Instant Kill - Volume 7 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“What else is there to fight over?” said Elder Storm Du . “Didn’t we hand over the place? This was Xu Cheng’s idea, this has nothing to do with us . ”

Xu Cheng was the Caster Grandmaster captured by Qi Nanshan . He rashly acted without understanding situation and had only himself to blame .

The three Storm brothers were not Xu Cheng’s followers . If they were, they would be desperately bound to defend Xu Cheng . But they were only acting in a mutually cooperative relationship, so they ignored him .

Luo Jie was never one to go soft on his enemies . He walked over to Xu Cheng’s side to grab his Innate Rune Book .

“If you dare to move, I’m going to kill you!” Qi Nan Shan warned Xu Cheng .

Xu Cheng knew this was not an empty threat .  If you die in the Secret Realm, no one will ask .  Even if Qi Nanshan were to kill anyone from the West Rune Sect, no one would meddle—everyone else would just mind their own business . So immediately stopped struggling and just stared angrily at Luo Jie, who flipped through the pages of his Innate Rune Book while plundering the Glyphs within .

His face grew redder and redder, and then he fainted .

“You overestimate yourself (Or suck my balls),” Qi Nanshan said in disdain .

Luo Jie finished ransacking all the Glyphs . The Innate Rune Book now rotated empty over Xu Cheng’s chest .

Qi Nanshan bent down and reached out towards the Innate Rune Book and squeezed it with his hands . It exploded into countless silver particles that fell to the ground .

Guo Shier understood what Qi Nanshan did . The Rune Book had to be destroyed to render Xu Cheng powerless, so he wouldn’t be able to cause trouble later . Qi Nanshan solved the root of the problem .

The three Storm brothers turned pale and left .

Only the two Beast Warrior Adepts by Xu Cheng’s side did not run . One of the Adepts picked him up and asked Guo Shier, “Will you let us go?”

“You can go,” he replied .

Two Beast Warrior Adepts picked up Xu Cheng and left .

“A Caster Grandmaster only has two Beast Warrior Adept followers? Is this possible?” Guo Shier asked .

Luo Jie nodded . “This person probably came from the North Rune Sect . He probably committed something there . Ying Mo, I’m right?”

“Yes,” Ying Mo replied . “Although I don’t know this man, I’ve heard of his reputation . He’s a very ruthless guy . ”

Guo Shier shrugged . “Alright, we’ll stay and rest here for a while,” he said . “Grandpa Nanshan, please arrange the guarding duty . Uncle Ying Mo, you arrange the rooms . Little Hong, you arrange the evening meals . ”

Guo Shier also gave orders to a Beast Warrior Adept of the supply station, “Arrange baths for our group . Once we enter the mountains, we won’t have any chance to take baths . ”

The Beast Warrior Adept agreed and left with the wolf by its side .

Tan Laoxi’s heart went cold . He started to fear Guo Shier . He saw with his own eyes the terror in the faces of the three Storm brothers when they saw Guo Shier .  This child was truly terrible .  He regretted that he had bullied Guo Shier in beginning . But had he known earlier, would he really pat the boy’s butt (kiss his ass)?

The night passed quietly .

********

The next morning, everyone deposited their war horses and started hiking towards the mountain .

This time, Guo Shier had a lot of helping hands . He sent a few Marked Warrior Grandmasters to explore—including Ying Mo and Luo Zhan .

Qi Nanshan sat this one out .

Guo Shier frowned as he examined the simple map . He pointed at a spot on it .

“Master, we can go in here, but there’s a huge possibility of encountering teams and getting into disputes . We might waste time—time that we could be using hunting for Marked Beasts instead . ”

“You’re the captain,” Luo Jie said . “You decide what to do . ” He has completely let go of his leadership and allowed Guo Shier take command .

“Alright, we dive in to this location then,” Guo Shier said, pointed at another location on the map .

Luo Jie was surprised . “This location is near the Marked Beast Variant area . Hehe! You still haven’t given up on hunting Marked Beast Variants . Do you want try them out?”

