Chapter 56: Chapter 54: Fierce Battle in the Mountain Depths

After killing Zhao Ritian, Jiang Chen freed Little White.

Having just regained its freedom, Little White jumped around excitedly.

"WAHOO, I’m finally free!"

"I told you, who in heaven or on earth could possibly trap me, Little White..."

"ROAR! ROAR!"

Just as Little White’s excitement faded, it stomped its four hooves on the ground, sending out circular shockwaves of energy that rippled like water in all directions.

The muscles on its four hooves swelled in an instant, veins popping out as thick as steel bars. It then erupted with terrifying power, launching itself high into the air. It hovered in mid-air, its pair of sapphire-blue eyes glinting coldly. It opened its mouth, and specks of blue light began to gather within.

They formed a water ball the size of a human head, which shot out with a BOOM.

One, two, three...

A total of eleven blue water balls shot out, striking the bodies of Zhao Ritian and his men with incredible precision. The water balls directly enveloped the eleven corpses.

"Come to me!"

Little White landed back on the ground, lifted its head, and grunted.

The eleven water balls flew over and orbited its body, spinning slowly. Little White grinned, revealing a mouthful of pearly white teeth, and said smugly, "My master has a kind heart, so he left your corpses intact. But Lord Little White isn’t in such a good mood. You actually dared to catch me in a net! I’ll make sure you won’t even have a complete corpse left!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Light burst from the water as a thunderous sound echoed. The eleven water balls exploded in unison, turning into a downpour that rained from the sky.

As the water balls exploded, the bodies of Zhao Ritian and his men were torn into countless fragments. Not even a single complete limb could be found.

Jiang Chen, watching from the side, felt his eye twitch. ’This little guy looks so harmless, but it’s actually quite vicious!’

"Master, look what I brought back for you!" In a flash of white light, Little White was already squatting in front of him, head held high, looking for praise.

Jiang Chen looked down and was dumbfounded.

What Little White had placed on the ground was a large stack of silver notes, various bottles and jars of pills, and that Feather Fan Profound Weapon!

The silver notes alone amounted to a massive 500,000. If the Feather Fan Profound Weapon was included, the total value of this pile of treasures would exceed a million taels of silver!

’I became a millionaire in just a moment? Damn, killing and looting really is the shortcut to riches...’ Jiang Chen rubbed his nose and put away the silver notes, pills, and Profound Weapon. ’These are Qi Condensing Pills. They can be used for cultivation to speed up my True Essence condensation. As for this Profound Weapon, I’ll sell it when I find the right time.’

After cleaning up the battlefield, Jiang Chen left the valley with Little White.

But Jiang Chen, who had already left the valley, had no idea...

About a double-hour after he left, a group of people arrived hurriedly in the valley, every person’s face grim, suffused with a suppressed, chilling killing intent.

The leader was a full three meters tall, clad in green battle armor. On his back, he carried a four-meter-long silver warhammer that must have weighed six or seven hundred jin.

He stood like a towering mountain, his mere presence enough to inspire awe and fear.

"Young Master, the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl indicates that this is where the Second Young Master’s soul aura was last detected. This should be the place where he died. This subordinate has carefully examined the surroundings and found traces of a battle. Some of the sword marks are extremely cunning and terrifyingly powerful. This subordinate speculates that a Sword Dao expert fought a great battle here. The Second Young Master and his men did not have a sword expert among them, so they must have been left by the culprit!" said a middle-aged man with a goatee, a scholarly air about him, and eyes full of wisdom.

This man’s name was Gongsun Yang, a True Martial Realm expert from the Qinghuo Gang. His Cultivation Realm had reached the True Martial Realm Second Stage.

The burly young man, over three meters tall and resembling a humanoid bear, was named Zhao Qiankun. He was Zhao Ritian’s biological older brother. This man possessed Innate Divine Strength; at the age of eight, he could already lift a thousand-jin cauldron.

