Chapter 113.2: The Menacing Bone Ascetic is Nothing! (II)

As time passed, more and more people learned of the Divine Strength Rankings, and the Northern Domain battlefield grew increasingly lively.

Unranked martial artists became far more aggressive. They roamed the battlefield in search of ranked experts, hoping to hunt one down, trample on that person's fame, and force their way into the top hundred of the Divine Strength Rankings.

As for those already ranked, each was extraordinarily powerful. At the sight of them, many chose to flee without hesitation. Even so, some were still killed. With each death, the fearsome reputation of the Divine Strength Rankings experts grew.

A furious roar shook the air. "Who was it? Who exactly killed my younger brother?"

It came from a man who was as fat as an elephant, known as Fat Butcher. He ranked seventy-eighth on the Divine Strength Rankings.

On the surface, Fat Butcher was always grinning, his expression gentle and almost Buddha-like. Beneath that smile lay a heart as venomous as a serpent's. He was ruthless, cruel, and slaughtered opponents without mercy. Compared to his younger brother, Bone Ascetic, he was even more brutal.

A lazy voice answered him. "Fatty, didn't the news already come in? It was someone called Dao Shi'er, who is supposedly ranked eighty-first on the Divine Strength Rankings. He killed Bone Ascetic. "

The speaker let out a soft chuckle. "The rankings are actually pretty interesting. It estimates our strength fairly well. But putting me at seventy-third, only a few places above you, aren't they underestimating me a bit?"

The man who spoke was known as Blind Saberman. He had only one eye, and his appearance was vicious and intimidating. A curved saber, the type commonly seen in the great desert, was strapped across his back.

Anyone who saw him would feel a chill down their spine.

He had lost an eye in battle years ago, and hatred had taken root ever since. Whenever he struck, he would go straight for his opponent's eyes, delighting in blinding them. His cruelty knew no bounds.

Fat Butcher, Blind Saberman, and Bone Ascetic were once a trio. In the Northern Domain, they were infamous, despised even by the northern barbarians. But now, on the battlefield, these scum had become heroes in the barbarians' eyes, as they relentlessly hunted martial artists of the Da Yu Dynasty.

"Dao Shi'er..." Fat Butcher's voice was cold. "I will tear you into pieces."

He then turned toward Blind Saberman. "I'm avenging my brother. Are you with me?"

"Revenge?" Blind Saberman laughed softly. "The Northern Domain battlefield is enormous. How are you going to get revenge? Even if you kill everyone here, you might never run into Dao Shi'er."

That was the truth. On the Northern Domain battlefield, everything depended on chance. One fought whoever one happened to encounter. Seeking out a specific person was nearly impossible.

"Even if I can't find Dao Shi'er, I'll still kill to vent my rage," Fat Butcher said, his killing intent surging. "So are you coming or not?"

Blind Saberman's lips curled into a cold smile. "I'm in. Of course I'm in. The battlefield is exciting these days. Who knows? We might even run into a few Divine Strength Rankings experts. If we kill a few of them, our rankings might climb, too."

***

Lu Changsheng had no idea that someone was seeking revenge against him on the Northern Domain battlefield. Even if he had known, he would have laughed it off. On the battlefield, it was kill or be killed. Revenge was nothing unusual.

He arrived early that day. With only a little over one hundred minor merits left before reaching a full thousand and exchanging them for a rare treasure, he felt a renewed sense of motivation.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Several dark figures shifted faintly within the grass.

"Stop."

"Senior Dao, we're from the Da Yu Dynasty. Don't misunderstand."

Several martial artists emerged from the grass. They had been lying in ambush, preparing to launch a sneak attack.

Lu Changsheng glanced at them.

The Martial Pavilion had provided martial artists of the Da Yu Dynasty with a special method of verifying their identity. It allowed affiliations to be confirmed quickly and reliably.

After confirming that they were indeed from the Da Yu Dynasty, Lu Changsheng lost interest in taking action. Clashes between allies did occur on the Northern Domain battlefield, but they were rare. Killing those on the same side brought little benefit, after all.

"Have you heard any news about prominent northern barbarian figures?" Lu Changsheng asked. "Especially experts on the Divine Strength Rankings."

"Not really," one of them replied. "We've been lying in wait here the whole time and haven't run into any other martial artists."

Lu Changsheng nodded and left without saying another word.

Watching Lu Changsheng fade into the distance, the martial artists exclaimed in amazement.

"Senior Dao is here again. Is he really roaming the Northern Domain battlefield every single day?"

"Since Dao Shi'er ranks eighty-first on the Divine Strength Rankings, he's going to crush anyone he runs into. Who can possibly stop him?"

"I really want to witness another clash between Divine Strength Rankings experts with my own eyes."

With the release of the Divine Strength Rankings, no one could remain truly hidden anymore. Once one's name was on the rankings, one would inevitably attract attention.

Lu Changsheng strolled across the vast grasslands, following the faint scent of blood drifting through the air.

Schwing!

Suddenly, he drew his saber. In an instant, a crimson saber light swept outward, engulfing several northern barbarians.

"It's Dao Shi'er. Run!"

"Dao Shi'er, ranked eighty-first on the Divine Strength Rankings. We're done for."

"When you run into Dao Shi'er, even escaping is a luxury..."

As the saber light fell, several northern barbarians froze. Then, they were split in twain and collapsed to the ground.

Lu Changsheng did not even look back. They were just Organ Refinement martial artists and were only worth a few dozen minor merits at best, sometimes not even that. He could not be bothered to collect their heads.

If he were to take their heads, he would have to carry them back and go out again. The back and forth was too much trouble. Most of the time, Lu Changsheng would kill with a single strike. As for who retrieved the corpses and took them back, he did not care in the slightest.

Just then, several Organ Refinement martial artists from the Da Yu Dynasty exclaimed, "Senior Dao!"

Lu Changsheng glanced at them. He did not recognize any of them. "What is it?"

"Senior Dao, we recently heard a rumor. We don't know if it's true, but it concerns you.

"We heard that the northern barbarians known as Blind Saberman and Fat Butcher have been causing trouble across the Northern Domain battlefield. They've been asking about your whereabouts.

"You should be careful. Fat Butcher is Bone Ascetic's older brother. Blind Saberman and Fat Butcher are both experts ranked in the seventies on the Divine Strength Rankings, and they're moving together.

"Fat Butcher, ranked seventy-eighth. Blind Saberman, ranked seventy-third. If they join forces, they would indeed make for a decent opponent."

"Where are they?" Lu Changsheng asked.

There was no fear in his expression, only interest. Killing the two of them would not just be enough to push his merits past one thousand. It might even earn him another thousand on top of that.

"

Ah?

Senior Dao, those are two Divine Strength Rankings experts," one of them said, "They've been roaming the Northern Domain battlefield, killing wherever they go. Only fragments of news have spread. The battlefield is far too vast, so no one knows their exact location."

The martial artists looked somewhat stunned that Dao Shi'er showed no fear at all. On the contrary, he seemed interested. By now, everyone understood the true weight of the Divine Strength Rankings.

Anyone on the rankings was a genuine expert, not someone who had risen by luck alone. Challenging a ranked martial artist was no simple matter. Many had tried to seize a place for themselves, but most of them had died in the attempt.

Since Blind Saberman and Fat Butcher were ranked even higher than Dao Shi'er, would Dao Shi'er have a chance if they were to stumble upon each other?

"Thanks," Lu Changsheng replied.

After that, he turned around to leave. In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the boundless grasslands.