Chapter 58

"Mr. Du, what do you think?" Zhang Zhiyan glanced at Zhang Xitong and turned to ask.

"Let's take it one step at a time. Since the Soul澜 Continent is facing a great calamity, the young man who has emerged in response to this calamity must have his own unique qualities. If there were no such events, it would be abnormal." Du Tiansi was quite cheerful, "However, we should delay Xitong's promotion for a while. We need to observe the character of this young man named Bu Li before making any decisions. There's no need to rush."

Zhang Zhiyan sighed deeply, his heart filled with countless frustrations, unsure how to vent them. He looked at Zhang Xitong with deep affection, his heart filled with regret and remorse. He had been too indulgent with this child, but no one could have predicted that such an event would occur in the wilds of West Mountain.

Du Tiansi seemed to understand Zhang Zhiyan's feelings and comforted him with a smile, "In the face of true destiny, we are all insignificant blades of grass. No one knows whether the changes in Xitong are good or bad. We can only take it one step at a time and proceed slowly, which is actually faster."

Zhang Xitong bowed slightly to Du Tiansi and said, "Thank you, Mr. Du."

"Go with peace of mind. Observe more and act less. Let that young man named Bu Li enter Hate Mountain for a period of cultivation. By the way, you don't need to send anyone; I will go myself to see what peculiarities this young man has and how powerful the existence in the mist is!" His gaunt face exuded a powerful confidence. As a world-class powerhouse, he would not be deterred by a single encounter. Instead, it only further fueled his competitive spirit. Especially the last words of "Zhang Xitong" piqued Du Tiansi's curiosity immensely.

Zhang Zhiyan said, "Then we will trouble you, Mr. Du."

He bowed and, holding Zhang Xitong's hand, slowly walked down the mountain.

The autumn scenery in the mountains was like a tapestry, the maple leaves a deep red. It was the time of the rising sun, the vast sky filled with the autumn mist. Looking out, the layers of forests were dyed, and it was hard to imagine how much blood would be spilled and how many bodies would pile up in this calamity on the Soul澜 Continent.

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Bu Li was running in the Divine Legacy Mountains, not very fast, but in a rhythm that conserved the most energy. Dahei followed closely behind, clearly already familiar with this pace.

There were not many descendants of the Legacy Clans left in the Divine Legacy Mountains. Bu Li carefully searched for Chu Zhongze's figure. After obtaining the ring inscribed with "No intention, no duality" and enhancing his longbow, Bu Li had a fifty-fifty chance of assassinating Chu Zhongze.

Finding someone in the Divine Legacy Mountains was as difficult as finding a needle in the sea. Since he couldn't find him, he decided to wait for him. The Dragon Severing Platform was a place everyone had to go. Bu Li headed straight for the Dragon Severing Platform, the image of the devoted couple making their final decision lingering in his mind, turning into a grudge.

Were the descendants of West Mountain born to be inferior? Were they to be treated like monkeys, fighting in these mountains to please the people of the Soul澜 Continent with blood? How absurd! Bu Li was furious, but he became even more calm.

The journey was peaceful. The remaining descendants of West Mountain were all strong, and they naturally wouldn't expose their tracks easily. The previous divine punishment had left everyone with lingering fear, an unknown terror that was hard to accept.

The whole day passed. When Bu Li saw the Dragon Severing Platform from a distance, the sun was already hidden behind the mountains of the Divine Legacy Mountains, leaving only a bit of afterglow. In the fiery afterglow, the Dragon Severing Platform looked as if it were soaked in the blood of the West Mountain descendants, with bloodlight piercing the sky.

On the Dragon Severing Platform was a nanmu chair, with someone sitting on it. Bu Li couldn't see the person's face from the distance, but he guessed it was an elder from Hate Mountain who would judge the winner. With Dahei, Bu Li carefully found a place not too far or too close to the Dragon Severing Platform, hiding himself. As for Dahei, Bu Li didn't need to worry about him. Even Bu Li would have to spend some effort to find where Dahei was hiding, let alone others.

About a hundred steps from the Dragon Severing Platform, Bu Li didn't dare to get any closer. This position was satisfactory to Bu Li. The view wasn't the most open, but it was enough to see the surroundings. On the Dragon Severing Platform, besides the elder from Hate Mountain, there were three empty chairs, waiting for the top three West Mountain descendants to arrive.

It was the second day, but Bu Li felt as if he had been in the Divine Legacy Mountains for many years. He had been lying in wait, witnessed a battle, been pursued by Chu Zhongze, repelled the enemy, met Zhang Xitong, entered the river of memories, and experienced the so-called "divine punishment." He had gone through many ups and downs, walking the line between life and death multiple times. Now, standing before the Dragon Severing Platform, his heart was calm, suppressing his anger and calmly observing the surroundings.

Suddenly, Bu Li had a thought and cursed himself. His body darted out, crouching low, almost running on all fours through the forest.

How stupid! Bu Li scolded himself. At this time yesterday, he had encountered Chu Zhongze. When Chu Zhongze was about to leave, a map appeared in the sky, showing everyone's positions. Bu Li wasn't worried about others knowing he was approaching the Dragon Severing Platform, but he didn't want them to know his hiding spot.