At ten, he awakened the Profound Tier Fifth-Grade Titan Divine Ape, and his strength grew even greater.

Now, close to thirty, Zhao Qiankun was a top expert at the Peak of True Martial Realm Third Stage. Coupled with his Innate Divine Strength, he could even fight against a True Martial Realm Fourth Stage expert.

Zhao Qiankun’s two long, serpentine eyebrows twitched. His voice was as deep as muffled thunder, making one’s ears buzz. "My brother may have been worthless, but he was my blood kin. Now he’s been killed, with not even a bone left behind. This is absolutely intolerable! Elder Gongsun, mobilize all available forces and find the murderer who killed my brother. I will personally crush his head and cook his flesh to avenge my brother’s spirit!"

"Rest assured, Young Master. I have already issued the Cyan Fire Order and contacted the Demon Hunter Guild. They will also help us find the culprit. I believe it won’t be long before we find our target!" Gongsun Yang said respectfully.

Zhao Qiankun nodded, his tiger-like eyes flashing with an icy glare. "Kill anyone who dares to provoke the authority of my Qinghuo Gang, without exception. Tell our men to search boldly. It’s better to kill the wrong person than to let the culprit escape. Focus on searching for Sword Dao experts. Do not let any suspicious targets go!"

"This subordinate understands!"

Gongsun Yang’s heart trembled as he quickly replied.

A series of orders were issued by Gongsun Yang. The Qinghuo Gang truly lived up to its name as one of the three strongest powers in Yulan Mansion.

The power they wielded was terrifying!

When the Cyan Fire Order was issued, the Demon Hunter Guild, lone Demon Hunters... all experts within the Bluestone Mountain Range who had ties to the Qinghuo Gang began searching everywhere for Zhao Ritian’s murderer.

At first, the search for the culprit’s whereabouts was relatively calm.

But as Zhao Qiankun’s words—"It’s better to kill the wrong person than to let the culprit escape"—spread, the entire Bluestone Mountain Range grew restless. The scent of blood quietly began to permeate the mountain range.

As the one who started it all, Jiang Chen remained completely unaware!

Since killing Zhao Ritian, Jiang Chen had been taking Little White deeper into the core region of the Bluestone Mountain Range, killing Demon Beasts along the way to seize their Demon Cores and raise his Cultivation Realm. At the same time, he was constantly studying and comprehending the *Eight Celestial Dragon Divine Fist* and the *Wind God Extreme*. These two—a Martial Skill and a Sword Technique—could drastically increase his combat power, so Jiang Chen naturally wouldn’t neglect them.

This was especially true for the *Eight Celestial Dragon Divine Fist*. He had only just scratched the surface of its First Technique, Fierce Tiger Shocks the Sky, and had not even reached the Minor Achievement Realm.

Time passed quietly.

Unknowingly, half a month had passed. Jiang Chen’s cultivation had stabilized at the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Stage.

The First Technique of *Wind God Extreme*, Wind Fluctuation, had also reached the Perfection Realm.

As for the *Eight Celestial Dragon Divine Fist*, after more than half a month of arduous practice, he had finally stepped into the Minor Achievement Realm. At this moment, although the improvement in Jiang Chen’s cultivation wasn’t obvious, his combat power had reached a new peak. With his current strength, he was capable of killing an ordinary True Martial Realm Second Stage expert even without using his Talent Devouring God.

He could even hold his own against a True Martial Realm Third Stage powerhouse for a time!

One day, Jiang Chen was searching for a target when suddenly, the sound of an intense battle from up ahead caught his attention. ’This is the core region of the Bluestone Mountain Range. Everyone who makes it this far is an expert, and they all act with extreme caution, not daring to cause a major commotion for fear of attracting the powerful Demon Beasts from the depths. Could it be that some treasure has appeared?’

At this thought, Jiang Chen quickened his pace and headed toward the sound of the battle...