As Ye Chuan stepped outside, he saw a member of the Phantom Assassins approaching him.
This member was fully armed, bearing the distinctive insignia of the Phantom Assassins on his back, and carried an assassin's dagger and hidden weapons at his waist.
His entire face was covered except for a pair of piercing blue eyes, exuding an intimidating aura that made people fear him at first sight.
"Well, aren't you the famous stars of the bounty sect?"
The member's tone was sarcastic and mocking, making it clear he was not here for a friendly chat.
"Greetings, esteemed stars. I am Ying Ren, the weakest member of the Phantom Assassins. I heard you received the highest level of reception from the Chief. I came to learn from you, but I didn't expect you to walk out with such a large bounty. It makes me so envious."
Ying Ren's speech fluctuated between fast and slow, but it carried an air of confidence and ease.
"Haha, your sense of smell is quite sharp. Did you catch wind of it that quickly?" Ye Chuan responded sarcastically, comparing Ying Ren to a sharp-nosed reptile.
"Haha, this gentleman, dressed in black feathers and a paragon of the dark justice series, you certainly don't look like a fool."
Ying Ren's words were full of provocative intent.
"What did you say?!" Mad Dog, seeing someone provoking his boss, stepped forward and stared directly into Ying Ren's eyes.
"When I'm talking to someone, it's best not to interrupt!"
Standing there with an imposing presence, Ying Ren emitted a sharp sword aura from his eyes.
Swish!
"You!"
Mad Dog almost got killed by that sudden sword aura!
Had he not sensed the killing intent with his martial skills and dodged just in time, he knew he would be dead.
Ying Ren walked over, patted Mad Dog on the shoulder, and laughed, "Haha, I was just joking. Don't mind me, don't mind me. It was just a joke."
This made everyone present feel that Ying Ren was unpredictable.
"May I ask, esteemed stars, what task you took on? As the first-tier bounty team, we also want to take on such tasks for fun."
Ying Ren's words carried a frivolous tone, as if an S+ level task was just a game to him.
Ye Chuan stepped forward, slowly speaking, "Is it necessary for us to tell you what level of tasks we take on?"
Swish!
Upon hearing this, Ying Ren didn't say another word, and another sharp sword aura emanated from his body.
"Oh, I'm sorry, my body automatically emits sword aura sometimes. It wasn't intentional."
Ying Ren's face showed an innocent expression, pretending as if he had no control over the sword aura that he had clearly released on purpose.
But Ye Chuan was not like Mad Dog. Faced with Ying Ren's assassination aura, Ye Chuan didn't dodge or avoid it. Instead, he slightly unleashed his own power, reflecting the sword aura back.
Swish!
The sword aura tore through Ying Ren's clothes without drawing blood.
It was a warning!
"It seems you do have some skills. No wonder the Chief gave you special treatment."
"Among your group of seven, only you have caught our attention. Goodbye."
Ying Ren glanced around at everyone, shaking his head in disappointment at everyone except Ye Chuan. Then, with a few ghostly flickers, he disappeared from sight, leaving the group behind.
"This guy is really terrifying!" Even Lin Ruomei, who had been silent all this while, finally exhaled a breath of relief and spoke up after Ying Ren left.
"No matter how terrifying he is, he has to abide by the rules here. If someone dares to kill indiscriminately, they'll face the consequences and be brought to justice," Han Qianye said indifferently. He had seen bounty hunters make trouble in the main camp before, and those people had simply vanished without a trace.
Ye Chuan thought back to when he had first arrived at the main camp and had personally killed Ling Shuang. Thankfully, no one had discovered this yet. But whether anyone pursued it or not, Ling Shuang had to die.
"Let's go and see something interesting," Han Qianye said as he led the group through a narrow alley.
"What's interesting?" Zhang Chen asked, curious.
"You'll see when we get there."
Han Qianye led everyone to the renowned bounty sect's underground fighting arena.
Even before entering, they could hear the crazed shouts and cheers.
"Kill him!"
"Take him down!"
"Don't die!"
...
A large number of guards protected the arena, and the place exuded a formidable aura.
Outside the underground arena was a notice board. Ye Chuan, curious, walked over to read it.
The board read: "This is the death arena, a place to settle grudges. Whether it's a bounty office feud or a personal vendetta, it all gets resolved here. Life and death are not considered. If anyone fights to the death outside the designated area, the death arena will ruthlessly punish the offender."
In this world, those who paid heavily to issue bounties to kill someone could also face the deceased's relatives seeking revenge. But these vendettas had to be settled in the death arena.
If someone sought revenge against a bounty hunter in the death arena, the hunter could refuse. However, once they left the renowned bounty sect, they were no longer protected.
"Ye Chuan, if you had agreed to become the Chief's disciple today, no one would dare seek revenge on you. You'd have protection wherever you went, and in the renowned bounty sect, you could command the winds and clouds," Zhang Chen said, feeling regretful on Ye Chuan's behalf.
At this moment, the masked man who had been silent all along also spoke, "You severed Jian Wuhen's arm. The Divine Sword Sect won't let this go."
"If I die outside, it's because I'm not skilled enough. I won't blame anyone else," Ye Chuan said calmly. If someone came for revenge and he couldn't beat them, it was his own fault.
But Zhang Chen didn't see it that way. He feared the Divine Sword Sect would blame him as a bystander. If the Divine Sword Sect got angry, even ten renowned bounty sects wouldn't be enough to withstand their wrath.
"Let's go inside!"
Upon entering, they saw a sea of frenzied spectators. Among them were bounty hunters and outside visitors. Bounty hunters of the renowned sect enjoyed free entry, while outsiders had to pay.
There were different levels of seating: regular, high-grade, VIP, and supreme.
Typically, regular and high-grade seats were for ordinary people and hunters. VIP seats were likely occupied by people from sects or prominent families. As for the supreme seats, those were reserved for significant figures, such as elders or influential members of various sects.
Besides the seating, there were vendors selling alcohol and a casino for the spectators' entertainment.
As they went deeper inside, the smell of blood grew stronger.
"Look, that's a disciple of the Martial Sect against one of our high-ranking hunters. It's a death match," someone pointed out.
"It's about to start!"
"Let's place our bets too!" Han Qianye suggested.