Chapter 557 - 553: Missing
Chapter 557: Chapter 553: Missing
A moment later, Fang Han slowly opened his eyes, a trace of satisfaction flashing within them.
His Cultivation speed had clearly increased.
The improvement was obvious, comparable to when he had used the Celestial Essence Pill to aid his Cultivation.
After he had used up all the Celestial Essence Pills, his Cultivation speed had inevitably slowed down.
But now, with the enhancement of his Root Bone, his Cultivation speed had quickened once more.
And this time, it wouldn’t slow down again, because the increase was a result of his improved Root Bone.
As long as he didn’t suffer any injuries severe enough to affect his Talent, his Root Bone would not weaken.
’My Root Bone Talent should now be on par with my Swordsmanship Talent!’
The effects of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures of the same type diminished with repeated use.
If his original Root Bone Talent was a one, then after taking Root Bone-enhancing Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures four times in total, his Root Bone Talent should have risen to eleven.
His initial Talent could only be considered average, with all his abilities being extremely balanced and none particularly outstanding.
His original Root Bone Talent and his original Swordsmanship Talent were likely about the same.
Therefore, his current Root Bone Talent should be equal to his Swordsmanship Talent, which had also reached eleven.
’I can’t waste this Earth Spirit Pill I’ve just taken.’
Fang Han closed his eyes again, and the Cyan Profound Technique began to circulate once more.
Cyan-gold Inner Qi surged endlessly through his meridians. The Medicinal Power of the Earth Spirit Pill was rapidly absorbed and refined, transforming into wisps of pure Inner Qi that flowed into his Qi Sea.
Immersed in his Cultivation, Fang Han lost track of time, and before he knew it, it was late at night.
He slowly ceased his practice and opened his eyes.
Outside the window, the moonlight was like water, spilling over the bamboo grove in the courtyard and dyeing the verdant green a ghostly silver-white.
He stood up and pushed open the door to the Quiet Chamber.
The night wind brushed past, carrying the fresh scent of bamboo leaves and the unique coolness of the mountains.
Standing under the eaves with his hands behind his back, he gazed at the bamboo grove swaying gently in the moonlight and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.
...
As dusk settled, a light plume of dust rose from the main road.
Zhang Yuanheng, a Second-Grade Elder of the Zhang Family, used his Body Technique to travel swiftly, hoping to reach the nearest city to rest before nightfall.
The trees on both sides rustled in the evening breeze, their branches and leaves casting long, faint, and uneven shadows on the road, drawn out by the setting sun.
He was still over twenty li from the nearest city, but he should be able to make it before dark. Zhang Yuanheng raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his brow.
Just then—
A dark figure shot out silently from the dense woods beside the road, blocking his path.
Its speed was astonishing, leaving only a blurry afterimage in the twilight.
Zhang Yuanheng’s expression changed drastically. He floated backward, dodging the attacking figure, and landed on the road several zhang away.
"Who are you?"
Zhang Yuanheng placed his right hand on the hilt of the longsword at his waist, his gaze locked firmly on the dark figure.
The figure didn’t speak, merely walking slowly toward him.
The last rays of the setting sun fell upon the person, revealing a dark gold brocade robe.
He was tall and powerfully built, but his face was covered by an unadorned Bronze Mask, revealing only a pair of eyes.
Those eyes were not sharp, nor were they sinister. They simply looked at Zhang Yuanheng calmly, as if examining an inanimate object.
An indescribable sense of pressure washed over him.
Zhang Yuanheng’s pupils contracted slightly.
He was a Second Grade Martial Artist. While not as strong as the Zhang Family’s Patriarch, he was still one of their top experts.
Yet at this moment, being watched by those eyes, he felt the suffocating sensation of being targeted by a ferocious beast.
"Who in the world are you?"
Zhang Yuanheng took a deep breath, and the Inner Qi in his body began to circulate slowly. His longsword emerged three inches from its scabbard, its blade glinting with a cold light in the twilight.
The masked man still said nothing, merely reaching for the blade at his waist.
Seeing that blade, a name suddenly surfaced in his mind.
The Tiejiang Gang’s Qi Zhen.
"Gang Leader Qi!"
Zhang Yuanheng blurted out, his voice filled with unconcealable shock.
"As the Gang Leader of the Tiejiang Gang, you’d stoop so low as to ambush me?"
The masked man’s steps faltered slightly.
After a brief silence, he raised his left hand and slowly removed the Bronze Mask from his face.
Beneath the mask was Qi Zhen’s dark and rugged face.
The corners of his mouth curved into a cold arc, a smile devoid of any warmth, holding only a condescending indifference.
"A miscalculation. To think I’d be recognized by my blade."
Qi Zhen’s voice was flat, as if he were stating a trivial fact.
Zhang Yuanheng’s expression darkened completely.
He drew his sword from its scabbard, the blade letting out a clear hum as it cut through the twilight air.
His Second Grade Inner Qi circulated without reservation, causing his robes to billow without any wind as the aura around him solidified.
"Gang Leader Qi, the Zhang Family has already submitted to the Qingxuan Sect! If you dare to touch me, the Qingxuan Sect will not let this go!"
His voice was steady, but it carried a hint of bravado that even he was reluctant to admit.
"The Qingxuan Sect?"
The cold arc on Qi Zhen’s lips deepened.
"Sooner or later, the Qingxuan Sect will be crushed under the heel of my Tiejiang Gang."
Zhang Yuanheng’s pupils constricted abruptly.
He couldn’t believe his ears.
The Qingxuan Sect was one of the Seven Sects, a top-level power established for hundreds of years, with a Grandmaster presiding over it and a profound heritage.
