Chapter 381 - 378: Ninety Million
Chapter 381: Chapter 378: Ninety Million
The next morning, a thin mist, like a veil of gauze, shrouded the camp in the valley.
When Fang Han emerged from his tent, the sky had yet to fully brighten; only a sliver of pale light showed on the eastern horizon.
By the campfire, a few early-rising Qingxuan Sect disciples were preparing breakfast. Seeing him, they all bowed in greeting.
"Senior Brother Fang."
Fang Han gave a slight nod and sat down by a campfire. He accepted the hot congee and roasted meat a disciple handed him and slowly finished his meal.
The morning breeze, carrying the dampness of the forest, brushed against his cheeks, chasing away the last remnants of sleep.
After breakfast, he rose and walked toward the edge of the camp.
"Is Senior Brother Fang going deeper in today?"
a disciple asked.
Fang Han nodded without saying much.
His steps never faltered, and he soon disappeared into the mist-filled woods.
Upon entering the mountain forest, Fang Han didn’t press straight into the depths as he had the day before. Instead, he stopped.
He took a deep breath, and the Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill began to slowly circulate within him.
He pushed this Stealth Secret Technique, which he rarely used, to its absolute limit.
The vibrant life force of a Late-Stage Fourth Grade Martial Artist, along with the energy fluctuations naturally emitted by his circulating Inner Qi, rapidly receded and fell silent, like an ebbing tide.
His skin temperature dropped slightly, his heartbeat grew slow and steady, and the sound of his breathing became nearly inaudible.
Yesterday’s battle with Meng Xian, though he had repelled him and resolved the crisis, would surely make the Netherworld Pavilion even more wary of him.
Given the relationship between the Netherworld Pavilion and the Qingxuan Sect, they would never let this go. It was highly likely they would send You Xin to deal with him.
’They’ll probably make a move today while I’m in the mountains.’
’I must be cautious.’
After confirming his aura was suppressed to its absolute minimum, Fang Han finally moved again, flitting toward the deeper regions of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the valley camp, in the area where the Netherworld Pavilion was stationed.
Inside a tent, You Xin stood with his hands clasped behind his back before the tent flap, his gaze fixed on the mist-shrouded mountain forest outside the camp.
Behind him stood a middle-aged man in a Steward’s Robe, his head bowed.
The man had an ordinary face and slightly dark skin, but his eyes were exceptionally sharp, his gaze seeming to perceive the smallest details.
His name was Yan Jiu, one of the Netherworld Pavilion’s Stewards skilled in Tracking. He was especially adept at tracking by scent and was quite renowned within the pavilion.
"Steward Yan," You Xin said, his voice flat.
"True Inheritor You," Yan Jiu replied politely.
"You will enter the mountains with me today."
You Xin turned around, a cold glint flashing in his narrow eyes.
"To find someone."
"Who might the True Inheritor be looking for?"
"Fang Han," You Xin said coolly. "The one from the Qingxuan Sect."
Yan Jiu was slightly taken aback, then nodded. "I understand."
You Xin said no more, lifted the tent flap, and strode out.
Yan Jiu followed close behind.
Fang Han moved through the forest, keeping the Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill constantly active to suppress his aura to a minimum.
He operated the Spirit Smelling Technique at full capacity, allowing the auras of everything within several miles to register in his perception.
The auras of Demons were still dense, and because he was deeper in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, the number of powerful auras had increased.
He darted past a thicket of dense shrubs, and the gurgling sound of water reached him from ahead.
A stream appeared before him.
It wasn’t wide, perhaps twenty or thirty feet across. The water was crystal clear, flowing gently over a bed of smooth pebbles.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, dancing on the sparkling surface of the water.
Fang Han paused.
After days of Demon Hunting, fighting them daily, his body was long since stained with blood and dirt.
The two battles yesterday, against the giant python and Meng Xian, had left him drenched in sweat, which now felt sticky and uncomfortable.
