Chapter 77 - 68: An Acquaintance Lying on the Ground
Chapter 77: Chapter 68: An Acquaintance Lying on the Ground
Fang Xiu found a less crowded spot and had Kajimi put him down.
After all, there would be plenty of Awakened gathered at the exit.
Although Kajimi looked human, her features were still somewhat unusual.
Just because Yuan Heng and his group hadn’t recognized her didn’t mean others wouldn’t.
Fang Xiu felt it was best to be cautious about all this.
If someone recognized that Fang Xiu had a contracted Succubus...
He wasn’t sure what would happen in the end.
Fang Xiu ambled toward the Gate World’s entrance.
Soon, he saw a crowd of people in the distance, gathered around something.
Fang Xiu glanced over curiously.
Then his brow furrowed slightly.
He saw three people lying on the ground, surrounded by a crowd that was murmuring about something.
It seemed the three were already dead.
Of course, such things were perfectly normal inside a Gate World.
Gate Worlds were filled with danger everywhere.
If you weren’t strong enough, it was easy to get killed by a Demon Beast while training in here.
But of course, if you managed to kill a Demon Beast, you could make a fortune.
"Master, those three people... they look like Yuan Heng and his group!"
Just as Fang Xiu was preparing to leave the Gate World,
Kajimi’s voice reached him.
Fang Xiu froze.
He then turned and walked into the crowd.
"This is..."
Fang Xiu saw that the three corpses before him were mutilated almost beyond recognition.
But someone who knew them could still tell.
Weren’t these three people Yuan Heng’s group?
"What happened?" Fang Xiu asked a woman nearby who seemed to be in charge of recovering the bodies.
"Killed by a Demon Beast from the Gate World. It’s very common."
The woman turned to look at Fang Xiu.
She was briefly stunned by his appearance before regaining her composure and continuing to tend to the three bodies.
She spoke with a sigh of resignation, "These three don’t look very old. They probably just graduated. It’s a real shame. None of them escaped. We can’t confirm their identities yet."
"I know them," Fang Xiu said flatly.
His tone carried a trace of anger.
The bodies of Yuan Heng’s group were a gruesome sight.
Yuan Heng had lost an arm.
Lin Huo was missing the lower half of his body.
As for Du Xiwei, he was headless. Fang Xiu would never have recognized him if he hadn’t known him well and if it weren’t for the [White Frog Ring] on his hand.
He didn’t know what had happened to Yuan Heng’s group after he left.
Now, they were just three corpses.
"You know them? Can you tell me who they are?" the woman asked, standing up to look at Fang Xiu.
"How did they die? And how did they end up here?"
Fang Xiu didn’t answer the woman’s question, asking one of his own instead.
The woman’s brow furrowed slightly. "Who are they?"
"I asked you, how did they die? And how did they end up here?"
A flash of rage appeared in Fang Xiu’s eyes.
"They..." Seeing the rage in his eyes, the woman felt a surge of fear for some reason. "They were found in the northern forest. Based on the tracks, they must have run into a Level 35 Demon Beast, the Linglan Giant Flame Tiger."
"The Linglan Giant Flame Tiger? A Level 35?"
Fang Xiu’s brow tightened.
He hadn’t expected that Yuan Heng’s group, whose luck had turned bad, would end up this unlucky.
They were only Level 10+, yet they had encountered one of the strongest beings in the Seventh Gate World.
The Level 35 Demon Beast, the Linglan Giant Flame Tiger.
Fang Xiu had seen it mentioned before in Dan Peiyu’s little notebook.
The Seventh Gate World contained a Level 35 Demon Beast.
Namely, the Linglan Giant Flame Tiger.
Such a creature was extremely rare in the Gate World.
So not many people ever encountered it.
But it truly existed.
Some people speculated that this Linglan Giant Flame Tiger was probably the boss of the Seventh Gate World.
After all, few had encountered it, and those who did were certainly no match for its strength.
To this day, no one had managed to kill it.
He never thought that Yuan Heng’s group would be unlucky enough to run into the Linglan Giant Flame Tiger.
