How can I have a heart of a demonic god in my body?!

"This hunting competition significantly differs from previous ones, as it isn't held in an 'enclosed' area."

"The venue is not only in the wilderness, but also in a dangerous place like Evil Demon Ridge."

"Covering an expanse of three hundred miles, even a Postnatal Qi Transformation Expert would need half a day to run through it at normal speed."

"In such a vast area, the manpower of the Yunlai Royal Mansion, the organizer, cannot control everything, inevitably leading to some unforeseen incidents."

"One can imagine."

"The danger and mortality rate of this competition will greatly increase."

"Each of you holds a map in your hands."

Next to the Clan Leader in a white robe, Uncle Lin added:

"The Clan Leader will take you up in the air above the nearby three hundred miles and make several rounds to get acquainted with the actual terrain."

Later in the half-day,

The Double-headed Giant Bird circled two or three times around the three hundred mile radius.

Chen Yu and the other youngsters unfolded the maps in their hands, comparing them to the actual terrain.

"The terrain is quite unique; the hunting ground covers three hundred miles, bordered by rivers on two sides, with a large valley to the north and the direction of human habitation to the south."

Chen Yu had a rough outline in his mind.

Being surrounded by rivers on two sides acted as a natural boundary for the hunting area, preventing many accidents.

To the south was the human residential area, the base camp.

It seemed that the only variable was the large valley to the north, where even more fierce beasts and demon creatures might appear.

"You should all have a rough idea of the terrain now."

"The closer you get to the northern valley, the more numerous the fierce beasts; the south, on the other hand, is relatively safer."

Uncle Lin said with a smile.

"To claim the title of Hunting King, you must approach the great valley to the north."

Ye Luofeng rarely spoke up.

Clan Leader Fu Yangzi showed approval, "Only by killing demon beasts above the Postnatal Stage and obtaining their demon cores can you score points."

Just then,

Two sharp cries resounded from the nearby sky.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

A bronze dragon-sculptured flying chariot, three to four zhang long, wrapped in a light cyan wind, hurriedly swooped towards them.

At the front of the bronze flying chariot, two large green-feathered birds were pulling, causing a strong wind to howl.

"It's the Wu Family's troop!"

Fu Hong exclaimed in a low voice.

With that,

The bronze flying chariot carried ten young talents and two or three of the older generation.

"Fu Yangzi, long time no see."

From the bronze flying chariot, a bald middle-aged man with piercing eyes bellowed.

Immediately,

A roaring windstorm swept across the sky, creating a mini-storm.

"Not good!"

Those from Fu Family's Disciple on the Double-headed Strange Bird struggled to stand firm.

Were it not for the strong wind stirred up by the flapping wings of the Double-headed Giant Bird, the casual gust from the bald man would've blown the youngsters out of sight.

Among the youngsters,

Only Chen Yu and Ye Luofeng remained seated, unaffected.

Fu Hong and Fu Jing had to circulate their True Qi to stabilize themselves; the other youngsters swayed from side to side.

"Ha! Good one 'Wu Tianxiao', testing our family's disciples the moment we meet."

Fu Yangzi scoffed.

Swoosh!

A dignified breeze rose around Fu Yangzi, covering the entire Double-headed Giant Bird. The fierce windstorm that struck dissolved into nothingness upon contact.

"Hahaha... These two young guest elders from Fu Family are indeed extraordinary."

The bald middle-aged 'Wu Tianxiao' burst out laughing.

His cold and sharp eyes glanced over Chen Yu and Ye Luofeng.

His probing earlier had no effect on Chen Yu and Ye Luofeng.

At that moment,

The bronze flying chariot had drawn near, and the figures of the Wu Family's young talents came into view.

Among them,

Chen Yu felt a gaze filled with resentment and malice.

It came from a robust, tall man with a long mole between his eyebrows, appearing to be nearly twenty years old.

"He Dabao."

Chen Yu murmured softly, his expression calm.

Previously,

He had learned that He Dabao had defected to the opposing forces of the Wu Family.

Glancing around,

Among the ten talents of the Wu Family, there were also four Postnatal Qi Transformation geniuses.

He Dabao's Postnatal Middle Stage cultivation didn't stand out.

In the front was a man with an ugly face and skeletal frame, shrouded in a black robe, his gaze as dead as ashes, casting a cursory glance over the members of the Fu Family.

Even when his gaze fell upon a stunning girl like Ye Luofeng, it paused only slightly.

"This man is quite strange."

Chen Yu and Ye Luofeng exchanged glances.

The ugly, thin man felt like a Postnatal Qi Transformation Expert, but there was some peculiar fluctuation about him, unintelligible and erratic.

"This black-robed ugly man is the 'Puppet Master' invited by the Wu Family with a high bounty," Uncle Lin whispered as a reminder.

Apart from the ugly puppet master and the Postnatal Middle Stager He Dabao, the Wu Family also had two Postnatal Early Stage young prodigies, comparable to Fu Hong and Fu Jing.

"Let's go, head to the base camp."

Clan Leader Fu Yangzi spoke indifferently, seemingly uninterested in greeting the people from the Wu Family.

With that,

The Double-headed Strange Bird turned and flew towards a flat mountain peak to the south.

The map marked this place as the "starting point" of the hunting competition.

Looking around,

On the flat mountain top stood rows of simple houses, capable of accommodating thousands.

"The… Hunting… Competition..."

These four characters, engraved on a banner several dozen feet high flapping in the wind, resonated in the air.

At this moment,

The starting point of the hunting competition gathered dozens of forces.

Each force had a hunting squad represented by ten young talents, making it a lively scene.

"Truly befitting an ancient country!"

"The territory of Yunlai Prefecture is much larger than Chu Country, and here, nearly every faction's team boasts talents from the Qi Transformation Realm."

