Chapter 352 - 349: Battling the Leopard Demon
Chapter 352: Chapter 349: Battling the Leopard Demon
Tingyu Pavilion, Quiet Chamber.
Fang Han had just finished his cultivation of the Profound Wind Technique. As he slowly withdrew his power, the faint cyan light circulating on the surface of his body gradually receded within him.
The sound of hurried footsteps approached from outside the door, then stopped.
"Young Master Han, the Patriarch is here. He is waiting in the living room and says it’s urgent."
The maid’s voice came through the door of the Quiet Chamber.
Fang Han opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through them before disappearing.
"I’ll be right there."
He straightened his robes and pushed open the door to the Quiet Chamber.
Inside the living room, the charcoal fire was warm and the fragrance of tea wafted through the air, but the atmosphere was tense.
Fang Lingyuan stood with his hands behind his back, gazing out the window at the snow that had yet to completely melt. His silhouette seemed heavy with worry.
Hearing the footsteps, he turned around, an unconcealable look of worry on his face.
"Patriarch."
Fang Han said with a cupped fist salute.
"Fang Han."
Fang Lingyuan said, looking at Fang Han.
"I just received news. The Demon Hunting Team sent by the County City Demon Suppression Bureau... has returned."
He paused, his voice low.
"All five of them are injured. Three are seriously wounded, and one is on the verge of death. They found the Shadow Leopard’s lair and set an ambush, but they were utterly defeated."
Fang Han’s expression remained unchanged as he listened quietly.
"According to Martial Captain Tie Zhan, who managed to escape, the Shadow Leopard is incredibly strong and astonishingly fast. Its hide and bones are exceptionally tough; their weapons could hardly scratch it."
Fang Lingyuan said with a sigh.
"Based on their assessment, that beast’s strength is close to the Upper Three Grades. It’s not something an ordinary Demon Hunting Team can handle. Moreover, it’s been enraged and is very likely to retaliate viciously."
"They’ve already requested reinforcements from the County City Demon Suppression Bureau, but it will take at least seven or eight days for them to arrive."
"Seven or eight days..."
Fang Han raised an eyebrow slightly.
’The Shadow Leopard is enraged now and will most likely go on a rampage. In seven or eight days, it could wreak havoc around Black Cloud Ridge and even threaten Liangshui City.’
’As the number one family in Liangshui City, the Fang Family has numerous assets both inside and outside the city. We would bear the brunt of the impact.’
"Patriarch, I will go and face this Shadow Leopard."
"Are you confident?"
Fang Lingyuan asked worriedly.
"I can protect myself."
Fang Han said calmly.
"You must be careful. If it proves impossible, retreat immediately. Your safety is the top priority."
Fang Lingyuan warned him solemnly.
"I understand."
Fang Han nodded, his eyes filled with a quiet confidence.
There were no grand pronouncements, no passionate declarations, but this calmness was enough to slightly soothe Fang Lingyuan’s anxious heart.
Fang Han didn’t delay. He returned to his room to get the Cloud Splitting Sword. After a moment of thought, he also secured the Thunder Bomb that Lan Yuexin had given him, just in case.
He told his parents simply that he was "going out for something," then left Tingyu Pavilion. After leaving Liangshui City, he executed his Body Technique and sped toward Black Cloud Ridge.
WHOOSH!
His Wind and Cloud Escape had already reached the Mastery Realm. Fang Han’s figure was as ephemeral as the wind, moving at extreme speed. He landed without a sound, leaving no tracks in the snow.
Before long, the rolling, desolate, and bleak silhouette of Black Cloud Ridge in winter came into view.
Searching the outer perimeter, he found the chaotic trail left by the Demon Hunting Team’s hasty retreat—broken plants, drops of blood, and footprints of varying depths.
BZZZ—
Fang Han activated his Spirit Smelling Technique, which had reached the Great Success Realm.
In an instant, the world in his perception transformed into a boundless, layered sea of scents.
The foul decay of plants and soil, the dampness of melting ice, the musky stench of distant beasts... countless scents flooded his senses.
He filtered out these useless background scents, focusing on the smell of blood, sweat, and the medicinal herbs used by the five members of the Demon Hunting Team.
Following the scents, he arrived at the place where the five-man Demon Hunting Team had fought the Shadow Leopard.
He focused his senses completely, searching for the Shadow Leopard’s lingering scent at the scene.
’I found it!’
The Great Success Level of his Spirit Smelling Technique was extraordinary. Although some time had passed and the Shadow Leopard was skilled at concealment with a scent that dissipated quickly, Fang Han’s senses were now several times more acute. The beast’s faint scent lingering in the air, on the soil, and on the leaves was still as clear and discernible as a firefly in the night.
It was a violent, cold scent, heavy with the stench of blood.
The trail showed that after pacing around for a moment, the leopard had headed deeper into the old forest.
’It went deeper!’
Fang Han’s gaze sharpened. He locked onto that violent scent and, with a flicker of his body, melted into the forest like a ghost shadow, silently giving chase.
He moved extremely fast yet was incredibly cautious. His Spirit Smelling Technique operated at full capacity, like the most precise radar, scanning all changes in the scents ahead.
At the same time, the Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill circulated naturally, concealing his life force and aura to the absolute minimum, making him seem like a lifeless stone.
The deeper he went, the older and taller the trees became, their gnarled branches blocking out the sky.
The ground was covered in a thick layer of decaying leaves from years untold, soft and silent underfoot.
The Shadow Leopard’s residual scent was intermittent; it was clearly trying to cover its tracks and moving very quickly.
But the scent-capturing ability of the Great Success Spirit Smelling Technique was far beyond imagination. Even the faintest residue was like a thread in the darkness, guiding Fang Han forward.
