Chapter 529 - 525: Undercurrent

Chapter 529: Chapter 525: Undercurrent

"Heh heh..."

The man locked eyes with Fang Han for a moment. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and then he suddenly smiled.

The smile was abrupt, carrying an indescribable sense of relief, as if a sword that had been hanging over his head for a long time had finally fallen.

Immediately after, a trickle of black blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

’This is bad!’

Fang Han’s expression changed slightly. He quickly applied pressure with his fingers, trying to dislocate the man’s jaw, but it was already too late.

A thick, coppery-sweet scent spread from between the man’s teeth. After contracting violently several times, the man’s pupils slowly dilated and drifted apart.

The trickle of black blood from the corner of his mouth grew, dripping down his chin and onto the back of Fang Han’s hand.

DRIP.

Fang Han let go, and the man’s body slid down the wall, coming to rest half-leaning against its base, his head lolling to one side.

His eyes, now devoid of life, remained half-open, reflecting the flickering flame of the lamp on the table.

Fang Han crouched down and searched the man’s body. He only found some silver notes in his robes and nothing else.

The poison had been hidden between his teeth. He had clearly been prepared for this from the very beginning, planning to commit suicide the moment he ran into trouble.

’He actually killed himself so decisively!’

Fang Han frowned and fell silent for a moment.

After being captured, the man didn’t even try to save himself, swallowing the poison without a moment’s hesitation.

Such resolve was not something an ordinary person was capable of. It was more in the style of a Death Warrior.

This matter was getting more and more complicated.

’I hope I can find the real Grandmaster Secret Technique!’

Fang Han began to search the room. His gaze finally landed on a cabinet.

He walked over to the wooden cabinet and pulled open its doors.

Inside, dozens of Beast Hide Booklets were neatly stacked. The color and texture of their covers had been meticulously aged, making them look indistinguishable from artifacts excavated from an ancient tomb at first glance.

He randomly pulled out a few and flipped through them—*Heavenly Frost Fist*, *Mixed Yuan Qi Skill*, *Void-Shattering Finger*—

Aside from the Inner Power Cultivation Technique, which he could tell was fake, he couldn’t determine if the others were forgeries, as he had never practiced such Cultivation Techniques.

However, it was almost certain they were all fakes.

’These few are different!’

Fang Han continued to search. At the very bottom, he found several booklets that felt different to the touch.

He pulled them out and examined them closely under the lamplight.

There were six in total. Their covers were brand new, and the ink still smelled fresh. They had clearly been transcribed no more than a few months ago.

’It’s the original source for the forgeries!’

Fang Han picked up one of them, the Grandmaster Secret Technique *Ghost Shadow*, and quickly flipped through it. A moment later, he confirmed that this Grandmaster Secret Technique was real.

Like the Grandmaster Secret Technique, the other five were probably real as well.

However, he could tell these six Cultivation Techniques were not the ones excavated from the Grandmaster’s Tomb. They were likely just handwritten copies of them.

’There must be some organization behind this man!’

Fang Han placed all six Cultivation Techniques into his Storage Ring, then straightened up, his gaze falling once more on the corpse slumped against the wall.

This man’s strength wasn’t weak; he was a Third Grade Martial Artist.

A Third Grade Martial Artist, willing to live in obscurity in this remote town making forgeries, who then decisively committed suicide by poison after being captured.

For him to be so resolute, there had to be an organization behind him.

’This organization’s goal must be to make the chaos in Songquan County even more intense!’

Fang Han speculated on the organization’s motives.

This group had deliberately tasked the man with creating forgeries and then disseminating the fake Cultivation Techniques to stir up conflict.

Their goal was likely to add fuel to the fire, making the already strife-ridden situation in Songquan County even more chaotic.

As for their deeper motives—why they wanted to make the situation in Songquan County more chaotic—he had too few clues to make a reasonable guess.

