Chapter 578 - 574: Discovering Yan Wuji
Chapter 578: Chapter 574: Discovering Yan Wuji
Fang Han maintained his Cultivation of the Netherworld Guide as he traveled.
A mystical aura slowly circulated through his nostrils.
With every breath, with every circulation of his Inner Qi, his mastery of the Netherworld Guide deepened.
His perception range remained stable at a ten-li radius, but its sensitivity was steadily increasing.
Subtle auras that once required intense concentration to detect could now be clearly perceived by his sense of smell with just a thought.
Time slipped by unnoticed in this state of deep focus.
The sun moved from its midday peak toward the west, then sank below the horizon. The clouds on the skyline were dyed a deep, somber orange before gradually fading to a grayish-blue.
As the moon rose and its cold, clear light bathed the main road, Fang Han’s steps suddenly faltered.
A strange sensation welled up from deep within him.
The Technique of the Netherworld Guide flowed naturally through his mind. The instant that mystical aura passed through his nostrils and flowed toward his limbs and bones—
BUZZ...
A soft hum that only he could perceive resonated from the depths of his body.
The sound was extremely faint, almost undetectable, yet it seemed to have opened some invisible door.
In the next moment, his world of olfactory perception underwent a qualitative change.
The range of his perception was still a ten-li radius.
But its precision had increased several times over.
The extremely faint residual auras that he once had to channel the Netherworld Guide at full power to catch were now crystal clear to his senses.
If he wished, he could even perceive auras left behind months ago.
’Netherworld Guide, Minor Achievement.’
A flash of unconcealable joy flickered in Fang Han’s eyes.
He hadn’t expected to reach the Minor Achievement Realm of the Netherworld Guide while traveling.
Moreover, the increase in his perceptual sensitivity was even more significant than he had anticipated.
With the Perception Ability of his Netherworld Guide now at the Minor Achievement Realm, his confidence in Tracking Yan Wuji had undoubtedly grown.
He took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and continued on his way.
Night deepened. Moonlight spilled across the land, and Fang Han used its light to travel through the darkness.
The eastern sky showed the first pale white of a fish’s belly as the morning light dispelled the darkness of night.
When daylight fully broke, the silhouette of a city finally appeared at the edge of his vision.
Baixia City.
The city walls were majestic, stretching for several li and glowing with a grayish-blue sheen in the morning light.
The gates were already open. Carriages, horses, and pedestrians were starting to move in and out, and the clamor could be heard from a great distance.
Fang Han slowed his pace and followed the stream of people through the city gates.
He didn’t stop, heading straight for the southern part of the city.
That was where the Qingxuan Sect’s branch in Baixia City was located.
A short while later, he stopped on a street that had once been bustling but was now conspicuously deserted. The few pedestrians present hurried along, their faces grim.
On one side of the street, the main gate of a courtyard was shut tight.
On the ground before the gate, several faint, dark brown stains were visible—dried blood.
Above the gate, the black plaque with golden characters still hung, but the two lanterns in front of it were shattered, their remains scattered on the ground.
A faint smell of blood, mixed with a scent of decay, hung in the air, particularly sharp in the cold morning chill.
Fang Han pushed the gate open and entered.
The courtyard was in complete disarray.
The ground was littered with dried, brownish bloodstains.
The doors to several rooms stood ajar, their frames bearing the marks of chaotic blade strikes and blasts of Qi Force.
On the corridor pillars were several deep claw marks, the wood splintered and curled back to reveal the pale grain beneath.
BUZZ—
Fang Han stood in the courtyard, his expression grim, and activated the Netherworld Guide with all his might.
His perception, now at the Minor Achievement Realm, spread out silently from him like an invisible spiderweb.
The first thing he perceived were dozens of auras of varying strengths—the auras of the deceased from the Qingxuan Sect’s branch here.
Next, he sensed a series of auras as faint as candlelight—the auras of rats and other small animals hiding in the courtyard.
He focused his mind, filtering out these disturbances, and tried to capture Yan Wuji’s aura.
’Found it!’
A moment later, a hint of pleasant surprise appeared in Fang Han’s eyes.
The Minor Achievement Netherworld Guide had not disappointed him.
Although Yan Wuji had used a secret Concealing Breath potion to hide his aura, it was still detected by the powerful perception of the Minor Achievement Netherworld Guide.
He had captured Yan Wuji’s aura.
The aura was cold, brutal, and carried a heart-pounding pressure, identical to the residual aura of Yan Wuji’s he had sensed back at the Qingxuan Sect.
’Let’s see you try to escape now!’
Following this aura, Fang Han walked out of the courtyard. The trail extended east.
Following the aura’s trail, he passed the branches of the other six sects, and finally, after crossing a few streets and alleys, arrived at the base of the city wall.
Yan Wuji must have climbed over the wall here to get out.
TAP, TAP—!
With a single leap, Fang Han’s figure drifted up silently like a falling leaf. After a few light taps on the vertical wall, he cleared the top and landed outside the city.
BUZZ—
Within the perception of the Netherworld Guide, the cold and brutal aura extended northward from the city wall.
