Of the three Tier-One demonic beasts on the Heavenly Beast Cauldron, only the Earth Dragon Beast remained. Jiang Han wasn't very familiar with this creature; he had only ever seen one from a distance.
In fact, it wasn't just him; the warriors from the nearby villages and towns rarely hunted Earth Dragon Beasts either. They were extremely dangerous, lurking deep underground for long periods before suddenly ambushing their prey.
Jiang Han brought his body and mind to their peak condition and set out after nightfall.
Under the cover of night, he cautiously made his way toward the Tianhu Mountain Range. At the slightest stir, he would halt and observe his surroundings carefully, only moving on once he was certain it was safe.
Over an hour later, he reached the foot of the Tianhu Mountain Range. Instead of entering the mountains, he found an ancient tree, climbed up, and secured himself with vines to rest.
At the crack of dawn, Jiang Han woke and observed his surroundings for a good while before cautiously making his way to the Seventh Peak, Twin Camel Peak.
He was extremely cautious on his journey, immediately detouring around any demonic beast he found and leaving no trace of his passage. He couldn't risk exposing his location until he had hunted ten Earth Dragon Beasts and obtained his third bloodline Divine Ability.
He reached Twin Camel Peak without incident and began his search for Earth Dragon Beasts. Unfortunately, these creatures spent their years hidden underground. After an hour of fruitless searching, he had only managed to run into two other types of Tier-One demonic beasts.
His only option was to head for the Eighth Peak.
Moments after he entered the Eighth Peak, the ground before him suddenly erupted. A colossal, crocodile-like beast covered in black scales burst from the earth, its gaping maw snapping viciously at him.
"An Earth Dragon Beast!"
Jiang Han had remained on high alert, so instead of being alarmed, he was delighted. He instantly activated his Phantom Shift Divine Ability, his form reappearing behind the creature. Channeling his Berserk Power, he brought his blade down hard on the beast's neck.
*Bang!*
The sheer force of the blow sent the Earth Dragon Beast flying. A deep gash was carved into its neck, from which yellow blood slowly trickled. It wasn't dead. Instead, it rolled twice on the ground, its claws glowing with a red light as it prepared to burrow back into the earth.
*Whoosh!*
He wasn't about to let his prize escape. Jiang Han shot forward, grabbed the beast's tail with one hand, and with a powerful tug, flung it into the air. His long blade swung down once more.
*Boom!*
This time, the Earth Dragon Beast couldn't take it. It crashed to the ground, convulsed for a moment, and then died.
"Excellent!"
Jiang Han was overjoyed. He had finally hunted his first Earth Dragon Beast. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
After quickly extracting the Inner Core and refining the Earth Dragon Beast's blood essence, Jiang Han tossed the carcass into a nearby ravine.
Despite searching the entire Eighth Peak, Jiang Han only managed to find three more Earth Dragon Beasts.
After a brief rest to recover his stamina, Jiang Han had no choice but to head for the Ninth Peak.
As luck would have it, he found more Earth Dragon Beasts on the Ninth Peak—and quite a few of them. By dusk, he had already hunted seven.
"Tomorrow should be enough!" Jiang Han glanced at the sky and decided to head down the mountain.
He didn't plan to return to the cave behind the waterfall, but he didn't dare spend the night on the mountain either. Many demonic beasts preferred to lie low during the day and hunt at night.
He planned to find a large tree at the foot of the mountain and make do for the night. It was much safer there; any demonic beasts would be low-level and pose little threat.
Night was falling fast. He figured the search parties must have already gone down the mountain, so he hurried toward the base.
"Who's there?"
As he reached the Second Peak, a deep shout suddenly rang out from ahead. Jiang Han's gaze shot over like a bolt of lightning just as two figures emerged from the bushes.
In the dim moonlight, he could vaguely make out their faces, and his heart sank. He recognized them—they were members of the Jiang Clan.
"Jiang Han!" one of them roared, his face alight with wild joy as he charged forward. The other man held back, instead quickly producing a Signal Flare. He yanked off the cap, and a brilliant light shot skyward, exploding in mid-air and illuminating half the night sky.
"Damn it!"
Jiang Han's heart plummeted. The Jiang Clan members searching nearby would be on him in moments. If he wasn't careful, this night would be his last.
*Whoosh!*
Seeing that the charging clansman wasn't from Jiang Xiaotian's faction, Jiang Han shouted, "We're from the same clan! I don't want to kill you. Don't force my hand!"
"Force you?" A savage grin spread across the man's face. "You cultivate demonic arts and slaughter your own kin," he sneered. "Your crimes are unforgivable! The Third Elder has already ordered your name struck from the clan registry. As of today, you are no longer a member of the Jiang Clan. You are our sworn enemy. Now die!" This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
His long blade whistled through the air, slashing down at Jiang Han.
Jiang Han didn't waste any more breath. If the Jiang Clan saw him as a sworn enemy, there was nothing left to say.
*Hum!*
Just as the long blade was about to connect, Jiang Han's body glowed faintly. He instantly activated his Phantom Shift Divine Ability, his figure appearing behind the man while an afterimage remained in his place.
The man, unaware that Jiang Han was already behind him, continued his attack. Jiang Han's long blade left its sheath. With a flash of cold light, the man's head flew into the air, and he was killed instantly.
"Urk..."
The second man, having just fired the Signal Flare, was charging forward with a spear. He arrived just in time to witness Jiang Han decapitate his companion, and he trembled in fear.
As he hesitated, debating whether to fight or flee, Jiang Han had already turned and was hurtling toward him.
"Run—"
Staring into Jiang Han's eyes, as cold and feral as a beast's, the man was terrified and turned to flee.
But in the next instant, a figure flickered into existence before him.
*Bang!*
Jiang Han's blade shattered his skull, killing him instantly.
"Over here!"
"Quick, hurry! Don't let Jiang Han escape!"
From the distance came a chorus of shouts. Jiang Han could see countless torches converging on him like fiery dragons, weaving an inescapable net to trap and kill him.
"Bring it on!" The killing intent in Jiang Han's eyes flared. He roared, "I do not strike unless struck! Anyone who dares to hunt me, Jiang Han, had better be prepared to die! Don't say I didn't warn you!"
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