Chen Yu felt deeply moved.

It was known that

in the former Chu Country, those around twenty years old in the Postnatal Qi Transformation could already become Chief Disciples.

Yun Zhao Ancient Country, with its vast land and abundant resources, had denser Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi compared to Beiyuan, a more splendid cultivation civilization, and a long-standing heritage; its talents were of much higher overall quality.

Of course,

Chen Yu had also overestimated Yunlai County.

Apart from the Yunlai Royal Mansion, the three major familial powers, other families' representatives of Postnatal Qi Transformation talents were mostly Guest Elders or external reinforcements.

"The Fu Family has arrived!"

The arrival of the Fu Family's Double-headed Strange Bird also alerted many present factions.

On Prince Manor's side, someone immediately came forward to receive the Fu Family members.

Soon,

the ten members of the Fu Family were settled in a pavilion.

On the entire mountaintop venue, there were only four pavilions, one of which was occupied by the Fu Family.

The largest one belonged to Prince Manor.

Below it were three pavilions side by side, reserved for the Fu Family, the Chu Family, and the Wu Family.

After the Fu Family's team took their seats,

the multiple gazes from the families present uniformly turned their way, appraising and discussing.

"The Fu Family is indeed a strong contender for the position of 'Hunting King.'"

"Oh! That fairy-like ice beauty!"

"She is the trump card of the Fu Family in this competition for the Hunting King."

The young hunters from nearby families stared blankly, whispering among themselves.

It was not only the impressive line-up of the Fu Family that drew attention but also Ye Luofeng's stunning, ethereal beauty.

Even members from nearby pavilions, like those from Prince Manor and the Chu Family, frequently glanced over.

"In Yunlai Prefecture, to think there's such an extraordinarily beautiful woman."

In the Prince Manor pavilion, a tall man with sword-like eyebrows and tiger-like eyes expressed his astonishment.

This man loudly praised with extraordinary confidence, not concealing the admiration and love on his face.

"Brother Haochen, I've long heard of your romantic flair. Could it be, you've taken a fancy to that icy beauty of the Fu Family?"

A man with a sallow face beside him said, slightly flattering.

The sallow-faced man, at the Postnatal Middle Stage, was one of the six Postnatal Stage representatives of Prince Manor.

The person he felt compelled to flatter was naturally that descendant of the Ancient Clan, Luo Haochen.

"Alas, compared to this lady, those women I knew before are like weeds."

Luo Haochen sighed lightly.

"Hehe, it seems Brother Haochen has fallen for her at first sight," another elegant young man said.

Luo Haochen did not deny it, his face calm and smiling, as he walked directly towards the Fu Family's pavilion.

He strode forward, heading straight for Ye Luofeng.

"What is he up to?"

The hunters from Prince Manor looked on in shock.

"He sure is confident."

"How could he not be? As a descendant of an Ancient Clan with noble blood, what beauty could elude him?"

The young men envied and resented.

Most young men wouldn't dare pursue a beauty of Ye Luofeng's caliber, with her aura that repelled others from a thousand miles, akin to an ice and snow goddess.

Inside the Fu Family pavilion,

"I am Luo Haochen from the Luo Family, one of the top ten Ancient Clans. I have long admired Miss Ye's reputation."

Luo Haochen bowed with clasped hands, poised and confident.

"So, you are that genius from an Ancient Clan?"

Ye Luofeng did not show any negligence; her eyes flashed, sizing up this formidable rival.

Luo Haochen's cultivation too had reached the Postnatal Peak.

Moreover, an ancient and mysterious aura faintly emanated from him, making him appear even more noble and extraordinary.

That aura, though not deliberately spread, made both Ye Luofeng and Chen Yu feel a slight threatening pressure.

"This man's aura is very similar to Lu Zhuo's..."

Chen Yu observed.

However,

Luo Haochen did not glance at Chen Yu.

His eyes sparkled, not hiding the admiration on his face, looking straight at Ye Luofeng and ignoring everyone else.

Ye Luofeng gave nothing away, her icy eyes gradually sharp, coldly staring at Luo Haochen.

Luo Haochen grinned, "It seems Miss Ye knows of Luo as well; we should have a good exchange when there's a chance."

"The competition for the Hunting King will soon be here."

With those final words, Ye Luofeng ceased to speak.

Luo Haochen, recognizing the situation, laughed heartily and returned to the Prince Manor's pavilion with good grace.

Though this approach was not successful,

Luo Haochen's direct conversation with that stunningly talented young lady still envied many young men present.

At the same moment,

inside the Chu Family's pavilion,

"This Ye Luofeng is quite interesting, even Luo Haochen has fallen for her at first sight."

A strikingly handsome young man with starry eyes watched the recent scene with some interest.

This young man possessed a face that even women would envy.

His smooth, fair complexion, sharp features, and sword-like brows gave him an air of aloof purity.

Fu Yanzi and many other young girls looked on, slightly infatuated, and secretly admired him.

"Could Mr. Qiu Yun also fancy this lady?"

"If Mr. Qiu makes a move, he might have a large chance of winning, even defeating Luo Haochen."

A few young men from the Chu Family couldn't help but remark.

He Qiuyun was a genius student from the Heavenly Sword Academy and also the top beauty of Yun Zhao Country's "Earth Ranking."

"I'm more interested in the 'sword' aura she exudes."

The black-haired young man said with a smile.

Perhaps sensing something,

Ye Luofeng's piercing, icy gaze suddenly shifted, meeting the gaze of "He Qiuyun."

In an instant,

two invisible sword lights flashed through the void.

Ding! Hiss!

A stardust-like invisible sword light and another green, translucent sword brilliance intertwined, creating a sound of cutting wind and thunder.