Before making up his mind to hunt and kill that Green-Fire Deer, Zhang Ruochen had made a careful consideration.
With his current cultivation, he could not compete against a Green-Fire Deer. Besides that, he could not use Genuine Martial Arms, because his Flash Shining Sword and Abyss Ancient Sword were stored in the internal space.
Once he used them, others would know that the Time and Space Spinel was with him.
Luckily, it was a Green-Fire Deer. If he had met any other superior-class level-one savage beasts, he would have no chance to win at all.
But a Green-Fire Deer was different. It was fast, but it was not as strong as other superior-class level-one savage beasts. And a Green-Fire Deer was not good at defending itself.
Zhang Ruochen had reached the Completion of the Heaven Realm in his last lifetime. Therefore, his strong Spiritual Power and rich practical experience were his great advantages. He could make quick judgments on a Green-Fire Deer’s movements and attacks. Then he could adjust his strategies flexibly.
Thus, although a Green-Fire Deer was fast, it did not mean that the deer could beat Zhang Ruochen easily.
“Haa!”
Zhang Ruochen roared at the Green-Fire Deer provocatively and aggressively.
“Phhf!”
The Green-Fire Deer was outraged now, and his flames were becoming even brighter. In a second, it had almost reached the place where Zhang Ruochen was. It was so fast that it looked like a green shadow when it moved. Obviously, this Green-Fire Deer was planning to attack Zhang Ruochen with its giant body.
But Zhang Ruochen bent his knees and exerted power by pushing off the ground. He jumped up seven meters high when the Green-Fire Deer was about to hit him.
“Dragon in the Sky!”
His running Genuine Qi was quickly moving inside his 11 Meridians. His body made a low-pitched sound which was like a dragon’s roar. All his muscles and bones were functioning together now, unleashing great power through his palm.
However, the Green-Fire Deer was too fast. Zhang Ruochen could not hit the Green-Fire Deer but hit the ground.
“Phhf!”
The deer ran toward Zhang Ruochen like a green shadow. It used its antlers to attack him, targeting his chest.
Zhang Ruochen unleashed power from his palm again and competed against the Green-Fire Deer.
“Bang!”
A strong impact force hit his palm. Suddenly, he felt that his right arm had lost feeling.
Zhang Ruochen quickly moved backward. He looked toward his arm and saw that his right palm was being burned by the fire from the deer. His sleeves were burnt to ashes, and his wrist and arm were exposed.
His Genuine Qi was running inside his Meridians, gradually making his numb arm return back to normal.
“Whomp, whomp!”
The Green-Fire Deer ran toward Zhang Ruochen again. Within a second, it had appeared in front of Zhang Ruochen.
Right now, two Thunder Arrows were shot by the Ninth Commandery Princess, who was standing far away. These two arrows were shot toward the eyes of the deer.
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
The deer had such a quick reaction that it hit the arrows back with its hard antlers.
“Elephant Galloping!”
Zhang Ruochen seized the opportunity and rushed toward the Green-Fire Deer. With the impact force of his body, Zhang Ruochen unleashed the Strength of Sixteen Bulls from his palm again, hitting on the head of the deer.
The Green-Fire Deer whined and its head was bleeding. It was injured and the blood was coming out of the wound on top of its head, which slowed its reaction.
“Phew!”
As the deer was distracted, the Ninth Commandery Princess got the chance to shoot the final Thunder Arrow at it. This time the arrow pierced through the deer’s left eye.
“Bang!”
The arrowhead of the Thunder Arrow exploded and shredded the left side of its head. The Green-Fire Deer’s left eyeball was turned into a mist of blood.
Zhang Ruochen tumbled to reach the corpse of the Red Smilodon Tiger. He chipped off a sharp, half-meter-long tooth from its mouth.
The injured Green-Fire Deer turned and ran away. The flames surrounding it went out as well.
Zhang Ruochen grasped that broken tooth from the Red Smilodon Tiger. The tooth in his hand was like a short blade. He stepped on the tree trunk and leaped with the help of the elasticity of the tree trunk.
“Crack!”
Zhang Ruochen stuck the sharp tiger tooth into the Green-Fire Deer’s forehead and pierced it through the deer’s skull.
“Bang!”
The Green-Fire Deer struggled, but finally, it failed. It fell down on the ground, becoming lifeless.
Zhang Ruochen pulled out the tooth and stuck it into the abdomen of the Green-Fire Deer. All of this finally terminated the deer’s life.
The Ninth Commandery Princess came over and saw the corpse of the deer. She could not believe what she had just seen. “Ninth brother… you just killed a superior-class level-one savage beast.”
Zhang Ruochen glanced at her and stood up. After simply binding up his burnt palm with some cloth, he said, “Not me, but us.”
