Chapter 496 - 492: Each With Their Own Methods
Chapter 496: Chapter 492: Each With Their Own Methods
’Luo Qi, an Elder of the Netherworld Pavilion.’
Fang Han’s heart stirred as he recognized the woman’s identity.
Although he had never met her, he was no stranger to her name. She was the Netherworld Pavilion’s most skilled Elder in the art of Tracking. It was said that no one had ever escaped her Tracking Technique.
Of course, as the one who had plundered numerous Netherworld Pavilion properties, he was the sole exception.
"The Qingxuan Sect sent you?"
Luo Qi spoke, her voice hoarse and filled with an undisguised chill.
"A twenty-year-old brat?"
Fang Han stopped and met Luo Qi’s unsettling eyes, his expression calm.
"It seems the Qingxuan Sect isn’t taking this search very seriously."
A cold, mocking smile touched the corners of Luo Qi’s lips.
"Or has the Qingxuan Sect run out of people, forcing them to send a junior just to make up the numbers?"
At these words, the expressions of everyone present changed slightly.
Some lowered their heads, unwilling to get involved in the dispute. Others looked toward Fang Han, their eyes glinting with the anticipation of a good show.
Fang Han looked at Luo Qi, his expression still perfectly calm.
"Elder Luo."
He spoke, his voice not loud, but it carried clearly to the ears of everyone present.
"A Tracking Technique is a matter of skill, not age."
He paused, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
"If age equated to skill, then the ’robber’ who plundered your esteemed Pavilion’s properties wouldn’t still be at large."
The moment he said this, Luo Qi’s expression changed in an instant.
Her once-stern face turned livid, the change visible to the naked eye.
Her unsettling eyes stared daggers at Fang Han, rage churning in their depths.
The "robber" who had plundered the Netherworld Pavilion’s properties—the one she had failed to track down despite taking action personally—was the greatest stain on her reputation in recent years.
Now, Fang Han had just reopened that wound to her face, twisting a knife where it hurt the most.
"You—"
Luo Qi’s voice was hoarse, thick with suppressed fury.
But Fang Han simply watched her, his expression as tranquil as still water.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Everyone present exchanged glances, too scared to make a sound.
Though young, Fang Han was the most outstanding prodigy the Qingxuan Sect had seen in centuries. At just twenty, he had already topped the Celestial Pride List. It was said he had even comprehended Sword Intent, giving him the combat power to rival a Second Grade expert.
Luo Qi, on the other hand, was a highly experienced Second-Grade Elder of the Netherworld Pavilion. Her Tracking Technique was renowned among the sects, and with her cold, severe temperament, she had never been one to be trifled with.
Both possessed extraordinary status and strength. If they were to fight, the bystanders would be in a bind, unsure whether to intervene or not.
Just then, a gentle female voice spoke up.
"Excuse me, might I have a word?"
Fang Han turned his head to look.
The speaker was a woman of about forty, dressed in the unique water-blue Elder Robe of the Tingyu Building, its corners embroidered with flowing cloud patterns in gold thread.
Her features were gentle and refined. Though no longer in her youth, she possessed a calm elegance that only came with age.
Her long hair was tied up with a Jade Hairpin, and a few loose strands fell beside her ears, fluttering gently in the mountain breeze.
A sheathed longsword hung at her waist. The Sword Scabbard was pale blue, etched with a few simple cloud patterns in silver thread.
She was currently looking at Fang Han and Luo Qi, her clear eyes holding a mix of exasperation and earnestness.
"I am Elder Su Wan of the Tingyu Building."
She first gave a slight nod to Fang Han, then turned to Luo Qi, her voice gentle yet composed.
"We are here to hunt the Grandmaster-Level Demon. The safety of countless citizens in Qingyang County is at stake. If we start fighting amongst ourselves before we even enter the mountain, won’t we become a laughingstock for that Demon?"
Luo Qi snorted coldly but didn’t retort.
Fang Han glanced at Su Wan and cupped his hands slightly. "Elder Su is right."
Among the Seven Sects, the Tingyu Building had the deepest foundation. Rumor had it that more than one Grandmaster-Level expert resided there, placing it implicitly at the head of the Seven Sects.
Since she had stepped in to mediate, he naturally had to give her face.
Seeing that both were willing to back down, Su Wan revealed a gentle smile. She gave a slight nod to Fang Han before turning to Luo Qi and nodding softly.
The tension finally eased.
Fang Han walked to the side, sat down on a green rock, and closed his eyes to rest.
Luo Qi also averted her gaze, standing with her hands clasped behind her back, saying no more.
Seeing this, the others secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Several hours later, the sun had climbed to its zenith. A few more figures arrived one after another in the clearing at the foot of the mountain.
There was an old man in a gray robe, a middle-aged man with a beast-hide pouch at his waist, and a blind woman with a black cloth over her eyes, holding a bamboo staff.
Their attire varied, but their auras were all potent. They were clearly all skilled trackers hired by the various sects.
Fang Han opened his eyes and glanced over the newcomers.
The blind woman used her bamboo staff to feel the path, yet her steps were surprisingly steady, each one precisely avoiding the loose stones and bumps on the ground.
Faint chirping sounds emanated from the man with the beast-hide pouch. The pouch itself was bulging, its contents a mystery.
"Everyone is here."
Su Wan’s gaze swept over the dozen or so figures present. She nodded slightly and took an exquisite bamboo cage from her sleeve.
