Jiang Han did not continue killing. He needed to recover his strength and maintain his peak condition to face the bitter battles ahead.
After entering the Twelfth Peak, he found a concealed thicket and activated the Burrowing Technique, diving deep into the earth. He tunneled several hundred meters downward, excavated a massive cavern, and sat cross-legged to rest and meditate inside.
The location was extremely safe. Even if someone discovered the tunnel, who would dare to enter and pursue him? Any movement within the tunnel would create noise, allowing him to easily counterattack or flee.
Jiang Han retrieved a piece of dried meat from his robes. He opened his waterskin and slowly chewed the meat, washing it down with clear water. It was impossible to know what he was thinking.
By now, the area between the Eleventh and Twelfth Peaks was swarming with people.
Not only had Jiang Long and his group arrived, but nearly a hundred martial artists from other clans had gathered as well. The five people who had been intimidated by Jiang Han earlier recounted exactly what they had seen, along with Jiang Han’s final words.
Staring at the corpses of Shi You and his brothers, the eyes of several martial artists began to flicker with uncertainty as thoughts of retreat arose in their hearts.
However, even more people began searching the Twelfth Peak. They refused to believe that, under the siege of so many, Jiang Han could turn the world upside down. Let alone his cultivation being only at the fifth or sixth level of the Purple Mansion Realm, even if he had reached the ninth level, he could not possibly be a match for so many opponents.
And yet…
A group of people quickly scoured the Twelfth, Thirteenth, and even the Fourteenth Peaks, but they couldn’t find a single trace of Jiang Han.
It was as if Jiang Han had vanished from the face of the earth.
…
Du Family Town, Good Fortune Gambling House.
This was the largest gambling house within a hundred li, a property of the Du Clan. It had been open for decades, boasting the finest reputation and the most bustling business.
Today, the gambling house was packed to the brim. No one was in the mood for the usual games; they were all waiting for a single piece of news.
The news of Jiang Han’s death!
Many gamblers had placed bets on Jiang Han dying today, while quite a few had wagered that he could hold out a while longer. They needed to gather the latest information here and wait for the final outcome.
Flap, flap, flap!
A messenger pigeon flew into the building. Countless people in the gambling hall abruptly stood up, staring tensely at the bird. The Good Fortune Gambling House had sent five men to the Heavenly Fox Mountain Range, not to hunt Jiang Han, but solely to relay news back as quickly as possible.
A steward caught the pigeon, untied the letter from its leg, and read it aloud: “Jiang Han appeared at Hundred Ghost Peak, killed Shi You, Shi Qiang, Shi Yun, and Shi Qi, then escaped. At present, the search parties have found no trace of him.” Read the latest chapters at novelping . com.
Whoosh!
The entire hall erupted in an uproar. Countless people cursed out loud, while many others were filled with excitement, unable to stop themselves from cheering for Jiang Han. Those cursing were naturally the gamblers who had bet he would die today; those cheering were, needless to say, the ones who had wagered he would survive.
Soon after, the hall buzzed with discussion.
Shi You and the others were considered fairly notable figures in the nearby villages. How could they have been completely slaughtered by Jiang Han alone? Everyone began to speculate about Jiang Han’s true combat strength.
Previously, when members of the Jiang Clan were killed, the crowd hadn’t paid much attention, assuming the Jiang Clan was exaggerating to inflate Jiang Han’s strength and cover up their own incompetence.
Some suspected Jiang Han was practicing demonic arts, while others claimed Jiang Henshui had left behind some Peerless secret techniques for his son, causing his combat power to skyrocket.
However, most people in the hall believed Jiang Han wouldn’t live much longer. Since he had shown himself, how could he possibly escape the pursuit of over a hundred martial artists?
As they debated, the crowd continued to wait.
Time slipped by amidst their anxious anticipation. An hour later, another pigeon flew in, bringing the latest news from the Heavenly Fox Mountain Range.
Under the expectant gaze of the crowd, the gambling house steward opened the letter. He glanced at it, his face filling with utter disbelief.
