Led by Jiang Long and Jiang Shi, thirty members of the Jiang Family's Hunting Squad braved the rain, leaving Jiangjia Town to begin their search for Jiang Han.
They didn't rush into the mountains. The Tianhu Mountain Range was extremely dangerous at night, and they believed Jiang Han wasn't bold enough to risk being besieged by countless demonic beasts to spend the night there.
Using the ruined temple as their center, they fanned out to search. Jiang Long and Jiang Shi divided their men into three groups, each carrying Signal Flares. If any group found Jiang Han, they were to fire a flare immediately, and the others would quickly provide backup.
The torrential rain fell all night, and Jiang Long, Jiang Shi, and their men searched all night, but they found nothing.
The downpour had washed away all of Jiang Han's tracks, and with the poor visibility at night, it was impossible for them to find any trace of him.
The next day, wanted posters with Jiang Han's portrait were posted in all the nearby villages and towns. The moment the posters went up, the major families in the area were thrown into an uproar...
As expected, warriors from many families were spurred into action. Five hundred Xuan Stones was no small sum—enough to purchase a decent Mystic Device or several high-quality medicinal pills.
Most importantly, the poster stated that Jiang Han was only at the Purple Mansion 5th Level, though he cultivated demonic arts and possessed some strange demonic techniques. This tempted many. He was merely at the Purple Mansion 5th Level; even with a few tricks up his sleeve, how strong could he possibly be? After all, even hunting a powerful 2nd Tier Demonic Beast wouldn't fetch five hundred Xuan Stones.
Jiang Han was worth more than a 2nd Tier Demonic Beast.
In no time, the wilderness, the outskirts of the Tianhu Mountain Range, and other potential hiding spots were swarming with warriors. A conservative estimate put the number of people from nearby villages and towns searching for Jiang Han at over a hundred.
Half a day later, explosive news began to spread: Jiang Han had killed five members of the Jiang Family. But most shocking of all was the revelation that his father was none other than Jiang Henshui.
Who was Jiang Henshui?
He was a figure who had overshadowed an entire generation of the surrounding families. If he hadn't disappeared, he would likely have become a high-ranking figure in Yunmeng Pavilion, perhaps even an elder.
But... how could Jiang Henshui's son be so audacious? Daring to slaughter his own kin? And Jiang Xiaotian was just as bold, issuing a kill order without hesitation. Wasn't he afraid that Jiang Henshui might not be dead? What if he returned to Jiangjia Town and tore him limb from limb?
The town's Gambling Houses had already opened betting pools on how many days Jiang Han could survive. The odds were heavily stacked against him, favoring his death within three days. Of course, if he managed to survive for half a month, the payout was a staggering one hundred to one.
No one believed in Jiang Han's chances, not even as Jiang Henshui's son.
With the Jiang Family dispatching thirty warriors and over a hundred others joining the manhunt, surviving for three days was considered his absolute limit.
Something astonishing happened. Despite so many people searching for a full day, all they found were the bodies of Jiang Hu and Jiang Bao. Jiang Han himself had vanished as if he had evaporated into thin air.
The terrain around Jiangjia Town was quite unique. It was like a massive valley enclosed by mountains on three sides. The dozens of villages and towns under Yunmeng Pavilion's influence were all effectively encircled by the Tianhu Mountain Range.
If Jiang Han wanted to escape the region, he had only two options. The first was to traverse dozens of villages and towns to leave through the single "valley mouth." The second was to enter the Tianhu Mountain Range and cross it to reach the territory of another major power.
The first path was clearly impossible. It would take at least two days for him to cross so many towns unnoticed, a feat he could never accomplish.
The second path was even more difficult. To cross the Tianhu Mountain Range, he would have to traverse several high peaks teeming with 2nd and 3rd Tier Demonic Beasts. With his current strength, entering would be a death sentence.
Therefore, Jiang Han had to be hiding somewhere, holed up in some forgotten nook or cranny.
