Chapter 29: Taking the Initiative

Qin Shuang examined Chu Han carefully, confirming that there were indeed no wounds on his body. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. She led Chu Han to a small stream, her cheeks flushed red, and then ran off in embarrassment.

Chu Han enjoyed a refreshing bath and soon noticed changes in his body. After each tempering of the flesh, his skin would alter as well—a phenomenon that left him somewhat helpless, though he didn’t mind as long as it didn’t affect his cultivation.

Once he had washed, he returned to Qin Family Village, where the villagers were already busy with their morning chores. He greeted each of them in turn before quietly making his way up the mountain alone.

For too long, he had been forced to endure attacks passively. Now that his body had reached a formidable level, it was time to take the initiative. Enduring blows was not in his nature.

Having offended several sects and clans, and knowing they were still on the mountain, he resolved to ascend alone to the summit.

“Elder Ten-Thousand-Serpents, it’s him! He’s the one who crippled us that day!”

No sooner had Chu Han reached the mountaintop than he was spotted. Looking closer, he recognized Elder Skyfire of Lingxu Grotto. At his words, the surrounding sects and clans began to close in.

Elder Skyfire and his companions, whom Chu Han had previously dealt with, now looked utterly miserable. Gravely injured, their faces were pale and their cultivation had vanished—they were now ordinary mortals, driven nearly mad with despair.

Seeing that he’d been recognized, Chu Han made no attempt to hide. He stepped out openly. “Well, you’re all still alive? Quite tenacious. But with your cultivation gone, you may as well live quietly as ordinary people from now on.”

Everyone assumed Chu Han would attempt to flee and were prepared to give chase, but to their surprise, he not only stayed put, he even mocked them. This left them utterly baffled.

“Has the brat lost his mind?”

“Not necessarily. He must be very strong—just look, Elder Skyfire and the others were stripped of their cultivation by him. He probably has nothing to fear.”

“Don’t count on it—that’s Elder Ten-Thousand-Serpents. Word is, he’s already broken through to the Divine Bridge Realm. I wager that kid’s going to die a horrible death.”

The various sects and clans uninvolved in the previous conflict murmured among themselves, but none seemed optimistic about Chu Han’s chances.

Chu Han paid no attention to their gossip. Instead, he studied those around him. Some among them were indeed far more powerful than Elder Skyfire, none more so than Elder Ten-Thousand-Serpents, an expert of the Divine Bridge Realm.

Judging by the density of his true energy, Elder Ten-Thousand-Serpents had been at that level for quite some time.

“None of you are to interfere,” Elder Ten-Thousand-Serpents said, his face somber as he strode forward. He wore a deep blue robe, embroidered with countless serpents, making for a most sinister sight. “I want to break this brat’s bones one by one, so that he understands the price of offending Lingxu Grotto.”

No one disputed with Elder Ten-Thousand-Serpents; they watched with eager anticipation, their gazes toward Chu Han full of pity.

The elder moved. In a blur, he charged toward Chu Han, thrusting out his right hand. From his sleeve shot a dozen venomous snakes, jaws agape, striking at Chu Han.

Chu Han was momentarily astonished; he’d never encountered such a bizarre attack before. No matter—Elder Ten-Thousand-Serpents wasn’t particularly fast. Chu Han shifted his body slightly and easily evaded the snakes.

At that moment, however, more than a dozen snakes as thick as a man’s wrist burst from the ground, encircling Chu Han. Their fangs were poised to strike.

The onlookers burst into laughter. They were well aware of the potency of Elder Ten-Thousand-Serpents’ snakes—even a touch of their venom spelled certain, gruesome death. In their minds, they could already see Chu Han writhing in agony from the poison.

The snakes lunged, winding themselves around Chu Han in a most comical fashion—but the outcome astonished everyone. The moment their fangs touched Chu Han’s skin, they broke off with a snap, and the snakes dropped to the ground, writhing in spasms.

“An obvious feint, hiding the real snakes underground for a surprise attack—an interesting technique, but useless against me,” Chu Han said with a chuckle.

Blue lightning crackled around Chu Han’s body, its crackling unceasing. The onlookers soon realized that not a mark had been left on Chu Han’s skin—no bite, no wound. Instead, the snakes’ fangs had all shattered, and the snakes themselves dropped, convulsing, to the ground.

Chu Han’s lightning had electrocuted the serpents the instant they touched his skin, killing them after only a brief struggle.

The crowd gasped in shock. Was a human body truly capable of such resilience?

Of course, they didn’t know that Chu Han had cultivated the Infernal Serpent Body; the attacks of snake fangs were nothing to him, and the instant they touched his skin, the lightning he wielded struck them dead.

Even Elder Ten-Thousand-Serpents was taken aback by Chu Han’s methods, but after only a moment’s hesitation, he launched another attack.

With a wave of his hand, a massive python appeared in the branches behind Chu Han—thick as a thigh, over ten meters long, and utterly silent. Chu Han hadn’t noticed it at all.

By the time he sensed its presence, it was too late. The python coiled around him with lightning speed, wrapping him tightly in its massive body.

Chu Han was startled; the python had moved so quietly that he hadn’t noticed a thing.

“Haha, finally caught him! Let’s see how cocky he is now. Elder Ten-Thousand-Serpents’ Devouring Python has the strength of thirty thousand catties—it’ll crush his bones soon enough.”

The onlookers finally relaxed, confident in the python’s power. Besides, Chu Han’s earlier arrogance had left them all resentful.

Yet the scene they anticipated did not unfold. The python squeezed with all its might, but Chu Han’s face showed not the slightest hint of pain; instead, he watched the crowd with amusement.

“With so little strength, you dare to act so brazen? Get off me.”

With a shout, Chu Han’s body erupted in lightning. With a surge of force, he broke free, the lightning slicing the python to pieces, which fell in bloody chunks to the ground.

After witnessing this, no one dared to speak. All stared at Chu Han as if beholding a monster, unconsciously retreating a step.

“If that’s the best you can do, you won’t leave here alive today,” Chu Han said with a cruel smile, raising his right fist. “Thunderclap Fist.”

As his words fell, Chu Han vanished, leaving only an afterimage of lightning. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared before Elder Ten-Thousand-Serpents, who could only watch in shock as Chu Han’s fist plunged into his abdomen.

Elder Ten-Thousand-Serpents didn’t even have time to scream before the lightning overwhelmed him. His internal organs were pulverized by the blow; he was dead beyond all doubt.

The rest stood frozen in shock. For someone of Chu Han’s age to kill Elder Ten-Thousand-Serpents in a single blow—his talent was unparalleled. If allowed to grow, surely none of them could rival him.

“Brothers, we have the numbers! Kill him now, or none of us will see another peaceful day!” someone shouted from the crowd. The others snapped out of their daze, seized their weapons, and charged at Chu Han.

Chu Han’s expression was cold and impassive as he waited for them to approach. He murmured softly, “Domain of Lightning.”

As the words left his lips, a massive ball of lightning appeared in the sky. Countless bolts of lightning rained down on the crowd, throwing men and horses into chaos—a scene of utter carnage.