The Legend of the Demon Hunter

The old man turned around and pointed to the room in the inner hall and said, "It's rare for someone from other branches to come here to talk to an old man like me. Come in with me and I will tell you slowly."

Xiao Zhu and Xiao Ya followed the old man into the inner hall. He felt that the old man's words and deeds were very strange, so he couldn't wait to ask: "Senior, what happened here? What do you mean by the branch no longer exists?"

The old man looked at Xiao Zhu and Xiao Ya's young faces, and a hint of interest appeared on his dull expression. He asked, "What should I call you two young friends?"

"My name is Xiao Zhu, and this is my friend Xiao Ya." Xiao Zhu introduced his and Xiao Ya's names, and then asked politely, "May I ask your name, senior?"

The old man shook his head, as if he was too lazy to introduce himself, and said, "Just call me Old Huojian! That's what everyone here calls me."

"Okay, Senior Huojian." Xiao Zhu said very respectfully.

"Huh? What is that?" Xiaoya was not interested in the conversation between Xiao Zhu and Lao Huojian. Her attention was attracted by a huge ball hanging high in the center of the room.

Xiao Zhu looked at the sphere and saw that the inside of the sphere was transparent, with a large shining spot of light in the center. This spot of light emitted many rays to the surface of the sphere, and the rays appeared as tiny spots of light on the surface of the sphere. The whole sphere looked radiant and colorful in the light of the rays, which was very spectacular. No wonder Xiao Ya was attracted to it at once.

Old Huojian took a look at the light ball and said, "That is the magic weapon, the Concentric Sphere. The history of the Xuanwu branch can just start from the Concentric Sphere..."

Hearing this, not only Xiao Zhu, but also Xiao Ya pricked up their ears and listened carefully.

"As one of the four major branches of the Demon Hunter Association, the Xuanwu Branch has a very long history. Even the "Wu" in Yuanwu City is named after the name of the association. However, in the past two hundred years, the Xuanwu Branch has gradually declined. The reason is only one thing, that is, talent. Due to the influence of the divine official Tianhuan and the saint Jinling'er, most of the young talents in the two countries of Huanling were absorbed by the two major religions of Shenxue and Honglian. Very few can come to the Demon Hunter Association."

"Until a hundred years ago, when we thought the Xuanwu branch had reached the end of its mission, a man appeared and extended the life of the branch by himself for a hundred years. He was the former president of the branch, Qin Zhen. Because of Qin Zhen's existence, not only did the Xuanwu branch gain a firm foothold in Yuanwu City, but even the war between the two major religions, Honglian and Shenxue, did not affect here. For the association, it was a rare blessing. But there are unexpected events, and just three months ago, Qin Zhen suddenly passed away..."

"What?" Xiao Zhu was listening carefully to this legendary heroic story. Old Huojian's last sentence was like a bolt from the blue.

"How did Senior Qin Zhen die?" Xiaoya asked.

Old Huojian shook his head: "I don't know. No one in the Xuanwu branch knows."

"Since no one knows the situation, how can we determine that Senior Qin Zhen has passed away?"

Old Huojian pointed to the large glittering sphere in the air and said, "That's it. This magic weapon is called the Concentric Sphere. Although it has no attack power, it is a very rare and precious treasure. You see the hundreds of rays of light on it, right? As long as the demon hunter drops his blood on it, a ray of light will be emitted from the center of the sphere, which will shoot onto the surface of the sphere to form a light spot. This ray of light and the light spot will always exist unless the demon hunter is no longer alive."

"Could it be that the light spot of Senior Qin Zhen has disappeared? Based on this, everyone has judged that he has passed away?" Xiao Zhu suddenly understood.

"You are very smart." Old Huojian nodded. "Since the war between the two sects ended half a year ago, Qin Zhen has mysteriously disappeared. But he has disappeared without saying goodbye before, so people didn't take it seriously until three months ago when someone discovered that the light spot of Qin Zhen on the concentric sphere had disappeared."

Xiaoya looked at the ball of light in the air curiously and saw that the light inside did not fluctuate at all, as if time had stopped there.

Xiao Zhu thought of the Acacia Bell. At that time, he and Xia Shi used blood to awaken the Acacia Bell. The two bells could sense each other no matter how far apart they were, and use light to show each other's life signs. It seems that the magical effect of this concentric ball is quite similar to that of the Acacia Bell.

"Senior Huojian, even though President Qin Zhen has passed away, the association is still doing well. Why did you disperse the association members and say that the Xuanwu branch will no longer exist?" Xiao Zhu asked, still puzzled.

"Of course it's because of the Red Lotus Cult. I believe you saw it when you entered Yuanwu City. The statue of the Red Lotus Saint and the statue of the Demon Hunter of the Xuanwu Branch stand on the east and west sides of the city respectively. The two major forces have been competing against each other for many years. When President Qin Zhen was there, the Red Lotus Cult did not dare to act presumptuously, but when the news of Qin Zhen's death reached the ears of the Red Lotus Cult, they took action." Old Huojian explained.

"Action?" Xiao Zhu asked doubtfully.

"Yes, first the Red Lotus followers took the initiative to attack the association members, and some minor frictions occurred between the two. But then, the Red Lotus took the opportunity to escalate the situation. Their cardinal personally took action and killed several senior demon hunters of the association, and formally declared war on the Xuanwu branch." Old Huojian said here, with resentment in his tone.

Old Huojian looked at Xiao Zhu and continued, "Faced with such provocation from the Red Lotus, the Xuanwu branch naturally could not swallow its anger, so the two sides had many conflicts in the past two months, and many people were killed and injured. Just two days ago, the situation escalated again. The Red Lotus invited the Xuanwu branch to a life-and-death duel. This was also something the Red Lotus had planned for a long time. They have three cardinals in Yuanwu City, and I am the only diamond-level demon hunter on the association's side. This is almost a losing game."

"Life and death duel? What is that?" Xiao Zhu heard this term for the first time.

"The life-and-death duel is a long-standing tradition in Yuanwu City. It can be initiated by one force to another, or by one person to another. Once one party invites the other party to a life-and-death duel, the other party cannot refuse. Both parties will enter the arena in the center of Yuanwu City on the agreed date and fight until one party dies or admits defeat. The loser will be expelled from Yuanwu City forever." Old Huojian patiently helped Xiao Zhu explain.

"So that's how it is." Xiao Zhu thought of the huge circular building in the center of Yuanwu City that he saw when he first entered the city. At that time, he didn't understand what it was used for. Now he finally knows that it is the arena of Yuanwu City, representing the strength and glory of the demon hunters of Yuanwu City. No wonder it was built so magnificently. At the same time, he also understood why Lao Huojian would disperse the other demon hunters of the Demon Hunter Association, because he was determined to fight to the death.

It seems that Old Huojian really has good intentions.