Looking at the ghost spirit charging at them, Brown and Brian were horrified, struggling with all their might to get up, but after several attempts, they failed.
Both of their faces turned pale with despair; if they were hit by the ghost spirit again, they would undoubtedly die!
At that moment, a loud alarm suddenly rang in the center of the stage.
Ding Ding Ding!
Upon hearing the sound of the bell, the commentator, Jason, immediately reacted:
"That's the bell signaling the end of the match!"
"There's half an hour left in this competition!"
All the spectators were now intently watching Brown and Brian, who were being chased by the ghost spirit.
Hearing that the match was almost over, a wave of murmurs spread through the crowd. This meant the contestants were supposed to retreat.
But Brown and Brian, clearly, weren't going anywhere.
In fact, they were about to die in the arena!
"No!"
Reve suddenly sprang to his feet from his seat. At this moment, the most nervous person in the arena was undoubtedly him!
But watching his association's members about to die at the hands of the ghost spirit, there was almost nothing he could do!
"Where's One-Eye? Where's One-Eye gone?!"
"He's supposed to be leading the team, right? How could he not be by these two's side at a time like this?"
Of course, Reve had no idea that One-Eye was busy training while Brown and Brian had secretly fallen behind.
Meanwhile, members of other associations were gleefully watching Reve, their faces filled with schadenfreude.
Just a while ago, he had been bragging in front of all of them about obtaining the high-level spiritual treasure!
Now, he was stunned, wasn't he? Not only did he lose the treasure, but his contestants were about to die!
Serves him right!
For a moment, everyone from the other associations felt a sense of inexplicable satisfaction.
"Our association's contestants should all be on their way out by now."
"Exactly, I can't wait to welcome them back with their spoils!"
"The Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association really bit off more than they could chew!"
The members of the other associations whispered among themselves, some even commenting:
"If that's the case, Ed should actually thank the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association!"
"It was the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association's people who took the ghost spirit's attacks for him!"
"Now, Ed's team can take this opportunity to retreat calmly!"
It seemed that the once glorious Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association had suddenly become the biggest loser!
On the Arena.
Outside the Nightmare Wasteland, a giant bell was set up.
At this moment, a group of soldiers, more than ten of them, were using a large wooden stick to strike the bell!
Immediately, the heavy sound of the bell rang out, echoing across the entire wasteland, reverberating far and wide!
Upon hearing the bell, the other contestants all knew that the competition time was coming to an end.
It was time to exit and tally their results!
After all, daylight was extremely short, and with the end of the competition, nightfall would soon follow!
During the day, the Nightmare Wasteland was still bearable.
But once nightfall arrived, it would become a true nightmare!
Countless bloodthirsty, evil creatures would fill the wasteland, and the danger level would skyrocket!
"Hmm? Is that the bell tolling?"
Thomas, hearing the sound, snapped back to attention.
Alex and Lucas, who were nearby, also heard it and immediately said:
"Now, all the other contestants must be retreating."
"Should we leave too? The ghost spirit is being held up right now! If we don't leave before it gets dark, it'll be too late!"
Upon hearing this, Thomas turned to look at Ed.
"Yeah, Ed, let's go."
Even if they had to give up the high-level spiritual treasure, it didn't matter. Although it was valuable, it wasn't meant for them, and they had no intention of coveting it.
The weak must be aware of their place!
The three of them had seen how vicious and powerful the ghost spirit was. Even the renowned members of the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association had no ability to resist in front of it!
But at this moment, Ed remained unmoved.
He slowly turned his head, slightly raising an eyebrow:
"Retreat? Why should we retreat?"
This remark took the three of them by surprise!
Alex's expression changed: "Lord Ed, you don't mean you don't want to leave, do you?"
"It's almost dark, and if the ghost spirit kills Brown and Brian, the next targets will be us!"
The situation was urgent, and they didn't have much time to think!
However, Ed shook his head and spoke calmly:
"We haven't killed the ghost spirit yet, and the high-level spiritual treasure is still out of our reach."
"How can we leave?"
"But if you want to retreat, you can go now."
After saying that, Ed turned his head and looked back in the direction of Brown and Brian.
He watched, anticipating how they would be killed by the ghost spirit, while also starting to think about how he would deal with the ghost spirit!
Thomas and the others were stunned. No one moved, and they stood there, at a loss for what to do!
"Roar!!"
