SWOOSH!

Without further hesitation, Fang Han executed the Wind and Cloud Escape. His figure became like a wisp of green smoke melting into the night wind, silently slipping into the dense forest.

The night was as dark as ink, blanketing the rolling, forested mountains.

The branches and leaves of ancient, towering trees rustled in the night breeze, casting mottled, swaying shadows that looked like countless lurking phantoms.

The air was filled with the raw scent of soil, the musty odor of decaying leaves, and the faint rustling of nocturnal insects and beasts.

BZZZZ—

As he ran, Fang Han pushed his Spirit Smelling Technique, which had already reached the Mastery Realm, to its limits. His nostrils keenly captured the three lingering human scents ahead.

The scents were like three faint yet distinct, invisible threads winding their way through the vast ocean of forest smells.

One trail carried the distinct stench of blood, left by the injured Steward from the Qingxuan Sect.

The other two trails followed in hot pursuit, clearly belonging to the pursuers.

Several hours later, dawn was approaching.

’The scent is getting stronger. They can’t be far!’

Based on this conclusion, Fang Han increased his speed by another thirty percent.

The Inner Qi from his Profound Wind Technique, at the Early Stage of Fourth Grade, surged through him, allowing him to maintain his high-intensity Body Technique for an extended period.

He moved like a cheetah, weaving through the trees. At times, he would turn sideways to slip past thick, overgrown vines; at others, he would tap his toes on exposed roots to propel himself forward.

His movements were as smooth as flowing water, without the slightest hesitation.

Another hour or so passed.

Something unusual up ahead caught Fang Han’s attention.

It was a basin nestled between two hills. The trees here were relatively sparse, allowing a sliver of moonlight to struggle through and illuminate the devastation below.

Within a radius of several dozen feet, the grass and trees had been flattened, and a thick layer of broken branches and shredded leaves covered the ground.

Several trees as thick as a bowl had been snapped in half, the splinters at the breaks still fresh.

The ground was pocked with several craters of varying depths, their edges still bearing the marks of sharp Qi Force slashes.

Most striking of all was a dark red spray of blood on the brown earth and green leaves. Not yet fully dry, it glistened darkly under the pale moonlight.

Fang Han stopped, crouched down, and dabbed a bit of the blood on his fingertip. He rubbed it, then brought it to his nose and sniffed lightly.

’A significant amount of blood loss... The injuries must be extremely severe. I’m afraid he can’t last much longer.’

His gaze hardened. Without pausing, he pushed his Wind and Cloud Escape to its absolute limit, his body transforming into an even faster, faint shadow.

He shot off like a bolt of lightning in the direction where the scent was strongest.

’I have to catch up as soon as possible, or that Qingxuan Sect Steward’s chances of survival are slim to none!’

「In the center of a clearing.」

A middle-aged man in the silver-patterned Steward’s Robe of the Qingxuan Sect was leaning against a massive, ancient tree, gasping for breath.

He was about forty, with a face that was once rather dignified, but now it was as pale as paper, completely drained of color.

His lips were chapped and cracked, and a trace of unwiped blood lingered at the corner of his mouth.

His once-sharp eyes were now filled with exhaustion and despair, the wrinkles at their corners etched as deep as knife cuts.

His Steward’s Robe was torn in several places, especially at the left shoulder and right ribs. The fabric was ripped, revealing mangled flesh beneath. Blood seeped out continuously, staining the silver patterns a dark crimson.

He was swaying on his feet, clearly a spent force.

This was none other than the missing Fourth Grade Steward of the Qingxuan Sect, Zhao Jin.

About ten feet in front of Zhao Jin stood two men dressed in black martial attire.

One of them was tall and reed-thin, standing like a bamboo pole. He held a long, slender, curved blade whose body glinted with a faint blue light—it was clearly coated in a potent poison.

His gaze was sinister, like a viper waiting to strike.

