Chapter Ninety-Nine: News of the Wolf Clan

Although the enemy had clearly fled in three separate directions, they still met the same fate. No one knew how Chu Han had managed it—and the speed he had just displayed was simply terrifying, practically inhuman.

That said, the fight just now had only gone his way because of luck. If the three had joined forces, even if Chu Han ultimately triumphed, it would have been a narrow victory at best, undoubtedly after a grueling battle. But his opening attack had scared the wits out of them, which was why victory had come so easily.

Chu Han took some pills from his ring and handed them to the injured woman, then fed one to Yang Rong with his own hands. They rested for a while until their wounds had mostly recovered.

"Their intention just now was clear enough," Chu Han said after a moment's thought, keeping his voice low. "For whatever reason, your master has offended the Taiyi Sect, and the sect members all know you are your master's disciple. Saint Maiden Peak is no longer safe. You should go somewhere else to lie low for a while."

Since the Taiyi Sect had set its sights on the Saint Maiden Sect, this place was far too dangerous. He couldn't stay here forever—if a Taiyi Sect expert came looking, no one in the Saint Maiden Sect could possibly stand against them.

"We have nowhere left to go," Yang Rong said, her expression dimming as she gave a bitter smile. "The world is vast, yet there is no place for us. The Great Chu and the Taiyi Sect are both hunting us—where could we possibly flee?"

Hearing her words, Chu Han was stunned for a moment. That ache in his heart welled up again. He sighed and pulled her into his embrace. Yang Rong stiffened, but she didn't resist—her body merely trembled, rigid and tense.

Then Chu Han asked one of the women for a sheet of paper and a brush. He wrote a letter, folded it, and handed it to her.

"Go to the Tang Family Blacksmith Shop in Jingyuan City. That's where I used to live. My family has since moved to the imperial capital, so only the steward is there now. Take this letter and hide at my place for the time being. Remember, keep a low profile—don't reveal your identities as members of the Saint Maiden Sect."

Chu Han gave the warning carefully. Jingyuan City was still safe, and as long as they kept a low profile, no one should discover they were hiding there. Besides, with the Lantian Camp helping, protecting these women would be a trivial matter.

The letter he had written was for Yang Rong to give to Sun Hao. Given the friendship between him and Sun Hao, such a small favor was no trouble at all.

Seeing how meticulously Chu Han arranged everything for them, Yang Rong felt a stir of gratitude. Since her master had passed, she had felt no warmth from anyone—but Chu Han truly made her feel it.

She didn't refuse his kindness. She nodded and accepted the letter. "Don't seek revenge for me. The Taiyi Sect is too powerful—you're certainly no match for them. My life is a cheap one; it's not worth you risking yourself for my sake."

Hearing this, Chu Han smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not a fool; I naturally won't confront them head-on. I have my own ways. If I succeed, I'll let you know. Until then, absolutely do not have any conflict with the Taiyi Sect."

Yang Rong nodded and said no more. The atmosphere in the room turned somewhat awkward; both of them lowered their heads, their faces flushed crimson.

"I'll be going now," Chu Han said. "Be careful on the road. It would be best to disguise yourselves—a group of stunning beauties is bound to attract attention."

With that, he stood up and started to leave. But he hadn't taken more than a few steps when Yang Rong embraced him from behind.

He was somewhat embarrassed, unsure what she intended, so he stood still and waited for her to speak.

"You take care too," she said. "If things aren't feasible, you must give up. I'll be waiting for you in Jingyuan City."

Having said that, Yang Rong burrowed her head under the blanket like an ostrich. Seeing how shy she was, Chu Han laughed heartily. "I will."

Then he strode off. Only after he had left the room did she poke her head out, gazing in the direction he had gone, and let out a silly giggle, lost in some private thought.

On the road back, Chu Han kept wondering why this woman felt so familiar to him. But no matter how he searched his memories, he couldn't recall any impression of her. He shook his head and set the matter aside.

He was just about to head toward the imperial capital when suddenly a surge of his own aura shot up into the sky from afar. He paused—that direction was the Eastern Wasteland. The only one there carrying his aura was Li Fu. It seemed there was news from the Wolf Clan.

Sensing the aura, Chu Han gave a cold snort. After all this time, there was finally word from the Wolf Clan. Abandoning his plan to return to the imperial capital, he headed straight for the Eastern Wasteland.

A long time had passed since Liu Qingli had been taken by the Wolf Clan. Although he believed they wouldn't harm her, he was still worried. He had to rescue her from their hands as quickly as possible.

By the time he arrived in the Eastern Wasteland, night had fallen. He didn't go directly to see Li Fu—the Eastern Wasteland was crowded and full of prying eyes. If Li Fu were exposed, that would be bad. So he found an inn and settled in for the night.

The system in his mind had already loaded to sixty percent, nearly at its limit. This was precisely the opportunity. Chu Han took a stone from his ring—one he had lifted from Xue Jiashun—something that would be of use to him.

Threads of lightning coiled around the stone, looking quite eerie. This was a Thunder Stone. Only after years upon years of being struck by lightning could such a small piece be formed. Its power to suppress the system was even stronger than lightning-struck wood.

Chu Han placed his right hand on the stone and directly drew its lightning attribute into his body. The system first paused, then gradually regressed. As all the lightning attribute in the stone was absorbed, the stone crumbled into powder, and the system fell all the way back to twenty percent before halting. Seeing this, Chu Han finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he entered a cultivation state, refining the lightning power he had just absorbed.

Time passed little by little. Once the lightning power was fully refined, his cultivation had also changed—he had broken through to the second palace of the Dao Palace realm. His strength had increased again, and this time, he was far more confident in dealing with the Wolf Clan.

Nothing was said that night.

The next day, he went straight to Li Fu. It was just as he had guessed—with Yin Qing's help, Li Fu had located one of the Wolf Clan's strongholds. However, he had held off on acting rashly in order to wait for Chu Han to arrive.

"That stronghold is near Mangdang Mountain, very well concealed. If not for a stroke of luck, I wouldn't have found it. But it should only be a small outpost—I don't think Miss Liu is there."

Chu Han nodded at his words. Liu Qingli had been captured to threaten him; they wouldn't hide her somewhere so simple. Still, finding a Wolf Clan stronghold was a good thing. This time, he was determined to pry some information out of them.

The two slipped silently into the area around Mangdang Mountain, but they didn't ascend the mountain itself. Instead, they wound through the mountain paths until they came to a small hill, completely concealed by dense jungle. If one didn't look closely, it would be impossible to spot.

"There's a cave here—one of the Wolf Clan's strongholds. From what I've observed over this period, this stronghold is used by the Wolf Clan to gather intelligence, so there aren't many people—only a dozen or so. But all of them are formidable."

Li Fu reported in a hushed voice, then drew the longsword from his waist, waiting only for Chu Han's command to charge in.