Guo Shier laughed . “The Variant Earth Dragon was indeed very powerful because it was a Rank 7 Marked Beast Variant, according to Li Ran Predecessor . But we don’t necessarily need to hunt high-level Beast Variants like that . With the strength of nine Grandmasters, we have a strong chance of winning against lower ranks—like a Rank 3 Beast Variant . We just need to be careful . ”

“We have to look for Marked Beast Variants—not just Marked Beasts—or we might lose to other teams,” Qi Nanshan pointed out .

“He’s right, Shier,” said Luo Jie . “We should look for Marked Beast Variants . ”

“Alright, then . Let’s go,” Guo Shier said . “Where is Mr . Tan?”

Tan Laoxi looked miserable . “Shier can you call me Grandpa Tan . Calling me Mr . Tan is really fucking awkward . Ugh!”

Guo Shier laughed at him . “Why should I call you Grandpa? Do you act like an elder?”

The group started laughing .

Tan Laoxi tried to put on a smile . “I promise to act like a real elder from now on, Shier . I promise not to speak foul language . If I curse again, then I’m not a fucking man!”

The crowd was suddenly speechless . He just cursed again!

Guo Shier gave in . “Forget it, I’m too lazy to care about you…Uncle Tan . ”

Tan Laoxi almost burst into tears .  Uncle is not bad . At least he addresses me as an elder, he thought . He made up his mind—he can offend Luo Jie but he would never offend Guo Shier ever again .

“I’m at you service,” he said . “Whatever you need, alright?”

Guo Shier wry smiled wryly and shook his head . He though this guy simply had a thick face .

“We’re going down this road . Do you have any suggestions? You should be most familiar with the situation here . ”

Tan Laoxi took the simple map from Guo Shier and looked at it carefully .

“Let’s not use this road here . It’s better to go around here,” he said .

“This road is the shortest route, why take the detour?” Guo Shier asked .

“This road goes through a cliff with a bunch of Marked Thunder Eagles,” Tan Laoxi answered . “They are very tough—they have massacred several teams . According to those who escaped, there were hundreds of fucking cliffs with Marked Thunder Eagles . Every team that used this road ended up being wiped out .

“Then why is this road marked so clearly?”

“Hehe! Shier, you are very smart! Why do you think?”

Guo Shier couldn’t help but curse . “Fine, fine . We’ll follow your path . ”

This guy is relentless, Luo Jie thought (referring to Tan Laoxi) .
********

The group arrived at the fork on the road .

“The left is the way to the Marked Thunder Eagle site . The road to the right can be used to go around,” Tan Laoxi explained .

“Let’s go around,” Guo Shier ordered .

The other way was not an easy path with all the low lying thorny bushes . They used two long Rune Blades to make it passable .

“Uncle Tan, how long has it been since this road has been last used?” Guo Shier asked .

“I haven’t been here in 20 years,” the old man replied .

“Twenty years . That’s a long time,” mused Guo Shier .

It was a very slow journey, and Qi Nanshan quickly got impatient .

“Let’s carry the little guys behind our backs . This speed is too slow for me . ”

Guo Shier cheered and immediately jumped on Ying Mo’s back .

“I already had this plan in mind . I was just embarrassed to say it . Haha! Uncle Ying Mo, sorry for the trouble! Haha!”

Qi Nanshan carried Luo Jie on his back .

“Wait—who’s going to carry me?” Tan Laoxi asked .

When Lantian Bao stood awkwardly, Guo Shier began to assign personnel . Luo Zhan was assigned to carry Lantian Bao while Luo Jing would carry Tan Laoxi .

Xiao Feng would carrying Chen Hong, while the other three Marked Warrior Masters would carry Huo Bao, Chen Bing and Hong Shi . Since the children were relatively light, the Marked Warrior Masters could easily carry them .

The plan proved to be a good one . They were able to travel so much faster . They no longer needed to use their Rune Blades to clear the paths .

********

“There is a little pond not far from here . We can rest there,” Tan Laoxi suggested .

As the person who was most familiar with the terrain, Tan Laoxi lead from the front . This saved Luo Jie’s team a lot of trouble . Guo Shier now understood why his master insisted on bringing this foul-mouthed old man .

A few moments later, everyone started hearing the sound of running water . They turned towards the hill and noticed a small pond not far away .