The other was short and stocky, his short, thick limbs containing explosive power. He wore a pair of pitch-black metal claws, their tips glinting with a cold light.

Positioned on his left and right in a pincer formation, the two men had sealed off all of Zhao Jin’s escape routes.

"Steward Zhao, why must you make things so difficult?"

The tall, thin man in black, Gao Xiao, spoke first. His voice was hoarse and low, laced with the playful cruelty of a cat toying with a mouse.

"Is it worth losing your life in this desolate wilderness for a secret manual? If you just hand it over obediently, the two of us can make the decision to spare your life. How about it?"

At these words, Zhao Jin let out a derisive snort.

The sound pulled at his wounds, causing him to cough violently again and spit out a mouthful of dark, clotted blood.

He lifted his heavy eyelids, his gaze sweeping over Gao Xiao and the short, stocky man in black, Tu Gang. His eyes were filled with nothing but mockery and resolve.

"Hmph... Spare my life? Save the ghost stories you tell three-year-olds."

"You’re just afraid I’ll destroy the manual before I die and make you waste your efforts. I, Zhao Jin, have fallen here today, and I accept it! But the manual? You can forget about getting it!"

As he spoke, he reached a hand with great difficulty into his robe, fumbling until he pulled out a thin booklet with a dark brown cover, made of what appeared to be some kind of durable animal hide.

The moment they saw the booklet, Gao Xiao and Tu Gang’s eyes blazed with intense fervor.

"Brother Zhao, why be so stubborn?"

Gao Xiao continued to persuade him, his tone sounding even more "sincere."

"Even ants cling to life. It wasn’t easy for you to reach the Fourth Grade in your Cultivation, so why throw your life away for a mere worldly possession?"

"I, Gao Xiao, swear to the heavens, if you hand over the manual, I won’t harm a single hair on your head. I’ll let you leave immediately..."

Although Tu Gang didn’t speak, a fierce glint flickered in his visible eyes, and his body leaned slightly forward.

Like a cheetah poised to pounce, he was clearly growing impatient.

Zhao Jin turned a deaf ear to Gao Xiao’s words. He took a deep breath, gathered the last remnants of Inner Qi in his body, and channeled it into the five fingers of his left hand.

He yanked with all his might, intending to tear the hide booklet to shreds!

However, he was simply too weak.

After continuous, intense battles and fleeing with grave injuries, he had already burned through all his reserves.

This tear, which concentrated all his final will and strength, failed to instantly destroy the durable hide manual.

With a soft RIP, a small tear appeared at the edge of the booklet, but it didn’t break apart.

In that very instant—

The ever-silent Tu Gang made his move!

He was already closer to Zhao Jin, and seizing this fleeting opportunity, he shot forward like a phantom.

His movements were so fast that he left only a blurry black shadow in his wake!

His gloved right claw stirred a foul wind as it shot straight for Zhao Jin’s left wrist, the one holding the manual.

The strike was both fast and vicious, aimed at snatching the book.

Although Zhao Jin tried to defend himself, his body’s reaction was a beat too slow.

He felt a sharp pain in his left wrist, as if clamped by iron pincers. His fingers went numb, and the manual slipped from his grasp!

"Gimme that!"

Tu Gang, having succeeded in one strike, didn’t hesitate. With a flick of his wrist, he had the manual firmly in his grasp.

He then retreated explosively to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Gao Xiao.

"Zhao Jin, we offered you a way out, but you insisted on seeking your own death! Now that we have the manual, we can’t let you live!"

With the manual in hand, the feigned "sincerity" on Gao Xiao’s face vanished without a trace, replaced by undisguised killing intent and smug triumph.

WHOOSH—!

His figure lunged forward like a bolt of lightning. His short blade struck like a viper from its den, leaving a sharp streak of dark light as it stabbed straight for Zhao Jin’s heart.

The strike was vicious, cunning, and incredibly fast, aimed to kill in a single blow!

