Chapter 48: Relentless Trap for the Spirit Masters

The level eight spirit thief advanced in silence, concealing his aura as he hurtled toward Gu Feng at an astonishing speed, intent on capturing him. Once he had Gu Feng in his grasp, he swore to torture him to death.

Under the system’s surveillance, Gu Feng noticed a crimson figure dashing toward him. Instantly, the system flagged the figure as an extreme threat and calculated vulnerabilities in its approach at the highest possible speed.

Yet the opponent was too fast; the most favorable opening the system identified offered only a 79.5% chance of survival.

“Die!” the assailant snarled, clawing viciously at Gu Feng’s throat.

A cruel smile twisted his features—he was certain Gu Feng could not evade him.

Making a split-second decision, Gu Feng chose the highest probability opening. He kicked hard at the outstretched claw.

The system’s probability gauge updated rapidly, but the percentage plummeted to less than thirty. Alarmed, Gu Feng instantly adapted, seizing upon a new opening. With his other foot, he kicked his own leg that had attacked the thief’s claw, throwing himself off balance and plummeting earthward with breakneck speed.

The expert thief’s grasp missed its mark, leaving him momentarily stunned. He could scarcely believe this youth had reacted with such sharpness, evading his capture in what should have been an impossible situation.

“Die!” bellowed Zhu Genghua, who had arrived, both hands gripping a massive hammer as he brought it crashing down upon the expert thief.

The thief glared furiously at Gu Feng, who was now fleeing. Yet Gu Feng didn’t spare him a glance, as though the confrontation had never occurred. Instead, he charged into the ranks of ordinary thieves, unleashing a one-sided slaughter.

The thief’s rage was palpable, but Zhu Genghua’s attack demanded his full attention—he could not afford carelessness against an equal.

Gu Feng waded into the bandits, watching his experience points soar, the thrill of battle fueling his ferocity. If he could slaughter a few thousand thieves, he believed he might advance another level.

The thieves fell before Gu Feng in droves, their ranks scattering in chaos, while the morale of Senyuan Town’s defenders soared ever higher.

At the mere sight of Gu Feng, the bandits broke and fled, falling to his relentless pursuit.

With the situation spiraling, it was inevitable that expert eyes would fix upon him.

A level two spirit thief seized the chaos, quietly approaching Gu Feng. He struck with his blade, certain of Gu Feng’s doom, and only then shouted, “Die!”

He had no inkling that Gu Feng’s system had detected him long before. Gu Feng, his expression alight with excitement, had waited for this moment. To avoid arousing suspicion among the thieves’ experts, he feigned panic, narrowly dodging the ambush.

The level two thief was baffled. How could his lethal strike be so deftly evaded, even if it appeared desperate?

In his moment of confusion, Gu Feng seized the opportunity and launched a fierce counterattack.

“Die!” Gu Feng slashed hard—not at the thief, but at an empty space to his right.

Spectators were puzzled. What was Gu Feng doing, swinging at thin air? Had he lost his senses?

What happened next left them stunned.

The level two spirit thief, as if under a spell, threw his head directly onto the path of Gu Feng’s short sword.

A fellow thief shouted, “Liu Baoqi, have you lost your mind?”

Jolted by the cry, Liu Baoqi snapped out of his daze, but it was too late. In a haze of shock, he crashed headlong into the blade, his skull bursting, dying instantly.

Only Gu Feng, through his system, understood what had happened: Liu Baoqi’s aura had become erratic, destabilizing his bloodline and causing blood to rush to his head. In that brief instant of mental confusion, his nerves misfired and he hurled himself into Gu Feng’s sword.

Clearly, Liu Baoqi had only recently broken through to spirit rank, and had done so with the help of elixirs, leading to this mishap.

As a result, aside from those familiar with Gu Feng, no one credited him with Liu Baoqi’s death; rather, they thought him lucky, while Liu Baoqi seemed to have suffered a bizarre, self-inflicted end.

Gu Feng played along, pretending to have narrowly escaped, then continued his pursuit of the bandits, deliberately avoiding the spirit-ranked experts.

Noticing this, some spirit-ranked thieves concluded that Gu Feng was not so difficult to deal with and quietly closed in, intent on killing him.

Sensing four level one spirit thieves and one level two drawing near, Gu Feng’s heart filled with cold amusement, though he wore an expression of panic as he fled, dodging the five pursuers.

The five shouted, “Where do you think you’re going?” and gave chase at full speed.

From the defenders’ side, a level three spirit user saw Gu Feng being pursued and attempted to assist, but Gu Feng evaded him as well—these were his hard-earned experience points, and he would not let anyone steal them. Feigning confusion, he stumbled about, narrowly avoiding the would-be helper.

The level three spirit user, left watching Gu Feng’s apparently foolish antics, was furious. But he was soon entangled by a bandit of his own rank and could not break free to help.

The five thieves, seeing this, were delighted and pressed their attack.

When the moment was right, Gu Feng plunged into a throng of combatants in the midst of chaos.

To the five spirit thieves, it looked as though Gu Feng was trying to escape in the confusion.

They smirked coldly—there was no way they’d let him get away. Spreading out, the five surrounded Gu Feng.

Gu Feng’s lips curled into a cold smile. Even as he continued his rampage among the bandits, he feigned desperate confusion, drawing ever closer to the level two spirit thief.

The latter was overjoyed, giving up on weaker targets to close in swiftly on Gu Feng. The others, presuming the matter settled, slowed their approach.

Now directly behind Gu Feng, the level two thief saw his chance and struck, roaring, “Die!”

Everyone believed Gu Feng’s fate was sealed.

On Senyuan Town’s side, people looked on in sorrow, convinced the young genius was doomed.

Many recalled the old saying: a genius who perishes before coming into his own is no genius at all.

But Gu Feng was exhilarated. Seizing the moment, he sidestepped in a flash, dodging the would-be killing blow and shouted with excitement, “Cleave!”

With a thunderous crack, a powerful sword energy blasted toward the level two spirit thief.

The thief’s attack missed, and before he could react, a sense of mortal peril washed over him. He barely had time to glance at Gu Feng one last time.

With a sickening squelch, and to the disbelief of the four nearby spirit thieves, the once-confident level two thief was cleaved in half.

Blood and flesh flew, the stench of gore filling the air—a ghastly scene.

Gu Feng seized the opportunity and charged at the nearest level one spirit thief.

Seeing Gu Feng coming, the thief shrieked and turned to flee.

“Trying to escape?” Gu Feng growled, chasing him down and striking with his blade.

The thief had no time even to scream before he met the same fate as his companion.

Without pause, Gu Feng hunted down the next level one spirit thief.

Nearby, a level three spirit thief, enraged by Gu Feng’s massacre, resolved to kill him even at the cost of his own life. Abandoning his own opponent, he charged at Gu Feng.