Chapter 148: Shall We Bet Once More?
Xu Han spoke up, "I'll go after him. You guys clear the battlefield."
He beckoned to the small eagle.
The small eagle swiftly flew to his side.
With a graceful flip, he easily landed on the eagle's back.
Moments later, the small eagle spread its wings wide and soared into the sky.
Seeing this, the others said no more, turned around, and began cleaning up the battlefield.
Standing atop the small eagle's back, Xu Han scanned the surroundings, searching for the burly man's shadow.
Soon enough.
He spotted the burly man swinging through the trees like an ape, clutching onto vines.
"Little Eagle, Falling Thunder Strike!"
Xu Han issued the command.
The small eagle let out a long cry.
Dark clouds gathered overhead.
Instantly, a bolt of lightning crashed down fiercely toward the burly man!
Boom!
The burly man, still clutching a vine as he swung, was struck directly by the thunder and slammed heavily onto the ground.
Arcs of electricity crackled across his body.
He felt as though the slightest movement would send needle-like stabs of pain through his muscles.
This was the paralysis status!
He abruptly raised his head to look at the sky.
He saw the large eagle rapidly descending to the ground.
A young man leaped down from the eagle's back and stood right before him.
The burly man sneered, slowly struggling to his feet, and glared fixedly at Xu Han.
"Kid, you've got some nerve chasing after me all by yourself! You've certainly got guts!"
"Judging by your young age, you haven't even reached Tier 2 yet, have you?"
"A mere Tier 1 professional daring to hunt me down proactively—you're the first!"
Xu Han grinned. "So what?"
"If a Tier 3 professional were defeated by a Tier 1, that would truly be a disgrace."
The burly man clenched his fists tightly and smashed them together, producing a muffled, heavy thud.
A sneer crept across his face. "To deal with you, one punch is more than enough!"
Xu Han curled his finger. "Then come and try."
The smile vanished from the burly man's face instantly.
He stomped fiercely on the ground.
His massive body erupted with a speed utterly mismatched with his bulk, charging fiercely toward Xu Han.
Xu Han raised his hand, and fifteen wind blades materialized in front of him.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—
The wind blades shot toward the burly man with a sharp, piercing whistle.
The burly man had no intention of dodging; he collided head-on with the wind blades!
Slash!
The wind blades swept across the burly man's body, rapidly carving out gasps and cuts.
Blood dripped freely.
Yet the very next second.
Those wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Only a few gasps remained unhealed, eaten away by residual wind elemental energy.
The burly man's fists radiated a metallic sheen.
"Steel-Breaking Fist!"
He let out a low roar and punched straight at Xu Han!
However, with a simple twist of his body, Xu Han effortlessly evaded the blow.
Immediately afterward, he threw a punch of his own, landing squarely on the burly man's ribs.
Bang!
The burly man's body was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing heavily into a nearby massive tree.
The thick trunk could not withstand such terrifying force; it snapped and collapsed with a resounding crash.
"Bastard!"
The burly man gritted his teeth, stood up, and glared murderously at Xu Han.
He could hardly believe he was getting the worst of it against Xu Han!
Dragging his bulky frame, he charged at Xu Han once more!
Another punch aimed straight at Xu Han.
Yet Xu Han moved like a nimble fish.
Weaving effortlessly around the burly man.
The burly man couldn't even brush against the hem of Xu Han's clothes, while taking punch after punch in return.
After just a few exchanges.
The burly man was covered in injuries from head to toe.
Xu Han, on the other hand, was completely unharmed.
In fact, the longer they fought, the more spirited he felt.
Xu Han could feel his comprehension of combat techniques deepening.
Although Wang Yuan had sparred with him and fed him plenty of moves previously.
After fighting so much, Xu Han could already guess Wang Yuan's next move in advance.
Thus, the training effectiveness had rapidly diminished.
Fighting this burly man now granted Xu Han a fresh wave of insights.
The burly man's face turned livid with anger as he glared at Xu Han.
"I underestimated you!"
"I'll see you beaten into a pulp, you bastard!"
"Shadowless Fist!"
His speed suddenly surged, and his fists turned into a flurry of afterimages, crazily hammering toward Xu Han.
Facing the storm of fists.
Xu Han dodged to the best of his ability, yet still took two hits.
Even so, they felt entirely harmless.
Besides, under the sunlight, his minor injuries were healing rapidly.
"It's about time to end this."
Xu Han glanced at the time.
They had been fighting for five minutes already.
He looked at the burly man and said in a deep voice, "Darkness Descends!"
The dark elements instantly turned chaotic!
Pitch-black darkness, akin to liquid, spread outward from around Xu Han's body, blanketing the surroundings.
The burly man was enveloped within the darkness.
His vision vanished instantly.
He looked around in panic, blindly searching for Xu Han's location.
Yet Xu Han had already silently appeared right behind him.
The Ice-Blue Blade, carrying a biting chill, swept across the burly man's neck.
His head and body parted in an instant.
The corpse collapsed limply to the ground.
Xu Han stepped forward to inspect the burly man's equipment.
A few Gold-tier items, along with some Silver-tier gear.
However, these were still not enough to catch his eye.
He casually tossed the items into his spatial ring.
Just as he was about to leave, he noticed a pendant hanging around the burly man's neck.
He picked up the pendant and took a look.
It was actually a spatial storage item!
This guy was quite wealthy, even able to afford spatial equipment.
Yet, considering the other's identity, it made complete sense.
After all, he was a mid-level boss in an organ-trafficking syndicate.
It would be abnormal if he didn't have money.
With its master's death, the seal on the jade pendant had dissipated.
Xu Han could freely examine the items inside.
When he opened the spatial pendant and saw what was stored within, he froze instantly.
Eyeballs, hearts, kidneys packed inside glass jars...
Aside from those, there were also various limbs of exotic beasts.
Had his mental resilience not been strong enough, he probably would have vomited right then and there.
Suppressing his nausea, he closed the spatial jade pendant.
Xu Han dialed Wang Yuan's number.
...
Wang Yuan had just returned to the military headquarters when he saw Liang Xingteng looking stern and Ye Yuanzheng walking over with a beaming smile.
He immediately snapped a salute.
Liang Xingteng nodded slightly. "Have those little brats started their assessment?"
Wang Yuan nodded.
Liang Xingteng continued to ask, "How long is it expected to take for them to finish the assessment?"
Wang Yuan wore a thoughtful expression, calculated for a moment, and replied, "Roughly... about two days."
Ye Yuanzheng waved his hand. "It won't take that long. I estimate they'll resolve the battle by tonight."
Liang Xingteng cast him a sideways glance. "Easier said than done."
"Although that stronghold doesn't have many powerhouses, the boss of that stronghold is somewhat troublesome."
"He can manipulate the surrounding exotic beasts to act as sentries and launch attacks for him."
"Moreover, the moment he finds himself outmatched, he slips right across the border into Annan."
"We've sent people out a few times and still failed to take that boss down."
"Do you really think your students can finish it in a single day?"
Ye Yuanzheng still nodded with a smile. "What? Want to make another wager?"
"This time, I want the remaining bottle of Night Fruit Wine you have left."
Mentioning the Night Fruit Wine made Liang Xingteng's heart ache genuinely!
There were only two bottles in total.
He hadn't even been willing to drink his own, yet he had already lost one in a bet!
To think this old man was actually eyeing his second bottle now!