375 It’s a Free-For-All
“I was right. The three Jiang brothers are indeed disciples of the Sacred Heart, cultivating the Blood Heart Sutra,” Qin Huai muttered as he searched Jiang Yougeng thoroughly.
His findings were modest — a few hundred thousand silver notes which, unfortunately, held no value in the bronze realm. Their worth couldn’t be realized within a short period.
He glanced around, unsure of the whereabouts of the remaining two. “It seems I’ve been rather fortunate,” Qin Huai murmured, proceeding to obliterate Jiang Yougeng’s head completely, ensuring no evidence of his intervention remained.
He initially considered waiting for the remaining two, but after contemplation, he decided against it. He was wary of them using the wind breath technique for assassination and waiting would only give them the upper hand. Additionally, the odds would likely be two against one — a risk he didn’t need to take.
In the bronze realm, Qin Huai dared not underestimate anyone. Everyone here was a genius with an arsenal of tricks.
Retracing his steps, Qin Huai considered the poison situation. Not much poison remained in his body, as his robe had been mostly destroyed during his fight with Wen Zonghao, causing the poison to dissipate. The garments had only been repaired after entering the bronze realm, so no need to worry about a corpse.
Practicing the newly learned wind breath technique, Qin Huai reduced his footstep noise to nearly inaudible levels. His breath was incredibly light too. Compared to the suppression technique learned earlier, this was far superior. Moreover, the experience gained from Jiang Yougeng propelled his relevant cultivation techniques to the fifth refinement level.
Upon returning to his usual residence, he was about to settle down when he noticed two faint footprints in the hollow he’d dug.
“Who’s been here…” Qin Huai muttered, scanning his surroundings. Could it be the other two Jiang brothers? That would be an uncanny coincidence.
Choosing caution, Qin Huai relocated another two miles away and dug another hole. Sleep, however, eluded him. Instead, he sat, activating the divine power book of a thousand creations to transform the remaining two cultivation techniques into the ancient azure illusion scripture.
His blood heart technique was already at the sixth refinement level, with the experience bar half full. It was not far from the great blood refinement level. In comparison, Lan Zhengtu, who was the strongest in the ancient azure illusion scripture, had only reached the great blood refinement realm after cultivating for decades.
Suddenly, a bone-chilling scream pierced the night, instantly shattering the tranquility. “Ah! Big brother!” The wails echoed through the camp, setting off a flurry of panicked wildlife.
“Could it be the Fengling Mountain brothers were discovered?” Qin Huai pondered, looking in the direction of the commotion. It seemed to originate from the area he had visited. “Did they find the headless bodies?”
Qin Huai had no intention of investigating the commotion. Perched on the tree, he continued to meditate on the divine power book of a thousand creations.
Regardless of whether the Fengling Mountain brothers had been discovered or his handiwork was uncovered, he felt safe as neither party bore any grudge against him. At most, they would confront each other and perhaps engage in a skirmish before eventually discontinuing their feud.
…
Things progressed as Qin Huai anticipated. The two remaining brothers, Jiang Youyin and Jiang Youchen, returned empty-handed and dejected, only to be confronted by the gruesome sight of their decapitated brother. They were immediately consumed by rage.
The relationship between the brothers was extraordinary, far surpassing typical familial bonds. Together since birth, they shared meals, bullied fellow disciples, indulged in the same woman, and combated rival sects and branches. Their decision to join the Sacred Heart sect to cultivate the blood heart technique was unanimous. However, now their elder brother was gone.
Blaming Lan Zhengtu and the Heavenly Eagle sect, the brothers swore revenge, gritting their teeth.
“We must avenge Big Brother,” Jiang Youchen managed to say, his rage barely contained.
…
A mournful wail marked the end of the night.
By morning, an unrested Qin Huai hastened towards the mountain wall. Before he could reach it, however, an explosion echoed from the direction he was headed.
Hastening his steps, he was met with a long log flying across the sky.
Whoosh!
The log exploded before his eyes, splintering into countless fragments that scattered like stray arrows. Unfazed, Qin Huai allowed the fragments to crash against him, turning to dust on impact.
Quickening his pace, he made his way to the center of the battlefield, parting obstructing trees. Despite being prepared for the chaos, the sight still stunned him.
Twenty individuals were embroiled in a fierce skirmish. Qin Huai, who was already clueless about everyone’s identities, was even more confused about which camp they belonged to. It seemed that everyone had a bone to pick with anyone who crossed their path, which left him feeling overwhelmed.
All of a sudden, Qin Huai’s scalp went numb.