Martial Dao: I Can Enhance My Talents

Chapter 294: Chapter 291: Vicious

Early the next morning, just as the sky began to lighten, several figures had already gathered at the gates of the Qingxuan Sect.

Fang Han stood at the forefront, clad in a silver-striped cyan robe with the Flowing Wind Sword hanging from his waist, his expression serene.

The morning breeze swept past, lifting a few strands of black hair from his forehead, making his gaze seem even more profound.

At his side, Yun Qianyue was veiled in purple gauze, her eyes cold and clear.

Li Feng cradled a long saber, his gaze as sharp as an eagle’s.

Huang Ling’er wore a goose-yellow martial outfit, looking nimble and lively.

Shi Meng, meanwhile, was burly, his aura heavy and profound.

The five of them were all genius disciples from the Sub-Branches, now reunited for this investigation.

Besides them, there was a middle-aged man of about forty, dressed in a Steward’s Robe.

This man had an ordinary face and slightly dark skin, appearing unremarkable, but his eyes were exceptionally sharp. As his gaze swept around, it seemed he could perceive the smallest detail, letting no trace escape him.

He was the tracking expert specially dispatched by Elder Zhou Jin—Steward Wang Qian.

"True Inheritor Fang, I look forward to working with you."

Wang Qian said politely, yet with a touch of enthusiasm.

As a Steward assigned to assist Fang Han, he felt no dissatisfaction whatsoever.

On the contrary, he saw it as an opportunity—a chance to get on good terms with a Celestial Pride True Inheritor as ascendant as Fang Han.

"I’ll be counting on you, Steward Wang."

Fang Han nodded slightly.

The group exchanged no more words. They activated their Body Techniques, left the Sect gates, and sped toward the location of the first annihilated affiliate.

Wang Qian, who was most familiar with the route, took the lead, guiding Fang Han and the others.

Two days later, at high noon, the investigation team arrived at a place called Yunhe Manor.

This place was once an affiliate of the Qingxuan Sect responsible for gathering local specialties, but now it was nothing more than a scorched ruin.

Even before they got close, a thick, bloody stench mixed with the smell of burning and decay assaulted them.

The manor walls had collapsed and the buildings were completely destroyed. Charred wood and shattered stones were jumbled together. On the ground, dark red bloodstains had long since dried and turned black, yet the sight was still shocking.

Countless flies buzzed and circled overhead, adding to the deathly silence and desolation.

Even with their resolute minds, Fang Han and the others couldn’t help but frown at the horrific scene, their hearts heavy.

Huang Ling’er couldn’t stop herself from covering her mouth, a flicker of pity in her eyes.

"This place was discovered to have been attacked three days ago."

Wang Qian said grimly, his voice grave.

"It rained during that time, so the scents and tracks have been severely compromised. I don’t know if Tracking will still be possible."

"Please do your best, Steward Wang."

Fang Han said solemnly as his gaze swept across the ruins.

Wang Qian nodded. Without another word, his figure moved, and he plunged into the ruins like a hunting dog.

He would bend down to examine the ground, then pinch a bit of soil to smell, then touch a charred beam.

His movements were focused, his sharp eyes missing no suspicious detail.

"Let’s spread out and see if we can find anything else, but try not to disturb the scene."

Fang Han said to Yun Qianyue and the others.

The group accepted the order and split up, carefully searching through the land of the dead.

’The Spirit Smelling Technique...’

Fang Han activated the Spirit Smelling Technique, searching for any suspicious scents.

The Spirit Smelling Technique was a Tracking Secret Technique that relied on a transcendent sense of smell to distinguish and lock onto auras.

Cultivated to a high Realm, one could accurately capture the faint residual aura of a specific target from amidst thousands of mixed scents and follow the trail.

However, because he had previously focused on his Swordsmanship, Body Technique, and Cultivation, he hadn’t invested much energy into such auxiliary Secret Techniques.

It wasn’t until he received this investigation mission, knowing the opponent was cunning and would require tracking abilities, that he had started practicing it intensively for the past two days. But the time was too short, and he was still only at the Minor Achievement Realm.

His nostrils twitched as the surrounding smells rushed into his senses like a tide.

The smell of scorched earth, blood, rotting corpses, burnt vegetation... countless scents mixed together, overwhelmingly complex, assaulting his senses.

He tried to filter out the interference, concentrating intently, attempting to isolate the one trace of an aura that didn’t belong to the dead—the suspected killer’s.

Time passed. Fang Han walked through every part of the manor, but he couldn’t find any suspicious aura that might belong to the killer.

Several days had passed, and it had also rained in the interim, washing away the scents. His Spirit Smelling Technique, at the Minor Achievement Realm, was clearly not up to the task.

’If I’d known this would happen, I would have spent more time on cultivating the Spirit Smelling Technique.’

A flicker of barely perceptible helplessness crossed Fang Han’s eyes.

He let out a long breath, knowing his own attempt had been a failure.

Now, his only hope rested on the more experienced Steward Wang, who specialized in this field.

About half an hour later, the group gathered in the center of the ruins.

Yun Qianyue and the others all shook their heads slightly. Besides confirming that this place had indeed suffered a one-sided, bloody massacre, they hadn’t found any valuable clues.

The killer had acted with extreme precision, leaving behind almost no items related to their identity or any residual power with distinct characteristics.

Just then, Wang Qian also walked back, his expression grave.

He looked at Fang Han, shook his head, and said in a low voice:

"True Inheritor Fang, three days have passed, and with the erosion from wind and rain, I couldn’t find any of the killer’s tracks. I can’t track them."

"Even you can’t track them?"

Fang Han’s heart sank a little.

As the tracking expert sent by the Sect, Wang Qian was the most likely person to find a trail and track the killer.

