Chapter 387 - 384: Ending the Demon Hunt, 256x Root Bone
Chapter 387: Chapter 384: Ending the Demon Hunt, 256x Root Bone
Chen Wanjun’s gaze swept over the eight people as he slowly said,
"The Seven Sects and the military have discussed and decided to withdraw from the Cloud Mist Mountain Range tomorrow morning, ending this Demon Hunting expedition."
Withdrawal.
The decision was reasonable, but it left the eight of them with mixed feelings.
They had come to hunt Demons, but they had nearly been hunted by them instead.
Now, they had to make a disgraceful retreat.
But no one objected.
Facing a potential Grandmaster Level Demon, staying here was no different from suicide.
Luo Yuntian was silent for a moment before asking,
"Then the Cloud Mist Mountain Range... what’s the plan for it moving forward?"
Chen Wanjun shook his head slightly, his voice low.
"This matter is beyond our authority to decide. After we return, the Seven Sects will report to their respective Sects, and they will make the final decision."
"Whether to seal off the Cloud Mist Mountain Range or to request a Grandmaster Level expert to enter and eliminate the threat, it will all be decided after the Sects confer."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone as his tone grew more solemn.
"This is a matter of great importance. It is enough that you know. Do not spread this information, lest you cause unnecessary panic."
"Understood."
Everyone responded in unison.
Chen Wanjun gave a few more instructions, then waved his hand to dismiss them.
Fang Han and the other seven left the tent, silently returning to their respective groups.
Fang Han walked back, his steps heavy.
The news that twenty-one of his fellow sect members had died weighed heavily on him.
Those vibrant lives, people who were alive and well only yesterday, were now just cold corpses.
’A retreat tomorrow... Doesn’t that mean...’
Fang Han couldn’t help but frown deeply.
On his system panel, he was still nine million silver short of the one hundred million needed to unlock a higher level of Talent Amplification.
Originally, he had planned to hunt Demons for one more day to gather the remaining sum.
But now, the Demon Hunting operation was over, and the Seven Sects and the military were about to withdraw.
He no longer had the opportunity to increase his wealth by killing Demons to reach his goal of 100 million. An indescribable feeling of being thwarted surged in his heart.
Nine million.
Only nine million short.
’Is there any other way to get the remaining 9 million?’
Fang Han took a deep breath, suppressed the emotions in his heart, and continued walking.
His gaze swept his surroundings, landing on the Demon corpses scattered everywhere.
A thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.
’At least a thousand Demons died in tonight’s battle. If I "recharge" a few dozen of them, no one should notice.’
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. He immediately took action.
Under the cover of darkness, unnoticed by anyone, he approached the corpse of a Demon.
It was a Demon that resembled a giant wolf, its massive body covered in fur that gave off a cold glint in the moonlight.
He approached silently and reached out to touch it.
"Recharge."
[Wealth: 91,200,000 silver → 91,600,000 silver]
His wealth had increased by 400,000, bringing him another step closer to his 100 million goal.
Fang Han left to find his next target.
The second, the third, the fourth...
He moved through the camp like a civet cat prowling in the shadows.
With every pause, a Demon corpse would vanish without a sound.
He specifically chose corpses in remote locations, where their disappearance would be less likely to be noticed.
[91,900,000]
[92,350,000]
[92,700,000]
[93,100,000]
The amount of his wealth steadily increased.
The Demon corpses he "recharged" had been lying among the others.
With a few of them missing, no one would notice unless they did a careful count.
And right now, everyone was mired in exhaustion and grief. Who would pay attention to such things?
Fang Han continued.
[94,200,000]
[94,700,000]
[95,300,000]
...
[100,100,000 silver]
The moment this line of numbers appeared on the system panel, Fang Han felt his heart skip a beat.
He had finally collected the 100 million silver needed to unlock a higher level of Talent Amplification.
Without getting greedy, he immediately stopped "recharging" and decisively returned to his tent.
Inside the tent, the light was dim. Only a sliver of moonlight filtering through a gap in the flap cast a thin, silver-white line on the ground.
Fang Han sat cross-legged on a beast-hide rug. After confirming that no one was around to disturb him, he focused his thoughts and summoned the translucent screen that only he could see.
[Host: Fang Han]
[Root Bone Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 gold)]
[Swordsmanship Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 gold)]
[Stepping Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 gold)]
[Secret Technique Talent Amplification: 64x (Level 7 Amplification requires 10,000,000 silver)]
[Body Hardening Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 gold)]
[Wealth: 100,100,000 silver]
His eyes fell on the last line of numbers, and an indescribable light flashed in their depths.
One hundred million and one hundred thousand silver.
He had finally reached the 100 million goal and could unlock a higher level of Talent Amplification.
’Which Talent should I choose for the Level 8 Amplification?’
Fang Han’s gaze slowly swept over the four Talent Amplification options: Root Bone, Swordsmanship, Step Technique, and Body Hardening. He quickly made his decision.
’Root Bone.’
Compared to Swordsmanship, Step Technique, and Body Hardening, activating the Level 8 Amplification for his Root Bone Talent first was what he wanted most.
His mind was made up.
His gaze fell on the small text after the Root Bone Talent Amplification option—
[Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 gold]
1,000,000 gold, which was equivalent to 100,000,000 silver.