’I’ve got the Grandmaster Secret Technique. I can’t get involved in this mess!’

Having recharged his short spear and gained ten thousand gold, Fang Han took one last look at the room, which was filled with the smell of chemicals, before stepping outside and pulling the door shut behind him.

The night was deep in the courtyard, and the faint sound of a few dogs barking could be heard in the distance.

He vaulted over the courtyard wall. His moon-white robes swayed gently in the night wind, and then he disappeared into the shadows of the alley.

...

「A forest of jagged, scattered boulders.」

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The chirping of insects and birds that should have filled the boulder forest was now completely drowned out by another sound.

It was the crisp clang of clashing weapons, the roar of exploding Qi Force, and the low snarls of two figures fighting for their lives.

Two figures collided rapidly amidst the boulders, each clash unleashing a shocking impact wave.

Shattered stones were swept up, only to be ground into dust in mid-air by the residual Power.

The originally somewhat flat, gravel-covered ground in the boulder forest was now completely torn apart, crisscrossed with gashes as if repeatedly clawed by a giant, invisible beast.

The one wielding the saber was a burly man who looked to be in his early fifties. He had the build of a bear, and a heavy Ghost Head Saber seemed as light as a feather in his hands. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

Every slash carried a Mountain-Splitting Stone-Shattering Momentum. Wherever the Sword Gang passed, the air screamed as it was torn apart.

The one wielding the sword was a slender old man with a gaunt face, but his eyes were shockingly bright.

The longsword in his hand was as thin as a cicada’s wing. Its light was like threads of silk, a stark contrast to the fierce and domineering Sword Momentum. He followed the path of the Soft Overcomes Hard Technique.

Both men were already covered in numerous wounds.

The burly man’s left shoulder had been slashed by the sword’s edge. The flesh was torn open, and blood flowed down his arm, staining half his shirt red.

The old man was in no better shape. His right ribs had been struck by the Sword Gang. Although it hadn’t hit a vital point, the impact had roiled his qi and blood, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Not far from the two First Grade Martial Artists, a palm-sized sandalwood box lay quietly on a large, bluish stone.

The lid had been blasted open during the intense battle, revealing the bright yellow silk lining inside and a secret manual resting upon it.

This item was one of the "Grandmaster Secret Manuals" unearthed from the Grandmaster’s Tomb, and it was the very reason these two First Grade Martial Artists were fighting to the death.

"Yun He, this Grandmaster Secret Manual is mine. If you know what’s good for you, get out of here."

The burly man forced the old man back with a slash of his saber and said, breathing heavily.

The hand gripping the saber hilt trembled slightly. The web between his thumb and forefinger had long since split open, and blood dripped down the hilt.

"What big words. This old man and you are both First Grade Martial Artists. You think you alone can make me retreat?"

The slender old man called Yun He sneered. He pointed his longsword diagonally at the ground as a single drop of blood slowly slid off its tip.

"Old bastard, it looks like you’ve got a death wish."

The burly man grinned, revealing a set of teeth stained red with blood.

He took a deep breath, and the aura around his body suddenly surged. He was clearly preparing to risk it all.

Yun He’s eyes narrowed. He held his longsword horizontally in front of him, likewise pushing what little Inner Qi he had left to its absolute limit.

The two faced off from a distance, neither showing any intention of backing down.

For those not from a top-level organization, a Grandmaster Technique represented a chance to break through to the Grandmaster realm. It might even be the only chance they would get in their entire lives. Neither was willing to give it up.

However, just as the two were about to clash again—

A figure appeared beside the sandalwood box without any warning.

No one saw how he appeared.

It was as if he had been standing by that bluish stone from the very beginning, never having left.

Or perhaps he was just a wisp of smoke, blown in by a chance gust of wind, silently coalescing into a solid form.

It was an old man.

He was slender, dressed in a long gray robe, and wore an unadorned Bronze Mask that revealed only his eyes.