It was their first day of camping in the mountains . The location was still within the safe zone, so Guo Shier confidently encamped the team here . But he knew that they would have to start being more careful after another day of travel .

Everyone put up simple tents . Since the horses couldn’t travel through the mountains, almost all their heavy baggage had to be left at the supply station . Each person only had a few Storage Rune bags .

Guo Shier, Luo Jie, Qi Nanshan, and Tan Laoxi discussed the trip for the next day . Tan Laoxi was included this time because he was familiar with the path .

“Uncle Tan, can you tell us more about the dangerous areas that we can expert to pass through tomorrow?” Guo Shier asked .

“I haven’t been there for years . I don’t know what’s changed . But I know that Marked Beasts here usually act alone and rarely in droves . Hopefully, we won’t encounter any large groups,” he replied .

Guo Shier acknowledged his input . “Alright, tomorrow’s recon is a big responsibility . We should avoid the Marked Beasts who move in packs and focus on those who hunt alone . Grandpa Nanshan, you are the strongest . I’m afraid we have to rely on you for this tiring job . ”

Qi Nanshan nodded slightly . “No problem . ”

“Let’s maximize our time here in the Wild Beast Secret Dimension and hunt every Marked Beast we encounter,” Guo Shier suggested .

“But let’s stay away from areas where the Marked Beast Variants are active . That would be troublesome . There’s plenty of Marked Beasts for hunting, anyway . ”

“But I want to try them out and test my strength! Hehe!” Qi Nanshan said .

“Fuck! What do you mean test your strength?” Tan Laoxi blurted out .

Qi Nanshan smiled . “It’s nothing . My hands are just itching . ”

Translator: Glasses TangGu
Editor: M

Tan Laoxi found Guo Shier staring at him . He sighed, realizing that he blurted out some vulgar words yet again .

“Shier, Uncle is used to speaking like this,” he explained apologetically . “But if you say so, Uncle will stop talking . ”

Guo Shier was too lazy and just ignored the incident . “All right, wash up first,” he said . “Then we eat and rest . Let’s start early tomorrow . ”

After eating, Guo Shier walked to the edge of the pond wearing a thin fur coat . He sat on the rock and watched the glowing sun disappear little by little along the horizon . The sunset painted the sky fiery red .

Luo Jie walked up to him and asked, “Shier, what’s the matter?”

Guo Shier smiled . “It’s nothing, just sitting . Master, do you have something to tell me?”

“Nothing, I just saw you sitting here, so I came to take a look . Hehe! Are you homesick?”

“No, I haven’t had a concept of home for a long time . ”

Guo Shier was an unencumbered Lama in his first two lives . He was just a lonely old man with no children, so the feeling of home did not exist for him .

Luo Jie was a little surprised . “You came from the Guo clansmen . Hehe! Now that you’ve advanced to Artificer Grandmaster level, if you go back you would be treated differently . ”

But Shier has never even thought of coming back since leaving . On the day his soul was awakened, he was chosen by the North Rune Sect and left his hometown . He never had time to develop any connection to his home and clan .

“Master, the West Rune Sect brought out so many Marked Horses this time . Do you know what their purpose is?”

“Not just Marked Horses, but also an ancient Glyph,” Luo Jie commented . “But no Grandmaster can activate it . You know what this means…”

Guo Shier’s eyes sparkled . “A True Treasure Glyph? True Spirit Glyph?” he asked enthusiastically .

“I don’t know . But I’m determined to know . ”

Guo Shier nodded . “Ah, in any case, we have to grab it! Master should also try high-level Glyphs . Maybe after your advancement, your Innate Rune Book will be different . ”

“I also want to confirm that . Maybe after the advancement, I can manipulate more advanced Glyphs . ”

Guo Shier smiled . “After our trip here in this Secret Realm, we should return as soon as possible . Hehe! There is so much we don’t know . ”

Luo Jie laughed . “My current idea is a little different . If we can get into another World as soon as possible, maybe you can learn better and more useful knowledge . I think we are too underdeveloped here . Reaching a Grandmaster level is far from enough . ”

“Master, if we travel to that kind of place, wouldn’t it be dangerous?