Urged on by the crowd, he read aloud: “Jiang Han appeared at Dragon Tooth Peak. He killed three men from the Liu Clan Village and two from the Jiang Clan patrol, then disappeared once more.”
Over a hundred people were hunting Jiang Han. Not only had they failed to kill him, but Jiang Han had claimed another five lives.
The news felt almost fabricated. Even the steward couldn’t quite believe it.
Countless voices of doubt rose from the hall, accompanied by a chorus of loud curses.
Another hour passed.
A third pigeon flew in. This time, a gambler overstepped his bounds, instantly snatching the bird and unrolling the message. He took one look and roared in fury, “Fake! This is fake! Impossible, it’s absolutely impossible! How could a cultivator in the Purple Mansion Realm be this strong? A divine ability? Awakening a divine ability in the Purple Mansion Realm? I refuse to believe it!” Visit novelping dot com for the full chapter.
The steward snatched the letter back and read it aloud: “Jiang Han appeared at Tiantai Peak. He killed Guan Lu, Guan Qiao, Guan Xing, and three from the Ma Clan Village, then vanished quickly. It is suspected he has mastered some sort of earth-escaping divine ability, allowing him to come and go without a trace. Furthermore, he may possess a bizarre divine ability capable of Teleportation, making him extremely deadly in ambushes…”
This time, silence fell over the entire venue. Everyone exchanged looks of dismay. After a long pause, the hall suddenly erupted into an uproar.
Most people doubted the authenticity of the news. Even those who had bet on Jiang Han holding out for a few more days were skeptical. After all, it was entirely unheard of for a cultivator in the Purple Mansion Realm to Awaken a divine ability, let alone Awaken two.
The problem was…
With such a major event, the gambling house’s informants couldn’t possibly be lying. The news could be easily verified. The letter listed the specific names of the deceased. How could that be faked?
The news from the gambling house spread like wildfire. Countless people in Du Family Town received the information, throwing the entire town into a commotion. Crowds surged toward the gambling house, packing it tightly inside and out. They had all come to verify the truth of the reports and await further updates.
Night gradually fell.
Another message was relayed back: Jiang Han had killed four more people, three of whom were members of the Jiang Clan patrols. This time, no one doubted the authenticity of the news.
Everyone was utterly bewildered. How could Jiang Han Awaken a divine ability while only in the Purple Mansion Realm? This completely shattered their understanding of cultivation.
When the sky grew completely dark, seven or eight martial artists returned from the Heavenly Fox Mountain Range. They were the Du Clan martial artists who had gone to hunt Jiang Han. The accurate information they brought back caused the entirety of Du Family Town to boil over in shock.
“Jiang Han isn’t human! He must be practicing demonic arts! He’s gone mad, killing everyone in sight!”
“Jiang Han can burrow into the earth, appearing and disappearing like a ghost. No one dares to chase him underground, but he can easily reach anywhere from beneath the dirt. He also possesses a Teleportation divine ability! His power is comparable to the ninth level of the Purple Mansion Realm. Caught in an ambush, no one can withstand a single blow from him…”
“Everyone has retreated from the Heavenly Fox Mountain Range. Staying there would just mean being picked off by Jiang Han one by one. He’s too strong! In the wild, no one in the Purple Mansion Realm can match him!”
“Unless a Profound Nether Realm expert makes a move, any Purple Mansion Realm cultivator who goes after him is just courting death. Jiang Han is too ruthless. He slaughters people like butchering chickens, felling them with a single strike!”
It wasn’t just Du Family Town. Nearby places like Guan Family Town and Wang Family Town had all received the news as well.
In every large town and every village, countless people gathered together. Some discussed the details of the day’s battles in the Heavenly Fox Mountain Range, some speculated whether Jiang Han had Awakened a Bloodline Divine Ability, and others debated whether they should continue hunting him tomorrow…
That night, Jiang Han’s name resounded across dozens of towns and villages. In a single day, he had slaughtered nineteen people.
The Jiang Clan youth had forged his fame in a single battle!