Jiang Han was focused entirely on the pursuit, but his speed gradually began to slow.
The Power of Frenzy divine ability could only be sustained for the time it took an incense stick to burn. After that limit was reached, a wave of weakness washed over his body, forcing him to halt his steps.
Watching Jiang Hou’s blurry figure fade into the distance, Jiang Han’s expression turned incredibly grim.
Letting one escape meant his actions would be completely exposed.
He felt no burden in his heart over killing Jiang Xiong and the other two. From the exact moment he struck down Jiang Hu and Jiang Bao, he had positioned himself in direct opposition to the Third Elder’s branch, and even the entire Jiang Clan.
This was merely the beginning. Countless fierce battles lay ahead, and any trace of soft-heartedness would only lead him to eternal damnation.
“Move!” he muttered. After resting for a brief moment, he decisively turned and sprinted into the distance.
He knew the clan’s experts would arrive shortly; he could not linger. His only option was to find a safe place to lay low, evade the pursuit, and find a way to rapidly increase his combat strength.
Although the Power of Frenzy and Phantom Shift had sent his combat prowess soaring, he was fully aware of his limits. With his current strength, he might have a chance to ambush and kill two or three high-level Purple Mansion Realm cultivators.
If he were besieged by seven or eight high-level Purple Mansion Realm experts, he would undoubtedly die. If he encountered a Profound Nether Realm cultivator, he estimated he would be obliterated in a single strike.
Rumble!
Thunder and lightning tore through the sky, and soon, a torrential downpour cascaded from the heavens.
Jiang Han dashed frantically through the rainy night. The downpour soaked his hair and robes, leaving him looking thoroughly wretched, like a homeless stray dog.
…
After Jiang Hou returned, Jiang Long quickly led a squad of men straight to the ruined temple.
When the corpses of Jiang Xiong, Jiang Xie, and Jiang She were brought back to the Jiang Clan Ancestral Hall, the entire clan erupted into an uproar. The hall was packed inside and out. Several women clung to the bodies, wailing bitterly, their curses and furious shouts rising one after another.
At this loud shout, the clamor in the ancestral hall came to an abrupt halt.
The crowd outside parted, and Jiang Xiaotian strode in, his face as dark as stagnant water. The moment he entered, the wailing women on the floor swarmed him, crying loudly and begging him to avenge Jiang Xiong and the others.
“Silence, all of you!”
Jiang Xiaotian roared furiously, plunging the ancestral hall back into quiet. He inspected the corpses, then turned a chilling gaze upon Jiang Hou. “Jiang Han is merely at the fifth level of the Purple Mansion Realm. How could he kill Jiang Xiong and the other two? Explain yourself in detail. Do not leave out a single thing.”
Under Jiang Xiaotian’s vicious glare, Jiang Hou trembled and began to recount the events.
He twisted the truth slightly, claiming that Jiang Hu and Jiang Bao had gone missing, and while searching for them, they had discovered Jiang Han acting suspiciously. The four had simply asked Jiang Han if he had seen the missing brothers, but without a single word, Jiang Han had decided to go on a killing spree. If he hadn’t run fast enough, he would have been killed as well.
Jiang Han’s two divine abilities were painted by Jiang Hou as demonic arts and evil techniques, especially the Phantom Shift, which he described as incomprehensibly bizarre…
A dead silence fell over the ancestral hall after he finished. Countless Jiang clan members exchanged bewildered glances. A singular thought surfaced in the minds of the older generation: Could the Jiang Clan be producing another peerless genius?
Back in his day, Jiang Han’s father, Jiang Henshui, had risen to prominence just as abruptly. His combat strength had soared, suppressing all his peers, until no one among the younger generation within a hundred miles dared to challenge him.
A tiger father begets no dog son!
Even though Jiang Hou slandered Jiang Han for practicing demonic arts and evil techniques, many clan members remained unconvinced.
Demonic arts and evil techniques only existed in legends; they were methods cultivated by the Demon and Monster Races. How could a human practice them? With Jiang Han’s combat strength exploding so suddenly, many naturally thought of Jiang Henshui, assuming this was some supreme technique left behind for his son.
