"Something's wrong—"
A moment later, Jiang Han's body shuddered violently, a look on his face as if he'd seen a ghost!
A bronze cauldron had suddenly appeared in his mind. Its shape was identical to the vanished cauldron-shaped jade pendant, with three legs and two ears.
In his mind, the bronze cauldron emanated an ancient, majestic aura, as if it had weathered endless ages. Jiang Han could even clearly see the over twenty lifelike demonic beasts carved into its side.
The beasts seemed alive, each one baring its fangs and glaring fiercely, as if ready to devour someone.
Heavenly Beast Cauldron.
Three large, flamboyant characters were carved on the cauldron's outer wall, written in a free and elegant script, as powerful as startled dragons.
Along with the bronze cauldron's appearance, a piece of information inexplicably surfaced in Jiang Han's mind—slay the demonic beasts depicted on the Heavenly Beast Cauldron and refine ten drops of their essence blood to awaken that beast's bloodline Divine Ability.
This was a rare treasure!
Jiang Han's breathing quickened. He had seen plenty of demonic beasts; the Tianhu Mountain Range north of Jiangjia Town was teeming with them.
To be called a demonic beast meant it possessed a bloodline Divine Ability. For example, some could secrete poison, some could discharge electricity, some could breathe fire, and some could spray water…
Some powerful demonic beasts could even kill an expert like the Third Elder, a Mystic Void Realm cultivator, with a single breath.
Of course, it wasn't just demonic beasts that possessed bloodline Divine Abilities. On the Jiuzhou Continent, nearly every cultivator could awaken one. These Divine Abilities were the primary means of combat for all cultivators.
As their cultivation realm advanced, many cultivators could awaken multiple Divine Abilities.
It was said that the patriarch of the Jiang Clan possessed the Divine Ability "Blazing Body," and the Great Elder had "Thorny Growth."
However, Jiang Han had never heard of anyone in the Zi Fu Realm awakening a Divine Ability. The minimum requirement was reaching the Mystic Void Realm.
And now, with the Heavenly Beast Cauldron, he could directly awaken the bloodline Divine Abilities of demonic beasts?
Most importantly—there were twenty-seven demonic beasts on the Heavenly Beast Cauldron. Didn't that mean he had the chance to possess twenty-seven Divine Abilities?
Wasn't this… a bit too heaven-defying?
Silver-horned Rhinoceros, Phantom Mouse, Earth Dragon Beast!
Jiang Han examined them carefully and found that he only recognized three of the twenty-seven demonic beasts.
There were many of these three types in the nearby Tianhu Mountain Range. They were all first-rank demonic beasts. He hadn't had the chance to learn about stronger beasts, as any encounter would have meant certain death.
"I'll go to the mountains tomorrow morning and see if it's real!"
He suppressed the urge to leave immediately. Night was about to fall, and with his strength, entering the mountains after dark was asking for trouble.
That night!
Jiang Han tossed and turned, barely sleeping a wink. First, he was worried about Jiang Li. Second, he was thinking about the Heavenly Beast Cauldron. And third, he was analyzing his current situation and planning his next steps.
The next day.
Jiang Han rose before dawn, stir-fried some leftover rice to fill his stomach, then took all his family's savings and hurried out.
He first bought eleven Tianxiang Fruits and a type of medicinal herb from a shop in town, then left Jiangjia Town without a backward glance and headed for the Tianhu Mountain Range to the north.
…
"Big Brother!"
Not long after Jiang Han left town, a short, stocky youth arrived at the courtyard where Jiang Li was being held. He sidled up to Jiang Long and said, "I just saw Jiang Han leave town for the Tianhu Mountain Range. He also bought eleven Tianxiang Fruits from Uncle Zheng at the shop."
The short, stocky youth was Jiang Hu, Jiang Long's younger brother.
One brother was tall and thin, the other short and stout; they looked nothing like siblings.
Many in town even whispered that their mother had been a seductive beauty in her youth, and not entirely faithful…
Hearing Jiang Hu's words, Jiang Long frowned, asking in surprise and suspicion, "What's Jiang Han doing in the Tianhu Mountain Range? Tianxiang Fruits? Is he trying to lure and kill a Silver-horned Rhinoceros?"
Tianxiang Fruits were expensive, one Xuan Stone each. Jiang Han's family had not been well-off since his parents' disappearance. Eleven Xuan Stones were likely all he had. Tianxiang Fruits were delicious but offered little benefit for cultivation. Their main use was to bait Silver-horned Rhinoceroses.
The Silver-horned Rhinoceros was a first-rank demonic beast with the bloodline Divine Ability "Berserk Power." When activated, its strength increased fivefold, enough to shatter a tree that took three people to encircle. It was exceptionally ferocious.
However, the rhinoceros had a fatal weakness: its love for Tianxiang Fruits. By lacing the fruit with a sedative, one could easily lure and kill it.
The materials from a Silver-horned Rhinoceros weren't very valuable, worth about the same as the Tianxiang Fruits used to catch it. Therefore, nearby cultivators rarely hunted them. It was a thankless task, and a moment's carelessness could lead to injury.
Jiang Han leaving town at the crack of dawn and spending all his savings on eleven Tianxiang Fruits? This behavior was so strange that Jiang Long couldn't help but be suspicious.
"Alright!"
Jiang Long thought for a moment, feeling uneasy. He said to Jiang Hu, "You take Jiang Bao and follow him. If Jiang Han does anything unusual, capture him and bring him back. Don't ruin Third Uncle's important business. If we can please Lord Han this time, I might get recruited into the Yunmeng Pavilion. Then, endless glory and wealth will be ours, and you'll all benefit!"
