THE HUNTER OF DARKNESS

The Genie Kingdom

Only the lead warrior remained. The towering Genie, standing around seven meters tall, for some unknown reason, began to feel fear creeping into his mind. A fear he should not have possessed as the lead warrior of the Genie Kingdom—yet it took hold the moment he saw the savage determination in the eyes of the human staring at him.

“Now it’s your turn to follow your subordinates!”

Fang An's voice wasn’t loud, but it was dripping with menace. It struck terror into the Genie's core, sending paranoia into his limbs. He was completely overwhelmed by an irrational fear.

While the explosion had occurred outside, inside the royal palace not far from the battlefield, several of the kingdom’s key figures were gathered, listening to their ruler speak. The sudden blast shocked everyone in the hall.

Even Emperor Li Wei, who had been addressing his audience, fell silent mid-sentence.

For several moments, a deep silence followed the explosion. Everyone froze, internally questioning the nature of the blast they had just heard.

“Yu Lian, go find out what caused that explosion—immediately!” ordered Emperor Li Wei, his tone stern.

“At once, Your Majesty,” Yu Lian replied.

The towering, broad-shouldered man with thick whiskers and sideburns bowed deeply before leaving the hall.

Accompanied by 40 Genie soldiers, Yu Lian left the palace in search of the explosion’s source. After traveling only 150 meters from the palace, another loud explosion erupted, this time even closer.

He looked up and spotted smoke rising into the sky before it was swept away by the wind.

“There!” he shouted, urging his horse into a gallop toward the location he had identified.

A few seconds after defeating the lead warrior and barely having time to catch his breath, Fang An heard the pounding of hooves growing louder in the distance. He turned and shook his head slowly.

“Damn it! More soldiers?” he muttered to himself.

Yu Lian’s group halted just ten meters from where Fang An stood. The Genie official’s eyes widened as he saw a lone human holding a glowing sword, radiating a brilliant blue light.

His crimson eyes scanned the area, assessing what had just taken place.

“You dare kill soldiers of the Genie Kingdom?!” he roared after spotting the familiar spears scattered on the ground.

“It wasn’t my fault. I only acted in self-defense. Without provocation, they tried to capture me,” Fang An replied flatly, his voice cold.

But to Yu Lian, Fang An’s calm answer was nothing short of a challenge—a provocation in itself.

“You are guilty of trespassing in our kingdom without permission!” Yu Lian barked back.

“You’re the strange one here,” Fang An retorted. “How could I possibly ask for permission when I suddenly found myself in your kingdom? Do you think I’m happy to be here? The human realm is far better than this place.”

Yu Lian felt as if he had been slapped across the face. Deep humiliation washed over him, and his already harsh expression grew even more menacing.

“Capture him—dead or alive!” he ordered his 40 soldiers.

Fang An let out a mocking chuckle. He shook his head in disbelief, exasperated at having to fight once again in a world he had never wanted to enter.

Fang An steadied his stance, his footing solid and grounded. The Heaven Sword, which had dimmed earlier, now shone once more with brilliant intensity.

“Come on, all of you! I’ll gladly cut you down—one by one!”

His words were icy, a chilling threat that sent shivers down spines.

The 40 Genie warriors charged forward, weapons raised—spears and massive swords glinting as they ran at Fang An. But they didn’t get far. After only 15 steps, a searing blue light burst from the Heaven Sword, streaking into the crowd of soldiers.

Another explosion rang out—its echo reaching all the way back to the palace. The bodies of the unfortunate Genie soldiers were blown apart, fragments flung in every direction.

Yu Lian growled in fury. In just one strike, eight of his men had been annihilated in the most brutal fashion. The remaining 32 were thrown several meters into the air, crashing to the ground.

Those who survived quickly scrambled to their feet. Their eyes were filled with disbelief as they stared at the human warrior, his glowing sword radiating with terrifying power.

“Why are you standing like statues? Attack him now!” Yu Lian shouted again.

The remaining 32 Genie soldiers quickly regrouped and spread out, forming a circle to surround Fang An.

Three of them tried to flank him from behind, targeting vital points on his body with a synchronized assault. But what happened next left the rest of the soldiers stunned. None of them had seen Fang An move. One moment, the three attackers were closing in; the next, they were on the ground—bodies cleanly sliced in half.

Fang An had spun in place with blinding speed, delivering an unexpected and devastating attack. He moved so fast that the Genie soldiers couldn’t even track him. All they saw was a flash of blue forming a semicircle—then their comrades were down, lifeless.

“Is he a human… or a god? He’s impossibly fast,” one soldier muttered in disbelief.

Fang An let out a low chuckle at the fear visible in their faces. But he had no intention of letting them live any longer. If even one of them escaped and reported back, his life would be in even greater danger.

“Prepare yourselves!” he called out.

Raising the Heaven Sword high, its tip pointing toward the sky, he invoked the storm. Thunder cracked suddenly from the clear heavens above, and a bolt of lightning struck the blade, causing its glow to intensify.

The Genie soldiers surrounding him flinched and shielded their eyes as the blinding light radiated from the sword. That single moment of vulnerability was all Fang An needed to begin his slaughter.