The Adventures of Hill, Volume III

The moment Hill saw Beast Emperor Wuzhi, he knew he was doomed. But how had the Beast Emperor found him? It dawned on Hill suddenly—it must have been when he used his card in town, withdrawing gold coins and exposing his whereabouts. Cursing his own stupidity, Hill began to scan the terrain, searching for an escape route. He was well-practiced in using the environment to his advantage.

Wuzhi gritted his teeth and gave a cruel smile. "If I hand you over to Frentino, he’ll be delighted."

Hill forced a laugh. "Ha, yes, anyone who can swindle him is a true talent. Who knows, maybe he’ll even put me to work, letting me earn him a fortune." As he spoke, Hill edged closer to the sea.

Watching Hill’s movement, Wuzhi shook his head. "Hill, you’re only a ninth-rank magical beast. I’m a tenth-rank Beast Emperor. There’s no escape for you. Don’t waste my time. Surrender and come with me."

Hill grinned cheekily. "Oh, oh, that’s not for certain, Your Majesty the Beast Emperor."

Facing the Beast Emperor, Hill suddenly arched his body and leapt backward into the sea. Wuzhi sneered, his body flashing with golden light, his domain spreading out like a shockwave, surging toward Hill with unstoppable force. But Hill, still smiling, vanished beneath the waves with a splash. Just as Wuzhi’s domain was about to touch the surface, he suddenly remembered something and hastily retracted it, floundering in his panic and landing flat on his backside.

The Beast Emperor was utterly mortified—he had just been knocked down by his own domain. He might well be the first in the millennia-long history of the Phantom Beast Continent to suffer such a humiliation. He hurriedly glanced around—east, west, north, south—luckily, no one had seen. Relieved, he ran to the water’s edge, glaring hatefully at the sea.

Nearly all the ocean belonged to Queen Powell. If anyone dared to unleash a domain beneath her waters, it would be tantamount to challenging her authority. Hill had calculated exactly that, hiding below the surface. As long as the Beast Emperor didn’t use his domain, Hill had a sliver of hope—he could escape.

Wuzhi’s eyes blazed with golden light as he howled, "Hill, do you really think I can’t catch you without my domain?"

The Beast Emperor was clever and knew Hill wouldn’t answer, so he didn’t wait. He dove headfirst into the sea, determined to finish this quickly—he couldn’t risk being seen chasing someone through the water like some aquatic tiger. It would be far too undignified.

Beneath the waves, Hill shot forward like a swordfish, desperately swimming toward the depths of the ocean. He could feel the water trembling behind him, the dreadful pressure of a tenth-rank magical beast surging after him, the innate might of a creature at the pinnacle of power. Panic clawed at Hill’s mind, nearly forcing him to collapse and surrender on the spot. He dared not surface, but instead plunged deeper and deeper, his speed now eight times that of sound, quickly leaving the harbor thirty miles behind.

Wuzhi tore through the water in hot pursuit. Though Hill was an ice-type beast and could move twice as fast and efficiently in water as on land, the gap was closing—Wuzhi, the tenth-rank Beast Emperor, was gaining. He was thoroughly infuriated. A Beast Emperor, lord of the Golden Fortress, forced to chase down a ninth-rank beast without using his domain—it was intolerable. No wonder people said Hill was the craftiest merchant alive. In the midst of the chase, Wuzhi caught sight of Hill turning back to flash him a sly smile, and heard his voice, faint and taunting: "Frozen for a hundred years!"

Wuzhi was caught off guard—though clever, even he could be slow to react at times. Before he could comprehend why Hill was smiling, he realized the surrounding sea had suddenly solidified. His speed ground to a halt—he, the mighty tenth-rank Beast Emperor, was trapped inside a glacier by a ninth-rank beast. For Wuzhi, this was a humiliation beyond words. With a furious howl, he shook himself and instantly shattered the century-old ice. Frantically, he glanced around again to make sure no one had witnessed his disgrace. Thank goodness, no one had. Curse that Hill! He was too cunning—he had to die.

