Chapter 499 - 495: Arrival
Su Wan looked up and saw a small bird with pale blue feathers flying in from the valley entrance. Its wings beat silently. It had a sharp beak, delicate claws, and a pair of lively, intelligent eyes.
It was one of the messenger birds she had distributed to the group.
Su Wan paused for a moment, then extended her arm.
The messenger bird folded its wings and landed lightly on her wrist. It tilted its head and gently pecked at the feathers under its wing.
Everyone’s eyes fell upon the bird, a hint of surprise in their gazes.
With the dozen-plus trackers all gathered here, who else but Fang Han would have released a messenger bird?
Su Wan cradled the bird in her palm, her fingertips gently stroking its back feathers. Her gaze then shifted to its leg.
There, a strip of paper, folded thin and long, was tied with an extremely fine silk thread.
She untied the thread, removed the paper, and unfolded it.
Tang Jun couldn’t help but ask:
"Elder Su, is that a message from True Inheritor Fang?"
Su Wan didn’t answer.
Her eyes were fixed on the few lines of fine, small text on the paper, and her pupils constricted slightly.
Seeing Su Wan’s strange expression, Tang Jun exchanged a look with the gray-robed old man. Both saw confusion in the other’s eyes.
Although the blind woman couldn’t see, she seemed to sense the change in the atmosphere. The tapping of her bamboo staff paused for a moment.
Luo Qi, still standing on the blue-green rock with her hands clasped behind her back, shot Su Wan a cold glance. The corner of her mouth twitched.
"Elder Su, what message did that Fang Han of yours send back? Don’t tell me he also found a single scale?"
Su Wan ignored Luo Qi’s taunt.
She read the message on the paper again from top to bottom.
Then, she looked up.
"True Inheritor Fang reports—"
Su Wan’s voice was still gentle when she spoke, but it carried an undeniable tremor.
"The Grandmaster Level Demon has been discovered. It is located in a mountain hollow approximately four hundred li northwest of Cyan Cliff Mountain."
A deathly silence fell over the valley.
Tang Jun’s mouth hung open, the tough muscles of his face twitching.
The gray-robed elder’s fingers, which had been stroking his beard, froze in midair.
The blind woman’s grip on her bamboo staff tightened.
The other trackers exchanged glances, their eyes filled with utter disbelief.
Luo Qi froze.
A moment later, she slowly turned around. Her unnerving eyes stared intently at the note in Su Wan’s hand.
"Elder Su, what did you just say?"
Su Wan met Luo Qi’s gaze and held out the note.
"If you don’t believe me, Elder Luo, you can see for yourself."
Luo Qi took the note and unfolded it.
As her eyes scanned the lines of fine, small text, her brow furrowed ever more deeply.
After reading it, she handed the note back to Su Wan, her voice hoarse.
"A twenty-year-old brat found the Grandmaster Level Demon that a dozen of us couldn’t?"
The others remained silent, not wishing to verbally offend a True Inheritor like Fang Han.
However, they had been surpassed in their own field of expertise. Though they said nothing, their expressions all conveyed a single, shared sentiment: disbelief.
"Fang Han’s combat prowess is certainly impressive, I’ll admit that,"
Luo Qi sneered.
"But Tracking is another matter entirely. Experience, worldly knowledge, intuition—don’t all of these require years upon years of accumulation?"
Su Wan remained silent.
Her gaze fell to the note in her hand. Her clear eyes held a mixture of anticipation and apprehension.
’Even I don’t entirely believe it.’
Just then—
Three figures appeared in the valley with startling abruptness.
No one saw how they appeared.
It was as if they had been standing there from the very beginning, never having left.
It was as if they had emerged from the forest itself, having existed on this land since time immemorial, just like the ancient trees, the blue-green rocks, and the gnarled vines.
Everyone in the valley was startled at first. They shot to their feet, hands resting on their weapons.
But when they got a clear look at the trio’s faces and attire, their alarm instantly transformed into profound shock.
On the left was a man with a gaunt figure, dressed in a deep cyan robe with his hair fastened by a Wooden Hairpin. It was none other than the Supreme Elder of the Qingxuan Sect, Gu Changqing.
On the right was a man in a golden kasaya, his face kind and benevolent, holding prayer beads. It was the Supreme Elder of the Vajra Temple, Hui Ming.
In the center was a man in a blue-gray robe with a plain face, a weathered longsword hanging from his waist. This was the Supreme Elder of Tingyu Building, Shen Mo.
Su Wan was the first to recover. She hurried forward and bowed.
"Disciple Su Wan greets the Supreme Elder and the two seniors."
"We greet the three seniors."
The others, as if waking from a dream, bowed as well. Their voices were ragged but respectful.
Shen Mo gave a slight nod, his eyes landing on the note in Su Wan’s hand. "Let me see that."
Su Wan quickly presented the note with both hands.
Shen Mo took it and unfolded it.
His eyes, as placid as an ancient well, showed no emotion as they swept over the lines of fine text.
After he finished reading, he passed the note to Hui Ming beside him.
Hui Ming took it. As his clear eyes scanned the message, the faint smile on his lips deepened ever so slightly.
When he was done, he passed the note to Gu Changqing.
Gu Changqing took it, his gaze falling upon the note.
His murky eyes showed no hint of emotion.
He read it for a moment, then folded the note and put it away.
Shen Mo spoke.
"What do you two think?"