Without the slightest hesitation, Fang Han executed the Wind God Step and sped north, following the aura.
His green robes whipped about in the morning wind. His speed was astonishing, like a streak of pale green light, as he swept across fields, through hills, and over streams.
In his perception, Yan Wuji’s aura was like an invisible yet tenacious thread, constantly guiding him forward.
「One day later.」
The first light of dawn pierced through a thin, gauze-like mist.
Fang Han stopped outside a city.
The walls were several zhang high and built of grayish-blue stone blocks. At the gate, early-rising merchants and farmers were already coming and going, their noise exceptionally clear in the morning air.
He didn’t rush into the city. Instead, he stood on a small hill outside, closed his eyes, and activated the Netherworld Guide at full power.
His perception, at the Minor Achievement Realm, spread out like invisible ripples of water, enveloping the entire city.
After a moment, he opened his eyes, a grave look flashing within them.
’There’s a cold, brutal aura in the city, but it’s only a remnant. Yan Wuji was here, but he’s already left.’
Fang Han strode quickly toward the city gate.
Once inside, he didn’t stop, heading straight for the eastern part of the city.
After turning through two streets, a courtyard came into view.
Above the gate hung a black plaque with golden characters. The four words "Qingxuan Villa" had a dim luster in the morning light.
However, the courtyard gate was shut tight.
On the stone steps before the gate were dark red bloodstains, already dry.
The air was thick with the heavy stench of blood, exceptionally sharp in the cold morning chill.
Fang Han pushed the gate open and entered.
The scene in the courtyard made his pupils constrict slightly.
The ground was scattered with dark red bloodstains. The doors to several rooms were either ajar or knocked down, their frames bearing the marks of Qi Force bombardments.
Some of the corridor pillars were snapped in two.
No one.
Not a single person.
Disciples, Stewards, Elders—everyone in this branch had been killed.
The Government Office had likely collected the bodies, but the ravaged courtyard silently recounted everything that had happened the previous night.
Fang Han stood in the courtyard, silent for a moment.
He didn’t linger long before turning and walking out the gate.
He knew he was too late.
BUZZ—
Outside the city, Fang Han activated the Netherworld Guide once more.
The aura belonging to Yan Wuji extended out from the north gate. It was faint but clearly discernible.
Without any hesitation, Fang Han’s figure flickered, and he sped northward, following the aura.
His green robes whipped about in the morning wind, his speed astonishing.
He had to find Yan Wuji as fast as possible.
Otherwise, more branches of the Qingxuan Sect would be slaughtered.
...
「Several hours later.」
The afternoon sun was filtered through layers of leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground.
Fang Han’s figure moved silently through the dense forest.
His perception via the Netherworld Guide was constantly at full power, capturing the residual cold and brutal aura of Yan Wuji.
’I’m getting very close!’
The aura was growing stronger. Fang Han knew he was approaching Yan Wuji.
He slowed his pace and pushed his Ghost Shadow technique to its limit. His own aura completely retracted, making him seem like a lifeless stone.
After traveling for about another half-hour, the mountain terrain ahead grew steeper, and the forest became denser.
’Found him!’
Fang Han, who had been moving forward, came to a sudden halt.
Within his ten-li perception range, an extremely strong aura had appeared. It was deep as an abyss and carried a heart-pounding pressure—it belonged to Yan Wuji.
It wasn’t a residual trace, but the aura of Yan Wuji himself, for it was constantly radiating outward without diminishing in strength.
’He probably hasn’t spotted me!’
Fang Han quickly analyzed the situation.
He was a full ten li away from Yan Wuji. Even if Yan Wuji was a Grandmaster Powerhouse with sharp perception, he shouldn’t be able to detect him from this distance.
He took out the palm-sized Communication Jade Talisman from his robes.
The Jade Talisman was warm to the touch, its pale green surface covered in fine, intricate patterns.
Taking a deep breath, he channeled a wisp of Inner Qi from his fingertip into the Jade Talisman.
"Sect Leader, I have found Yan Wuji’s hiding place in the mountain forest approximately five hundred li north of Cyan Pine City."
The moment the Inner Qi was injected, the patterns on the Jade Talisman lit up faintly before going dim again.
The message had been sent.
...
「Qingxuan Sect, Sect Leader’s Hall.」
Chen Tianyuan sat upright behind his desk, a teacup in hand, his gaze fixed on the autumn sky outside the window, unmoving for a long time.
Two days had passed since Fang Han left the sect. He wondered if Fang Han had been able to track Yan Wuji.
Just then, he felt a slight vibration from his person. He took out the vibrating object—it was the Communication Jade Talisman.
’Could it be?’
Hope surged in his heart. Chen Tianyuan channeled a wisp of Inner Qi from his fingertip, and in the next moment, Fang Han’s voice sounded out—
"Sect Leader, I have found Yan Wuji’s hiding place in the mountain forest approximately five hundred li north of Cyan Pine City..."
Chen Tianyuan’s pupils contracted abruptly.
’He found him. He found the fugitive Grandmaster, Yan Wuji!’
He shot to his feet, a trace of excitement he hadn’t shown in a long time appearing on his usually gentle and scholarly face.