The Ninth Commandery Princess knew clearly that she had not offered sufficient help. If it was not for the hit on its head slowing the reaction of the deer, she could not have shot the deer’s eye with her Thunder Arrow.
However, she was happy because she was involved in the hunt of that superior-class level-one savage beast. More importantly, it was a successful hunt.
She was so thrilled that she could not help hugging Zhang Ruochen.
“Ninth brother, we are the best battle-buddies. We always cooperate so well!”
She hugged Zhang Ruochen around the reck with her soft arms. Her big, soft boobs were pressed closely to his chest. She was so thrilled that she almost shoved him to the ground.
Zhang Ruochen raised his arm and held the Ninth Commandery Princess by her shoulder, in order to keep some distance away from her. He said in a calm voice, “We should go back!”
Seeing Zhang Ruochen’s cold, indifferent face, she stamped her foot and frowned. “I am your sister. I won’t eat you. Could you just put away your arrogance?”
Zhang Ruochen left the Roar Slope and mounted the antelope-horse. He glanced at the Ninth Commandery Princess and said, “Let’s go!”
She rolled her eyes and put her hand in Zhang Ruochen’s palm to mount his antelope-horse. She sat behind him with her arms around his waist. Her exquisite face was on his back and she laughed. “Your Majesty, would you mind taking your gorgeous sister to a peaceful place without any killings?”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head slightly. He steered the antelope-horse to exit the jungle and rushed to the Royal Coliseum.
…
26 out of the 43 young participants had come back, whilst the remaining 17 warriors were still missing.
If a warrior had not come back, he would either have died somewhere, or he had not hunted any savage beast.
“Min, how’s your hunt going?” asked Concubine Huo, the biological mother of the Fifth Prince, Zhang Min.
Wearing a smile on his face, Zhang Min said confidently, “Mom, don’t worry. I’m confident that nobody can be better than me in this King Mount hunt!”
“Well done, Min.” Concubine Huo nodded with a smile.
Lin Fengxian looked at his daughter, Lin Ningshan, and asked, “Shan, it’s your first time here. I assume that you have encountered many problems, right?”
Lin Ningshan shook her head and confidently said, “It’s easier than I expected. No problem at all. I’m confident that I will be on the top 10 list.”
Lin Ningshan looked toward King Mount. She realized that Zhang Ruochen had not yet come back, which made her even more proud. She secretly grinned. “So, he hasn’t hunted any savage beast. Well, that’s reasonable. Taking those precious medicinal materials can strengthen his power. However, it can’t enrich his practical experience.”
Right now, Concubine Lin was becoming nervous. She stared at King Mount wistfully.
Later, more warriors came back.
But those warriors looked worried. Apparently, they had not hunted any savage beast in King Mount.
“Where are the Ninth Prince and Ninth Commandery Princess? Fingers crossed, they are okay.”
People started to worry about them because some young warriors had been killed by savage beasts in previous years’ King Mount hunting.
The Yunwu Commandery Prince frowned slightly and was about to send a troop of guards to look for his children.
All of a sudden, there was a person shouting in the crowd. “They are back! The Ninth Prince and the Ninth Commandery Princess come back together!”
Concubine Lin, Lin Ningshan, and other princes and princesses looked towards King Mount. They saw these two young people coming from that direction, riding on the same antelope-horse. They were getting closer and closer.
Zhang Ruochen and the Ninth Commandery Princess got off the antelope-horse immediately after arriving at the Royal Coliseum. They walked toward their father, the Yunwu Commandery Prince.
“Your Majesty!” said Zhang Ruochen.
“Your Majesty. Father!” said the Ninth Commandery Princess.
The Commandery Prince laughed, “Ruochen, why did you ride on Yuxi’s horse?”
The Ninth Commandery Princess replied on behalf of Zhang Ruochen immediately, “Father, brother Ruochen and I met an Iron Bull. My antelope-horse got injured, so I had to ask him for help.”
The Commandery Prince stared at Zhang Ruochen and asked, “Is that true, Ruochen?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he replied.
The Commandery Prince nodded firmly. Suddenly, he saw that Zhang Ruochen’s right arm had gotten injured. He said, “Ruochen, it’s your first time here, and it’s your first time battling with savage beasts. You just obtained your Sacred Mark three months ago, so don’t be upset if you didn’t hunt any savage beast.”
“I know!”
Zhang Ruochen did not explain and he did not plan to explain. He just replied calmly.
The Ninth Commandery Princess was about to say something. However, she could not find anything to say in this situation.
The Fifth Prince and the Sixth Prince grinned secretly when they saw that Zhang Ruochen was injured.
A hint of a smile played on Lin Ningshan’s face as well. During the Year-end Assessment, Zhang Ruochen had been outstanding. However, when it came to a real battle with savage beasts, he was still far from good enough.