadn’t provoked him in the first place, he never would have ended up with a grudge against Ma Xiao.

Now, the accomplice Ma Xiao was dead by his hand, but the true instigator, Ma Lie, was still alive. Hong Yu naturally wouldn’t let him off so easily!

As for the Celestial Horse Race?

“It just so happens I’m in need of a mount. If one of the experts from the Celestial Horse Race catches my eye, I might just capture him and make him my steed!” Hong Yu grinned.

An expert from the Celestial Horse Race as a mount!

How incredibly flashy would that be!

“…”

Xishang Ling slapped a hand to his forehead, utterly speechless.

But Hong Yu said nothing more.

After bidding farewell to Xishang Ling and the others, he departed from Nanshan Collection once again.

This time, however, he took a stack of intelligence files with him.

They detailed the locations of the expert teams from the core area. His target for this trip was precisely the Celestial Horse Race, ranked seventh among the Eight Great Battle Clans.

Their current location was right inside the Centaur Race’s main camp.

That place was bound to be crawling with experts.

But Hong Yu felt not a shred of worry or fear. With eyes like lightning and a body faster than Thunder, he executed a Void Escape and flew swiftly toward the Centaur Race’s main camp.

The hunt…

…had finally begun!