The Tiejiang Gang had only just risen to prominence. Even if they were lucky enough to obtain a Grandmaster Technique and produce a Grandmaster, how could they dare boast of destroying the Qingxuan Sect?
This wasn’t arrogance; it was madness.
"You’re insane."
Zhang Yuanheng ground out the words through clenched teeth.
"Even if the Tiejiang Gang has a Grandmaster, it’s impossible to destroy the Qingxuan Sect. They are both Sects with Grandmasters, but in terms of heritage, the Qingxuan Sect is far stronger than the Tiejiang Gang."
"That may be true now, but not necessarily in the future!"
Qi Zhen’s voice remained flat.
He gave Zhang Yuanheng no more chances to speak, his right hand flashing as he drew his blade.
Fueled by a surge of Inner Qi, a terrifying, several-zhang-long golden blade aura slashed out diagonally toward Zhang Yuanheng.
Zhang Yuanheng hastily raised his sword to block, but before this terrifying golden blade aura, his Cultivation as a Second Grade Martial Artist offered no resistance.
Not every Second Grade practitioner possessed Fang Han’s formidable combat strength!
SPLURT—
His longsword was knocked aside. The golden blade aura continued forward, carving a hideous wound in his body from which blood sprayed wildly.
He was sent flying backward by the strike, and his longsword fell to the ground with a CLANG.
Qi Zhen slowly approached and placed his palm on Zhang Yuanheng’s head.
Zhang Yuanheng’s body shuddered violently.
An unspeakable terror seized his heart.
He could feel the Essence Qi in his body draining away at an unprecedented rate, like a flood from a broken dam, surging through that palm and into Qi Zhen’s body.
His muscles began to atrophy, his skin withered, and his bones grew soft.
His once-square and ruddy face sank visibly, his cheekbones jutted out, and his eye sockets became as deep as caves.
He wanted to scream but couldn’t make a sound.
He wanted to struggle but couldn’t move.
In the last moment before his consciousness faded to black, he finally understood the source of Qi Zhen’s arrogance.
A Demon Skill.
The Tiejiang Gang... they actually cultivated a Demon Skill!
...
The next morning, Fang Han entered the Quiet Chamber.
Wisps of blue smoke curled up from the Sandalwood Incense Burner, its faint fragrance mingling with the cool morning air and drifting slowly through the room.
He poured an Earth Spirit Pill from the Jade Bottle and placed it in his mouth.
The Elixir melted the moment it entered his mouth, and a warm yet immense Medicinal Power spread through his abdomen like a surging river, rushing toward his limbs and bones.
WHOOSH—
The Cyan Profound Technique began to circulate slowly, and cyan-gold Inner Qi flowed through his meridians.
Like a fine net, it captured, absorbed, and refined every bit of the Earth Spirit Pill’s Medicinal Power, converting it into wisps of pure Inner Qi that completed a Circulation through his meridians before being channeled into the Tinggong Acupoint.
WHOOSH—
Fang Han immersed his consciousness within his body, carefully sensing the rate at which his Inner Qi was growing.
The cyan-gold Inner Qi surged endlessly through his meridians, and each Circulation of the Heavens brought a subtle yet solid increase.
He could clearly feel the viscous, cyan-gold Inner Qi within his Tinggong Acupoint growing fuller at a visible rate.
Two hours passed.
When the morning light filtered through the window lattice, Fang Han slowly ceased his practice.
He opened his eyes, and a gleam of cyan-gold light flashed within them before disappearing.
He gently exhaled a breath of turbid air. The breath was solid and didn’t disperse, shooting out like an arrow for about a foot and leaving a faint white trail in the Quiet Chamber before slowly dissipating.
"At this rate of Cultivation—"
Fang Han muttered to himself, his voice echoing softly in the silent chamber.
"It won’t be long before I break through to the Middle Stage of Second Grade."
He didn’t get up immediately, instead closing his eyes to savor the feeling of his earlier Cultivation session.
For most people, Cultivation was tedious because their progress was as slow as a snail’s crawl, making it difficult to experience the thrill of improvement.
But for him, whose Cultivation could advance rapidly, the daily improvements were clearly perceptible. Cultivation was pure enjoyment.
He stood up, stretched his slightly stiff muscles, and pushed open the door of the Quiet Chamber.
The morning light washed over him, carrying the crisp brightness unique to late autumn.
The bamboo grove in the courtyard rustled in the gentle breeze. A few yellowing leaves spiraled down, blanketing the ground in a thin layer.
Fang Han crossed the courtyard and entered the side hall.
Qiu Lan was in the hall with a Maid, setting out breakfast. Hearing his footsteps, she looked up and quickly bowed in greeting.
"Senior Brother."
Fang Han nodded slightly and sat down at the table.
A plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables was a glossy, vibrant green, and a bowl of Blood Rice porridge steamed invitingly.
There was also a basket of shrimp dumplings, their skins thin and fillings generous, with the broth inside faintly visible.
He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat slowly.
Qiu Lan stood by his side with her hands clasped. Only when Fang Han was halfway through his meal did she speak softly.
"Senior Brother."
Fang Han paused in the middle of picking up some vegetables and looked up at Qiu Lan.
"What is it?"
Qiu Lan lowered her voice, which now held a hint of gravity.
"Recently, experts from the various powers affiliated with the Seven Sects have been disappearing one after another."
Fang Han put down his chopsticks, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Disappearing?"
"Yes."
Qiu Lan nodded and recounted the information she had gathered.
"The first to disappear was an Elder from a major power affiliated with the Vajra Temple. He went out on business and never returned. Not even a body was found."
"Next was an Elder from a major power affiliated with the Overlord Blade Sect. He had a Second Grade Cultivation and also vanished without a trace after leaving on an errand."
...