“Certainly! I’m sure it’s very dangerous . Are you scared?”

“No, I’m not afraid,” Guo Shier replied without hesitation .

Luo Jie laughed . “Me neither . Hehe! I expect to find more out there . ”

For Luo Jie who has already reached the top and suddenly discovered a higher mountain, this was a compelling challenge .

“We should increase and solidify our own strength as soon as possible if we want to go to other Worlds,” Guo Shier said . “Otherwise we may not have enough strength to protect ourselves . ”

Luo Jie nodded in approval . “Before undertaking this endeavor, we must first enhance our own strength . Hehe! We should find as many powerful Glyphs as we can . We have a chance of collecting True Treasure and True Spirit Level Glyphs since the Grandmasters here can’t activate them . ”

********

For seven or eight consecutive days, they continually hunted Marked Beasts in the area .

Qi Nanshan killed a multicolored Marked Leopard with one hit . Not only did he surprise himself—he also impressed the entire hunting group .

Even a weak Marked Beast could be very difficult to deal with, even for Marked Warrior Grandmasters . They usually needed an entire team’s strength to kill one . But Qi Nanshan actually defeated a Marked Leopard with one punch . His performance gave the group confidence . They started believing in their ability to hunt Marked Beast Variants .

“There is a forest not far ahead where there are more Marked Beasts . Damn this mother… Uh, no . I mean, we should be careful,” said Tan Laoxi, trying very hard to control his swearing .

********

Most of the trees in the forest were normal sized, but there were a few distinctively thinner ones . The clearings were covered in waist-deep weeds and shrubs . There were many herbivores wandering the woods .

Guo Shier narrowed his eyes and observed the surroundings . “It’s dangerous here,” he said . “Although the field of vision is still relatively open, the weeds and shrubs are too thick . I can’t see what’s hiding between those spaces . Take note of this, everyone . Nanshan Grandpa, watch over the Masters . Everybody else, pay attention and be vigilant . Let’s go in!”

“From here on, Marked Beasts will appear more and more,” Tan Laoxi said, seemingly pleased with himself, “Hey Shier, I haven’t used foul language for says . What the fuck . It’s not easy, ah…”

Guo Shier sighed . “You just blurted another curse word out . Augh! To really change, you have to work hard!”

Everyone can’t help but laugh .

But the light moment was interrupted by Qi NanShan’s shouting . “Be careful!” he yelled . “Marked Snow Wolf, a group of Marked Snow Wolves!!!”

Not far from the woods there was a small mound with a few Marked Snow Wolves on top . Their green pupils were evident from afar . They stared at the group while releasing a cold aura .

A horde of beasts is the most terrifying thing one can encounter when hunting in the mountains . Whether you’re running on the ground or flying without enough strength, if you encounter hordes of Marked Beasts, you’re finished .

Guo Shier immediately revealed his plan . “Battle formation! Uncle Xiao Feng, Uncle Luo Jing—you two in front . Uncle Tan, you’re in charge of destroying the Marked Snow Wolves that they can’t stop . ”

“Uncle Ying Mo, you are responsible for the left side . Uncle Luo, you are responsible for the right side . Elder Sister Lan, you are responsible for our rear side . Be careful of being attacked,” he continued . “I, Master, and the rest—move to the center! Grandpa Nanshan, your task is the most important . Kill the Marked Wolf King!”

The Marked Snow Wolves did not immediately launch an attack . One of them stood up and stared at the group .

This particular Marked Snow Wolf was several times larger than ordinary Marked Snow Wolves . It was almost as big as a tiger . Its fur was white and released a trace of cold aura . It was an Ice Attribute Marked Beast .

“How many? How many Marked Snow Wolves?” asked Guo Shier .

“There are four on top of the hill and three below it,” Qi Nanshan said . I don’t know if there’s any behind the hill . ”

Seven is a very scary number . An Intermediate Rank squad won’t be able to handle such a horde and would rather escape than go into battle . Wolves are some of the toughest beasts to handle—and an Ice Attribute Marked Beast is even harder to beat .