"Hang in there, little Jiang Han!"
In many a Gambling House, bettors were silently praying for him. They had all placed bets on him surviving for more than three days, and some had even wagered on him lasting half a month.
The longer he survived, the more they stood to win.
...
Jiang Han hadn't gone far. He couldn't go far, because Jiang Li was still in Jiangjia Town.
He was hiding in a place unknown to anyone else, a secret spot known only to him and Jiang Li.
The place was near Jiangjia Town, only seven or eight li away. He was hiding in a cave behind a small waterfall, a spot he had stumbled upon by chance a few years ago while playing nearby with Jiang Li.
Jiang Han was not foolish; on the contrary, he was quite clever. He knew that the deaths of Jiang Hu and the others would enrage Jiang Xiaotian. The Jiang Family would certainly send people to hunt him down. He just hadn't anticipated that Jiang Xiaotian would post a public bounty, drawing warriors from all the surrounding villages and towns into the manhunt.
At that moment, Jiang Han was holed up in the small cave behind the waterfall, sitting cross-legged in cultivation.
Beside him lay several bottles and jars, all taken from the bodies of Jiang Hu, Jiang Xiong, and the others. There were healing salves, pills to aid his cultivation, and even... a vial of aphrodisiacs.
Jiang Han had initially planned to hide here for a day or two. But after taking stock of his spoils, he decided to enter seclusion for four days. He had plenty of dry rations, so food and water were not an issue.
Han Shiqi wouldn't arrive for another twelve days. He still had time.
He knew he would only get one chance to rescue Jiang Li. He couldn't afford to act recklessly; he had to plan everything meticulously.
Ever since their parents disappeared, he and his sister had been left helpless and alone. Just getting by day to day was a struggle; cultivating with medicinal pills was a luxury they couldn't even dream of. Follow the newest chapters on novelping.com.
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Jiang Hu and his cronies, backed by a powerful patron, never had to worry about resources. They had actually been carrying five bottles of pills. Jiang Han had been at the Purple Mansion 5th Level for a while now. With the aid of these pills, he was confident he could break through to Purple Mansion 6th Level, which would greatly increase his chances of rescuing Jiang Li.
The human cultivation system across the lands of Jiuzhou was largely the same. It revolved around opening the nine great hidden troves within the body. Opening each trove was equivalent to breaking through to a new major realm.
Purple Mansion, Mystic Void, Mountain and Sea, Reincarnation, Heavenly Being, Void Break, Earth Immortal, Divine Descent, and Immortal!
After opening a hidden trove, a warrior needed to construct a nine-layered Divine Altar within it. This not only stabilized the trove but also allowed for the accumulation of vast amounts of Mystic Power, thereby strengthening the body and granting immense combat prowess.
The construction of each layer of the Divine Altar represented a breakthrough to a new minor level.
Jiang Han had already opened his Purple Mansion trove and constructed a five-layered Divine Altar. Now, he needed to cultivate his Mystic Power and build the sixth layer. Once that was complete, he would reach the Purple Mansion 6th Level.
As he refined the pills one by one, the Mystic Power within him steadily grew. Atop the five-layered Divine Altar inside his Purple Mansion trove, the sixth layer slowly began to take shape.
Time flew by.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Throughout this time, Jiang Han never once stepped out of the cave. People passed by the area occasionally, but they only gave the waterfall a cursory glance before hurrying on their way.
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Han's eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing within them as a smile spread across his face.
After three days and nights of arduous cultivation, fueled by five bottles of pills, Jiang Han had finally constructed another layer of his Divine Altar, breaking through to the Purple Mansion 6th Level.
"I'll head out tonight!"
Jiang Han reckoned that after three days, the intensity of the search would have died down. It was time to enter the mountains again.
He was going to hunt the third demonic beast for the Heavenly Beast Cauldron—the Earth Dragon Beast.
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