A Card In Hand

Chapter 67: Has Your Combat Power Surpassed One Hundred?

“Young man, you will regret this!”

The Transparent Person coldly snorted and then, with a whoosh, transformed into a breeze and vanished in front of Li Ao.

“Tsk!”

Li Ao sneered.

Do you think I’m just a clueless newbie?

Join you?

I have the backing of the Pantheon of Myriad Realms, and you expect me to join your Dark Summoner’s Association and become as despised as a rat crossing the street?

To most summoners, the name ‘Mysterious Eye’ might sound unfamiliar, but to Li Ao, a millennia-old sage, every detail about it was stored in his memory.

In the Tianfeng Continent, there are hundreds of good-aligned summoner associations.

These associations typically worship some benevolent deity.

Their followers unite to form a collective force.

By banding together.

Step by step, they expand their influence to attract more young summoners to join.

This is the approach of the good-aligned camps, openly waving their banners and conducting their affairs.

However, where there is light, there is darkness; some are born with a disdain for righteousness and prefer the path of wickedness, using bloody, terrifying, and evil methods to achieve their personal aims.

These people are known as Dark Summoners, members of the Dark Summoner’s Association.

Mysterious Eye is one of the five major Dark Summoner Associations.

In addition to Mysterious Eye.

There are also the Venomous Fang, Cursed Tongue, Listening Ear, and Formless Nose.

These five Dark Summoner Associations are spread across the entire Tianfeng Continent, covertly permeating every nation, every power, and even every family.

Because they have existed for such an extended period, they are deeply entrenched in the Tianfeng Continent.

Even the mighty Pantheon of Myriad Realms can only suppress them, not eradicate them entirely.

Moreover.

As far as Li Ao knew, there were members of the Dark Summoner’s Association holding high positions within the Pantheon of Myriad Realms, wielding great power.

Outwardly, they appeared as members of the good-aligned camps, but behind the scenes, they engaged in utterly disgusting and despicable acts, using dark methods to fulfill their conspiracies or objectives.

In his previous life, after defeating Prince Jinxi, Li Ao also caught the attention of Venomous Fang.

Assassins came to him.

They appeared openly and invited him.

Unlike the secretive operations of the Mysterious Eye, the members of Venomous Fang lacked patience.

They preferred the simplest and most brutal methods to achieve their ends: join or die.

In his previous life, when the Venomous Fang’s recruitment failed, they immediately tried to take Li Ao’s life.

As a result, the overconfident assassin was killed by Li Ao in self-defense.

This completely enraged Venomous Fang.

Their members in Silverlight City.

Came out in full force.

Not only did they try to kill Li Ao with all their might, but they also slaughtered the old servant who had raised him, wiping out his entire family.

It took Li Ao a full thirty years to completely eliminate the core members of Venomous Fang and successfully avenge them.

Because the members of Venomous Fang were scattered across various countries, powers, and major families, Li Ao, who was determined to exact revenge and refused to forgive the murderers, had become the most solitary avenger on the entire Tianfeng Continent.

No one was willing to associate with Li Ao, nor did anyone dare to.

All factions considered Li Ao an unreasonable paranoid maniac.

Or perhaps a murderer.

Some members of the Venomous Fang had very kind and upright public identities, enjoying great reputations as benevolent elders of the Tianfeng Continent.

When Li Ao sought revenge, the masses rallied to protect him, countless summoners who were oblivious to the truth joined in a frenzied attack on Li Ao, preventing what they believed was a deranged avenger from killing their kind-hearted elder.

After Li Ao had killed all the key members of Venomous Fang, there was no place left for him on Tianfeng Continent.

Before he left Tianfeng Continent,

He returned to Silverlight City.

For the last time, he paid homage to the faithful old servant who had raised him, but then a super-strong enemy hidden even deeper than the five major dark summoning associations descended from the sky… That time, Li Ao was in extreme danger, but fortunately, Fuxi, a boss that no one could have anticipated, stepped forward and just barely managed to escape!

“Joining is out of the question, but wiping you out is indeed my wish.”

Li Ao smiled silently.

In his previous life, he hadn’t managed to wipe out the five major dark summoning associations.

It was a bit of a regret.

This time, Li Ao definitely could not miss the opportunity.

Of course, the method of killing them had to be more ingenious; he could no longer be as straightforward as he had been in his previous life.

Last time, when heaven did not respond and earth did not support, he had no help in his grief and anger and had chosen the most primitive method of revenge—slaughtering.

Now he was like a thousand-year-old demon.

He had plenty of ways to torment them.

Therefore, Li Ao decided, the result of the revenge would remain the same, but the process of revenge could be more subtle, making the enemy more desperate rather than merely dying.

Using the return card.