At that moment, a fierce low growl came from the direction of the ghost spirit!
The ghost spirit had already reached Brown and Brian, both of whom were lying prostrate at its feet!
The ghost spirit swung its claws, about to strike down, sealing the two men's fate!
But suddenly!
"Uh... uh..."
A low, indecipherable groan came from the ghost spirit's mouth, and its movements abruptly froze in mid-air.
At the same time, its body began to convulse violently!
The ghost spirit lowered its claws and tilted its head to the sky, writhing in agony!
Noticing this, Ed immediately squinted his eyes and activated his demon-hunting senses.
Soon, he discovered something unusual: the ghost spirit's power seemed to fluctuate between strong and weak!
And within a short period, it was continuously draining away!
"Hmm? Looks like this ghost spirit's power isn't enough. Could it be that it's completely exhausted at this moment?"
Ed, still unfamiliar with the ghost spirit, could only speculate like this.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the experienced leaders from various associations gave a more professional analysis.
Kuroiwa, still standing by the portal, maintained his sensing ability, allowing all the association leaders, including Ed, to feel the dramatic shift in the ghost spirit's aura!
A few of them gasped:
"The power of the ghost spirit fluctuated this much? It seems like it doesn't have enough strength left to kill Brown and Brian!"
"Wait, could it be that this ghost spirit was in a dormant state? After waking up, it used up all its power during the brief battle!"
Reve's expression changed dramatically. Just a moment ago, he had been filled with anxiety!
He was on the verge of witnessing two of his association's disciples die at the hands of the ghost spirit!
"This is incredibly lucky!"
"Wait, now I understand why that strange situation happened earlier!"
"This ghost spirit was actually asleep, or in a state of cultivation. The high-level spiritual treasure in that box likely had something to do with helping the ghost spirit cultivate!"
Reve's mind raced, and he gradually pieced together the entire truth.
Around him, other association members listened to his analysis.
Reve continued:
"The ghost spirit was in a state of sleep or cultivation, but suddenly, someone took the high-level spiritual treasure it used for cultivation!"
"So, the ghost spirit woke up and entered a frenzied state!"
"This explains why when Ed went in the first time, the ghost spirit wasn't disturbed!"
The leaders from the other associations paused, then nodded in agreement.
Reve, the deputy leader of the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association, was indeed experienced; his reasoning was sharp, and things were likely just as he had said!
If Ed had been present, after hearing Reve's analysis, he would have been astonished.
To deduce such a close-to-accurate truth without even witnessing the scene firsthand was clearly impressive!
Beside Reve, his assistant furrowed his brows.
"So, you're saying that Ed had already figured this out?"
"That's why, when he went in the first time, he didn't touch the spiritual treasure, but quietly withdrew..."
In contrast, their own people had gone in, taken the high-level spiritual treasure without hesitation, and immediately became targets of the ghost spirit's pursuit!
At this moment, Reve's emotions were churning, and his expression was complex.
He sighed:
"This young man named Ed is truly gifted. If someone like him could be recruited into our Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association..."
"Then, it's likely that our Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association's future would become even stronger!"
The assistant, hearing this, froze in place.
He widened his eyes. "Deputy Leader, aren't you going a bit too far with this?"
For the size of the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association, anyone would consider it the greatest honor to be able to join them.
After all, the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association could offer a tremendous boost to a talented individual, changing their life forever!
But with Ed, it was the opposite—now it seemed that if Ed joined, the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association would grow stronger because of him!
What was even more surprising was that this was being said by Reve, the very Deputy Leader of the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association!
However, despite the assistant's astonishment, Reve spoke with seriousness:
"Too far? Not at all. This Ed seems to be about the same age as our most talented disciple, Karot."
"But the talent he's displaying far surpasses Karot's! If given the right resources and training from a strong association, he will undoubtedly surpass Karot!"
Reve sighed deeply. He felt a wave of regret:
"I was too arrogant before. I should have gone to visit Ed personally, making sure that he joined our association no matter what!"
"I shouldn't have waited idly for so long. No, as soon as this competition ends, I'll go and meet him in person!"
"If he joins our association, our Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association will surely be able to leave this small Dorey City behind!"
The assistant was already in complete shock, but then Reve became puzzled by something else.
"However, how did such an outstanding talent come out of Dorey City?"
"Where is he from? Who taught him? Why have I heard nothing about any of this?"
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