Abundant Martial Arts Virtue
Chapter 191 - 172: Predator in the Shadows!

Chapter 191: Chapter 172: Predator in the Shadows!

The man wearing the bone crown raised his hands and pressed down in the air to signal everyone to quiet down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I actually have made a significant discovery," he said.

"What discovery?" someone asked.

"The screen occasionally cut to the sky," the man explained.

"It seems there were indeed a few moments like that," another person responded, "but what of it?"

The man smiled, his face full of wicked charm as he spoke in a deep voice, "You all know that my True Eye has evolved to the fifth stage, so naturally I saw a creature that you did not—a monster—"

"I do not know its name."

"Now please, take a look and see if anyone recognizes it."

With a wave of his hand,

pale lines of light coalesced in the Void, forming the shape of the trial participants.

This was a giant human face.

Its eyes were completely black, with no visible pupils or whites, staring down at the earth, its face etched with countless Dark Runes that, from afar, looked like candles flickering in the dark.

Standing atop the hierarchy of Undead Magic, the powerful ones quietly observed this creature, lost in thought.

After a while,

the man with the bone crown said, "As we know, summoning the undead requires many great sacrifices, sometimes so great that we even sell our own souls, but that’s not what’s important."

"The important thing is—"

"The undead almost never talk to us about the Death Realm."

"They do not permit us to probe their secrets."

"So for countless years—"

"The knowledge we have gained about the Death Realm is very limited, and there is very little sharing of secrets between the different schools."

With a flip of his hand,

a pale booklet appeared in his grasp.

"Whoever can divulge the secrets of this creature, I promise to let them view our Skeleton school’s ’Pale Book,’ and allow them to read three pages."

A shadow spoke up,

"I know a bit about it."

"Oh? What is it?" the man inquired.

"It was one thousand five hundred years ago, I summoned an Undead Knight to help me face an ambush—In fact, when I first became a Necromancer, this Undead Knight was my comrade-in-arms, so I trusted him a great deal."

"Go on, my respected friend," the man encouraged.

The shadow continued, "During that tough battle, I summoned him, but he said he had come to say goodbye to me."

"I was puzzled because our contract was for thirty thousand years, there was no reason for it to suddenly end."

"I asked him why."

"He said—"

"In a war in the Death Realm, he had been chosen by the ’battlefield selector’ and was about to be completely devoured by an exceedingly great being, with no chance of resistance."

"I asked him why he didn’t just hide."

"He had a bitter expression at the time and shook his head as he said—"

"—’Who can see that selector above the battlefield? Even those who know of its existence are very few, and no matter how outstanding you are, you cannot escape the fate of being devoured.’"

When the shadow finished, it sighed deeply and fell silent.

All present were silent.

The man with the bone crown mused, "So it would seem that the war we have seen is actually a form of ’predation’ in its truest sense."

"From what I understand about the undead, I fully agree with your view," the shadow stated.

Another shadow exclaimed loudly, "Laws are infinite, and the powers of each profession have no end, so it’s impossible for one person to attain all the great powers."

"Thus, in any realm, predation is a fairly normal method, and even the Death Realm is no exception," yet another shadow added.

"This is our first Observation of a ’predatory’ scene in the Death Realm."

"I really wish we could have seen more... Perhaps that would help us understand the true secrets of death."

"Indeed."

"Who knows when that departed one will put on the next inter-realm exhibition."

"We can only wait..."

The crowd was abuzz with discussion.

Wu Xiaode stopped reading there.

He released the magic, and his projected form immediately vanished from the spot.

Elsewhere.

The Death Realm.

Wu Xiaode suddenly snapped back to reality.

The events that had taken place in that strange secret place, far beyond Sin Prison and within the distant nebulae, all appeared in his memory.

It was a predation.

"Looking at it now... no wonder the Book of the Dead advised me to play dumb," sighed Wu Xiaode.

It seemed there was a considerably powerful entity hidden in the dark, attempting to use the Trial of the Death Realm to pick out suitable targets for consumption.

How could one be spared?

Wu Xiaode fell into deep contemplation.

He thought hard, replaying the events of the battlefield over in his mind numerous times until he finally spoke,

"There’s only one way..."

"To win this war."

"Yes, as long as one wins, the Trial must enter the settlement phase. That is the Law of ascension in the Death Realm, and I believe even that being cannot stop it."

—But he only had 20 points of Soul Power.

How could he possibly win this war?

A flash of spirit light suddenly appeared in his mind.

Yes! There was a way...

Some had foreseen this situation and wanted to repay him.

Wu Xiaode swiftly turned his head to look at the Book of the Dead.

The Book of the Dead, sensing his thoughts, quickly flipped open to a certain page.

On that page was recorded in lines of ice crystal letters:

"Before heading to the Death Realm, the undead will offer you a true token of gratitude."

"A mega-scale Undead Summoning halo."

"A one-time war halo."

"Note: Using this halo, you can summon the spirits of all professionals who have escaped the torment of the Death God and command them to fight for you."

Indeed.

He had gone through so much trouble, meticulously planning to use the One-eyed Giant to eliminate the "Death God" in one fell swoop.

