Speaking about the hunt, it was no joke when the Shuiran Palace Master said that the hunt participants could hunt anything to their liking. They could go for the mountain animals, starting from wild hares to giant swines, or they could also go for forest spirits and mountain demons.
It was quite obvious which one would appear as the most impressive catch.
It was Crown Prince Xie Jianyu's first hunt. By chance, he was also the youngest hunt participant. His desire to excel above all alphas was trumped by the longing for achievement. Regardless of the reward and the capabilities of all other hunt participants, the Heavenly Emperor expected Xie Jianyu to rank first in the hunt.
Otherwise, Xie Jianyu was going to earn his wrath and scorn again.
His elder brother, the First Mistress of Shuiran Palace, told him that there was a reason why Mount Qilin was picked as this year's hunting ground.
For many human years now, a man-eating demon resided at the peak of Mount Qilin. It constantly posed a threat to the three villages at the base of the mountain. The villagers did not have the ability to vanquish the demon, so they could only pray. Their prayer reached the Goddess of Mercy, who then appealed to the Heavenly Emperor for help.
Vanquishing a demon was not a problem at all. Seeing that the time for the yearly hunt drew closer, the Heavenly Emperor came up with an idea.
Without telling any of the participants about the existence of said demon, he was going to make all the alphas raid Mount Qilin. Those who were ambitious enough would surely not come out with empty hands.
The grand prize of the hunt was going to be given to the hunt participant who brought him the head of the man-eating demon!
This was why Xie Jianyu opted to use the heavenly steed as his mount for today's hunt. The magnificent flying horse took him straight to the top of the mountain, where the man-eating demon was waiting for him.
Xie Jianyu guided the heavenly steed to a safe waiting spot and then climbed off. With his Winter Frost steadily gripped in his hand, he headed toward the dark cave.
With no lighting to aid him, he had to slay the demon in complete darkness.
Other than the sound of his own heart pounding against his ribcage, only the dripping sound of water onto the rocky surface and the haunting sound of blowing wind could be heard.
Xie Jianyu moved as silently as he could.
He squinted his eyes, trying his best to make out some movement in the utter darkness.
His ears twitched slightly when he heard the groaning sound of a wounded beast.
"..."
Did someone come before him?
Xie Jianyu furrowed his brows.
No way.
Did someone else hear about the man-eating demon?
Once his eyes adapted to the darkness, he was able to make out the form of the man-eating demon. It was heavily wounded. Its four legs were cut off cleanly, leaving only bloody stumps at the torso.
The smell of fresh blood and burnt flesh permeated the air. Xie Jianyu had to hold his breath as he inched closer.
Someone had beaten him to the job, but left the job unfinished. Xie Jianyu was stumped.
But why?
Why did the person not kill the demon?
The man-eating demon twitched on the ground. Slowly, the cut-off limbs started to grow back. The man-eating demon was slowly regenerating itself!!!
Silently, Xie Jianyu swung his sword and decapitated the demon. He then cut open the demon's chest, unearthed its beating heart, and burned it with a fire talisman.
Then, the crown prince dragged the demon head by its long hair out of its lair. When he stepped outside, he had to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight.
The rest played out to Xie Jianshen's and Xie Jianyu's plans. Xie Jianyu came back with the demon head in tow and earned the admiration of the crowd.
"As expected of the Crown Prince," they praised.
"How scary! Crown Prince, are you hurt???" the omegas shrieked from their spots.
Xie Jianyu looked up at the many omegas who were waiting for him to give one of them his pink orchid.
He plucked the flower from his chest and trotted toward the omegas. Before he even handed one of them his flower, someone emerged from the hunting ground.
"Prince Fengxi!" Liu Wenyuan shouted in horror when Zhang Fengxi returned, his clothes and spiritual mount were both drenched in blood.