Tan Laoxi could no longer stop himself from cursing . “Damn, what the fuck is this? Fucking group of Marked Snow Wolves! This is so fucked up, what fucking luck . I don’t want to die!”

Guo Shier shouted, “Shut up Uncle Tan! We have so many Grandmasters . Afraid my ass!”

Seven Marked Snow Wolves was not enough to scare Luo Jie’s squad .

However, while everyone was on high alert, a few more Marked Snow Wolves emerged from the bushes . A couple of Coyotes poked their heads out .

“This is a Wolf’s Den!” Qi Nanshan shouted . “Be careful—the wolves are launching an attack!”

A single Marked Snow Wolf from the encirclement suddenly sprang towards the hill . The fur on his body was actually silver . The lazy Snow Wolves were emboldened by the move and immediately stood one by one . They started baring their teeth on the human visitors .

“The Marked Wolf King came out!” Guo Shier shouted .

Luo Jie looked carefully . “This Marked Wolf King is a Variant!”

“A very beautiful Marked Wolf King,” Guo Shier said, almost in awe . “This silver Marked Wolf King skin, I want it!”

His comment somehow relaxed the tense atmosphere .

Luo Jie glanced at him with admiration . “Good! Da-Shan, do not break the Marked Wolf King’s fur! Shier want its skin!”

With the roar of the Marked Wolf King, a number of Marked Snow Wolves lept out from the underbrush .

“There are 12 Marked Snow Wolves and six Coyotes,” Qi Nanshan said calmly .

All the participants finally revealed themselves .

The battle was about to commence .

Guo Shier opened his mouth and exhaled a black mist that turned into a Giant Scorpion . He released his Dark Winged Scorpion, followed by his Armored Bull .

His field of vision suddenly widened as he jumped on the back of the bull .

The Armored Bull was two meters tall . After fully materializing with its thick hide, it turned into a very good shield and mount .

Luo Jie, Tan Laoxi, and Lantian Bao also took out their own Innate Rune Book to prepare for the fight .

Lantian Bao took out a fist-sized Golden Beetle that flew around her body, while a dozen of colorful Snakes stood ready at her feet . They looked so threatening that a Marked Warrior Master who had been guarding her could not help but walk a few steps away .

Tan Laoxi released a spirit of two Marked Bears to guard himself . This was common practice . Artificers protect themselves before going into battle .

“Once the Wolves launch an attack, I’ll deal with the Marked Wolf King!” said Qi Nanshan . He was fully confident of his strength .

The Marked Wolf King let out another roar . Suddenly, his body shot over as fast as lightning, leaving a streak of silver in its wake .

It was evidently trying to open a path for the other Marked Snow Wolves to use as an opportunity to get into the human group .

“You’re mine!” Qi Nanshan shouted as he moved just as swiftly to welcome the Snow Wolf King .

Xiao Feng and Luo Jing each held a Rune Shield and a Rune Blade in their hands . Their primary task was to block the advance of the other Snow Wolves . Luo Jie, Guo Shier, Tan Laoxi and Lantian Bao—the four Grandmasters—were to be the main killers .

Guo Shier had his Dark Winged Scorpion and his Sword Glyph ready to attack . He did not take out his Bird Glyph for the time being . He knew that the Bird Glyph’s power was not enough to shake a Grandmaster level defense . He experienced this in a battle on one of the Secret Planes . He reasoned that he has not fully explored the mysteries of the Bird Glyph, hence, he cannot use the Bird Glyph’s true power .

Xiao Feng blocked the advance of a Marked Snow Wolf . At the moment of impact, he felt his whole body shake . He was surprised at how strong the Marked Snow Wolf was .

He tried to slash the Marked Snow Wolf’s head using the Rune Blade is his hands .

“Peng!”

The hacked Marked Snow Wolf turned up and over from the force of the hit . But Xiao Feng immediately realized that his Rune Blade was not able to penetrate the Marked Snow Wolf’s fur .

Another Marked Snow Wolf rushed in and took advantage of his distraction . Xiao Feng shouted in alarm and angled his Rune Shield towards the Marked Snow Wolf .

Guo Shier’s eyes heated up as two golden lines shot out from them .

Translator: Glasses TangGu
Editor: M