"Bring him back for what?"
Jiang Hu rubbed the coarse flesh on his face, a vicious glint in his eyes. "The Tianhu Mountain Range is so far away. Why don't we… just kill him and be done with it? Big Brother, have you forgotten how his father suppressed our branch of the family back then?"
"If it weren't for his father, Grandfather wouldn't have risked going into the mountains and getting killed by a demonic beast. If we kill him in the wild and feed him to the beasts, who can prove we did it? Besides, the Great Elder is about to die. No one else will bother with this!"
Jiang Long's eyes flickered. He pondered for a moment and didn't object, only cautioning, "Just be careful. You hunt geese all day, don't let one peck your eye out."
"Him?"
Jiang Hu said with a disdainful look, "Jiang Bao and I are both at the sixth level of the Zi Fu Realm. He's just a fifth-level piece of trash. Either of us could crush him easily. Don't worry, Big Brother. This time next year will be the anniversary of his death!"
Jiang Hu grabbed his sword and left in a hurry. Jiang Long didn't give it much more thought.
This world was full of demonic beasts, and every year, many people in Jiangjia Town were killed by them. In any case, the Great Elder, the only one in the family who cared about Jiang Han, was about to die. No one would investigate the matter.
…
At this moment, Jiang Han had already entered the Tianhu Mountain Range. Jiang Long hadn't guessed wrong; he was indeed here to lure and kill a Silver-horned Rhinoceros.
He had spent all his family's savings for this one last gamble!
He was betting that the Heavenly Beast Cauldron was a rare treasure that could grant him the bloodline Divine Abilities of demonic beasts. If he could obtain a Divine Ability, his combat power would soar.
He had to increase his combat power to the level of a ninth-level Zi Fu Realm cultivator within half a month. Only then would he have a chance to escape Jiangjia Town with Jiang Li.
They couldn't stay in Jiangjia Town any longer. If they didn't leave, the Third Elder would surely be the death of them.
The Tianhu Mountain Range was vast and boundless, said to have five hundred peaks and three hundred valleys. Legend told of a celestial fox living in its deepest reaches, capable of taking human form and possessing immense power.
Jiang Han only dared to venture among the seven or eight outermost peaks. He was only at the fifth level of the Zi Fu Realm; if he encountered a powerful first-rank demonic beast, his only option was to flee. Only cultivators at the eighth or ninth level of the Zi Fu Realm could kill such powerful first-rank beasts.
Jiang Han cautiously made his way to Blackhead Peak, remembering that Silver-horned Rhinoceroses had been spotted here before.
He took out a wooden box from his robes, removed a Tianxiang Fruit, and carefully coated it with a green liquid. He then placed the fruit in a chosen spot and quickly climbed a nearby tree.
Hrumph—Hrumph—
After only a stick of incense's time, a huge rhinoceros came charging over. The rhinoceros had three silver horns on its head and a massive body, as stout as an elephant.
The Silver-horned Rhinoceros made a beeline for the Tianxiang Fruit, swallowed it in one gulp, and then continued to root around the area, as if searching for more.
Thud!
The sedative on the fruit was potent. Half a stick of incense later, the Silver-horned Rhinoceros collapsed.
Jiang Han's eyes lit up from his perch in the tree. After scanning the area to ensure no other beasts were nearby, he leaped down. He raised his blade and hacked fiercely at the rhinoceros's neck until it was dead.
Next, he quickly dug out the Silver-horned Rhinoceros's Inner Core. Slicing it open with his blade, he found a drop of dark golden blood inside—the rhinoceros's origin essence blood.
Jiang Han circulated his Mystic Power, enveloping the essence blood and rapidly refining it.
"It's working!"
Jiang Han's heart trembled. He noticed the color of the Silver-horned Rhinoceros's image on the Heavenly Beast Cauldron had deepened, as if it were about to come to life.
"Good, good, good!"
His heart pounded with excitement, and he clenched his fists tightly.
There were many more Silver-horned Rhinoceroses on Blackhead Peak. With any luck, he could kill ten of them in half a day at most. Then, he would obtain the Silver-horned Rhinoceros's bloodline Divine Ability, "Berserk Power."
He had to hurry!
Jiang Han left quickly. The scent of blood would attract other demonic beasts, and he had no time to get entangled with them.
Half a day later.
After killing another Silver-horned Rhinoceros and taking its Inner Core, Jiang Han was incredibly excited.
He had already refined nine drops of essence blood. Each time, the image of the Silver-horned Rhinoceros on the Heavenly Beast Cauldron had changed, growing more and more vivid. Now, he could finally refine the last drop.
"Refine!"
Without any hesitation, Jiang Han chose to refine the essence blood immediately. A few breaths later, the Heavenly Beast Cauldron in his mind suddenly trembled, emitting a dazzling golden light.
Even more astonishing, the image of the Silver-horned Rhinoceros flew off the cauldron's wall, rapidly solidified into a physical form, and then transformed into a wisp of green smoke that merged into Jiang Han's mind.
At the same time, streams of strange energy surged from the Heavenly Beast Cauldron, sweeping through Jiang Han's entire body.
Jiang Han stood motionless with his eyes closed, feeling the subtle changes in his flesh, bones, and meridians.
Rustle, rustle—
A moment later, the sound of soft footsteps broke the silence of the forest as two figures emerged from the bushes.
The one in the lead was short and stout, his face covered in coarse flesh.
Who else could it be but Jiang Hu?
Proofreader: Peter Pan