Chapter 373: Chapter 140: Night Journey in Cloud Dragon, Soul Banner Devours Bandits, The True Purpose of Yue Mankong’s Mission

Their bodies were pierced by chains, pinning them down, completely unable to move.

"Haaa..."

Chu Fan let out a long sigh, sweat already beading on his forehead.

He leaned against the rock face and sat down, sensing the drain on his Primordial Qi and the mental exhaustion that accompanied it.

A faint light was already appearing on the horizon. Dawn was breaking.

’This is the first time I’ve run into a Deceitful Object like this. It was truly dangerous...’

Chu Fan was still shaken.

If he hadn’t realized he was in a dream at the critical moment and used the Netherworld Soul Refining Technique to break free, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

’It was probably because cultivating the Demon Dragon Celestial Spirit Scripture had drained so much of his spiritual energy that this thing was able to take advantage of his weakness.’

He glanced at his palm. The Ten Thousand Souls Banner transmitted a faint sense of satisfaction, its "hunger" slightly abated.

’I guess that was... a little appetizer for you.’

...

The faint morning light scattered the last vestiges of night’s gloom from the canyon.

Chu Fan stood up and stretched his limbs.

The bizarre dream assault from the previous night still left him shaken, and it made him all the more wary of the Yunlong Mountain Range.

’This isn’t a place to linger, much less a suitable spot for quiet cultivation.’

He glanced at the "Uninitiated" status of the Netherworld Soul Refining Technique and the Celestial Capital Black Flame Technique on his panel, suppressing the urge to try them out.

’For now, completing the Demon Suppression Bureau’s mission to exterminate the Heaven-Flipping Saber is more important.’

After all, this was a chance for the Ten Thousand Souls Banner to devour hundreds of souls!

After confirming the direction on the map Yue Mankong had given him, Chu Fan moved. He activated his Running Technique again, darting out of the canyon like a wisp of green smoke and heading into the heart of the Yunlong Mountain Range.

Deep within the mountain range, ancient trees blotted out the sky and old vines twisted like horned dragons.

The light grew dimmer, and the air was filled with the rank smell of rotting leaves and damp earth.

The occasional roar of an unknown beast echoed through the woods, making the place feel even more profound and sinister.

Chu Fan moved swiftly. Aided by his Wave Riding and Wind Chasing Trait, he traversed the rugged mountain forest as if it were flat ground.

However, as he neared his destination, he suddenly slowed his pace at the edge of a dense forest.

He slipped silently behind a cluster of bushes, concealing his presence.

’In his perception, two people were stealthily moving forward not far ahead.’

One was old, the other young. Judging by their attire, they were mountain Hunters.

The old man was still hale and hearty, and the young girl’s movements were nimble.

But judging from the fluctuations of their vital energy, both had martial arts training, though their Cultivation was at the Blood Nourishing Realm at best.

Such a level of Cultivation was enough to handle ordinary beasts, but if they were to encounter an Exotic Beast, it would be a death sentence.

’Sentries for the Heaven-Flipping Saber? Or just local mountain folk?’

Suspicion arose in Chu Fan’s mind. He decided to follow them in secret and see where they were headed.

Like a true phantom, he trailed them from a distance, suppressing his aura so completely that he didn’t even startle the birds in the trees.

Bits and pieces of the father and daughter’s conversation drifted toward him on the wind.

"...Dad, is... is Sister really up ahead?"

The girl’s voice was thick with tears, laced with a fear she couldn’t suppress.

"Shh, keep your voice down!"

The old Hunter’s voice was hoarse, filled with a desperate resolve. "Judging by the tracks, the lair of those damn bandits is just ahead in these mountains! Lingling must have been taken by them! I’ll risk my old bones to get her out!"

"But... Dad, can we really beat them? I heard the leader of the Heaven-Flipping Saber is an Immortal who can fly through the heavens and tunnel through the earth..."

"Flying through the heavens my ass! We fight even if we can’t win! Are we just going to stand by and watch your sister, and all the other children from the village, get ravaged by those animals? Even if I die, I’m taking a piece of them with me!"

’Two people in the Blood Nourishing Realm are going to take on the Heaven-Flipping Saber bandits?’

’But with a loved one captured... if it were him, he’d make the same choice.’

Chu Fan stopped hiding and stepped out from behind a tree.

"Who?!"

The old Hunter’s reaction was lightning-fast. Hearing the sound, he spun around, shielding his daughter with his body and thrusting his Hunting Fork at Chu Fan without a moment’s hesitation!

The girl gritted her teeth, drew the short blade from her waist, and coordinated with her father, attacking Chu Fan’s legs.

Their movements were decisive, filled with the unique ferocity of a Hunter—clearly honed from years of battling beasts in the mountains.

But in Chu Fan’s eyes, their speed was pitifully slow.

With a slight shift of his feet, he evaded their combined attack as easily as if he were taking a leisurely stroll.

"I’m not with the Heaven-Flipping Saber."

Chu Fan said, his voice calm.

But the old Hunter didn’t lower his guard. His eyes, sharp as a hawk’s, were fixed on him as he snarled, "Bullshit! Deep in the Yunlong Mountain Range, who else would be here besides those Heaven-Flipping Saber bandits who deserve to be sliced into a thousand pieces? What Hunter would dare come here? What ordinary person?"

"I can smell the Evil Qi on you from a mile away! It’s more terrifying than the fiercest Exotic Beast in these mountains! If you’re not one of those bandits, who are you?"

Chu Fan raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

’This old Hunter’s intuition is so sharp he can sense my Evil Qi?’

’That’s not something an ordinary person in the Blood Nourishing Realm should be able to do.’

He explained, "I’m from the Demon Suppression Bureau, here on orders to exterminate the Heaven-Flipping Saber."

"The Demon Suppression Bureau?" A flicker of hope appeared in the girl’s eyes.

But the old Hunter remained unconvinced. "Hmph! A likely story! Why would some bigwig from the Demon Suppression Bureau come to these deep, old mountains all alone? It has to be a trick by the bandits!"

Seeing that they were completely unconvinced, Chu Fan couldn’t be bothered to waste any more breath.

His figure flickered, and he closed the distance between them like a phantom.

THWAP! THWAP!

With two soft thuds, Chu Fan struck like lightning, his palms chopping the back of the father and daughter’s necks.

They felt an irresistible force wash over them. Their vision went black, and they collapsed limply to the ground.

"My daughter! It’s my fault, I’ve doomed you!"

When the old Hunter woke up and saw that both he and his daughter had been subdued, tears streamed down his ancient face as he beat his chest and stomped his feet in despair.

The girl began to sob as well. "Sister is still waiting for us to save her... I never thought we’d go before she does... Dad, walk slowly on the road to the Yellow Springs... wait for your daughter..."

Chu Fan watched the father and daughter, now a weeping mess, unsure whether to laugh or cry.