Chapter 607 - 383: Bizarre and Mysterious Behavior

Chapter 607: Chapter 383: Bizarre and Mysterious Behavior

"Hmph..." Liu Menglong snorted. As he chased after the fleeing Lin Li, he thought to himself, ’Looks like I was overthinking things... Now that I’ve decided to strike, there’s no way you can escape.’

The spot where Lin Li and Su Yue were camping was in the mountains near Chenghua Avenue. It was some distance from the safe zone’s border, though not too far.

The moment Liu Menglong attacked for the second time, Lin Li, who was probing him with his Perception, immediately identified the masked man as a Cultivator at the Second Order Middle Stage.

Having ascertained his enemy’s cultivation level, Lin Li was filled with disdain.

If he chose to, he could easily eliminate his opponent.

However, Lin Li considered that killing the man at the campsite would make the cleanup a hassle.

This area had recently been opened to the public, so more and more people would be camping here in the future.

If he killed his enemy but didn’t clean up thoroughly, any remains discovered by future campers would certainly be reported, leading to a whole heap of trouble.

So, he decided to lure the man to the edge of the safe zone before striking. Ideally, he would draw him out into the wilderness beyond.

Everyone knew the wilderness, prowled by Mutant Beasts, was incredibly dangerous. It wouldn’t be surprising for a Cultivator to die out there.

RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE...

Two figures sprinted through the forest, their bodies crashing against branches and leaves, filling the air with a constant rustling.

A short time later, Lin Li and Liu Menglong burst out of the trees, one after the other.

Once out of the woods, Lin Li kept running. His plan was simple: lure his attacker as deep into the wilderness as possible.

’Damn it, how is this guy so fast?’ Liu Menglong, who was in hot pursuit of Lin Li, grew anxious when he realized he couldn’t close the distance even at full speed.

He had yet to realize that Lin Li was deliberately leading him into the wilderness.

This was understandable. After all, with his Second Order Middle Stage cultivation, he believed a target at the mere Tier One Peak level could pose no real threat to him.

Unable to catch his target, Liu Menglong finally called out to Lin Li, "Stop running! It’s useless! I won’t stop chasing you, so you might as well give up and accept your fate!"

"..." This time, it was Lin Li who remained silent. He ignored his attacker and stuck to his plan.

Seeing no response, Liu Menglong assumed his target was too focused on fleeing to even think about replying.

After more than ten minutes of frantic sprinting, covering seven or eight kilometers, Lin Li had lured his pursuer to the edge of the safe zone, just as planned.

"The wilderness is right ahead. If you keep going, you’ll be running right into it.

Entering the wilderness at night is extremely dangerous. Rather than being torn apart by a ferocious Mutant Beast, why not let me give you a quick and painless end..." Liu Menglong said again.

"Idiot," Lin Li snapped, turning his head to look at Liu Menglong the instant his foot crossed into the wilderness.

"Heh..." As far as Liu Menglong was concerned, his target was a dead man walking, so he wasn’t about to get angry over a simple insult.

After sprinting for another two minutes into the wilderness, Lin Li decided they had gone far enough.

He stopped running and turned to face his masked enemy.

When Liu Menglong saw his target stop, he assumed the man had run out of stamina and stopped as well.

But in the next moment, under the silvery moonlight, he saw that his target didn’t look exhausted at all, contrary to what he’d expected.

In fact, it was he who was panting heavily, having burned through considerable stamina during the chase. He was in far worse shape than his target, who appeared completely at ease.

HUUUH...

Having run for nearly twenty minutes, Lin Li had used up some stamina as well. He took a few deep breaths to regulate his breathing, then prepared to eliminate the enemy before him.

"You..." Liu Menglong stared at Lin Li, who was preparing to strike. It was then that he fully realized something was wrong.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, he saw his target shoot forward, charging right at him.

’So fast.’ This was the only thought that flashed through the shocked Liu Menglong’s mind before he was hit.

Lin Li shot forward, appearing before his enemy in an instant.

He threw a punch straight at his enemy’s chest. The gap in their strength was immediately obvious; Liu Menglong had barely begun to raise his arm to block when Lin Li’s fist had already landed.

BAM.

CRACK.

The fist, glowing with a faint golden Spiritual Light, shattered Liu Menglong’s sternum. The immense impact lifted him off his feet and sent him flying backward.

SMACK.

Liu Menglong crashed heavily onto the ground and rolled several times before coming to a stop.

His face flushed crimson, and he let out a choked gasp before spraying a mouthful of blood.

Since he was wearing a mask, the spray of blood was caught inside it, splattering all over his face before seeping through the cracks and dripping from his cheeks onto the grass.

"AAAAH..."

A moment later, searing pain from the wound spread through his entire body, and an agonized shriek tore from Liu Menglong’s throat.

The pain of a shattered sternum is nearly impossible to endure without screaming, even for someone with an iron will.

TAP... TAP... TAP...

Feeling no sympathy for his enemy’s cries, Lin Li slowly approached the man he had felled with a single punch and asked in an icy tone,

"Why did you attack me? Your own idea, or did someone put you up to this?"

HISS...

After a few screams, Liu Menglong managed to regain a sliver of composure, sucking in sharp breaths of cold air.

His eyes were now filled with terror. As he watched his target approach, his mind was in turmoil. ’Didn’t the file say he was a Tier One Peak Cultivator?’

"Not going to answer? Fine. You’ve got guts..." Lin Li raised a hand and snapped his fingers.

With a SNAP, a flame burst from his fingertip, instantly coalescing into a fist-sized Fireball.

With a wave of Lin Li’s hand, the small Fireball shot forward.

BANG.

The small Fireball struck the mask on Liu Menglong’s face. The resulting burst of flame singed his hair, and the mask began to melt from the intense heat.

"AAAAH..."

Liu Menglong shrieked from the searing heat. Ignoring the agony in his chest, he hurriedly tore the melting mask from his face and flung it aside.

Without the mask to hide it, Liu Menglong’s face was revealed.

Lin Li looked at Liu Menglong’s vicious-looking face and thought, ’I don’t know this guy at all. Someone must have hired him to attack me.

But who did I piss off? Who would send a Second Order Middle Stage Cultivator to assassinate me?’

"Speak. Who sent you to attack me?" Lin Li demanded, his face an emotionless mask as he stared at the wretched Liu Menglong. "If I’m satisfied with your answer, I might spare your life."

"You... how are you so strong? Aren’t you supposed to be Tier One Peak? How can you be..." Liu Menglong’s face filled with despair as he sensed the waves of Second Order High Rank Spiritual Energy rolling off Lin Li.

"Tier One Peak? It seems you did your homework on me before this attack."

"..."

"My time is precious, and it’s late. I’d like to get back to sleep, so stop wasting my time and answer the question."

"If I tell you everything, will you really let me live?"

"As long as you don’t lie to me, I’ll spare your life..."

"..." Liu Menglong fell silent. He didn’t believe Lin Li’s promise, because he had made similar promises to others himself, and those who told him the truth had never escaped with their lives.

Seeing his enemy hesitate, Lin Li casually formed another small Fireball.

Just as he was about to give the man another taste of the fire’s heat, he suddenly changed his target, whirling around and launching the small Fireball toward a spot behind him.

WHOOSH...

The fist-sized Fireball flew into the tall grass in the distance, where it let out a soft pop before everything went quiet.

"Huh?" When Liu Menglong saw Lin Li conjure another small Fireball, he had been about to beg for mercy.

But he hadn’t expected Lin Li to throw the Fireball behind him instead of at him. The bizarre action left him stunned for a moment, his eyes filled with confusion.

...