Chapter 1648: Being Targeted by the White Tiger

Jiang Fan was secretly surprised.

Could the sage before him really know the Ancient Sage Yunhuang from their Central Plains? And could he determine that the multi-colored clouds emanating from his body were a protection cast by the Ancient Sage Yunhuang, just from seeing them?

Does that old hag, Ancient Sage Yunhuang, have such a big reputation outside their realm?

He said expressionlessly, "It's nothing, I'm not familiar with her."

If there was any relationship, it was his vow to utterly defeat her!

Young Master Xiang's gaze fixed on Jiang Fan, as if he could see right through him. After a moment of silence, he said meaningfully:

"This hunt will be more exciting than expected!"

He withdrew his gaze and surveyed his surroundings, as if reigning over the world, his imperial majesty swept in all directions:

"The Non-Aggression Stele, I claim it."

His tone was calm, without any sharp or forceful words. Yet, it gave off an oppressive feeling that made resistance impossible, as if he were simply informing everyone.

Jiang Fan rolled his eyes. This tone of voice was not just similar to that of the Young Emperor; it was identical. If the Young Emperor also came and the two confronted each other, that scene would certainly be spectacular.

Liu Bianhuang gritted his teeth, let out a muffled groan, and said nothing.

Yun Wanxiao clenched her fists, also enduring silently without outburst. The representatives from other realms dared not even breathe loudly.

The hunt hadn't even begun, yet first place had already been claimed. With Young Master Xiang present, who dared to contend?

Soon after, people continued to arrive one after another. There were so many that Jiang Fan didn't have time to observe each one. More than eighty of the hundred bronze platforms were already occupied.

"Time's up. Ancient Wilderness tokens of those who haven't arrived are now void."

A lazy voice echoed from above. It was the mysterious person who had verified their identities when they first entered the garden. At this moment, he remained as elusive as ever; only his voice could be heard, but his person unseen.

"Announcing the rules. First, the target prey is limited to the three Great Ancient Dark Creatures; others are invalid. Second, the hunting period is half a day. Third, the final ranking will be based on the number of kills."

After announcing, without giving them time to think, he continued:

"As for the reward. For first place, the Non-Aggression Stele. Planting this stele in your world will grant immunity from the next invasion of Ancient Giants. For other ranks, a commemorative prize."

Jiang Fan frowned slightly. There was only one reward? As for the commemorative prize, it was clearly a perfunctory offering and might not be valuable. The competition was truly fierce. He really didn't know how that human from the Central Plains, three thousand years ago, managed to emerge victorious in such a hundred-realm contest where heroes contended.

"If there are no objections... let us begin."

A gigantic funnel appeared in the sky, and fine grains of sand drifted downwards. The countdown began. The Ancient Wilderness Hunt officially commenced!

However, the person hadn't even finished saying "begin." On the bronze platform below, someone had already made a move. It was Jiang Fan, who, without a second thought, immediately cast the Ego-Cleansing Art to conceal himself.

This made the garden's master pause in surprise: "Heh. I hadn't even finished speaking. Next time, I'll have to add a rule: no action until I've finished speaking."

The others reacted quickly as well, each demonstrating their unique abilities. Those with weaker cultivation levels, like Jiang Fan, chose to become invisible. However, those who reacted a beat too slow met with misfortune.

A piercing shriek echoed. Jiang Fan looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a human, halfway through becoming invisible, being smashed into a mist of blood by an unknown entity. The blood mist splattered onto the assailant, outlining its approximate form. It was, astonishingly, a twenty-zhang-tall tiger.

Jiang Fan's heart skipped a beat, and the Five Decays White Tiger he had encountered upon first entering the garden immediately came to mind. If it could attack, didn't that mean the barrier separating the fierce creatures had been lifted with the start of the hunt?

He was utterly speechless. Why would they put so many dangerous creatures in the garden? The so-called three Great Ancient Dark Creatures were already dangerous enough. In a flash, he understood. The master of the hunting ground was preventing some participants from passively competing, finding a place to hide and wait for the competition to end. In that case, though they wouldn't get a ranking, they would survive, and the war in their respective worlds would also cease.

Jiang Fan frowned slightly. Although more rewards could have been offered to encourage them to hunt, the garden's master instead chose to drive them with fierce creatures. This fellow was clearly not a benevolent person! And this White Tiger was also a cunning old fox. It had actually been hiding nearby all this time, waiting for the moment the hunt began to instantly appear and pounce.

Suddenly, another scream echoed. Jiang Fan's heart went cold. Had another fierce creature appeared? Glancing sideways, his expression turned grim.

It was Liu Bianhuang! The moment the hunt began, he directly attacked the person next to him, instantly killing them on the spot. The poor person had just managed to conceal themselves.

Liu Bianhuang didn't even glance at the corpse or the resources on the person, directly charging towards the bronze platform where Jiang Fan was. Opening his mouth, he exhaled a cloud of mist that enveloped the bronze platform.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—

In the area enveloped by the mist, a corrosive sound emanated, and even the bronze platform itself was corroded, becoming pitted and uneven. If a person had been standing there, they would likely have been corroded into a pool of blood.

"Little brat, you ran quite fast!" Liu Bianhuang sneered darkly.

On a bronze platform not far away, Jiang Fan pursed his lips. Was he foolish? Knowing Liu Bianhuang was targeting him, wouldn't he immediately use his invisibility to change locations?

Liu Bianhuang glared fiercely around, "You'd better not run into me, or I'll tear you apart!" He dared not linger because Young Master Xiang, Qi Qi, and Yun Wanxiao had already charged ahead into the depths of the hunting ground. He immediately turned and also rushed towards the depths. Before leaving, he even killed a participant who was blocking his way.

Jiang Fan's eyes grew serious. This guy was truly ruthless! If they killed each other later in the game to compete for prey, it wouldn't be surprising. But he was wantonly slaughtering participants right from the start. This showed the brutality of his nature.

"It's best not to encounter him. Wasting one use of the Primordial Sky-Prison Gourd on him wouldn't be worth it," Jiang Fan thought to himself and turned to leave.

Suddenly, his body stiffened. He turned his head to look, and it was the blood-soaked White Tiger! Its two enormous, dark red eyes, as large as well openings, were staring intently at the invisible Jiang Fan. Compared to Liu Bianhuang, the White Tiger's sense of smell was even sharper, subtly detecting Jiang Fan's presence even while he was invisible.

Jiang Fan's scalp tingled slightly. Was this White Tiger holding a grudge against him? The White Tiger had jumped onto the barrier and taken a hit itself; could it really blame him for that? But the White Tiger didn't care about any of that.

After locking onto Jiang Fan's position, it pushed off with its four limbs, its massive body shattering vast stretches of empty space, creating cracks. In the blink of an eye, it leaped like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, landing precisely where Jiang Fan was.

However, what it pounced on was not Jiang Fan, who had already become alert and moved away, but a metallic orb Jiang Fan had left in his place. It was a spiritual artifact given to Jiang Fan by Grand Venerable Myriad Weapons before the final battle:

The Armor-Breaking Divine Pellet!

It was an iron pellet specifically developed to penetrate defenses, designed for the Golden Giant King. It had never had a chance to be used before.

Now, it could finally be put to use!