The Return of Kaelen Viremont

Chapter 5: Hunt in the Vyrecrest Mountains

Darian Vexmoor, Deputy Commander of the Frostfang Mercenaries Group and a Ninth Heaven cultivator, was relentless.

For days, he had tracked Kaelen, forcing the boy into constant retreat with his Wind Thunder Bow.

This was no ordinary weapon. Forged from refined iron, with runes etched along its limbs, the Xuan-grade bow carried lethal energy with every shot.

Even Kaelen’s Bronze Battle Body couldn’t fully withstand it.

Evade or die. That was the choice.

Crouched beside a blood-streaked forest trail, Darian’s golden eyes gleamed.

“You can run all you want, kid... but you won’t get far,” he muttered.

Above him, his eagle soared, scouting ahead.

Every inch of the Vyrecrest Mountains had now become Kaelen’s hunting ground.

And his trap.

Half a million silver coins dangled over Kaelen’s head, a bounty set by Kael Draven himself.

Mercenaries drawn by greed swarmed the mountains, yet Darian wanted it all.

“Why share the reward,” he whispered, “when I can have the glory and the silver for myself?”

He followed the blood trail like a predator.

Step by step.

Minute by minute.

Then the forest opened into a clearing.

Heavy breaths.

Thick shrubs.

Darian smirked.

“Out of stamina, are we? Cornered yourself, huh?”

Then he froze.

A silver-armored crocodile slept before him, massive as a hill. Its scales glittered beneath the canopy.

That heavy breathing...

It wasn’t Kaelen’s.

It was the beast of the Great Wild Forest itself.

“No... I can’t fight this!”

Darian’s blood ran cold.

Kaelen had led him here.

A shadow moved.

Kaelen stood atop a rock, twirling a stone between his fingers with a devilish grin.

“N-No... Don’t...”

“Good luck,” Kaelen whispered.

Whoosh!

The stone flew.

ROARRR!

The forest trembled.

The crocodile awakened, roaring so loudly that it rattled Darian’s bones.

He scrambled for his bow, but a massive claw struck him down.

In an instant, the Ninth Heaven cultivator and Deputy Commander of the Frostfang Mercenaries was gone.

Kaelen perched on an ancient tree branch, the eagle’s lifeless body dangling from his hand.

A cold smile tugged at his lips.

“You don’t always need strength to win,” he murmured. “Sometimes, brains are enough.”

Three hours later, when the beast returned to slumber, Kaelen descended.

He retrieved the Wind Thunder Bow, which was half-buried near Darian’s remains.

“A Xuan-grade weapon,” he breathed, tracing the runes. “Even in all of Thornreach... a peerless treasure.”

Not only had he eliminated a dangerous foe, but he had also claimed a legendary weapon.

Voices echoed from deeper in the forest.

“Did you hear that? Fighting! Come on, maybe it’s that thief!”

Kaelen’s eyes darkened.

“Frostfang Mercenaries... keep forcing my hand, and don’t blame me for destroying you all.”

With a flick of his robe, he vanished into the treetops.

The pursuit only intensified over the following days.

Rogue cultivators and mercenaries were drawn by the bounty.

When Kael Draven learned of Darian’s death, his fury erupted like a volcano.

One million silver coins.

Half the Vyrecrest Mountains swarmed with hunters.

But Kaelen?

He was no longer the hunted.

By a moonlit lake, he drove his blade through the chest of a Seventh Heaven cultivator.

The Creation Furnace activated.

Corpses shimmered as spiritual stones, herbs, silver, and even life force were devoured and transformed into pure cultivation energy.

His power surged.

Ten days later, Kaelen reached the Seventh Heaven of the True Martial Realm.

His growth was monstrous.

Yet the hunters only multiplied.

Greed was endless.

The higher he climbed, the more tantalizing the bounty became.

The storm was hunting the storm.

“Quick! That little thief is over there!”

Shouts tore through the forest.

Kaelen’s white robes fluttered like smoke as he melted into the undergrowth.

Golden vital energy pulsed through him.

His body ached, not from fear, never fear, but from irritation sharpened by exhaustion.

He needed time.

Rare herbs, spiritual stones, and arcane treasures.

A breakthrough loomed.

Once he ascended, not even Kael Draven would dare stand against him.

“When that time comes,” he whispered, “I’ll face him head-on. Let the world see who the real prey is.”

Footsteps approached.

Armed cultivators burst into the clearing, led by Kael Draven himself.

His cloak billowed behind him, and his expression was cold as steel.

“This is the only path forward,” Draven said. “Let him hide. The mountains’ dangers will either kill him or drive him straight to us.”

Deep in the ancient forest, Kaelen moved with purpose.

The canopy swallowed the light.

His white robes glimmered like snow.

The rusted sword rested on his back.

The Wind Thunder Bow hummed in his hand.

No turning back.

Behind him were hunters.

Ahead were traps.

Within lay the untamed Vyrecrest Mountains, filled with deadly secrets and endless opportunities.

“They won’t follow me in,” he murmured. “Not even Kael Draven has the courage.”

The divine golden pill pulsed in his mind, a beacon of unimaginable power.

His senses were heightened, his reflexes sharpened, and his awareness had surpassed human limits.

The energy within the trees, distant footsteps, and even the scent of blood were all detectable.

Even awe could not stop him.

Swamps gurgled.

Trees bled poison.

Carnivorous flowers twitched.

Beasts the size of carriages slumbered.

Yet Kaelen pressed on.

Until...

Boom!

A distant explosion shattered the quiet.

Kaelen paused, his eyes flicking toward the sound.

A massive gorge yawned below.

A three-headed python slithered within, each head longer than a warhorse, its violet scales shimmering and its tongues flickering like whips of fire.

Martial artists fought desperately.

Steel clashed.

Screams echoed.

Blood soaked the soil.

“Venomous Berserker Python,” Kaelen breathed. “No wonder the energy spike was so intense. Spirit Martial Realm... maybe higher.”

Amid the chaos, a young woman stood calmly, with silver-armored guards at her side.

She had raven-black hair and a silver crystal on her brow that glowed faintly.

Seraphina Valemir.

Ninth Princess.

Her guards fought to the last breath.

One fell beneath the python’s coils.

Yet she remained composed and serene.

Whoosh!

A golden arrow streaked through the air, piercing one of the python’s heads.

ROAR!

The beast shrieked and thrashed violently.

Kaelen leapt into the gorge, scooped Seraphina into his arms, and sprinted away with the Wind Thunder Bow ready.

“You... who are you?” she whispered, astonishment wide in her eyes.

He didn’t answer.

He didn’t need to.

At that moment, he was everything: guardian, hero, a legend carved from moonlight and thunder.

Deep in the Vyrecrest Mountains, amid the chaos of beasts and men, a new tale began.

The legend of Kaelen Viremont...

Had only just begun.