He scanned the stream with his eyes and then with his senses for a moment.
According to his Spirit Smelling Technique, there were no Demons lurking within a radius of several hundred yards, only the auras of a few ordinary animals.
Still uneasy, he walked along the stream for a distance, carefully sensing the water below. The stream was clear enough to see the pebbles at the bottom; if a Demon were hiding there, it couldn’t possibly escape his senses.
Once certain it was safe, he finally stopped by a flat, green stone at the stream’s edge.
He unstrapped his Cloud Splitting Sword, shed his robes, and stepped into the water.
The cool water flowed over his ankles and calves, washing away the heat and fatigue from days of fighting.
He bent down, cupped water in his hands, and poured it over his body.
The water slid over his skin, carrying away the blood and sweat, leaving a refreshing coolness behind.
Fang Han washed the grime from his body, changed into a clean green robe, and strapped the Cloud Splitting Sword to his back once more.
The clean feeling invigorated him.
He stretched his muscles, feeling the vital energy in his body surging even more powerfully thanks to the Golden Flame Sacred Lotus, and the corners of his lips curved up slightly.
’Today’s hunt begins now.’
On a mountain ridge, You Xin and Yan Jiu stood side by side.
Yan Jiu’s nostrils twitched slightly, his brows gradually furrowing.
"Well?" You Xin asked.
Yan Jiu was silent for a moment, sensing carefully again before shaking his head. His voice held a note of disbelief.
"Reporting to the True Inheritor... I... I was unable to track Fang Han’s aura."
You Xin’s brow twitched.
’Unable to track him?’
He knew what Yan Jiu was capable of.
The man’s skill in scent-based Tracking was top-level within the Netherworld Pavilion.
As long as a target had passed through a location within the last three days, he could follow the residual aura to find them.
"The man is extremely cautious," Yan Jiu said, his expression turning grim.
"He’s using some advanced Stealth Secret Technique to suppress his aura. It’s so faint it’s almost non-existent. I... I can’t lock onto it."
You Xin fell silent.
He gazed toward the vast, sprawling forest in the distance, an indescribable gloom flashing in his narrow eyes.
’A Stealth Secret Technique.’
’Not only is his Swordsmanship sharp, his Body Technique ghostly, and his physical defense astonishing, but he’s also mastered a Magic Gate for concealing his aura.’
’Meng Xian’s defeat at his hands was truly well-deserved.’
"Keep searching," You Xin said flatly, his voice betraying no emotion.
"Yes."
Yan Jiu bowed and once again activated his Tracking Secret Technique at full power. His nostrils flared as he tried to catch that single wisp of Fang Han’s aura from among the myriad scents of the forest.
However, an hour passed, then two—
By the time the sun began to set in the west, he still hadn’t found a trace of Fang Han.
Fang Han’s aura seemed to have completely merged with the mountain forest, vanishing without a trace.
"SWOOSH!"
Fang Han’s figure zipped through the woods. He used the Wind and Cloud Escape at full power, his speed so great that he left only a faint green afterimage in his wake.
His Spirit Smelling Technique remained active, sensing everything around him.
The aura of a Demon appeared a few hundred yards ahead—cold, violent, and oppressive. It was not much weaker than the giant python from yesterday.
He didn’t go around it, but headed straight for it.
After passing through a dense patch of trees, a relatively open, rocky slope appeared ahead.
In the center of the rocky slope, a massive Demon was lying on a huge green boulder, seemingly dozing.
It was a Demon shaped like a male lion, but several times larger than an ordinary one. It was covered in a crimson mane that looked like a burning flame in the sunlight.
Its eyes were dark gold, radiating undisguised brutality.
Without hesitation, Fang Han drew his Cloud Splitting Sword.
He slashed out.
There was no probing, no holding back in this strike.