The fact that even Wang Qian couldn’t do it now left him disappointed.

"It seems we can only wait for the perpetrator to strike again."

Fang Han said with a frown.

From the current situation, it seemed the only way to capture clues not yet erased by time was to rush to the scene immediately after the killer struck again.

Li Feng’s brow furrowed. "Are we just going to let this demon continue their rampage?"

"As reluctant as we are, that’s all we can do,"

Yun Qianyue said coldly.

Huang Ling’er and Shi Meng also looked worried, but it seemed there was no better way at the moment.

...

While Fang Han and his team were painstakingly searching for the killer, a bloody massacre was quietly unfolding in the shadows.

A hundred li from Yunhe Manor, at the estate of a Lin-surnamed family that was affiliated with the Qingxuan Sect and dealt in medicinal herbs.

A figure wearing a ferocious Evil Ghost mask on his face burst into the manor through the main gate in broad daylight.

The eyes beneath the mask, glinting with a bloodthirsty and fanatical red light, belonged to none other than Chu Feng!

His body moved like lightning, his longsword wreathed in an eerie, blood-colored Qi Force.

Everywhere he passed, patrolling guards, startled Lin Clan Members, even women, children, and the elderly had their vital essence and souls drained in an instant.

They collapsed as desiccated corpses, unable to let out more than a few screams.

The dense blood qi, as if drawn by a magnet, surged madly into his body.

The aura emanating from him surged at a visible rate, the sinister, violent, and destructive fluctuations growing ever stronger.

PFFT!

A soft sound, as if some kind of barrier had been broken, emanated from within Chu Feng’s body.

His body trembled slightly. He stopped moving and tilted his head back, letting out a low roar filled with suppressed, supreme excitement.

A bloody light flashed around him and vanished, his aura suddenly stabilizing at a whole new level!

Fourth Grade!

After devouring the vital essence of Martial Artists from several factions, he had finally broken through his bottleneck with the vile power of the Blood Demon Skill, stepping into the Realm of a Fourth-Grade Martial Artist!

An immense sense of power filled his entire body. Inner Qi, several times more vast and powerful than when he was at the Fifth Grade, coursed through his meridians.

Chu Feng clenched his fists, feeling this terrifying power capable of shattering mountains and splitting rivers. The face beneath his mask twisted into a savage grin.

’Fang Han... With my current strength, killing you will be as easy as slaughtering a dog!’

Chu Feng roared with excitement in his heart, impatient to get his revenge on Fang Han.

But he hadn’t lost his head.

Returning to the Sect to challenge Fang Han now would certainly redeem his honor, but that would be the extent of it.

He didn’t just want to defeat Fang Han; he wanted to eliminate him completely.

’Now is not the time to go back.’

A cunning and vicious glint flashed in Chu Feng’s eyes.

He would continue to increase his strength and wait for an opportunity when Fang Han was away from the Sect to eliminate him in secret.

Just as he was plotting his next move, a gray-feathered carrier pigeon fluttered its wings and landed precisely on his shoulder.

A small bamboo tube was tied to the pigeon’s leg.

Chu Feng took the tube, pulled out the slip of paper inside, and glanced at it.

"Fang Han has left the Sect, ordered to investigate the serial annihilation of affiliate factions."

The note, brief in content, was in Chu Chong’s handwriting.

Chu Feng was stunned for a moment, then a low, twisted, and savage laugh erupted from beneath his mask.

"Heh... HAHAHA! Talk about a small world for enemies!"

"Fang Han, oh, Fang Han, you actually delivered yourself to my doorstep! You’re in charge of the investigation? Investigating me, the ’Demon Martial Artist’?"

An incredibly vicious and insane thought, like a venomous snake, shot up from his heart and quickly consumed his mind.

’Just killing you would be letting you off too easy. Since you’re in charge of the investigation, I’ll choose the Fang Family of Liangshui City as the next target.’

’I wonder what expression you’ll have when you see your entire family annihilated, your parents turned into desiccated corpses? HAHAHA! That will surely be a magnificent sight!’

The thought of Fang Han’s grief-stricken, crazed, and broken appearance sent a thrilling shiver of supreme pleasure through Chu Feng.

This would destroy Fang Han far more effectively than defeating him in the ring!

’Yes! That’s what I’ll do! The next target is the Fang Family in Liangshui City!’

The red light in Chu Feng’s eyes flared, and his killing intent poured out as if it were tangible.

’Fang Han, I will make you taste true despair!’

His figure flickered and he sped off in the direction of Liangshui City.

...

Over ten li from Yunhe Manor, in a room at the town inn where Fang Han and the others were staying.

SCREE—

A clear eagle’s cry pierced the night sky.

A magnificent Qingxuan Sect Mail Eagle flew through the window and landed on Fang Han’s outstretched arm.

Fang Han untied the secret message from the Mail Eagle’s leg and quickly unfolded it.

As his eyes swept over the contents of the letter, his pupils contracted sharply.

Yun Qianyue, Li Feng, and the others noticed something was wrong and immediately gathered around.

"Senior Brother Fang, what is it?"

Huang Ling’er asked.

Fang Han slowly raised his head, handed over the secret message, and said in a low voice:

"I just received an urgent report from the Sect. A few hours ago, the Lin Family Manor near Shanshui City was annihilated. The method... is identical to what happened at Yunhe Manor."

"He’s struck again, just as we expected."

Hearing this, everyone’s expression turned grave.

"There’s no time to waste! We leave for the Lin Family Manor at once!"

Fang Han shot to his feet, a frigid glint in his eyes.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the five of them, along with Steward Wang Qian, quickly packed their belongings.

Like six arrows loosed from a bow, they sped towards the Lin Family Manor, the site of the latest crime.