After about an hour of tracking, he crossed a steep mountain ridge and saw a deep, sheltered canyon ahead.
The canyon was filled with jagged rocks and a tangle of dead vines and old trees. The entrance to a cave, partially hidden by several huge boulders, was faintly visible.
Here, the Shadow Leopard’s violent, cold scent was at its strongest.
Furthermore, from deep within the cave, he could faintly hear suppressed, pained, and heavy breathing.
’It must be licking its wounds.’
’I understand now. Although the Demon Hunting Team was defeated, they had still managed to inflict significant injuries on the Shadow Leopard.’
’Otherwise, they might not have escaped back to Liangshui City alive.’
’I need to lure it out!’
Hunting it inside the narrow cave would be too dangerous, so Fang Han decided to lure the Shadow Leopard out.
He stopped using the Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill to hide his aura, allowing it to be exposed.
ROAR!
The instant Fang Han’s aura was exposed, a deafening roar erupted from the cave.
A massive black shadow shot out like a bolt of lightning tearing through the darkness, pouncing ferociously toward the bushes where Fang Han was hiding.
SHRED—
Its sharp claws swiped through, tearing the bushes and the rock behind them to pieces.
However, the spot was empty.
After releasing his aura, Fang Han had immediately concealed it again and moved to a new position.
A trace of confusion and fury flashed through the Shadow Leopard’s scarlet pupils.
It had clearly smelled an unfamiliar aura that was out of place in the surrounding environment.
Just as its attack missed and its body paused for a fraction of a second—
WHOOSH!
Fang Han, who had moved behind a giant boulder, made his move!
He pushed his Wind and Cloud Escape to its limit, his entire body seeming to transform into a gust of intangible wind.
He darted out from behind the boulder, his speed so great that he left only a faint afterimage in his place.
The Cloud Splitting Sword left its sheath, its blade shimmering with a restrained but incomparably sharp cyan light.
The Sword Momentum of his Great Success Level Nine Swords of Sky Splitting was held back but not unleashed, yet it already caused the surrounding air to hiss with faint tearing sounds.
He didn’t use any fancy moves, only the simplest, most direct thrust.
The tip of his sword aimed precisely at the side of the Shadow Leopard’s neck, which was momentarily exposed from its lunge!
This one strike.
Combined speed, timing, and angle to perfection!
The Shadow Leopard sensed the danger and let out a short, sharp roar.
Its massive body twisted abruptly in a way that defied logic, while one of its forepaws, wreathed in a foul wind and a faint blue glow, swatted viciously at the incoming sword.
CLANG—!!!
An ear-piercing clang of metal on metal echoed through the canyon.
Sparks exploded at the point of impact between sword and claw!
Fang Han felt a colossal force travel up the sword. His arm went slightly numb, and he couldn’t help but float backward ten yards to dissipate the impact.
The Shadow Leopard also let out a low snarl from the strike. A sharp pain shot through its paw, which had been cut open by an inch-deep wound, dark red blood seeping out.
Its scarlet eyes locked onto Fang Han, filled with fury and a hint of astonishment.
’What a powerful aura!’
Fang Han stood with his sword, his breathing steady, as he calmly sized up the savage beast before him.
Observing it up close, he could feel its oppressive presence even more strongly.
Its streamlined body was filled with explosive power. A mercury-like sheen flowed faintly beneath its fur, granting it exceptional concealment and defensive capabilities.
A cunning and cruel light glinted in its scarlet beastly eyes, a clear sign of its high intelligence.
’No wonder the Demon Hunting Team was no match for it.’
Fang Han recognized the terrifying strength of this Shadow Leopard, but instead of retreating, his will to fight surged.
’An opponent like this is the perfect test for my newly increased strength!’
ROAR!
The Shadow Leopard was enraged. As the overlord of this forest, it would not tolerate any provocation.
Its hind legs suddenly pushed off the ground, cracking the hard mountain rock in a spiderweb pattern.
Its massive body transformed into a blurry black flash of lightning, streaking toward him from the side in a bizarre arc.
It was so fast that it left only a distorted afterimage on his retinas.
Its two forepaws slashed out in a crisscross pattern, ten glossy black claws tearing through the air.
They kicked up several visible, faint blue blades of energy that formed a net, closing in on Fang Han and sealing off all his escape routes—up, down, left, and right.
WHOOSH!
Fang Han executed what looked like a casual slide, but it was a masterful application of the Wind and Cloud Escape.
He didn’t retreat in a straight line. Instead, his body moved as if pulled by an invisible current of air, sidestepping half a pace by a hair’s breadth.
At the same time, he twisted at the waist, and his Cloud Splitting Sword transformed into a condensed, cyan rainbow of light, stabbing toward the soft flesh under the Shadow Leopard’s right foreleg, which was slightly exposed as it lunged.
The timing of this strike was perfect down to the smallest detail.
The Shadow Leopard clearly hadn’t expected Fang Han’s Body Technique to be so exquisite. A flicker of surprise crossed its violent pupils.
But its combat instincts were incredibly strong. At that critical moment, its thick, long tail, like a steel whip that had been building power, whipped viciously upward with a piercing shriek, aiming for Fang Han’s sword wrist to force him onto the defensive.
Simultaneously, it forcibly twisted its massive body in mid-air, attempting to evade the sword’s edge.
CLANG!
The tip of the sword collided with the iron-hard bone at the end of the leopard’s tail, creating a loud clang of metal and sending sparks flying.
Fang Han’s wrist dipped slightly, dissipating the immense force. He used the momentum to float backward ten yards, landing lightly on his feet.
The Shadow Leopard also let out a low growl. When it landed, its right foreleg trembled almost imperceptibly.
Although the spot under its leg hadn’t been pierced by the sword, it had been grazed by the sharp Sword Qi, which severed several black hairs and left a shallow white mark.