The cage was woven from thin bamboo strips and was about the size of a palm. Inside, a bird with pale blue feathers rested quietly. It had a sharp beak and slender claws, and its eyes were bright and lively.
"These are messenger birds trained by my Tingyu Building. Please, take one each."
Su Wan distributed the cages, her voice gentle yet clear.
"These birds fly extremely fast and can find their own food, so they don’t need to be fed. If you discover a trace of the Demon, just release the bird, and it will fly back to the Tingyu Building to report."
Everyone took a cage and put it away.
"Everyone, follow me."
Su Wan turned and was the first to dash into the depths of the mountain forest.
Fang Han tucked the cage into his robes, activated his Body Technique, and followed.
The dozen or so figures vanished into the vast forests of Cyan Cliff Mountain like a flock of silent birds.
The mountain path was treacherous, and ancient trees reached for the sky.
The deeper they went, the thicker the fog became, blanketing the entire mountain like a heavy veil.
The air was filled with the damp scent of rotting leaves, mixed with a faint, rank odor.
There were no birds chirping, no insects buzzing—only the soft whisper of their robes cutting through the air, exceptionally clear in the dead-silent forest.
After traveling for about an hour, Su Wan stopped before a hidden valley.
The valley entrance was narrow, flanked by sheer, knife-like cliffs, with only enough room for a few people to pass through side-by-side.
A thick fog swirled within the valley, carrying an indescribable, sinister chill. Sunlight, filtered through layers upon layers of leaves, was shattered into mottled, dim patterns on the ground.
"This is the place."
Su Wan’s voice was soft, but it carried a trace of suppressed grief.
Her gaze fell on a patch of dried blood to one side of the valley entrance.
"Our sect’s Elder Su Henian entered the mountain to search for the Grandmaster-Level Demon. He was supposed to leave behind our Tingyu Building’s secret markers and send messages periodically."
"After we lost contact, our sect followed his markers all the way here and found his body."
Su Wan lifted her head, her gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"He was attacked by the Demon in the valley. He was killed in a single blow and couldn’t escape."
"With his strength as a Second Grade Martial Artist, whatever killed him in one strike is very likely that Grandmaster-Level Demon."
She paused, her voice growing more solemn.
"Everyone, I’m counting on you."
The crowd exchanged a look and then dispersed.
Fang Han didn’t act rashly. He stood at the valley entrance, observing the others, quite curious about their search methods.
The skilled trackers were already employing their various methods, beginning the search for any traces left by the Demon.
The slender, gray-robed elder squatted beneath an ancient tree, his fingertips gently tracing a shallow claw mark on the trunk. He closed his eyes in concentration, as if mentally deducing the direction and force of the strike.
The man with the beast-hide pouch took out a pitch-black beetle and placed it on the ground.
The beetle’s antennae twitched. After crawling in a few circles on the ground, it suddenly scurried off in a specific direction.
A glint of joy flashed in the man’s eyes, and he hurried after it.
The blind woman tapped the ground lightly with her bamboo staff, her nostrils flaring slightly.
Though she was blind, her sense of smell was astonishingly sharp, as if she could pick out the faint wisp of the Demon’s aura from a vast sea of scents.
’Just a little brat.’
Luo Qi stood on the other side of the valley entrance, her unsettling eyes casting a cold glance at Fang Han.
Her gaze held not only an undisguised chill but also an unshakeable certainty of success.
Fang Han’s expression remained calm, as if he hadn’t noticed her gaze at all.
BUZZ—
Luo Qi retracted her gaze and closed her eyes.
After failing to track the robber who had plundered the Netherworld Pavilion’s properties, she had dedicated herself to her Cultivation. She had pushed her Top-Grade Tracking Secret Technique, *Seeking the Hidden, Probing the Subtle*, which she had cultivated for many years, one step further, reaching the Great Success Realm.
’She couldn’t track that thief’s aura, but she refused to believe she couldn’t track this Grandmaster-Level Demon.’
’Today would be the day she washed away her shame.’
Activating *Seeking the Hidden, Probing the Subtle* with all her might, her nostrils flared slightly.
Within the vast sea of chaotic auras, she quickly captured a wisp of an extremely powerful Demon aura.
The aura was sinister and violent, carrying a heart-pounding pressure—it was definitely left by the Grandmaster-Level Demon.
"Found it!"
Luo Qi opened her eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them.
Without the slightest hesitation, she followed one of the wisps of aura, her figure flickering as she sped off in that direction.
The others also made discoveries one by one, each Tracking off in a different direction.
BUZZ—
Fang Han remained where he stood, not moving.
He closed his eyes and activated *Thousand-Mile Soul-Lock* with all his might.
The Tracking Secret Technique, at the Realm of Perfection, was unleashed without reservation. The chaotic auras from ten li around flooded into his perception.
The fresh scent of grass and trees, the earthy smell of the soil, the musty odor of rotting leaves, the water vapor from a distant stream, and the fading auras of the dozen or so trackers—everything was distinct and clearly layered.
However, when his perception touched upon the aura belonging to the Grandmaster-Level Demon, his brows furrowed slightly.
It wasn’t one aura, but dozens.
Dozens of Demon auras—all equally sinister, equally violent, and all carrying the pressure of a Grandmaster—radiated outward from the valley in all directions.
East, south, west, north, southeast, northeast, southwest, northwest—in every direction, there were several auras.