His Fourth Grade Late Stage Internal Qi from the Profound Wind Technique, the Great Success Sword Momentum of his Nine Swords of Sky Splitting, and the raw power of one hundred thousand pounds from his physical body—all three were layered together and poured into this single strike.
The sword light condensed into a single line of green radiance, tearing through the air with an ear-piercing shriek.
The crimson lion Demon didn’t even have time to react before the sword light struck it.
"PSHH—!"
A spray of blood erupted.
This powerful Demon, enough to give an ordinary Late-Fourth Grade Martial Artist a headache, collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash. It twitched a couple of times and then fell still.
Killed in a single strike.
Fang Han sheathed his sword and walked over to the Demon Corpse. With a thought, he spoke.
"Recharge."
[Wealth: 73,020,000 Silver → 73,570,000 Silver]
He nodded slightly, and his figure blurred as he sped off toward the next location.
One, two, three...
Like a grim reaper harvesting lives, Fang Han moved through the mountain forest.
Every Demon, no matter how strong or weak, could not escape death from his all-out strike.
Even powerful Demons with strength comparable to a martial artist at the Late-Stage Fourth Grade Limit might withstand a few more moves, but that was all.
Faced with his ghostly Body Technique and incomparably sharp Sword Momentum, they too were fated to fall.
The sun climbed higher, then gradually began its descent to the west.
Fang Han hunted tirelessly. With every swing of his sword, another Demon fell.
[73,820,000]
[74,270,000]
[75,130,000]
[76,380,000]
...
The wealth value on the system panel grew at an astonishing rate.
At dusk, the setting sun stained the mountain forest a deep, golden red.
Fang Han stood on a ridge, panting slightly.
Before him lay the corpse of a Bear Demon he had just felled. This Bear Demon was extremely powerful, comparable to the best among those at the Late-Stage Fourth Grade Limit. It had taken him more than ten moves to kill it.
"Recharge."
As the thought formed, the Bear Demon’s corpse vanished.
[Wealth: 88,650,000 Silver → 89,200,000 Silver]
Fang Han’s eyes fell on the line of numbers, and an indescribable emotion welled up inside him.
Eighty-nine million, two hundred thousand.
In a single day, he had hunted nearly thirty Middle Three Grades Demons, increasing his wealth by over fifteen million silver taels.
Even he was a little surprised by such a terrifying rate of earning money.
And all of this was because he was no longer hiding his strength.
Unleashing the full power of his one-hundred-thousand-pound physical strength, combined with his Fourth Grade Late Stage Internal Qi and Great Success Sword Momentum, his Attack Power had reached an astonishing level.
The Fourth Grade Demons that once required dozens of moves to kill could now often be slain in a single strike.
His Demon Hunting efficiency had naturally multiplied.
’Only ten million left.’
Fang Han muttered to himself, his voice drifting away in the twilight.
One hundred million taels.
The one hundred million taels needed to unlock the next level of Talent Amplification.
He originally thought it would be good enough to gather that amount before this Demon Hunting expedition ended, but now it seemed—
he could achieve it by tomorrow.
He sheathed his sword, took a deep breath, and suppressed the anticipation in his heart.
The Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill activated once more, suppressing his aura to its absolute minimum. With a flicker, his figure shot off in the direction of the rendezvous point.
His figure melted into the deepening twilight.
After traveling for about half an hour, the sky had completely darkened.
A crescent moon climbed above the treetops, casting a cold glow. Mist began to rise in the forest, blurring his vision.
Suddenly—
Fang Han, who was moving forward, came to an abrupt halt, landing steadily on a thick, jutting branch.
Pushing his Spirit Smelling Technique to its limit, he peered through the layers of leaves, looking about a mile off to his side.
There, an aura lay in wait like a dormant abyss—deep, cold, and violent, radiating a heart-pounding pressure.
The intensity of that aura far surpassed any Demon he had encountered today.
It was even far stronger than the giant python that had guarded the Golden Flame Sacred Lotus.