Chapter 244: Confronting the Sixth-Rank Hunter!

Fire Dao Smelting Tower Spirit Realm Layer Area.

Above the sky, densely interwoven smelting furnace Fire Dao.

Legendary forging, underway.

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

"..."

Accompanied by a dull forging sound wave.

The outline of an elf-forging heroic spirit, several dozen meters high, appears atop Bajins's tower.

Each strike of the forging can send up a halo of light and air waves over a hundred meters.

In the sound wave of this mighty legendary forging.

In the distance, beneath a smelting furnace tower over forty meters high, a fierce battle is underway.

The combatants are Ta Ke on one side.

On the other side is a formidable 47th-rank foreign steam hunter.

This formidable foreign steam hunter, a 47th-rank from another realm, possesses astonishing strength.

He is evenly matched with Ta Ke in their current fight.

Whether in speed, movement, swordsmanship, or comprehension of the lightning rune profundity within the sword technique secret canon, he has reached an extremely high level.

Looking across the whole of Shengland, he also counts among the top experts of the fourth rank.

While retreating, Ta Ke continuously releases his sorcery.

Fireball technique, fire oil splatter, hurricane blade, arcane shot, fate shot, and other quick-shooting means are mixed with the more powerful sorcery such as the light-shaping spear.

Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, or a long-range single-point precise attack breakthrough, or a close-range saturation attack.

These sorceries, in Ta Ke's hands, are used in various ways.

Following a perfect rhythm, they form staggered strikes.

They continually fall upon that 47th-rank hunter.

The 47th-rank hunter wears purple thunder armor and wields a one-ring state purple rune long blade.

Each step he takes is like a bolt of thunder.

The fall of his blade is even faster than lightning.

In their battle, the steam hunter constantly uses the blade for 【parry】, or uses the blade's edge to deflect Ta Ke's sorcery.

If he encounters Ta Ke's exploding fireball, or the more ferocious light-shaping spear·ball,

he will swiftly dodge these sorceries with his movement, then close the distance with Ta Ke.

This 47th-rank hunter's eyes are filled with icy hatred and murderous intent, completely disregarding life and death.

His sole objective at this moment is the third-rank mage before him.

Killing this third-rank mage before him is his entire will at this moment.

This 47th-rank foreign steam hunter harbors such murderous intent toward Ta Ke.

Naturally, because beforehand Ta Ke had already slaughtered all of his comrades.

Their squad numbered a full nine people.

Three of them were fourth-rank hunters, none weak.

Six were third-rank hunters, all above level 36.

Yet this strong and sturdy hunter squad

was slain by this third-rank mage before them in a face-to-face confrontation, leaving only him alive in a short time.

This third-rank mage's methods are cruel, his sorcery formidable; if one had not seen it with one's own eyes,

"Aikus" simply could not believe that such a terrifyingly powerful third-rank mage could exist in this world.

In the midst of battle.

Ta Ke's second-rank mage robe, which had accompanied him for a long time, was completely torn to shreds.

Beneath the robe was revealed a fourth-rank silver extraordinary chainmail.

Even this fourth-rank chainmail bore many scars.

As for Ta Ke himself, he also suffered minor injuries.

Just now.

This group of hunters jointly unleashed a very special "Soul Hunting" attack method.

This dual attack anchoring soul and source energy is difficult for Ta Ke to evade.

Fortunately.

Thanks to the full-coverage soul defense of the third-rank dragon scale armor perfectly combined with Ta Ke, as well as Ta Ke's own condensed five-ring state powerful soul rune profundity, plus the soul veil shadow sharing the damage,

Ta Ke withstood such a fierce attack method.

But Ta Ke also sustained some injury from it.

After resisting the opponent's "Soul Hunting" and several long-range attack methods,

Once the distance was opened, it became Ta Ke's time to dominate the battlefield and slaughter.

Without hesitation, Ta Ke went all-out, and in a short time killed everyone else in the hunter squad.

As for this 47th-rank foreign steam hunter, Ta Ke on one hand wants to give him practice, and on the other hand wants to capture him alive.

After all, the opponent's body contains three steam cores.

Once dead, the sequence collapses and the steam core would be gone.

But now it seems capturing him alive may be difficult.

Forget it, this guy is strong enough that he might have already completely assimilated the digestion of the steam core.

Even if captured alive, one might not be able to extract a suitable steam core.

The higher the rank, the deeper the steam core is digested; even when extracted, the outline of the steam core can no longer be seen.

Moreover… the steam cottage has already swallowed several steam cores, so it doesn't lack these few.

With that thought, Taku simply stopped entangling with the opponent.

Taking a step back, Taku instantly put over thirty meters of distance between them.

Seeing this third-rank wizard suddenly pull away that far,

Fourth-rank Steam Hunter 'Aikus' twitched his expression, his mouth dry and tongue parched, while his soul trembled slightly.

"Finally! Is it coming?"

The several terrifying witchcrafts this wizard had displayed before, as well as his unbelievable walking ability,

were completely overwhelming.

This allowed his teammates to be slaughtered by the wizard in a short time.

But after that, the wizard did not continue to use such formidable means.

It was like a cat catching a mouse, constantly using him to practice witchcraft, just as an apprentice wizard would practice on a dummy wooden post.

