Chapter 243: Chapter 242: Wanton Hunting
The Ghost Cave was as serene as ever. From a distance, it looked daunting, enough to make one’s scalp tingle. Yet, Ye Fan stuck to his decision. He was now less than two hundred ters away—a dangerously close distance. He hadn’t felt any change, but as he moved forward, Ye Fan was shocked to feel his consciousness beginning to blur.
A test of consciousness? Could this be a place that tests one’s awareness? If so, I’m willing to give it a try.
Thus, despite the risk of his consciousness blurring at any mont and turning him into a walking corpse, Ye Fan stepped forward, getting closer and closer to the Ghost Cave. After advancing another hundred ters, sothing finally changed. Gasping for breath, Ye Fan found himself half-kneeling on the ground, as if everything ahead of him had beco an unattainable forbidden zone.
This was his limit. He could clearly feel a force pulling him forward. If not for the resistance of his own consciousness, he would have likely beco a walking corpse by now.
This place is truly terrifying.
Having reached this point, Ye Fan struggled to his feet and slowly retreated. Unlike advancing, where each step brought imnse pressure, retreating was different. With each step backward, he felt a wave of relief as his entire body gradually relaxed. Ye Fan was imnsely pleased.
He realized this was a place for tempering one’s soul. For him at his current level, however, this was only a secondary benefit; the Emperor Level focused primarily on Martial Arts cultivation and physical strength.
After retreating, Ye Fan disappeared into an ancient forest choked with weeds and thorns that made passage difficult. Yet, at this mont, he was rushing furiously through the woods, as if these obstacles were nothing to him.
Just then, a rustling sound echoed. Ye Fan instantly grew vigilant. Sure enough, the next mont, a huge python burst from the undergrowth, rushing to devour him. As thick as a water bucket, its gaping maw was backed by imnse constricting power, making it look overwhelmingly nacing.
BANG!
Without fear, Ye Fan threw a punch that sent the python flying into a tree. The tall trunk instantly snapped from the impact. In agony, the python quickly fled.
"Where do you think you’re going!"
This was the python’s ho territory, however. In the blink of an eye, Ye Fan lost track of the creature. Annoyed, he could only continue forward. But he hadn’t gone far when he saw several dead beasts on the ground, surrounded by pools of fresh blood.
Ye Fan was imdiately furious. These beasts were friends of the Yan Clan and guardians of nature. When he ca here for training, the Yan Clan Patriarch had specifically instructed him not to harm the slightly sentient beasts of Qilian Mountain.
Yet now, these beasts were dead. As he searched for the cause, he noted a pattern: their hearts had been gouged out.
"How cruel. Who did this?" Ye Fan said coldly.
He touched the blood and found it hadn’t yet clotted. The killer can’t be far. Instantly, Ye Fan gave chase.
He ran wildly through the forest for about half an hour but found no trace of the culprits.
With my peak speed, it shouldn’t be difficult to catch them. I’ve likely already overtaken them, but this forest is simply too vast. They must have gone in another direction.
Realizing he couldn’t find them on his own, he rushed to the Yan Clan. After arriving, he inford the Yan Clan Patriarch of the situation.
"What?"
The Yan Clan Patriarch beca furious. The beasts of the outer wilds were overseen by the Yan Clan’s Divine Beast. As the clan’s outermost guardians, they regarded these creatures of nature as friends. Now that many of their friends had been killed, their hearts torn out, how could he not be enraged?
He exclaid, "This is outrageous! My Yan Clan is imnsely powerful, yet we have always kept a low profile, hidden deep in Qilian Mountain and detached from worldly affairs. I never imagined that the more we kept to ourselves, the more others would try to bully us."
"Great Elder, summon the warriors! We must find these murderers and kill them!" Clearly, he had reached the apex of his fury.
"Yes, Patriarch!"
The Great Elder hurriedly left. About ten minutes later, he had assembled a team of thirty. They were the Yan Clan’s Hunting Team, intimately familiar with the conditions in the mountains.
The Yan Clan Patriarch addressed them, "Search the mountains for the murderers. They killed our friends. Find them! I want to skin them alive!"
"Yes, sir!"
Led by the Yan Clan Patriarch, the group charged into the mountain forest. Ye Fan naturally followed, wondering if this was a coincidence or sothing preditated. This was the Yan Clan’s domain, after all. Who would be so bold as to stir up trouble right under their noses?
anwhile, deep in the forest, seven or eight people surrounded a huge black bear. The bear was resisting desperately, but ultimately, it died under their blades.
"We got it! Dig out the viscera and chop off a paw!" a young man commanded.
At that, a middle-aged man asked ingratiatingly, "Young Master, why do we need the bear paw? The Old Family Head’s injuries require a large quantity of beast viscera to be healed!"
"The bear paws of Qilian Mountain are said to be a delicacy unmatched in all the lands," the young man replied. "Of course, this young master must take one back to try!"
The young man appeared handso and elegant, in the pri of his life, but his actions and words exuded a profound and presumptuous arrogance.
"Keep moving! Today’s goal is one hundred beasts, and we’ve only gotten ten so far—just a tenth of our target!"
At this point, soone in the crowd offered a word of caution. "Young Master, they say deep in Qilian Mountain, there’s a formidable power called the Yan Clan. Legend says they’re incredibly strong. We shouldn’t venture too deep. Let’s just hunt on the outskirts. If we go deeper and disturb this mysterious Yan Clan, it won’t end well!"
The young man said coldly, "Are you suggesting that my Qingyu Castle is inferior to so backwoods tribe?"
"No, not at all!" the middle-aged man imdiately stamred, backing away.
The young man scoffed, "Even if Qingyu Castle isn’t a premier power in the Martial World, we have no reason to fear so backwoods tribe. Push deeper into the forest! That’s where the best hunting grounds are!"
"Yes!"
The group of seven or eight followed the young man, pushing deeper into the forest. They completely disregarded the Yan Clan. Each held a sharp sword. Against an enemy, it was a peerless killing tool. Here, however, it served as an excellent instrunt for clearing a path.
When the Yan Clan Patriarch saw the carcasses, his fury ignited. Along the way, he had seen far too many fallen beasts.
He roared, "After them! These people are so arrogant. I will make them understand the terror of the Yan Clan!"
The Yan Clan Hunting Team, led by the Patriarch, quickly pursued. Ye Fan followed along, eager to find out what kind of power this was. Why were they so audacious? From what he could tell, this group didn’t take the Yan Clan seriously in the slightest.
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