Those eyes were not sharp, nor were they sinister. They simply gazed at the two men with an unnerving calm, as if looking at two inanimate objects.

Yun He’s pupils contracted sharply.

He was a First Grade Martial Artist, and his Spiritual Perception was far keener than that of an ordinary person. Yet, when this man had appeared, his perception had given him no warning whatsoever.

It was as if this person didn’t exist in this world at all, but was merely an ethereal illusion.

The burly man’s expression changed as well.

His hand on the saber tightened abruptly, re-opening the wound on the web of his hand. Blood dripped down the hilt to the ground, but he was completely oblivious.

"Who are you?"

The burly man asked in a low, hoarse voice, tinged with a fear even he was unwilling to admit.

The masked old man did not answer.

He raised his right hand. It was as withered as a dead branch, its skin a sickly, ashen white.

He curled his fingers slightly, aiming them at the sandalwood box.

An invisible suction force emerged, and the sandalwood box, along with the secret manual inside, floated lightly into the masked old man’s palm.

The masked old man glanced down at the manual, then casually tucked it into his sleeve as if it were just an ordinary book.

"You’re courting death!"

The burly man roared, and his Ghost Head Saber transformed into a bolt of black silk, slashing straight at the masked old man’s face.

This slash was the culmination of his life’s Cultivation. The Sword Gang it produced was several dozen feet long, and wherever it passed, it carved a deep trench in the ground, sending shattered stones flying like rain.

The masked old man didn’t even look up.

He simply extended his left hand, curled his fingers, and made a grasping motion in the air.

CRACK!

The burly man’s charging figure froze abruptly.

Under that single grasp, the immense Inner Qi of a First Grade Martial Artist dissipated inch by inch, like a punctured bubble, completely draining away in an instant.

He was frozen as if bound by invisible chains, unable to move. His raised Ghost Head Saber was stuck in mid-air, unable to fall another inch.

"What?"

Yun He’s face changed drastically.

He was well aware of the burly man’s strength. To subdue him in an instant—even considering he was already heavily injured—was enough to show how terrifying the newcomer’s power was.

Judging by the tyrannical Inner Qi the man displayed, he was very likely a Martial Artist who had already broken through the "Qi Pass" of the Three Gates of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, causing his Inner Qi to undergo a qualitative change.

Seeing no chance of victory, he turned and fled without hesitation.

He pushed his Body Technique to its absolute limit, transforming into a streak of green lightning as he shot toward the valley exit.

SWOOSH!

The masked old man turned his head. His calm eyes watched the frantically fleeing figure, and he once again made a grasping motion in the air.

Yun He’s figure froze as well.

He was stuck in a forward-lunge posture, one leg suspended in mid-air, like a frozen statue.

His gaunt face was filled with utter terror.

Because of the Three Gates of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, the gap between First Grade martial artists could be even greater than the gaps between other grades.

Although he knew there was a huge disparity between himself and a Breaking Through Martial Artist who had made progress in the Three Gates of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, he had never imagined the gap would be this enormous.

"Become nourishment for this old man’s ascension to the Grandmaster realm!"

The masked old man pulled the two men through the air, forcing them to stand face-to-face before him.

He slowly raised his hands, placing one on the burly man’s head and the other on Yun He’s.

The burly man’s body was the first to begin to change.

His once-sturdy frame shriveled at a speed visible to the naked eye.

His bronze skin lost its luster, turning dry and sallow as it clung tightly to his bones.

His full muscles shrank and caved in, inch by inch, like earth that had been completely drained of water.

His once-bright eyes, full of spirit, gradually lost focus as their light rapidly dimmed.

Yun He’s transformation was just as shocking.

His gaunt face hollowed out at an astonishing rate. His cheekbones protruded sharply, and his eye sockets sank until they resembled deep hollows.

His slender frame became even more withered, like a piece of deadwood that had been left to dry in the wind for years.