Chapter 444 - 450: Huo Clan Leader’s Pursuit

That was a force they could not hope to resist.

Knowing the gravity of the situation, Song Wanning picked up the pace of their escape.

It was a long time before they finally found a place to rest for a moment.

Baili Shang emptied his Storage Ring, tossing most of the supplies to Song Wanning.

Then, he took out a Jade Scroll.

It was a Communication Jade Scroll from the Huo Family, which disciples could use to communicate freely.

A bounty for the two of them was scrolling conspicuously across it, visible to anyone who opened the Jade Scroll.

Their expressions tensed. After reading through the messages from the other disciples and confirming that the man with the scar hadn’t had time to report their position, they both sighed in relief.

"Right now, this Jade Scroll can help us avoid some trouble, but I worry that the man’s death will alert the Huo Clan Leader, who might come after us himself."

’The Huo Clan Leader must utterly despise us. If he gets word, he’ll surely come after us himself. We’ll be in grave danger then.’

Baili Shang held the Jade Scroll, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.

"Let’s take it one step at a time."

Song Wanning frowned. "For now, our best bet is to reach the Demon God Tomb as soon as possible and increase our strength."

Only then would they have a better chance of dealing with the Huo Clan Leader.

"Mm."

Baili Shang nodded. After a brief rest, the two set out again under the cover of night.

...

「The Huo Family Estate.」

The Huo Clan Leader was dealing with a maddening affair. It had started when a Huo Family disciple clashed with a disciple from the Yun Family and ended up killing him.

To make matters worse, the victim was a direct descendant of the Yun Family, and numerous eyewitnesses had seen the fight, so the matter couldn’t be covered up.

Now, the Yun Family was demanding an explanation, giving him a massive headache.

’He had to protect his disciple. Otherwise, if word got out, it would look like the Huo Family was afraid of the Yun Family...’

’The Huo Family disciples would grow resentful and think he was a useless Clan Leader.’

’But how to protect him was another problem entirely. He certainly wasn’t willing to offer a huge amount of compensation.’

And so, the situation was at a stalemate.

Just a few days ago, he had planned to hunt down Song Wanning and her companion himself. However, a visit from a Yun Family elder had forced him to issue a bounty and let his disciples handle the matter instead.

’There is still no news of the pair. I have no idea where they have hidden.’

Just then, a disciple knocked urgently on the door.

"Clan Leader, Clan Leader! It’s terrible! Something’s happened!"

"What is it?"

The Huo Clan Leader’s face darkened. With a wave of his hand, the main doors swung open silently.

The disciple rushed in, exclaiming, "It’s—it’s Elder Huo Yuan! He—he has fallen!"

"What? Are you certain?"

The Huo Clan Leader shot to his feet, his face a mask of astonishment.

’He was perfectly fine. How could he have fallen so suddenly?’

Suddenly, a thought struck him, and his heart sank.

’Don’t tell me Huo Yuan went after Song Wanning and the other one...’

"I’m not mistaken, Clan Leader. Elder Huo Yuan had just returned yesterday. When he heard that someone had injured the Young Master, he left immediately. But today, while I was cleaning the ancestral hall, I was shocked to find that the elder’s soul lamp had gone out..."

"He’s not responding to any messages."

The disciple’s eyes were filled with anxiety. If he had truly fallen, it would be a tremendous loss for the Huo Family. After all, Elder Huo Yuan was on the verge of breaking through to the Body Integration Realm and becoming a pillar of the family.

"Dammit!"

After hearing all that, how could the Huo Clan Leader not understand what had happened?

He slammed his palm down, shattering all the furniture in the room, his face contorted with fury.

"You dare kill an elder of my clan? I’ll make sure you pay with your lives!"

With that, his figure flickered and vanished from the room.

The disciple saw this, left the room, and quickly spread the news. Soon, the entire Huo Family knew, including members who were away from the estate.

"The Clan Leader stressed that we were only to find their location and not to engage. Why would Elder Huo Yuan go off on his own?"

"Who could have imagined they were strong enough to kill even Elder Huo Yuan?"

"How arrogant! Just a couple of country bumpkins from the Four Domains, and they dare to kill a member of the Huo Family!"

"Everyone, with me! We have to find them and put all our strength into killing them! Avenge Elder Huo Yuan!"

"Avenge Elder Huo Yuan!!"

...

The Huo Clan Leader was oblivious to the reaction of his disciples. Following the location signal from the Communication Jade Scroll, he abruptly appeared inside a mountain cave.

He immediately spread his Divine Sense, but he found no trace of Song Wanning or her companion. He didn’t see Huo Yuan’s body, either. There weren’t even any signs of a struggle.

’This isn’t where it happened.’

The Huo Clan Leader snorted. "Trying to escape? Hah!"

He put the Jade Scroll away and immediately shot off in the direction he thought they’d gone.

Meanwhile, Song Wanning and Baili Shang had pushed their Flying Magical Treasure to its maximum speed, but it still wasn’t enough.

Initially, they planned to use the Jade Scroll to keep an eye on the Huo Family. But then it occurred to them that Huo Yuan’s death would be discovered quickly, and the scroll would become a death warrant.

But even if they discarded the Jade Scroll, he was already too close. At the Huo Clan Leader’s speed, he was bound to find them soon.

Baili Shang’s expression was grim. ’We’re so close to the Demon God Tomb,’ he thought. ’We can’t let it all fall apart at the last moment.’

He began feeding a steady stream of top-grade spiritual stones into the Flying Magical Treasure, pushing it to maintain its maximum speed.

Fortunately, the Huo Clan Leader couldn’t pinpoint their exact direction, which bought them a considerable amount of time.

Three days later, their path was finally blocked by the Huo Clan Leader.

"You certainly made me work to find you."

The moment he saw them, the rage in the Huo Clan Leader’s heart flared anew. ’Old grievances and new hatred... they both have to die.’

"Why aren’t you busy chasing the real culprit, Huo Clan Leader? What do you gain by involving ordinary people like us?"

Song Wanning shot Baili Shang a look, ready to flee at a moment’s notice.

’The Demon God Tomb is so close. If we can just make it there, the restrictive formations alone will keep the Huo Clan Leader out. Then we’ll be safe.’

Baili Shang returned her gaze. Though they hadn’t known each other long, an unspoken understanding existed between them, and they both understood what the other meant.

The Huo Clan Leader paid no mind to the silent exchange between them. He snorted coldly and demanded, "Where is that cur Huo Jinchuan hiding? Tell me, and I’ll grant you the mercy of an intact corpse."

Although he had been skeptical at first, the Huo Clan Leader now suspected the two were in league with Huo Jinchuan.

Song Wanning’s brow furrowed at his words. ’Now that I’m outside the Secret Realm, I can’t monitor the invaders’ status in real time.’

’Otherwise, this would have been a perfect opportunity to drag Huo Jinchuan into this mess.’

The thought had barely crossed her mind when the Three Lives Mirror suddenly stirred.

Song Wanning looked and saw that it was a map displaying three red dots.

One was in the Eastern Domain, one in the Central Domain, and the third was, unexpectedly, in the Demon Clan Territory.

Song Wanning’s heart sank. ’Xiao Heyun is dead, so I thought there were only two invaders left. I never expected another one to have slipped through the net and ended up among the Demon Race!!!’