Chapter 619 - 615: Chance Encounter
Chapter 619: Chapter 615: Chance Encounter
"Wind God Step, Perfection."
Fang Han came to a halt in the center of the Cultivation Room, a flash of delight vanishing deep within his eyes.
He stood with his hands behind his back, carefully savoring the changes brought by his breakthrough.
His speed was now several times faster than it had been at the Great Success stage.
This swiftness wasn’t just about straight-line sprints. It was an ethereal agility, a sense of merging with the wind and becoming one with the world.
He could change direction without a hint of sluggishness and move without a sound.
It was as if he were no longer a man, but a wisp of free-blowing wind.
’Martial Artists often treat Body Techniques as supplementary, not investing much effort in them,’
Fang Han mused to himself, the faintest hint of a smile gracing his lips.
With the speed of his perfected Wind God Step, he was confident that even Third Breakthrough Martial Artists would struggle to surpass him in a Body Technique.
His speed was likely approaching that of a Grandmaster.
’It’s a shame it’s already at Perfection, with no room for further advancement.’
Having brought the Low Grade Realm Body Technique, Wind God Step, to Perfection, there was no way to improve it further. To get any faster, he would have to cultivate a better Body Technique.
When he had exchanged for Martial Arts previously, Fang Han had considered a Middle Grade Body Technique, but he ultimately chose a Middle Grade Inner Power instead.
Through his Cultivation, he had come to realize more and more that, compared to Body Techniques, Inner Power was the foundation of everything—the absolute priority.
’Time to go.’
Fang Han rose to his feet, stretched his limbs, and pushed open the door of the Cultivation Room.
He checked out of his room, left the Yuntian Inn, and headed toward the outer city along the wide streets of the Imperial Capital.
The streets were bustling with pedestrians and clamorous with horse-drawn carriages.
Once outside the Imperial Capital, Fang Han took out a map of the entire Great Chu Dynasty, determined his direction, and began retracing his steps back the way he came.
He activated his Netherworld Guide to its fullest extent. A cool sensation flowed through his nostrils and meridians as his exceptionally keen senses spread out like an invisible spiderweb.
Within a ten-mile radius, he could sense every living being.
His performance at the Martial Arts Assembly had been too eye-catching; it was inevitable that some petty thieves would get greedy.
He was worried he was being watched.
SWISH!
On high alert, Fang Han sped up, his figure a blur.
The wind howled past his ears as the fields and forests on either side of the main road rushed by in reverse.
To his surprise, no one appeared to block his path, even after he was far from the Imperial Capital.
The ambushes and assassinations he had anticipated never materialized.
’There’s really no one?’
Fang Han was slightly taken aback.
In truth, it wasn’t that no one was covetous.
It was just that those who had entertained the idea quickly gave it up after a bit of analysis.
The nine stalks of Low-grade Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were all for improving one’s Talent and were specifically suited to Fang Han’s Martial Arts.
No one would believe that these Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures hadn’t already been used.
Since they had already been consumed, stealing them would be useless.
As for the two Mental Realm Martial Arts—the Soul-Chasing Technique and the Cyan Wood Antitoxic Scripture.
Both of these Martial Arts were from the collection of the Great Chu Royal Family. For anyone else to dare touch them would be an act of great disrespect toward the Royal Family.
Even a Great Grandmaster would be unwilling to provoke a behemoth like the Royal Family over this.
Thus, the prospect of an ambush seemed rather pointless.
Fang Han was unaware of these underlying reasons, but since no one was blocking his way, he was happy to have the peace and quiet.
He maintained a speed that allowed him to travel quickly without consuming too much Inner Qi, dashing toward Wangxi County.
「One day later.」
While traveling, Fang Han sensed more than a dozen auras ahead, accompanied by extremely heavy footsteps.
The sound was completely different from hoofbeats. Each step caused the ground to tremble slightly, as if some colossal creature was walking on it.
When Fang Han drew closer and saw it, his pupils contracted.
The behemoth was a giant elephant, its body the size of a small hill.
The giant elephant stood about thirty feet tall, its entire body covered in thick, dark gray skin. Its two scimitar-like tusks gleamed with a cold light under the sun.
A huge carriage rested on its broad back, and through its windows, one could faintly see figures sitting inside.
Among these people, he sensed a terrifying aura as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea.
A Grandmaster.
’There’s a Grandmaster Powerhouse inside!’
Fang Han’s breath hitched for a moment.
Without any hesitation, he changed his footing and pushed his Wind God Step to its limit, preparing to give them a wide berth.
Although they had no grudge against each other and it was unlikely they would target him, it was always better to be safe than sorry. He preferred to keep his distance.
Just then—
A clear voice called out from the carriage on the giant elephant’s back.
"Fang Han?"
Fang Han stopped and looked back.
The curtain of the carriage was lifted, revealing a familiar face.
Dressed in a moon-white robe with a cool and detached air, it was Bai Yan.
Bai Yan’s eyes fell on Fang Han, a flicker of surprise in them. He then turned his head to look at another figure inside the carriage and said something in a low voice.
A moment later, Bai Yan leaped down from the giant elephant’s back. His moon-white robe snapped in the wind as he closed the distance to Fang Han in just a few bounds.
"I didn’t expect to run into you here."
Bai Yan stopped and gave Fang Han a slight nod, a trace of curiosity flashing in his calm eyes.
"Are you... heading back to Qingyang County?"
Fang Han nodded.
"Our route back to the Celestial Essence Sect is mostly the same as your route back to Qingyang County," Bai Yan remarked.
"Why don’t you travel with us? We can look out for each other."
Fang Han’s interest was piqued.