Like the rustling of the wind, Bu Li disappeared, using all the terrain to hide himself. The survival instincts he had honed over years of fighting in the mountains were fully displayed. Although the sun was about to set, his movements were so fast that from a distance, it looked like only the rustling of the trees in the wind.

Dahei followed Bu Li, running without understanding.

The last ray of sunlight disappeared, and the sky over the Divine Legacy Mountains lit up again. Like a giant curtain, a dozen bright spots appeared in the sky near the Dragon Severing Platform.

Bu Li looked up, feeling a bit disheartened. At this time yesterday, there were over a hundred bright spots on the sky curtain, but in just one day, only a dozen people were still alive. In front of the Dragon Severing Platform, a bloody battle was about to unfold, and many young descendants of the Legacy Clans would die here. Just the appearance of the sky curtain would result in much bloodshed.

Damn it! Bu Li cursed. In this world, there were endless things to curse. This was life. Why should he and the young descendants of West Mountain fight to the death in the Divine Legacy Mountains, like caged beasts using their teeth and claws, their blood and flesh, to please the people of the Soul澜 Continent?

Why!

The literary sadness flashed and disappeared. Bu Li quickly recalled the sky curtain he had seen earlier. Three bright spots had already appeared near the Dragon Severing Platform, one of which was himself. Damn! Bu Li glared at the sky curtain. It would take some time for the sky curtain to disappear, and during this time, he was exposed to the two patterned warriors nearby.

He ran hard, glancing back at the sky curtain. As he had guessed, two bright spots were approaching him, forming a pincer movement.

These were probably the West Mountain descendants bought by Hate Mountain, and one of them might be Chu Zhongze, Bu Li guessed. He had been delayed in the rift formed by the "divine punishment" for a long time, and someone should have reached the Dragon Severing Platform first. However, these people didn't seem to be like previous years, where they would climb the Dragon Severing Platform to receive rewards from Hate Mountain. They were circling the Dragon Severing Platform, hunting and killing all the young descendants of West Mountain who hadn't been bought by Hate Mountain.

At this moment, the Dragon Severing Platform was like a delicious piece of meat, the perfect trap.

These thoughts flashed through Bu Li's mind. His first challenge was to survive until the sky curtain disappeared. During this time, he couldn't use his usual tactics and could only run and be pursued.

The light from the sky curtain was soft, filtering through the leaves and casting a beautiful pattern on the forest floor. Unfortunately, Bu Li didn't have time to appreciate this rare and beautiful scene; he was being chased like a dog.

Fleeing like a stray dog, rushing like a fish that had escaped the net.

Two figures moved through the forest, making a rustling sound, completely unconcerned about whether Bu Li would notice them. Perhaps to them, the bright spot not far away, the young descendant of West Mountain, was just a prey, easy to kill.

The two figures were now visible, one slightly faster and closer to Bu Li's direction. The other was a bit farther, blocking Bu Li's retreat.

Bu Li's face was stern, his features sharp like a chiseled stone. The originally desperate Bu Li landed on a branch, stopped, drew his bow, and shot two ironwood arrows without even looking, almost blindly. The two arrows disappeared into the dense autumn forest.

The sound of the arrows breaking through the air was sharp and fierce. They cut through the dense forest like a fierce dragon, unstoppable.

Bu Li didn't choose to run anymore but followed the trajectory of the two ironwood arrows, charging forward. Dahei, who had been following Bu Li, disappeared without a trace, hiding somewhere. In the blink of an eye, Bu Li heard a muffled groan. The branches blown aside by the wind of the arrows hadn't even lifted when Bu Li had already drawn a dagger and lunged at the person closer to him.

In a narrow encounter, the brave one wins!

As a pattern hunter, in the specific environment of the Divine Legacy Mountains, Bu Li had no other choice. The silent young man, the dull dagger, the silent assassination, the arrogant arrows—all these contrasts intertwined, seemingly incompatible but perfectly embodied in Bu Li's actions.

Bu Li was not much slower than the arrows, his body almost leaving a trail of afterimages, reaching the limits of a normal person.

Seeing the person clearly, it was a tall girl with dark skin that shone slickly in the soft light of the sky curtain. One ironwood arrow had already been pulled out and lay on the ground. Blood was gushing from her left shoulder. The tip of Bu Li's ironwood arrow had a barb, and pulling it out carelessly had torn a large piece of flesh, doubling the size of the wound.

It was the young woman from the Buyi Clan, ranked second on the leaderboard, Wanwan.

The first arrow was sudden but expected. After barely dodging it, she had no strength left to avoid the second arrow, which hit her shoulder. What she hadn't expected was that Bu Li would stop running and charge at her.

There was no time to wonder why this hunter would abandon the crucial distance and engage in close combat. Bu Li was already in front of her, his dagger silently stabbing at her neck.

After the first clash, Wanwan recognized him.

The sky curtain could only show the presence and position of people nearby, not their identities. Bu Li's battle with Yang Caiyan on the Sky Bestowal Platform was a deeply etched memory for all the young descendants participating in the "Legacy Clan Grand Trial." The young pattern hunter wielded a dagger, unafraid of the pattern warrior with enhanced agility, and didn't even use the strange tree vine.