With the manual stolen, the last shred of hope in Zhao Jin’s heart was shattered. Facing this lethal strike, he no longer had the strength to even block or dodge.

He could only watch helplessly as the blade’s light neared, a flicker of both unwillingness and relief passing through his eyes as he closed them to await death.

Just as the tip of Gao Xiao’s blade was about to touch the robe on Zhao Jin’s chest—

Something unexpected happened!

A green silhouette appeared as if from thin air, suddenly materializing between Zhao Jin and Gao Xiao!

The newcomer was none other than Fang Han!

He had just arrived. By the time he got there, the manual had already been snatched. Clearly, it was the reason Steward Zhao was being hunted.

He had originally planned to find an opportunity for a sneak attack to retrieve the manual.

But he hadn’t expected Gao Xiao to be so decisive in his attempt to kill Zhao Jin.

Left with no choice, he had to reveal himself and intervene.

SWOOSH!

Pushing the Wind and Cloud Escape to its peak, his speed surpassed the limits of the naked eye.

CLANG!

A clear, crisp sword-cry rang out as the Cloud Splitting Sword precisely blocked Gao Xiao’s stabbing short blade.

The block seemed casual, but it contained an incredibly condensed power.

CLANG!

Gao Xiao felt an immense, irresistible force travel up the blade. His entire arm instantly went numb and sore, and he nearly lost his grip on the short blade.

His forward momentum was brought to a dead stop. He stumbled back three steps before barely regaining his balance, a look of utter shock on his face.

SWOOSH!

Meanwhile, Fang Han used the momentum from the impact to shoot out his left hand like lightning, grabbing the belt of the barely conscious Zhao Jin.

With a tap of his toes on the ground, his body drifted backward like a willow catkin, carrying Zhao Jin away from his original spot.

He landed several dozen feet away, gently propped the man against a large tree, and quickly fed him a Healing Elixir.

The entire sequence of movements was as smooth as flowing water, all happening in the blink of an eye.

By the time Gao Xiao and Tu Gang reacted, Fang Han was already standing with his sword drawn, shielding Zhao Jin and calmly surveying them.

Under the moonlight, Fang Han stood in his slightly dusty green robe, his young face showing a composure that belied his age.

He held the Cloud Splitting Sword, exuding a sharp Sword Momentum that seemed to make the very air around him stagnate.

"Who are you?"

Gao Xiao and Tu Gang were both shocked and furious, their eyes locked on Fang Han.

When their gazes fell upon the unique silver-threaded cloud embroidery on Fang Han’s robe, their pupils suddenly contracted.

"The True Inheritance Robe of the Qingxuan Sect?! You’re... Fang Han?!"

Gao Xiao cried out in shock, his voice filled with utter disbelief.

They naturally recognized Fang Han, number eighty-one on the Celestial Pride List. But why would he suddenly appear here?

Fang Han ignored Gao Xiao’s exclamation. His gaze fell on the black martial attire worn by Gao Xiao and Tu Gang.

On the black cloth, strange, dark flame patterns were embroidered in silver thread at the cuffs and lapels.

The two were clearly Stewards of the Netherworld Pavilion.

’So, they’re from the Netherworld Pavilion...’

Fang Han sneered inwardly. No wonder they dared to act so ruthlessly against a Steward of the Qingxuan Sect; they were Stewards from the Netherworld Pavilion, which had always been in open and secret conflict with Qingxuan.

The atmosphere in the clearing was taut with tension.

’I have to keep them both here!’

Gao Xiao and Tu Gang exchanged a look, and both saw the thick killing intent in the other’s eyes.

Fang Han’s appearance had completely disrupted their plans.

If they let Fang Han and Zhao Jin escape, the matter of the Netherworld Pavilion hunting down a Qingxuan Sect Steward to steal a secret manual would inevitably be exposed.

Given the value of this manual, the Qingxuan Sect would surely make trouble for the Netherworld Pavilion.

The only way to eliminate this problem for good was to ensure both of them remained here—permanently!