He took a deep breath and focused his mind on that line of text.
’Activate Level 8 Root Bone Talent Amplification.’
The next instant—
On the system panel, the number representing his wealth suddenly changed!
[Wealth: 100,100,000 silver → 100,000 silver]
One hundred million silver was gone in an instant, leaving only the remaining one hundred thousand.
And the number in the Root Bone Talent Amplification section changed accordingly.
[Root Bone Talent Amplification: 128x → 256x (Ninth Level Amplification requires 10,000,000 gold)]
He himself, however, felt no change.
Having experienced this many times before, he knew the system panel’s amplification wasn’t a one-time change but an enhancement. He could only feel the difference when he was actively cultivating.
’Profound Wind Technique.’
There was still some Medicinal Power left from the Elixir he had taken earlier. Fang Han closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his body as he slowly circulated the Profound Wind Technique.
Inner Qi coursed through his meridians, following the familiar route of the Circulation of the Heavens.
The rushing Inner Qi was like a wild horse set free, roaring through his meridians.
With each Circulation of the Heavens, his Inner Qi generation was far faster than before—more than twice as fast.
As his Root Bone amplification multiplier rose to 256x, his Cultivation speed effectively doubled from its previous rate.
His already absurdly fast Cultivation speed had become even more outrageous.
It was impossible to say for certain if there was anyone across the One Hundred and Eight Counties of the Great Chu Dynasty who could surpass his Cultivation speed.
But within the borders of Qingyang, among the younger or older generations, he was sure there was no such genius who could exceed his speed.
’And this isn’t even the biggest improvement!’
The increase in Cultivation speed was immediately apparent, but Fang Han knew it was by no means the greatest improvement.
The biggest improvement should be the weakening of the intangible bottlenecks.
The Martial Dao had two main constraints: the speed of Inner Qi Cultivation and bottlenecks. The latter was the more severe of the two.
The further one progressed in Cultivation, the more difficult the bottlenecks became.
Many Martial Artists were stuck in a single Realm for several years, or even decades, unable to make any progress.
Even disciples on the Celestial Pride List like Luo Yuntian and You Xin were still constrained by bottlenecks, stuck at the threshold between the Fourth Grade and the Third Grade.
The reason his Cultivation progressed so quickly was twofold: his fast Inner Qi Cultivation speed and the fact that his bottlenecks were so weakened they were almost nonexistent.
The importance of the latter even surpassed the former, especially since Elixirs that helped break through bottlenecks were notoriously precious.
Fang Han closed his eyes and circulated the Profound Wind Technique once more.
Inner Qi surged through his meridians, absorbing and refining the Medicinal Power of the True Spirit Pill, rapidly filling his Zhaohai Acupoint.
After several months of accumulation, the Inner Qi in his Zhaohai Acupoint was already on the verge of overflowing. Now, with his 256x Root Bone Talent, that time would be drastically shortened.
In the morning, the sound of light footsteps came from outside the tent, followed by Yun Qianyue’s cool, clear voice:
"Senior Brother Fang, it’s dawn."
Fang Han slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through them before vanishing.
He got up and lifted the tent flap.
The morning light stung his eyes, carrying a hint of warmth.
The camp was even busier than it had been the previous night.
Disciples from the various Sects were packing their belongings and taking down their tents.
The bodies of the fallen had been placed in coffins, which were arranged neatly on one side of the camp, covered with white cloths.
Fang Han’s gaze rested on the row of coffins for a moment before he looked away.
"Let’s go," he said softly.
Yun Qianyue nodded without a word.
Li Feng had also finished packing. He stood nearby with his bag on his back, cradling his long saber.
The three of them met up and walked toward the center of the camp.
The teams from the various Sects were assembling.
On the Qingxuan Sect’s side, Chen Wanjun and the five Elders stood with their hands behind their backs, their expressions solemn.
Many people had already gathered before them.
Fang Han, along with Yun Qianyue and Li Feng, joined the formation.
Chen Wanjun’s gaze swept over the crowd, and he gave a slight nod.
"Move out."
His voice wasn’t loud, but it reached everyone’s ears clearly.
The column began to move, heading out of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.
As for the Demon corpses, apart from a few valuable ones that were transported out with them, the majority were left behind.
Once the area was confirmed to be safe, the military would send men to retrieve them. Known for their sheer numbers, the military was better suited for transporting these Demon corpses.
Fang Han considered sneaking back to "recharge" the remaining Demon corpses, but he worried about running into the Grandmaster Level Demon and ultimately decided against it.
Compared to wealth, his life was more important. If he died, no amount of money would be of any use.
The sun climbed higher, then gradually began to set in the west.
In the evening, just as the last ray of sunlight was about to be swallowed by the distant mountains—
A cheer that could no longer be suppressed erupted from the front of the column.
Fang Han looked up.
Ahead, the mountains ended, and the view suddenly opened up.
They had left the vast, dense forests of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range behind them.
They were out.
The contingents from the Seven Sects and the military stepped out of the forest one after another, stopping on the open plain.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The oppressive feeling of being shrouded by an unknown danger had finally dissipated.
Some collapsed directly onto the ground, panting heavily.
Some looked back at the forest gradually sinking into the twilight, complex emotions flickering in their eyes.
And some walked over to the coffins carrying the remains of the dead, standing there in silence.