The "Death God" was the harvester created by gathering the Power of Demon Gods.

With its destruction, naturally, the undead were liberated.

These Dead Souls, tormented by the "Death God," had amalgamated this halo as a token of gratitude.

Wu Xiaode lifted his hand and looked at the black mark on it.

The mark was a one-time-use war halo, capable of summoning many powerful Undead!

Wu Xiaode glanced again at the Book of the Dead.

"Among all the deceased, there is a Great Mage most noted for his wisdom, who has analyzed your situation and figured out what you need,"

"—Although this summoning halo is one-time-use, it could still come in handy at certain moments."

That’s really impressive.

How could there be someone who could foresee his own calamity from that time!

But speaking of which.

These Undead might not be powerful enough to defeat the "Death God," but their own strength is not to be underestimated!

What’s more ingenious is—

They are summoned upon call, fighting wars on one’s behalf, and can be transported away immediately.

This kind of summoning is one-time-use.

Their own safety is also guaranteed!

"Clever tactics! There’s always someone better out there. Though some people are unlucky, it doesn’t mean they lack skill,"

Wu Xiaode remarked with emotion.

He stood up and stretched, ready to act according to plan.

Suddenly.

A line of ice crystal letters appeared on the Book of the Dead:

"Through your livestream, those extremely powerful gang elites have gradually learned the news."

"Now more and more people are leaving the underworld."

"This phenomenon is happening across all worlds."

"This matter will have a profound impact, and it will greatly change the behavioral norms of the lower echelons in civilization."

"For this sacred deed, you have earned two points of Merit."

"Would you like to share these Merit points with the Divine Artifact ’Chi Xiao’ that’s with you?"

Wu Xiaode read quickly and without hesitation said:

"Share."

As if it was a joke.

Wu Xiaode had long known this rule of conduct and life.

In the world of the ’Jianghu,’ those who die the fastest are often not the most ruthless.

—Those who eat alone die the fastest, and most miserably.

If one could have a good life, who would want to mess around in the underworld?

Since one is messing around in the underworld, it’s almost always a last resort, and some things are a matter of life and death.

—What do they seek?

Is it not just some money to live by?

Yet, there are those who hog everything to themselves among these people who are not afraid to die.

If you don’t die, then who will?

Indeed, Merit is an extremely rare thing.

Just like this incident of mine, it will produce extremely far-reaching effects in many worlds, yet the result is only two points of Merit.

Otherwise, why would powerful spirits rush to help as soon as Merit is offered as a reward for a mission?

Merit is just too valuable.

But compared to Merit, I care more about the Chi Xiao Sword.

The prowess of the Chi Xiao Sword is simply unimaginable!

—Who could get a sword that refreshes its skills continuously?

Such a sword is unheard of.

If I could foster a good relationship with it, like Ya and the White Tiger, wouldn’t that be a win-win situation!

Line by line of ice crystal letters floated before Wu Xiaode’s eyes:

"You have shared the Merit with the Chi Xiao Sword."

"You both receive one point of Merit."

"Your current Merit points are: 6."

All the letters disappeared.

The lazy voice of the Chi Xiao Sword suddenly sounded, "Eh, Merit incoming? Little Wu, you’re being too polite."

"No need for thanks. If it weren’t for your ’Planting Immortal Fate,’ I wouldn’t have been able to get these Merit points. Sharing them with you is only right," Wu Xiaode said.

"Alright," replied the Chi Xiao Sword.

It didn’t say much, but Wu Xiaode didn’t mind.

There’s still plenty of time.

Time will reveal a person’s heart.

He got up and moved his body, then said to Rotten Bone, "Don’t wander off here. I’m going to scout around, and I’ll be back shortly."

"Go ahead, brother."

Rotten Bone toyed with his brand-new curved blade, not even lifting his head as he spoke.

Wu Xiaode’s figure flashed as he bolted out, not beginning to accelerate until he was some distance from the forest.

Boundless silence and Demon Mist surged over him.

He sped across the rolling mountains, heading straight for the highest peak.

Boom—

Countless Demon Mist swirled in every direction.

All creatures that entered the mist had their shapes concealed, unseen by the outside world.

"Book of the Dead,"

Wu Xiaode uttered softly.

The thick tome instantly flipped open, revealing the White Tiger’s mark.

Wu Xiaode pressed his hand onto the mark.

The next instant.

The White Tiger quietly landed on a rugged rock, baring its teeth at him in a low growl, "Are we going to kill?"

It gestured for Wu Xiaode to climb on its back.

—Since the brush with life and death, the White Tiger’s attitude seemed to have become friendlier.

Wu Xiaode climbed on and gently patted its head, whispering, "To the place where slaughter is most intense on the battlefield."

The White Tiger’s gaze ventured into the Void, then after a while said, "Those are level 30 Soul Power Undead, are you sure you want to go?"

"No problem, let’s go," Wu Xiaode said.

The White Tiger’s eyes flickered, murmuring, "Right, you’ve even overcome the Demon God, so why would you have any trouble with these trash."

It lunged forward and vanished into the layers of mist.