Li Ao returned to Silverlight City.

Fuxi was a bit anxious as he waited; he was really worried that something had happened to Li Ao.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

Fuxi thought Li Ao would be right behind him, but it took a while before the portal of light appeared.

“It’s nothing, someone just said hello and we had a few words.”

Li Ao naturally would not tell him about the Mysterious Eye, he waved his hand to signal Fuxi not to worry. Unlike Venomous Fang, Mysterious Eye liked to operate secretly and plot slowly.

Even if rejected, they would not make the foolish move of killing on the spot, especially since there were three elders from the Trial Temple and the Pantheon of Myriad Realms there at the time!

“Then let’s go and report the good news to Great Uncle!” Fuxi didn’t think too much.

Excited,

He hurriedly pulled Li Ao.

From the Silverlight Square in Silverlight City, they rushed back to their main house.

Fortunately, the main branch of the Iron Clan family, one of the top ten families in Silverlight City with vast territories and strength, was not far from Silverlight Square, just a few minutes away.

Of course, it couldn’t compare with the main family in the capital.

Silverlight City was located in a remote mountainous area.

Talent was scarce.

Over thousands of years since its founding, the city had yet to gather even ten legendary warriors, which is why a mere branch of the Iron Clan could rank among the top ten families in Silverlight City.

Fuxi dashed home, laughing heartily all the way.

Li Ao had no choice but to follow him.

“Oh, Young Master Fuxi is back!”

The servants along the way were overjoyed.

Although Fuxi was not the heir of the main branch, he was a rising star and treated the servants well, so his successful return sparked cheers among them.

They did not yet know the details, but seeing Fuxi’s radiant smile, they knew he must have excelled in the exams, performed admirably in the trials, and successfully advanced as a summoner.

“Wait for my report, then come and claim your reward—everyone gets a share!”

Fuxi wished everyone could share his current joy.

“Stop right there!”

A cold snort.

Forced Fuxi and Li Ao to halt.

A tall, thin man with a proud demeanor stood at the entrance of the hall, blocking Fuxi and Li Ao’s path.

The man, with fiery red hair and several prominent scars on his forehead, had a particularly sharp gaze.

His look was aggressively penetrating.

This man, named Huo Quan, was twenty-seven years old and possessed the talent of the Molten Iron Hand.

With a combat power of 957, he was just a step away from Silver-level.

Originally, he was a candidate to become the future patriarch of the main branch of the Iron Clan.

After being defeated by his brother Yuan Chi, who had rapidly risen to prominence, he lost the qualification.

Since then, his attitude toward his younger cousins in the family had done a complete one-eighty.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Huo Quan, standing at the entrance to the hall, casually glanced over Fuxi and Li Ao’s faces: “Father is out, and mother has been restless these days, resting in seclusion. Don’t disturb her!”

“Uncle is not here? Brother, aren’t we going to report the good news? Just go home like this?”

Fuxi felt as if someone had poured cold water over him, his excitement instantly fading.

“Father just happened to be busy and isn’t home waiting for you. Who asked you two to come back a day early?”

Huo Quan sneered.

“Let’s go then!”

Li Ao, not wanting to talk more with Huo Quan, urged Fuxi to leave.

“Is your combat power over a hundred?”

Huo Quan glanced at the Rock Bear following Li Ao and suddenly asked.

“Just a hundred.”

Li Ao lied without blinking an eye, casually throwing out a round number to Huo Quan.

“Tch, a combat power of a hundred… You don’t need to come over. Go home and rest for a few days, then report directly to the guard squad. I’ll arrange a lieutenant for you. After you contract a Bronze-level war beast, I’ll promote you to captain! Go now!”

Huo Quan dismissed Li Ao in a few words.

In his eyes, someone like Li Ao, a mere Black Iron scum, was not worth nurturing.

Fuxi really wanted to tell him that this Li Ao, whom you are generously arranging to be a lieutenant in the guard squad, was the New King of this trial, more terrifying than the Great Demon King, capable of beating a group of elites to a pulp.

“Alright, thank you, Second Young Master!”

Li Ao, not entitled to call him “second cousin” because he was from a collateral branch, somewhat like a servant born into the family.

But because he carried a bit of the bloodline, his status was slightly higher.

Huo Quan, not wanting to say more to Li Ao, waved his hand dismissively.

Full of frustration, Fuxi was itching to have a big fight with Huo Quan, but with his combat power of 404 far behind Huo Quan’s, plus Li Ao’s reluctance to stay longer, he had no choice but to swallow his anger.

The two had just stepped out of the courtyard.

Suddenly, from the side came a voice full of magnetic allure: “Hey, is that you two? What’s going on? Why come back and not go in to report the good news?”