Wen Wen was very satisfied with Qin Shuang's abilities. However, he didn't dare to stay in the Containment Facility for long and left immediately after the test.
The entire testing process was actually very fast. Whatever happened outside during this time, Wen Wen could handle it with composure.
After withdrawing, he tidied his clothes and continued to observe the village. There were too many things in this village to pique his curiosity.
Not long after his stroll, he encountered Yan Que, who was also wandering around the village, but her goal was to find an opponent.
They didn't communicate, but Yan Que looked at Wen Wen strangely. She could intuitively feel that Wen Wen was different from before.
She had already known that despite Wen Wen's seemingly refined appearance, he was actually like her, but he had been hiding his true self.
Now, a twisted, cold, and eerie aura emanated from Wen Wen, as if he had given up hiding.
Just then, a blue light erupted from the room where Xun Ying was interrogating the four ancient demon spirits and merged with the barrier, shooting towards the sky.
Wen Wen was startled, thinking that Xun Ying had clashed with the four old monsters. However, after a closer examination, he realized that the blue light seemed to be a mark.
He floated up, ascended to a high altitude, and gazed towards the mountain range. He could sense that many monsters bore the distinct mark of the blue light.
His long sword reappeared, this time reaching a height of over a hundred meters. Numerous normal-sized light swords circled the giant long sword as if providing escort.
Xun Ying stood at the tip of the long sword and calmly issued an order: "The twelve 'Roving Hunters' – 'Huang Hun', 'Cang Yan', 'Long Qiang', and others – are the masterminds of this incident and have lost their Roving Hunter status."
"They are currently in the Qi Ling Mountain Range. Find them, capture them, and retrieve the supreme treasure of Yao Ling Village that they have stolen."
"Also, the monsters that attempted to break through the barrier earlier have been marked. While you are looking for the traitors, kill them as well."
After speaking, Xun Ying flicked his hand, scattering over a hundred small white jade swords. A sword also flew into Wen Wen's hand.
"From now on, no flying is permitted within the entire Qi Ling Mountain Range unless you possess a jade sword!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the numerous swords surrounding the giant sword dispersed, covering the entire Qi Ling Mountain Range.
These swords patrolled unceasingly, with one sword every few dozen meters. All monsters flying in the sky were forced to the ground.
A disaster-level three-winged strange bird, with stubborn determination, tried to break through the area covered by the swords. However, it was instantly riddled with holes by these swords.
Witnessing the bird's miserable state, Wen Wen's heart tightened. This Xun Ying was excessively powerful.
Disaster-tier True Sequence cultivators were already unreasonably powerful, but their strength was limited to the range of a single mountain. Xun Ying's sword formation, however, directly covered the entire mountain range!
However, when his power extended to such a degree, his fine control would likely be compromised. Otherwise, he could have single-handedly used those long swords to kill all the monsters in Qi Ling Mountain, making the Roving Hunters unnecessary.
"Within the jade sword, there is a trace of sword intent. Stimulate the sword tip and the sword hilt three times consecutively, and I will receive your distress signal. However, it's best not to use it for any disreputable individuals."
Xun Ying sat cross-legged on the sword hilt and finally said, "Now, go!"
All the Roving Hunters charged out in different directions simultaneously. Village Chief Long closed his eyes, feeling a pang of reluctance. If this incident hadn't occurred, Yao Ling Village could have provided shelter to these monsters. But now, to reclaim the Qi Ling Pearl, they could only die!
...
A man, bare-chested, with unbound hair and a body covered in twisted tattoos, sat in a mountain cave, gazing at the towering giant sword. He chuckled lightly.
"Will you find me first, or will I become the same kind of being as you?"
He was the True Sequence Roving Hunter, 'Huang Hun'. He held a phantom-like pearl in his hand. Within this pearl was the illusion of a seven-colored Qilin, the very Qi Ling Pearl he had stolen.
The pearl's power continuously flowed into his body, causing his blood vessels to bulge as if about to explode, but it was still within an acceptable range.
"Lord Huang Hun, you can surely break through the limits of humanity and become a being superior to humans, the ninth Punisher of the Hunter Association!" a figure, completely covered in black cloth, said reverently from behind Huang Hun.
Huang Hun shook his head and said, "The Punisher title means nothing. All that matters is obtaining power. With power, one can set the rules. I don't want to live by others' rules!"
He knew what he was doing and why he was doing it.
Huang Hun's goal as a demon hunter was the pursuit of power. He had worked diligently in the association before also to become stronger.
However, gradually, his strength reached a bottleneck. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break through even an inch. Becoming a Cataclysmic level cultivator had become an obsession in his heart.
During a past interaction with Yao Ling Village, he happened to see the figure behind him being chased by a group of monsters and casually rescued him.
Subsequently, this figure recognized Huang Hun as his master and informed him about the supreme treasure of Yao Ling Village, the Qi Ling Pearl, which could allow a super-powered individual like him, who was stuck at the True Sequence boundary, to become a Cataclysmic level being.
Huang Hun was immediately tempted. However, he wasn't foolish enough to completely trust this figure of unknown origin. He conducted extensive investigations within the association, gathered information from various sources, and confirmed that the Qi Ling Pearl truly existed and had the potential to help him break through.
Such a treasure, constantly enshrined in a dilapidated village, was a complete waste. Therefore, Huang Hun conceived the idea of stealing it.
Of course, he didn't believe the figure who provided the initial information. Thus, not a single step from the planning to the preparation to the actual execution was carried out by this figure.
That figure might have ulterior motives, but even if he was being used, Huang Hun wouldn't regret it as long as he could break through.
To absorb the pearl's power, Huang Hun had done his homework. He knew that forcibly absorbing its power would lead to him being blown up.
If it were before, even if he had obtained the pearl, it would have been useless. He would likely have lamented his fate rather than taking action.
However, since some time ago, the association had begun researching the topic of shared power. If someone could share the backlash with him, would he still be blown up by this power?
Therefore, Huang Hun spent a great deal to steal a portion of the research results. He then found over a dozen other ambitious demon hunters, signed contracts with them, and together they absorbed the Qi Ling Pearl's power and jointly resisted its backlash.
Feeling the growing power within his body, Huang Hun sneered and said, "I must be a traitor now... but it doesn't matter. As long as I succeed in breaking through, you will actively seek me out..."