THE HUNTER OF DARKNESS

The Bait

“Hiaaaat!” Fang An shouted loudly.

A bright bluish beam of light shot out magnificently, striking several tents at once.

Blaaar!

A loud explosion startled tens of thousands of soldiers who were still asleep. Shouts and screams filled the air as the soldiers who survived the massive attack cried out in terror.

With a single strike, more than a hundred soldiers were instantly killed, their bodies destroyed. Those who survived mostly suffered severe burns as the raging flames consumed the tents.

The fire spread rapidly due to the close proximity of the tents. The blaze grew larger by the second, forcing the remaining soldiers to flee outside in panic.

“Fire... fire!” came the constant warnings. But moments later, an even louder explosion rocked the entire area.

“We’re under attack... We’re under attack!” they shouted again, now with a different tone of urgency.

Some soldiers, trying to maintain their composure, looked around in search of the assailant.

One of them finally spotted Fang An standing with a sword glowing in bluish light.

“There he is! That’s the attacker!” he screamed while pointing.

Chaos broke out everywhere. Many soldiers, their bodies engulfed in flames, ran wildly, crashing into the tents still standing. The fire grew uncontrollably, thick smoke billowing and clouding the entire area.

Cai Rui staggered out of his tent, his face pale at the sight of the devastation. Fires were blazing in multiple locations, and the charred bodies of soldiers lay scattered in disarray.

A soldier ran frantically toward Cai Rui, who was frozen in place.

“Commander, we’re under attack!”

“Who is attacking? I don’t see any troops from the Shang Dynasty here.”

“It’s not an army, Sir. It’s a young man…”

Before the soldier could finish his sentence, another deafening explosion shook the camp.

Blaaar!

Cai Rui saw flames shoot up higher than the tops of the tents. Thick black smoke followed the explosion, adding more casualties to the Ying Dynasty’s side.

Another soldier came running toward Cai Rui’s tent.

“Sir, there are two attackers.”

“Only two?” Cai Rui asked in disbelief. The wrinkle on his forehead deepened, clearly showing his doubt.

“Yes, Sir. Only two. But both of them are incredibly powerful!”

“Nonsense! There are thousands of you, and you’re afraid of just two people? What good are you as soldiers if you’re such cowards?” Cai Rui shouted angrily.

“We await your orders, Commander!”

“Attack both of them! Kill them and shred their bodies into pieces!” Cai Rui raged at his troops’ incompetence.

“We will carry out your orders, Commander,” one of the soldiers replied.

Meanwhile, Zhao Wen unleashed multiple techniques—his signature move Blade of the Cold Wind and the Southern Ice Storm technique. The number of soldiers killed in his surprise attacks was already beyond count.

After releasing several attacks, Fang An dashed toward Zhao Wen and stopped beside him.

“What now, Uncle?”

“Wait a little longer. I’m sure they’ll come rushing at us,” Zhao Wen replied calmly.

Elsewhere, Cai Rui was walking quickly toward Emperor Zhu Feng’s tent.

“What’s going on outside, Commander? Why is it so noisy?” asked Emperor Zhu Feng.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty. Two warriors are attacking us. But our troops are fighting back as we speak.”

“Have they lost their minds, attacking an army of tens of thousands?” Emperor Zhu Feng furrowed his brow.

“It appears they are no ordinary warriors, Your Majesty. Hundreds of our soldiers have already fallen at their hands.”

“Could they be from the Shang Dynasty?”

“I’m not certain, Your Majesty. But it’s possible they’re the ones who killed Elders Qiu Liang and Zeng Kun,” Cai Rui replied.

The ruler of the Ying Dynasty rubbed his forehead, trying to ease the pounding headache. He was certain there was a deeper reason behind the attack carried out by these two warriors.

“Have any of the Shang Dynasty troops been seen in the area, Commander?”

“According to our reports, there are no Shang soldiers nearby, Your Majesty.”

“This might be just a diversion!” Emperor Zhu Feng suddenly stood up.

“A diversion? What do you mean, Your Majesty?” Cai Rui asked, confused.

The ruler ignored the question—he thought it was too foolish to be asked by someone of a Commander’s rank. He stepped outside his tent to observe the situation. Just as he feared, he saw nearly all of his troops running toward the barren hills.

What Emperor Zhu Feng didn’t know was that Cai Rui had already ordered the soldiers to kill Fang An and Zhao Wen at all costs.

“What’s wrong, Your Majesty?” Cai Rui asked, noticing the change in his emperor’s expression.

“Look at our soldiers! They’ve fallen right into the enemy’s trap. Go after them now and tell them to stop!”

Cai Rui saluted before sprinting after the fleeing troops as fast as he could.

Meanwhile, Zhao Wen and Fang An were seen running with tens of thousands of soldiers chasing them. They maintained just enough distance to ensure the soldiers didn’t lose their trail.

“Keep chasing them! Kill them both!”

Fueled by the lust for blood and eager to slay the two who dared attack them, the soldiers chased relentlessly. They all believed the two were running out of fear after seeing the massive size of the Ying Dynasty army.

Unbeknownst to the soldiers, they were drawing closer to the forest’s edge—and that meant they were approaching the barren hill where the Shang Dynasty's forces were based.

Fang An and Zhao Wen kept running until they reached an open field. Both pretended to be exhausted, hunched over, catching their breath deliberately.

“Be ready to grab me when I give the signal!”

“Understood, Uncle,” Fang An replied.

“Where do you think you're going now? Surround them quickly!” shouted one of the squad leaders.

It wasn’t just hundreds or thousands of soldiers who surrounded them—but more than 25,000. Something strange was clearly at play: just to kill two men, almost the entire Ying Dynasty army had joined the hunt.

And yet, despite successfully surrounding Fang An and Zhao Wen, not a single soldier moved forward to strike.