And now.

The wizard again pulled away the distance.

Accompanied by layers of witchcraft fluctuations bursting forth, Aikus seemed to already see the grim reaper beckoning him.

But Aikus still gritted his teeth, stepping with the wind pace of the rune arcane art.

Forward!

Forward!

Forward again!

Denser and faster than before, a witchcraft like a raging storm poured down.

Especially the countless wind blades, imbued with massive rune arcane art fluctuations that shocked his spirit and mind, sweeping over all his senses and filling his entire field of vision.

There were far too many wind blades, a completely oversaturated strike.

When Aikus blocked a gust of wind blade, five or six more wind blades poured into his body.

The enemy's witchcraft attacks were too many and too fast; he could not resist at all.

In just a few breaths, the countless azure rune wind blades, like a tide, sliced Aikus's body until he was covered in blood.

His flesh was on the verge of collapse.

"I'm afraid… even the master's insight into the Wind Rune Arcane Art is not as profound as this third-rank wizard's!"

As a wind blade over a meter wide, icy and fierce, swept in and cut off Aikus's head,

This was his final thought.

"Bang!"

The head spun and tumbled in the air.

At the last moment, Aikus saw a demon with a cruel grin, mouth wide open, waiting for his head to fall.

"Crack!"

The flame demon 'Hetala' that crushed the human head that had actively fallen into its mouth with a single bite could not help but emit a soulful moan.

"I never imagined I could live to see the day when human heads would drop straight into my mouth!"

"Uuu… it's truly delicious!"

This scene perfectly fell into the eyes of a steam hunter observing from a distant corner.

"Just now was the tragic death of the genius hunter 'Beisileiya'."

"Now it's the total annihilation of Aikus's entire squad."

"This third-rank wizard is too strong; I wouldn't dare say I have a sure victory going up against him, and I might even lose in a gutter."

"Indeed, this third-rank wizard's witchcraft methods are formidable, but more importantly, he is extremely agile; his phase-shifting witchcraft is so fast that his footwork is practically instantaneous movement."

"This simply does not fit the basic framework of extraordinary witchcraft."

"You haven't noticed this kid's rune arcane art, have you?"

"We have noticed; the rune arcane art is indeed terrifying."

"Several rune arcane arts are extremely strong; I truly don't know how this third-rank guy cultivated."

"Could it be… that this third-rank wizard is that person?"

"It's very likely."

"A steam witch, third-rank, basically matched."

Not far away, Taku manipulated the extremely condensed three-star "Rune·Hurricane Grasp" witchcraft before him like a grindstone, looked toward the not‑far corner, and spoke coldly.

"If you don't leave here soon, don't blame me for being impolite."

"Even if you four all come at me together, I can slowly kill you all."

Taku's demon‑like voice, paired with the demon Hetala feasting nearby, was especially impactful.

Those few fourth‑rank and fifth‑rank hunters still observing,

hesitated slightly, then turned and left.

This wave of hunters is different from the previous batch that attacked.

They lurked around, more patient.

Obviously they planned to wait until Taku and the others left before hunting again.

But after Taku obtained the demon ring staff, he gave them no chance.

Directly launched a bloody massacre.

In just over two hours, Ta Ke had already wiped out at least five squads, over thirty people.

Ta Ke killed two of the fourth-rank Steam Hunters.

Beiweis and Aosilin couldn't discover these deeply hidden and disguised hunters.

But Ta Ke always finds them on the first try.

And the terrifying power Ta Ke displayed finally served as a deterrent at this moment.

Even fifth-rank hunters dare not lightly engage Ta Ke in combat.

After this wave of hunters had left.

Ta Ke then looked toward the window of the nearby tower.

Subsequently, Ta Ke spoke solemnly.

"Hey you!"

As Ta Ke's voice and gaze fell.

On the window, it rippled like water.

A sixth-rank Steam Witch Hunter expert clad in hunter robes slowly materialized a semi-transparent figure.

Steam Witch Hunter.

Witch Hunter, a hunter who uses various sorcery to complete the hunt.

The spellcaster among the hunter ranks.

And in the Steam Era, they combined the steam core with the Witch Hunter lineage.

They completed the pioneering of the Steam Witch Hunter lineage.

"What if I insist on completing today's hunt?"

The foreign sixth-rank Steam Witch Hunter expert slowly said.

"You will gain nothing, believe me!"

Ta Ke said seriously.

"On the contrary, senior, after you make a move, you will personally incur the wrath of His Excellency Li Gen Qiao, the archbishop of the Three-Eye God Church!"

"Moreover, the Three-Eye God Church will issue a warrant for your arrest, lasting… forever!"

Ta Ke's words caused this Steam Witch Hunter to scrutinize Ta Ke carefully.

Immediately thereafter, he laughed.

"What a solid background."

"Blasphemer… Ta Ke?"

Ta Ke gave no reply.

Feeling that elusive gaze.

The sixth-rank Steam Witch Hunter's eyes narrowed slightly, then his figure faded away.

With the disappearance of the sixth-rank Steam Witch Hunter.

Ta Ke also performed a salute toward the empty air, then began to clean up the battlefield.