Jiang Han’s reappearance-and his slaughter of two more Jiang Clan members-left him trapped on the mountain.
As the Jiang Clan actively spread the news, over a hundred people quickly swarmed the area.
They had spent three days searching to no avail and were naturally frustrated. Now that Jiang Han had finally shown himself, they all wanted to try their luck. Even if they couldn’t land the killing blow, watching him die would vent their anger.
Having witnessed Jiang Han’s bizarre divine ability last night, Jiang Long felt a lingering wariness. Regardless, his only goal was Jiang Han’s death; who claimed the kill mattered little.
“Into the mountains!”
Once the hundred-odd outsider martial artists entered the peaks, Jiang Long exchanged a nod with Jiang Shi. The two led their respective groups into the mountains to begin the hunt.
……
Last night, Jiang Han had located a cave in his memories on the Fifth Peak. After sealing the entrance with a massive boulder, he spent the entire night meditating and cultivating.
He set out before dawn, heading straight for the Ninth Peak.
He only needed to hunt down three more Earth Dragon Beasts. Once he did, he could Awaken his third Bloodline Divine Ability.
Jiang Han knew today would be incredibly dangerous. He had no idea how many pursuers were flooding the mountains, but the paths down were undoubtedly sealed. His only chance of survival lay in increasing his combat strength.
Upon reaching the Ninth Peak, he searched for Earth Dragon Beasts without a moment’s rest. Unfortunately, he found none. Instead, he encountered several other types of Demon Beasts. Having no other choice, he merely injured them and swiftly retreated.
Nearly an hour later, he finally succeeded in hunting an Earth Dragon Beast on the Tenth Peak. Another hour after that, he claimed his second.
If Jiang Han could have taken to the skies at that moment, he would have realized that the First Peak all the way to the Sixth Peak was crawling with martial artists hunting him.
Truthfully…
Some of these martial artists were only at the third or fourth level of the Purple Mansion Realm. They had mingled into the large crowd purely to watch the spectacle.
The twenty-eight members of the Jiang Clan’s hunting patrol were split into seven teams of four. Their search was the most meticulous, leaving not a single corner unchecked.
With so many cultivators entering the mountains, the local Demon Beasts were naturally disturbed. Battles broke out across multiple areas. However, the outer perimeter beasts possessed very low combat strength; they were mostly injured and driven off, or simply slaughtered.
Half a day passed. The vanguard team of the Jiang Clan patrol reached the Eighth Peak.
There, they discovered the carcass of an Earth Dragon Beast. It was the one Jiang Han had slain the previous night. Though scavenged by other Demon Beasts, the deep blade marks from Jiang Han’s attacks remained clear. This beast had not been dead for long. Jiang Han was likely nearby. This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
Dispatching one person back to relay the news, the rest pressed the search. Moments later, they uncovered another Earth Dragon Beast corpse. Tracking the trail up the Ninth and Tenth Peaks, they discovered several more carcasses.
“This Earth Dragon Beast just died! Jiang Han is close! Fire the signal flare!”
On the Tenth Peak, they stumbled upon the Earth Dragon Beast Jiang Han had just recently killed. This discovery greatly excited the Jiang Clan members. They immediately launched a signal flare. A streak of fire shot into the heavens, exploding in midair.
“A signal flare! On the Tenth Peak!”
“Hurry, to the Tenth Peak…”
“They found Jiang Han! Move, move! I’m going to hack him to pieces!”
The Jiang Clan cultivators scouring the other peaks, along with the roaming martial artists, instantly swarmed toward the Tenth Peak.
“A signal flare?”
At that moment, Jiang Han spotted the flare from the Eleventh Peak. His expression darkened, extreme urgency gripping his heart.
The enemy was practically breathing down his neck, yet he had only hunted nine Earth Dragon Beasts. Just one remained. His pursuers would soon overrun this peak, leaving him no route of escape.
“Keep going deeper!”
Gritting his teeth, Jiang Han dashed off the Eleventh Peak and sprinted wildly toward the Twelfth.
He knew the depths of the Heavenly Fox Mountain Range were extremely lethal. Pushing further in drastically increased the odds of encountering second-rank Demon Beasts. A second-rank Demon Beast possessed combat strength rivaling the Profound Nether Realm. If he ran into one, it meant certain death.
Bang!
Not long after he set foot on the Twelfth Peak, the earth suddenly exploded. A massive Demon Beast unhinged its bloody maw and lunged viciously at Jiang Han.
Seeing this Earth Dragon Beast, Jiang Han almost wept tears of joy. He had finally found his tenth target.
“Die!”
He instantly unleashed both of his divine abilities, dispatching the Earth Dragon Beast with ruthless speed. Ignoring his surroundings, he immediately cracked open the beast’s inner core and refined its Source Essence Blood. This chapter was copied from NovelPing without permission.
“Burrowing Technique!”
After digesting the information surging into his mind, wild ecstasy washed over Jiang Han’s face. Just as he had guessed, refining the Earth Dragon Beast’s essence blood Awakened a divine ability that allowed him to travel underground.
“Hahaha!”
Jiang Han laughed aloud, the heavy tension that had suffocated his heart finally easing.
This divine ability didn’t seem suited for combat-it provided no boosts to his strength, speed, or attack power. Yet, for his current situation, it was vastly superior to any offensive skill.
This was an unparalleled divine ability for escaping and executing sneak attacks. With it in his arsenal, his odds of survival skyrocketed.
“Let’s test it.”
Jiang Han activated the Burrowing Technique. His hands erupted in dark yellow light, and strange streams of energy coiled around his ten fingers as he plunged them into the earth.
“Incredible!”
A shocking scene unfolded before his eyes. The moment his hands touched the soil, the packed earth offered no more resistance than wet paper, instantly crumbling into fine powder.
His hands moved in a blur. Following the tunnel he carved, his body vanished into the earth. Traveling underground felt as effortless as walking on flat ground.
Half an incense stick of time later, a hole suddenly opened in the steep cliffside of the Twelfth Peak. Jiang Han’s figure shot out, landing firmly atop a massive boulder.
Unfortunately…
At that exact moment, four martial artists were descending from the Eleventh Peak, heading straight for the Twelfth. The two sides locked eyes across a distance of several hundred feet.
“Jiang Han!”
“It’s him! He looks exactly like the portrait!”
“Kill him! Five hundred Profound Stones are ours! Hurry, don’t let him get away!”
The four men instantly began shouting. Jiang Han swept his gaze over them. They were unfamiliar faces, clearly not members of the Jiang Clan. This time, he didn’t flee. Staring coldly at the four charging men, he slowly drew the war blade from his back.
“Five hundred Profound Stones?”
Jiang Han faintly guessed what had happened. His voice was freezing as he said, “I have no grudge against you. But if you want to kill me for Profound Stones, then don’t blame me for being ruthless. Today… I will make the Heavenly Fox Mountain Range flow with rivers of blood and blanket it with corpses!”