It took Chen Guan a full morning to craft nearly fifty tracking puppets before he finally stopped. Though each one consumed little energy, their sheer number allowed for a comprehensive search.
After spending another hour to adjust his state, Chen Guan headed toward the small lake.
The previous suicide note mentioned that he had encountered Queen Medusa when he left the bottom of the lake, and the battle's fluctuations had been detected by the Hall of Souls guardian, leading to the subsequent events. Therefore, starting the search with this small lake as the center was a relatively efficient way to find his target.
At the same time, Chen Guan reasoned that the guardian would not hide in the outer areas where low-tier Magical Beasts were active. Such places were teeming with both humans and beasts, which would be detrimental to quiet healing. This insight allowed him to halve the search area again.
With the scope greatly narrowed, Chen Guan felt more confident.
Thanks to his improved strength, the areas once home to fourth-tier Magical Beasts, which he had approached with caution before, now posed no threat. He brought out Tiedan to protect himself and walked in without hesitation.
Occasionally, Magical Beasts of the fourth tier or below would attack, but Chen Guan preferred not to make too much noise, so he would simply dispatch them with a single punch.
A mere fourth-tier beast, how ridiculous. Though, in truth, it was usually Tiedan who delivered the final blow.
They ventured deep into the mountains, thousands of meters into the wild, and found a secluded place to hide. There, he released several prepared tracking puppets and began a comprehensive, carpet-like search.
As it turned out, his speculation was correct.
After a day and a night, with his energy almost depleted from tracking, Chen Guan finally located his target.
In an area typically inhabited by fifth-tier Magical Beasts, there was an extremely powerful energy signature hidden. More importantly, near this energy, there were no other creatures comparable to a third-tier beast or above. It seemed as if the area had been deliberately cleared, making it starkly different from its surroundings.
Such a glaring anomaly was like a confession without a word.
To avoid alerting anyone, Chen Guan concealed his aura and carefully moved closer. With his current soul strength, it would be difficult for ordinary individuals to detect him unless he actively revealed his presence.
Arriving at the location identified by the tracking puppet, Chen Guan retrieved the magic core for reuse, discarded the damaged puppet, and cautiously observed a den not far away.
Outside the den, large amounts of Magical Beast droppings were scattered, clearly arranged by human hand rather than natural distribution.
A Mountain-Splitting Rhino! A fifth-tier Magical Beast!
Chen Guan recognized that this had originally been the territory of a Mountain-Splitting Rhino. This type of Magical Beast was considered upper-middle tier among fifth-tier creatures and was quite formidable. The Mountain-Breaking Arm used by Mo Cheng had originated from a Mountain-Splitting Rhino.
But now, there was no trace of the Mountain-Splitting Rhino. It was clearly gone.
Its den was occupied, its magic core taken, its flesh likely consumed, and even its droppings put to use.
An unlucky beast, indeed. Who could it go to for justice?
To be safe, Chen Guan did not release his mental power to probe but patiently observed from a distance for a long time.
After less than half an hour, a disordered aura emanated from the den. Chen Guan could sense it from afar, confirming it was roughly on par with Jia Xing Tian's aura.
It's a wounded Dou Huang!
After confirming the Hall of Souls guardian's condition, Chen Guan did not linger. He departed as quietly as he arrived, moving several miles away from the target before sending a signal for help.
An arrow pierced the clouds, and Queen Medusa came to meet him!
Queen Medusa had been waiting, with nothing else pressing, so she rushed to the location as soon as she received the signal.
"You're here."
"I am."
"You shouldn't have come."
"Then, shall this Queen leave?"
"Only joking. I've found the despicable individual, one who has committed heinous crimes and possesses a twisted humanity. Their strength is roughly between an eight-star and nine-star Dou Huang."
Putting away his smile, Chen Guan spoke seriously.
Queen Medusa nodded slightly, not wanting to waste time. "Don't wait for Jia Xing Tian to arrive. I am enough."
She was very confident. She had never encountered anyone from the Hall of Souls before and didn't know how formidable they were. As for the boy's evaluation of the target's character, she didn't care. She was only here for the transaction. The other party's character, or their depravity, was irrelevant to her.
"No, that man's methods are strange. If we let him escape, we will never have another chance," Chen Guan said, shaking his head.
"I am confident that anyone below a Dou Zong can be handled. If things go wrong, I still have your puppet as backup."
"Forget it. I won't make a move unless I'm absolutely certain. The power behind this man is immense. If he escapes, the Jia Ma Empire, including your Snake-People Race, will face grave consequences."
Medusa stopped talking and glanced at him, a hint of danger in her eyes. It seemed to say, You didn't tell me before that the other side was so powerful. You've boarded a dangerous vessel!
Chen Guan didn't meet her gaze directly. "Don't worry, I'm well-prepared. As long as we kill them on the spot, no matter how powerful their background, no one will know it was us. Only the heavens and earth know, and you and I."
Medusa looked away, reluctantly accepting the explanation. She truly needed the Heavenly Flame and chose not to insist on going alone. Since the safety of her tribe was at stake, she could not afford to be careless.
Chen Guan breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's go to his hiding place and wait for support. Jia Xing Tian will be here in two days at most."
Chen Guan's estimate was quite conservative. In fact, Jia Xing Tian arrived earlier than he expected.
The next afternoon, the reinforcements arrived. Not only did he come, but he also brought a surprise: Fa Ma had followed him.
Even though a regular alchemist's combat power might be slightly weaker, Fa Ma was still a Dou Huang-level powerhouse. With his addition, the matter would be more secure.
"Chen boy, what happened?"
Before Jia Xing Tian could speak, Fa Ma couldn't help but ask first. It was a coincidence that he had discovered Jia Xing Tian leaving the palace in a hurry. When he inquired, he learned that the young man needed help. Without thinking twice, Fa Ma had taken the initiative to follow. They had flown at full speed, and Jia Xing Tian hadn't explained the specific situation in detail. Fa Ma was still in a semi-confused state.
Chen Guan stepped forward to greet the two men, carefully went over the plan with them, and informed them of the consequences if the plan failed, urging them to give it their all. He also explained why Medusa was present.
Jia Xing Tian had already understood from the letter that, given the current relationship between the royal family and the young man, there was nothing to discuss—they just needed to act.
What was more touching was that after learning about the potential risks the target posed, Fa Ma did not hesitate at all. He could have easily stayed out of this matter. Today's actions were enough to show that Fa Ma was indeed an elder of trustworthy character.
Rather than the target's danger, Fa Ma was more impressed by the boy's luck.
"Heavenly Flame," Fa Ma began, "if you truly found it and successfully devoured it, and you tell others, you will be envied to death by countless alchemists. Especially Gu He, who has been searching for Heavenly Flames for years. In the future, you should try to avoid revealing the fact that you control a Heavenly Flame within the empire. If you were an alchemist, it would be fine—Gu He might just hold his nose and think himself unlucky. But you…"
"Don't even mention Gu He. Even I think it's a waste of natural resources. If Gu He knew, he would most likely have some thoughts about you."
"I understand." Chen Guan nodded in agreement.
Although he wasn't afraid of Gu He and had even mentally added him to a small list of potential targets, he appreciated Fa Ma's kindness.
After explaining everything, Chen Guan didn't want to delay any further in case something unexpected happened.
Looking into the distance, the plan to hunt the shadowy Dou Zong could begin!
The young man here was ready to act, while Yun Shan, far away in the Misty Cloud Sect, was still waiting anxiously.
(End of Chapter)
***
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