At just Level 10+, a direct confrontation with the Linglan Giant Flame Tiger would mean certain death.
"Their names are Yuan Heng, Lin Huo, and Du Xiwei. They’re all Awakened. You should have their files," Fang Xiu briefly explained.
Meanwhile, the woman had already taken out a device and started typing in the names.
"Yuan Heng... Is that the ’Heng’ from..."
When the woman turned around, she found that Fang Xiu was already gone.
...
At that moment, Fang Xiu was being carried by Kajimi, flying directly through the sky.
"Linglan Giant Flame Tiger? The boss of the Seventh Gate World? Then I’ll come and kill you right now!"
There was a trace of fury in Fang Xiu’s voice.
Although he wasn’t exactly close with Yuan Heng’s group, he had gotten to know them on their journey together.
Fang Xiu didn’t know them well, but he knew they were Awakened who genuinely cared about ordinary people.
If the day ever came when Demon Beasts invaded the Human World,
those three would have absolutely charged to the front lines to protect humanity.
But now, these three—three young men who had just graduated—had fallen in the Seventh Gate World just like that.
Fang Xiu was not a heartless person. He, too, could feel anger.
Kajimi flew north at high speed.
Fang Xiu had just seen that the bodies of Yuan Heng’s group were still relatively fresh.
They must have been killed not long ago.
Soon, Fang Xiu spotted a long bloodstain on the ground, a drag mark.
Fang Xiu landed and examined the ground.
There was a set of footprints in the middle, and behind them, drag marks.
’It was Yuan Heng. He dragged both Lin Huo and Du Xiwei here with one arm!’
Fang Xiu understood with a single glance.
The marks on the ground were clear.
They had encountered the Linglan Giant Flame Tiger but, for some reason, hadn’t been completely eaten.
Perhaps it thought they were all dead and unappetizing.
Or maybe there was another reason.
At the very least, Yuan Heng hadn’t been dead at that point.
Relying on sheer willpower, he had dragged the bodies of Lin Huo and Du Xiwei in this direction.
Fang Xiu followed the trail of blood with his eyes.
"Kajimi, follow the blood trail!"
Since it had left a trail here, following it should lead them to the Linglan Giant Flame Tiger.
Even if they couldn’t find it, they should at least be able to reach the battle site.
Perhaps the Linglan Giant Flame Tiger was still nearby.
"Yes!"
Kajimi nodded slightly.
She felt no emotion for humans; even for the three she knew, Yuan Heng’s group, she felt no sadness.
But Kajimi could connect with Fang Xiu’s feelings.
When Fang Xiu was angry, Kajimi would also feel angry.
So, Kajimi pushed her speed to the absolute limit.
Along the way, Fang Xiu saw a few people wearing the same uniforms as the woman he had seen earlier by the bodies of Yuan Heng’s group.
Fang Xiu didn’t know what department they belonged to.
These few people were likely around Level 30.
It seemed they were also heading out to find the Level 35 Linglan Giant Flame Tiger.
After all, with their numbers, they might actually be able to hunt the Level 35 Linglan Giant Flame Tiger if they found it.
However, Fang Xiu paid them no mind.
Kajimi transformed into a streak of red light and shot directly over their heads.
At their speed, Fang Xiu estimated that by the time they reached the battle site, the Linglan Giant Flame Tiger would be long gone.
Soon, Kajimi brought Fang Xiu to a patch of grassland.
Although the bloodstains on the ground were hard to see, the surrounding area clearly showed signs of a recent fight.
"Yuan Heng’s group must have met the Linglan Giant Flame Tiger here."
Fang Xiu’s voice was low, laced with fury.
Finding no trace of any Demon Beast in the area, Fang Xiu asked Kajimi, "Kajimi, can you sense where the Linglan Giant Flame Tiger is?"
’The Linglan Giant Flame Tiger shouldn’t have gone far.’
"Mm, I don’t know if it’s the Linglan Giant Flame Tiger, but there’s a relatively powerful Demon Beast in that direction!" Kajimi nodded slightly, pointing toward a rocky area in the distance.
"Let’s go!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Fang Xiu headed toward the rocky area!