Hui Ming’s fingers, which were flicking through his prayer beads, paused for a moment.
"It seems Donor Gu was right after all."
He turned his head to look at Gu Changqing, his voice calm.
"This young donor has truly given us a pleasant surprise."
Gu Changqing was silent for a breath before he slowly spoke.
"He has never encountered a Grandmaster Level Demon before, so we can’t rule out the possibility of a mistake. Still, it’s worth taking a look."
It wasn’t that he distrusted Fang Han; he simply didn’t want to put too much pressure on the young man in front of everyone.
Shen Mo said, "Then let’s go take a look."
Hui Ming pressed his palms together. "Very well."
Shen Mo said no more.
The three of them turned and strode toward the mouth of the valley.
Their pace was unhurried, no different from that of ordinary old men out for a stroll.
However, Su Wan and the others saw only a blur, and in the next instant, the three figures had vanished from the valley’s entrance.
If not for the fact that the note was gone, they might have thought the entire scene had been an illusion.
The valley fell silent once more. The dozen or so Martial Artists, all renowned trackers within the commandery, could only stare at one another.
Luo Qi stood on the blue-green rock, hands clasped behind her back, her expression shifting indeterminately.
...
Fang Han lay prone on the branch of an ancient tree, still as a lifeless piece of deadwood.
The Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill circulated with unprecedented intensity. His heartbeat slowed to a near standstill, and his skin temperature blended with that of his surroundings.
His gaze pierced through the layers of branches and leaves, locking onto the steady, profound aura of the Grandmaster Level Demon several li away.
Waiting.
The messenger bird was released. The message was sent.
Now, the only thing to do was wait.
Wait for the Grandmaster Powerhouses to arrive.
In the silence, time seemed to grow thick and viscous.
Each breath felt as if it were stretched out several times over. The rustle of the mountain wind through the canopy, the murmur of a distant stream, and even his own suppressed breathing were all magnified, becoming clearly audible in the absolute stillness.
Suddenly.
Three auras, so faint they would be completely undetectable without careful sensing, appeared within the range of Fang Han’s perception.
They were just like the aura he had sensed from Supreme Elder Gu Changqing before—faint and ephemeral, illusory yet real, as if they could merge into the surrounding forest at any moment, yet undeniably present.
’Three Grandmaster Powerhouses.’
Moreover, one of the auras felt familiar—steady and reserved, like a deep, ancient well. It was Supreme Elder Gu Changqing.
The tension in Fang Han’s heart suddenly eased.
He floated down from the ancient tree branch. Executing the Wind God Step, his body transformed into a stream of pale cyan light, silently streaking toward the location of the three auras.
He covered the distance of several li in a mere moment.
Three figures stood on a mountain ridge, partially concealed by ancient trees. The sunlight enveloped them, shrouding the trio in an air of profound mystery.
The man on the left, in a deep cyan robe with his hair fastened by a Wooden Hairpin, was Gu Changqing.
The man on the right, in a golden kasaya and holding prayer beads, was Supreme Elder Hui Ming of the Vajra Temple.
The man in the center, in a blue-gray robe with a weathered longsword at his waist, was Supreme Elder Shen Mo of Tingyu Building.
Fang Han stopped a few dozen feet away and bowed, his voice respectful yet steady.
"Disciple Fang Han greets the Supreme Elder and the two seniors."
Shen Mo’s gaze fell upon Fang Han, and a flicker of barely perceptible surprise crossed his placid, well-like eyes.
Even a First Grade Martial Artist specializing in perception might not have been able to detect the Concealing Breath techniques he, Hui Ming, and Gu Changqing were using.
Yet this young man, merely at the Late Stage of Third Grade, had not only sensed their arrival but had also pinpointed their exact location.
’Maybe he really did find the Grandmaster Demon,’ he thought, his belief growing a little stronger.
Hui Ming’s half-closed eyes opened a fraction. The movement of the prayer beads in his hand paused for an instant before resuming its steady rhythm, and the faint smile on his lips deepened imperceptibly.
Gu Changqing stood with his hands clasped behind him. He looked at Fang Han and nodded slightly.
"These two are Master Hui Ming of the Vajra Temple and Senior Shen Mo of Tingyu Building."
"Greetings, Master Hui Ming. Greetings, Senior Shen."
Fang Han bowed again, greeting each in turn as Gu Changqing had introduced them.
Hui Ming pressed his palms together, his voice calm.
"Donor Fang, there is no need for such ceremony. Though this humble monk cultivates in seclusion at the temple, I have heard of your name. Topping the Celestial Pride List at the age of twenty... seeing you today, I find your reputation is well-deserved."
His gaze lingered on Fang Han for a moment, his clear eyes holding both scrutiny and admiration.
Even an old monk like him, who paid little mind to worldly affairs, had heard of a prodigious talent like Fang Han.
Shen Mo didn’t speak, only offering a slight nod in acknowledgment.
His plain face showed no expression, but his gaze lingered on Fang Han for an extra moment as he mentally compared the young man before him to the rumors he had heard.
"Fang Han,"
Gu Changqing began to ask.
"Where is the Demon now?"
Fang Han turned and pointed to the northwest.
"It’s in a mountain hollow a few li from here. The aura is terrifying—cold, violent, and deep as an abyss. It’s almost certainly a Grandmaster Level Demon."
"I have been waiting here ever since I released the messenger bird. The Demon has not moved."