Chapter 402 - 257: Undercurrent

Chapter 402: Chapter 257: Undercurrent

The members of the group noticed something was off with each other, and someone stepped forward to ask:

"Brother, what did the crab you saw look like?"

A chill ran down the man’s spine, and he immediately told the truth. "Uh... it was about the size of a human head, and red. It looked like there was a white shadow attached under the crab, maybe human-shaped?

Why? You ran into it too?"

Whenever Yu Fei used Soul Capturing, his figure would flash and disappear. Most people couldn’t get a clear look before being struck by a blast of Sword Intent.

Their minds would turn to mush, and all they could remember before being injured was a crab mask.

The man gritted his teeth and said, "Of course! I was just about to succeed when my vision blurred and I saw a crab. I remember its eyes were golden. After that, it was just like with you. My head felt like it had been split open, and I was so dazed I nearly got killed!"

"Fuck! Where in the hell did that bastard come from?!"

"Me too..."

"I ran into him too..."

For a moment, the crowd erupted in an uproar, which quickly turned into a full-blown grievance session!

These people had been hanging around this area for a while. While some might have held grudges against each other, they were all more or less familiar. Their haul was already small today, and when they started comparing notes, they realized something was wrong.

"You guys think that crab took all the Crimson-Clear Flowing Light today?"

"I don’t know. We got ambushed by a stealth Martial Artist twice today!"

"We got ambushed too..."

"Me too..."

After this round of chatter, everyone realized their haul for the day was pitifully small. Most of them had seen a crab at a critical moment and felt a sword cleave through their minds, and the majority of the Crimson-Clear Flowing Light had been taken by an unknown stealth Martial Artist!

"Son of a bitch! Fuck! That stealth Martial Artist and the crab guy have to be working together. They might even be the same person!"

"Attacking from the shadows, what a cowardly sneak! Hmph..."

The crowd was filled with righteous indignation. They had worked hard all day for nothing, only to have the fruits of their labor snatched away by some unknown person.

Most of the people here were Gang Qi Martial Artists. The very fact that they dared to seek resources in the Red Sun Realm meant they had not given up on the path of martial arts; their wills were firm!

Such Martial Artists naturally possessed combat strength greater than that of ordinary Gang Qi Martial Artists. They could be considered elite and usually carried themselves with a certain arrogance.

"Duan Hong, get your ass out here!"

A stern, sword-wielding man roared.

"Liu Yi, watch your mouth! I’m right here!"

A figure slowly materialized. The man actually possessed a stealth ability.

Liu Yi immediately drew his longsword, pointed it at Duan Hong, and threatened:

"Cut the crap! Do you know who that crab person is? Are you the one behind all this?!"

Duan Hong sighed deeply. "You’re giving me too much credit. If I had that kind of skill, would you, Liu Yi, still be standing here today?"

As he spoke, he pulled up his sleeve to reveal his arm. There was a clear sword wound on it. Although it had been treated, it was still obviously a fresh injury.

"Some bastard took advantage of the chaos and landed a nasty one on me. My arm’s practically useless now..."

Duan Hong’s expression was resentful. He had been inexplicably injured and would need several days to recover. The key issue was that the sword wound contained a strand of Sword Qi that wouldn’t disperse, making it very difficult to expel.

The moment his voice fell, another seven or eight stealth Martial Artists suddenly revealed themselves, startling the crowd and causing them to retreat defensively.

Although stealth Martial Artists were widely disliked, they were extremely difficult to deal with in a real fight. If you encountered one alone, it was easy to get bled out and killed.

"Mr. Duan, I got cut by some unknown Sword Qi today too. Looking at the mark, the person who hurt us is the same one..."

He said, revealing his thigh.

"Us too!..."

Stealth Martial Artists, who were rarely seen on a normal day, all appeared to air their grievances. Each of them had been injured by an unknown Sword Qi while trying to seize a treasure, forcing them out of their stealth and compelling a regretful retreat.

They spent their days ambushing others, but who would have thought that this band of stealth Martial Artists would end up being ambushed themselves?

Zhang Cheng’s eyes widened, and he murmured:

"Damn, am I seeing things? Even the great stealth Martial Artists are having a day like this?"

Liu Yi stroked his beard and mused, "This... Just where did this monster come from?"

By now, even the slowest among them had figured it out. Clearly, a formidable expert had arrived at the Thousand Mountains Crater today!

The crowd fell silent, but as their gazes met, they seemed to reach some sort of unspoken agreement.

Yu Fei listened from the side, feeling a bit guilty. ’Looks like I’m the one who did all this.’

’But... treasures belong to the worthy.’ Yu Fei’s guilt lasted only for a moment. ’When the time comes, I’ll still snatch what I can.’

Suddenly, Yu Fei witnessed a breathtaking scene.

A distant volcano suddenly erupted. Crimson lava, trailing black smoke, shot into the sky. Amidst the eruption, countless streams of light sprayed from the crater toward the heavens.

’So this is the source of the Crimson-Clear Flowing Light.’

Yu Fei gave it a rough glance. It looked like at least a thousand streams had been ejected. ’So this is how the rare treasures are born.’

In the distance, golden streams of light slowly ascended, surging with the flames, before shooting straight into the firmament and hanging there.

No wonder everyone had fled so far away earlier. With a volcanic eruption of this scale, even a Grandmaster would be in trouble if they got too close, let alone mere Gang Qi Martial Artists. Before a natural disaster, they were just as fragile.

Suddenly, Yu Fei saw a figure standing high in the sky. The flames receded before him, and the smoke parted around him. The man just waited there quietly.

A purple stream of light shot out from the crater like a bolt of lightning. The man reached out and seized it firmly in his grasp.

Yu Fei became thoughtful. ’That must be the Grandmaster. He probably came here to claim a treasure and, at the same time, establish the rules and order.’

Watching the Grandmaster’s figure disappear over the horizon after he had taken his prize, Yu Fei had a premonition. This place was about to descend into unprecedented chaos.

As the Grandmaster departed, Yu Fei noticed the atmosphere among the gathered Martial Artists seemed to shift instantly.