“Strength comparable to the ninth level of the Purple Mansion Realm? And he can teleport? Leaving an afterimage in his wake? Could it be… a Bloodline Divine Ability?”
Jiang Xiaotian muttered softly, his expression shifting continuously.A deep, intense dread flickered in the depths of his eyes. He, too, was reminded of Jiang Henshui, the man who had once suffocated him and all his peers beneath his shadow.
Jiang Henshui had vanished, but his son was just as monstrous. Rising out of nowhere, his combat strength skyrocketing, he had effortlessly swept away four martial artists of a higher cultivation realm.
Jiang Han was only sixteen. Given a few more years, he would likely become a second Jiang Henshui.
Furthermore, Jiang Han was far more ruthless than his father. Jiang Henshui had clashed with their branch many times, but he had never taken a life, at most inflicting severe injuries. The scar on Jiang Xiaotian’s own face had been left by Jiang Henshui.
Jiang Han was different. He had killed three men the moment he struck. Jiang Hu and Jiang Bao were still missing, neither alive nor dead; it was highly probable he had killed them as well.
If Jiang Han were allowed to grow, their entire branch would likely be slaughtered to the last man… Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
A profound wave of terror surged from within Jiang Xiaotian. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. Casting aside all hesitation, he bellowed, “Jiang Han cultivates demonic arts and slaughters his own kin. His crimes are unforgivable! Jiang Long, Jiang Shi, each of you will lead a hunting patrol and set out immediately. If you encounter Jiang Han, execute him on the spot. Bring his corpse back to be exposed to the elements for ten days, to uphold the clan laws!”
“Understood!”
Jiang Long and a middle-aged man cupped their fists in obedience. Jiang Long had been itching for action for a long time; the moment the order was given, he dashed out to rally his men and hunt down Jiang Han.
Aside from the Elder Hall, the Jiang Clan maintained a hunting patrol, divided into four teams, totaling sixty men. Its members were the elites of the clan. Each team had fifteen cultivators, with the weakest at the seventh level of the Purple Mansion Realm, and the team captains at the ninth level.
Two teams meant thirty men. Thirty experts above the seventh level of the Purple Mansion Realm dispatched to hunt down Jiang Han. Jiang Xiaotian was iron-willed in his resolve to kill him this time.
“Sixth Brother!”
After Jiang Long’s group departed, Jiang Xiaotian issued another order. “Have some portraits of Jiang Han drawn up. Tomorrow, take men to Du Family Town, Guan Family Town, Wang Family Town, and the surrounding areas to post bounties. Declare that Jiang Han has betrayed our clan, and anyone who dares harbor him is an enemy of the Jiang Clan. Whoever provides clues will be rewarded with one hundred Profound Stones. Whoever kills Jiang Han will be rewarded with five hundred Profound Stones!”
“Understood!”
Another clansman accepted the order and left. Hearing Jiang Xiaotian’s words, some of the Jiang clan members inside and outside the hall sighed inwardly.
This move was far too ruthless. Once those bounty notices were posted, Jiang Han would have no place to hide within hundreds of miles. Five hundred Profound Stones was no small sum; the martial artists of many nearby clans would likely flock to the scent of blood…
“Furthermore, escort Jiang Li to the backyard of the Elder Hall and keep her under strict guard!”
Pondering for a moment, Jiang Xiaotian turned to the middle-aged woman guarding Jiang Li. “For the coming days, you will eat and sleep by Jiang Li’s side. You are not to let anything happen to her, or I will hold you personally accountable!”
Jiang Li was Jiang Han’s only tether. Jiang Xiaotian feared the boy might sneak back into Jiang Family Town to steal her away. With Jiang Long out hunting, he didn’t trust anyone else to guard her. Bringing Jiang Li into the Elder Hall’s backyard ensured that if Jiang Han wanted to take his sister, he would have to go through the Third Elder himself.
“Enough!”
Jiang Xiaotian shifted his gaze back to the corpses on the floor, shaking his head with a sigh. “Place their bodies in fine coffins for now, but do not bury them yet. Wait until Jiang Han’s corpse is brought back. We shall use his head to offer sacrifices to their souls before giving them a proper burial.”