The Celestial Essence Sect’s destination was Celestial Essence County, which neighbored Wangxi County. Traveling together wouldn’t delay his exploration of the Secret Realm; on the contrary, it would save him a significant amount of travel time.
Time he could then use for Cultivation.
With this in mind, he met Bai Yan’s gaze and nodded slightly.
"Then I’ll be in your care."
A genuine smile appeared on Bai Yan’s usually cool and detached face.
"Please."
Fang Han followed Bai Yan toward the giant elephant.
As he drew near, the ferocious aura of the Demon became even clearer.
This was definitely a First Grade Demon, and a very powerful one at that—quite possibly at the level of the Third Breakthrough.
’As expected of an Overlord-level Influence, to use such a Demon as a mount.’
Bai Yan led the way. With a light tap of his toes, Fang Han’s figure drifted up like a leaf caught in the wind, landing gracefully in the carriage on the giant elephant’s back.
The carriage was spacious enough to seat more than twenty people.
Fang Han’s gaze swept across the interior. There were over a dozen people in total.
At the head of the carriage sat an old man with white hair and a white beard, dressed in a white robe. His face was gaunt, and he had an elegant, refined air.
His aura was as deep as an abyss yet extremely restrained. This was the Grandmaster he had previously sensed with his Netherworld Guide.
Below the old man sat two middle-aged men and a middle-aged woman, all of whom had profound auras.
Judging by their auras, they were undoubtedly First Grade Martial Artists.
Nine other young men and women sat on either side, all dressed in uniform moon-white martial attire with light cyan wind patterns embroidered on their cuffs.
Fang Han came to a stop and bowed with his hands clasped toward the old man and the three middle-aged adults.
"Junior Fang Han, thank you, Seniors, for allowing me to travel with you."
A hint of a smile appeared in the old man’s turbid yet profound eyes as he waved his hand and said,
"Little Fellow Fang, there’s no need to be so formal."
His voice was aged but full of vigor, carrying the characteristic warmth of an elder.
"At the Martial Arts Assembly, you fought against a First Grade with your Second Grade Cultivation, achieving victory after victory. Your battle in the semifinals was a glorious defeat. Such Talent and strength... the younger generation is truly formidable."
Fang Han said humbly, "You praise me too highly, Senior."
The old man smiled faintly and said no more.
However, the gazes of the nine young men and women in the carriage had long since converged on Fang Han.
Their eyes held curiosity, along with a complex emotion that was hard to describe.
As disciples of an Overlord-level Influence, they were usually arrogant when traveling and rarely gave people from ordinary factions a second glance.
But this young man in the white robe before them forced them to put away their pride.
A semifinalist in the Martial Arts Assembly who, with his Late-Stage Second Grade Cultivation, had unleashed combat power comparable to a Third Breakthrough Martial Artist. Even their Eldest Brother Bai Yan had been defeated by his sword.
He had even defeated Zhen Feixuan, who was at the Middle Stage of First Grade. It was a truly dazzling combat record.
"Brother Fang."
A young man with a heroic air was the first to speak.
"When we first met you at the Ancient Ruins, we knew you were no ordinary person. I never thought that just a year later, you’d make a name for yourself in the Imperial Capital at the Martial Arts Assembly."
Fang Han looked at the vaguely familiar young man and nodded.
"We meet again since parting at the Ancient Ruins."
In fact, this was not the first time he had met them.
They had indeed crossed paths once at the Ancient Ruins.
Another young woman, Xu Qing, chimed in, her voice crisp and filled with irrepressible curiosity,
"Brother Fang, your combat power surpasses your Cultivation by a full six Minor Realms. Could it be that you’ve already cultivated a Low Grade Realm Martial Arts to Perfection?"
Fang Han glanced at Xu Qing. He didn’t hide it, nor could he. "I have indeed cultivated a Low Grade Realm Martial Arts to Perfection," he said.
He said it casually, but everyone present was inwardly astonished to hear it.
Seeing that Fang Han was easy to get along with, the young men and women began chatting with him one after another.
Fang Han answered each of their questions, his replies perfectly measured.
The giant elephant proceeded slowly along the main road.
The seemingly clumsy behemoth covered several dozen feet with each step, so its speed was actually quite fast.
The fields and forests on either side of the road flew backward outside the carriage. The wind howled, but it was completely blocked by the carriage walls.
After traveling together for a few days, Fang Han gradually became familiar with the disciples from the Celestial Essence Sect.
The heroic-looking young man who had spoken first was named Han Lin. He was at the Early Stage of Second Grade and was one of the top True Disciples of the Celestial Essence Sect.
The woman with the crisp voice was named Xu Qing, and she was at the Middle Stage of Second Grade.
The Cultivation of the others was between the Second and Third Grade; all were elites of the Celestial Essence Sect’s younger generation.
Because the Celestial Essence Sect was the undisputed Overlord-level Influence in Celestial Essence County, their ranking within the Sect was also their ranking on the county’s Celestial Pride List.
One afternoon, the giant elephant was passing through a stretch of rolling hills.
Fang Han was chatting with Han Lin, Xu Qing, and the others when he suddenly looked out the carriage window with surprise.
On the distant horizon, the silhouette of a massive complex of buildings was slowly coming into view.
The complex covered a vast area, looking like a small city from a distance.
Soaring towers, sprawling halls, and wide squares cast layer upon layer of shadows under the afternoon sun.
Yet, for all its grandeur, the complex exuded an indescribable, deathly silence.
There was no cooking smoke, no human voices, not even the faintest sign of life.
The flags on the towers had long since rotted away. The cracks between the stone slabs of the square were overgrown with weeds and trees, and tattered cobwebs hung from the eaves of the halls.
It was abandoned.
Such an enormous complex of buildings had been completely deserted.