By the river flowing through the forest on Hell Paradise Island, a corpse floated on the water, its death gruesome.
Ling Tian stood by the river, a large snake coiled quietly at his feet, its head bobbing as if seeking praise.
Soon after, a black leopard also appeared beside Ling Tian, rubbing against him like a large cat.
The corpse was that of the Water Ninja, one of the Five Elements Upper Ninja. The fellow had thought he would be safe by escaping into the water, but he was attacked by a venomous dragon.
Venomous snakes never engage in head-on combat with their opponents. Instead, they strike stealthily, bite their prey, and wait for the victim to succumb before moving in to claim the spoils.
Ling Tian raised his wrist and glanced at the bracelet he wore. It was getting late. He had planned to visit the volcano tonight, but he had encountered a series of attacks.
He recalled the words of the treant, Ingiram, from earlier, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"Heh, the hunt begins!"
With a flicker of thought, Ling Tian retracted the venomous snake into his spiritual realm. Then, man and leopard vanished into the jungle.
Deep within the jungle, five Gauls were trekking with difficulty. They were all espers from Gaul. Originally, their team consisted of eight members, but on the way, three had been bitten by venomous snakes.
Those three had to return for treatment, while the remaining five pressed on. Their objective was to hunt down Ling Tian!
This was a lucrative venture, promising both fame and fortune. Killing Ling Tian would immediately spread their renown among espers.
What excited them even more was the sky-high bounty offered by the Americans!
Just a few hours ago, the Americans had announced that their bounty had reached a staggering fifty million US dollars!
As the saying goes, people die for wealth, and birds die for food. When the bait is rich enough, some will risk their lives to bite and eat, even if they know a trap lies ahead!
"Bellamy, is your damn esper ability reliable? When will we finally find that Chinese kid named Ling Tian!"
The speaker was a tall, muscular black man named Campbell. His name also meant scoundrel in foreign languages.
And his demeanor indeed lived up to his name; he was a scoundrel.
The one named Bellamy was a short man, only about 1.7 meters tall.
This freckled fellow had a bulbous nose. His esper ability was keen olfactory senses!
His sense of smell was several times more acute than that of a hunting dog, and he could detect the residual scent of a target even after twelve hours.
Hearing Campbell's words, Bellamy, who was leading the way, became displeased.
"Shut your stinking mouth, Campbell, you're a bastard!
When has my Bellamy ever failed an operation? What you should be concerned about now is whether you can defeat Ling Tian when we encounter him!"
"Tch, if that kid meets me, I'll definitely twist his head off and use it as a soccer ball!
Speaking of which, it's been a while since I played soccer..."
"Wait!"
Suddenly, Bellamy stopped, raising his right hand, and everyone became alert.
"What's wrong, Bellamy!"
Someone in the Gaulish group asked.
"I smell blood, fresh, strong blood!"
Bellamy's words made everyone tense up. Just then, someone in the group suddenly shouted.
"Oh no, Renault is missing!"
Renault was a member of their team, responsible for rear guard duty. He was powerful and highly vigilant, which was why they felt at ease assigning him to the rear.
Now, such a person had vanished without a trace, and everyone felt a bad premonition.
"Quick, Bellamy, find a way! We must find Renault first!" said Kalum, the leader of the Gaulish team.
Bellamy nodded. It wasn't difficult for him to do so. With such a strong scent of blood, for him, whose olfactory senses were several times sharper than a hunting dog, it was like the sun suddenly appearing in the night sky.
The five men quickly changed direction and headed towards the source of the blood scent.
After walking a short distance, Bellamy suddenly stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.
"Oh, my God, Renault!"
The flashlights in everyone's hands all pointed forward. In the bushes not far away, a corpse lay there, its clothes soaked in blood.
This was Renault, the rear guard from their team. Renault's blue eyes were wide open, staring in death. A large gash was visible on his throat, and his blood had almost completely drained.
These Gauls had no idea that Renault's trachea had been severed by a black leopard that had suddenly appeared behind him.
Campbell and Kalum stepped forward to examine Renault's condition, hoping to find some clues. Just then, a whistling sound pierced the air, followed by a scream.
Everyone looked back to see that one of their team members had a crossbow bolt lodged in his back.
The crossbow bolt had been shot with extreme precision, hitting him directly in the back and killing him instantly. The tip of the bolt protruded from his chest, leaving him no chance for even emergency surgery!
At this moment, the remaining Gauls saw a figure in the woods about ten meters away. The figure was holding a crossbow!
"It's him! He's the killer! Catch him, kill him!" Kalum exclaimed in rage!
Campbell took the lead, chasing after the figure. This figure was none other than Ling Tian.
He had long noticed the Gaulish team and knew that anyone lurking in the forest at this hour must be coming for him.
Since these people wanted his life, Ling Tian felt no obligation to be polite to them!
He had first arranged for Shadow Leopard to ambush Renault, who was at the rear, and then used Renault as bait to lure these people back to investigate, before striking them with hidden arrows.
Campbell, taking the lead, chased after Ling Tian. However, suddenly, his feet felt a tightening sensation. A rope noose quickly tightened around Campbell's ankle, hoisting him upside down off the ground!
Campbell was caught completely off guard and was yanked into the air. Immediately, a whistling sound was heard, and several crossbow bolts, triggered by a mechanism, shot out.
These crossbow bolts all embedded themselves in Campbell's body, making him resemble a porcupine.
Worse still, these arrows were coated with a potent poison that sealed the throat upon contact with blood!