But Hill seemed to have known all along that the ice couldn’t contain the Beast Emperor. The moment Wuzhi broke free, Hill instantly cast nine more "Frozen for a Hundred Years" spells. This time, the wary Beast Emperor didn’t falter—he smashed all nine glaciers to shards without hesitation. And yet, he didn’t forget to take advantage of the moment to strike at Hill’s confidence. He roared, "You damned little scoundrel! Did you really think someone as great and wise as I would fall for the same trick twice?"

Hill chuckled darkly. Unbeknownst to Wuzhi, he had already fallen into Hill’s second trap—the Ice Matrix. Seeing the wicked grin on Hill’s face, Wuzhi felt a chill in his heart. The learned and sagacious Beast Emperor suddenly remembered the most terrifying magic of Hill’s family. Even as the thought struck him, the scattered shards of ice around him began to coalesce rapidly. The unfortunate Beast Emperor found himself, for the second time, sealed within a five-kilometer-wide glacial mountain range.

Hill laughed. "Frozen for a thousand years!"

Having unleashed a spell equal in power to a forbidden curse, Hill was completely spent, sinking slowly, deeper and deeper...

The Beast Emperor was nearly driven mad, not because he couldn’t break free, but because he had been played so thoroughly by a ninth-rank beast. The glacial mountains trembled violently. One quarter-hour, two, three... Suddenly, the floating ice massif exploded with a thunderous crash. The Beast Emperor emerged, roaring with rage, searching for Hill—he was determined to tear him apart.

Hill kept sinking—one thousand meters, two thousand, five thousand. He saw the pursuing Beast Emperor again, so he continued to sink, eight thousand... ten thousand meters. He saw the twisted, pained face of Wuzhi, looking ever more strained. Hill smiled. This was his third trap—water pressure. Ten thousand meters down, the pressure was little obstacle for Hill, whose ice element could dissolve into water. But Wuzhi was a lord of the land, and though a tenth-rank beast, both his domain and magic clashed with the water element. With every thousand meters, his speed slowed further as he was forced to harden his defenses against the crushing pressure. Below ten thousand meters, his defenses were pushed to their limits.

At fifteen thousand meters, the Beast Emperor could go no further, halting in agony. Any deeper and he’d have to summon his domain as a shield—or be crushed to death. But releasing his domain on the ocean floor would surely draw the attention of Queen Powell, which would be disastrous. Thus, Wuzhi could only watch helplessly as Hill swam away, even having the gall to wave cheerfully and bid him farewell—then raise two middle fingers in triumph.

Drifting at a depth of fifteen thousand meters, Hill found himself among sea monsters all above the ninth-rank pinnacle. This world was vast and mysterious, utterly unlike the land. Here he could breathe freely; the pure seawater refreshed his weary body and mind. The power of the sea gradually revived his exhausted limbs. Strange and marvelous sea creatures flowed past him in endless streams.

It was a world completely distinct from the land—prosperous, orderly, abundant, and free.

Perhaps it was Queen Powell’s protection that made it so. For countless years, war had never touched these depths. Maybe this was the perfect place to hide. Hill finally let himself relax. He had spent the last of his strength escaping the Beast Emperor...

Drowsy, Hill fell asleep in the sea. Who knew how long had passed when a powerful suction abruptly woke him. All around, not a single sea beast could be seen. Damn, where had he ended up after that nap? The suction came from a black hole ahead. Hill struggled desperately to change direction, but the pull was too strong and he was too close. Before he could resist, his body was already drawn into the black hole...

Then Hill lost consciousness.

Stay tuned for the next chapter of Hill’s Adventures: "The Island of Beauties."

Ashamed, the Beast Emperor slunk back to shore—only to spot a little panda furtively watching him with beady, mischievous eyes. Wuzhi was startled and furious. "You—what did you see?!"

The panda gave a sly, silly grin, its furry paw pointing at the Beast Emperor. "I saw all your embarrassing moments, every single one!"

The Beast Emperor, flustered, pressed a finger to his lips, glancing around nervously. "Shh! Don’t tell a soul—my reputation’s at stake!"

The little panda wiped its mouth with a paw, shaking its head. "No problem—just pay me hush money."

The Beast Emperor was taken aback. "Hush money? What hush money?"

The panda bared its newly sprouted little fangs. "It’s the monthly vote ticket!"

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