Talented Martial Hero novel Chapter 606

"I've told you that there are powerful guardians here," the masked woman hissed threateningly. "If you're not careful, you may just end up like Riley here, or worse. The brainless lout just got off with one wound, and he's lucky to still be alive at all."

"I am not brainless!" snarled the strong man named Riley Kui, striking his fists together in rage.

Without waiting another second, he started to run towards the woman.

Luckily the young man clad in animal skins, whose name was Carter Qiu, restrained him. "Wait a minute!" he cried. "The three of us have made it this far, but passing the last challenge won't be easy at all. If we fight among ourselves, none of us will make it in the end. So, just listen to Abby's suggestion. We'd better work together and kill the guardian instead."

Riley Kui gave a snort at that, but backed down all the same. He had to admit Carter Qiu had a point.

Rather than replying, the woman drew forth a weapon of some kind, though with such an air-cutting speed that it could not be identified at first.

As she flung it upward, it turned out to be a length of hemp rope, and it attached itself to the crevice in the rock wall above them.

Riley Kui offered a sly smirk. "It seems that your tribe treats you very well," he said with a chuckle. "They even gave you the tribe's special weapon."

From the precipice above, Darren watched this exchange with some interest. Despite the rope's humble, simple appearance, it gave off a powerful ancient aura similar to that of Darren's divine sword and blade.

"Now, that's interesting," he said to himself. "Let's see who has the more powerful weapon, then."

Saying this, he quickly lashed out with his sword and blade.

Dazzling runes shone in the air as the sword and blade sliced at the rope.

Still holding onto it, the masked woman trembled as though lightning was passing through her, and a terrific pain shot through her body.

The moment passed, but her insides still tingled slightly.

Turning aside, she spat blood, then quickly drew the rope back to herself.

To her dismay, it now sported a nasty cut, one almost deep enough to sever it completely.

"It must be the guardian!" she cried. "How powerful is he?!"

Astonished, the three companions turned and looked around for their attacker. Almost losing that special weapon without warning had to have been a nasty shock.

"Oh, have I gone too far?" Darren asked himself, smirking. He decided, though, that he'd spent enough time messing with these people.

From their conversation, he deduced that they were here in search of those green magic herbs, and that they'd passed many difficult trials just to reach this place.

Ready to talk to them now, Darren dropped from the cliff wall and came out into view.

As soon as the three noticed his approach, they cautiously stepped back.

Having expected the guardian, they were not sure what to make of this stranger.

Remarkably handsome though he was, Darren looked like almost any ordinary young man.

"Our clan patriarch said that the guardian is supposed to be a ruthless creature," said the masked woman uneasily.

Though her words were for her two companions, she didn't take her eyes off Darren. "How can it be a person?" she wondered.

"You misunderstand," Darren said cordially as he drew near. "I'm here by accident, and I'm not the guardian you're talking about. And, as a matter of fact, I killed them."

For a moment the trio only looked at each other, dumbfounded.

Carter Qiu was the one to break the silence. "How dare you break into the forbidden area of our three tribes!" he roared.

"Who the hell are you?!"

"I don't care who he is," Riley Kui burst in, cracking his knuckles. "He's a dead man!" With that, he charged toward the lone stranger, and this time Carter Qiu didn't try to restrain him.

Darren didn't try to dodge the skull-crushing blow that came at him.

Instead he met the punch head-on with an expert palm strike.

With a sound like a cannon firing, Riley Kui was knocked backward and struck the stone wall behind him.

When he came back to himself, he found that he couldn't lift his arm. In fact, the whole thing felt broken.

"I can't believe it!" he exclaimed, echoing the amazement of his two companions.

He was the strongest member of the Bulk Tribe, yet this young man had beaten him with a single blow.

"Hope you enjoyed that," Darren said to him, deadpan. "But I didn't come here to fight you people. If you're looking for something, you'd better get a move on."

"Wait just a minute. You said you were here by accident," noted the woman. "Does that mean there's another way to get here?"

Darren didn't feel like answering that question. "You'll find out when you get inside."

"Whatever you say," the woman retorted, turning to her allies. "Let's go, then."