Chapter 401: Favored by Heaven
As they walked, the two discussed the events in the secret realm. For the most part, Xu Sanyan asked questions, and Lin Fan answered.
Through their conversation, Xu Sanyan learned that Lin Fan’s clan was called the Jade Clan, with a population of about six to seven hundred—slightly larger than the Dog Clan.
The Jade Clan members were tall and powerfully built, skilled in combat, and possessed sharp intellect.
Several other clans existed around the Jade Clan, their situations similar to that of the Dog Clan.
However, the Jade Clan’s method of obtaining power was not called “blessing” but “sacrifice.” The effects were the same, only the name differed.
Xu Sanyan committed this information to memory.
With Lin Fan in tow, Xu Sanyan’s pace inevitably slowed. Five days had passed, and they had only covered two-thirds of the journey.
Had he traveled alone at his normal speed, he would have already reached the Li Clan by now.
Though the delay was slight, Xu Sanyan didn’t mind. As long as they avoided the flesh giant, the few ghost beasts posed no threat. This detour provided the perfect opportunity to brainwash Lin Fan, whom he would need to rely on later.
“Holy Son, look what I brought back!” Lin Fan exclaimed, his voice brimming with excitement as he proudly produced a pure, crystalline stone from his pocket.
Xu Sanyan’s expression visibly froze for a moment, a hint of surprise in his voice as he asked, “A soul crystal? Where did you get this?”
There was no doubt it was a soul crystal; after handling so many, he couldn’t possibly mistake it.
But this item was only useful to Soul Refining Realm cultivators. Lin Fan was merely at the Dao Seeking Realm—how had he obtained it?
Lin Fan grinned sheepishly, his joy radiating from him. Finally, he could be of help to the Holy Son. He poured out the whole story without reservation:
“Hehe, Holy Son, you might not know this, but the Jade Clan’s Back Mountain is a place of sacrifice and soul burial. This crystal was buried beneath the altar. I noticed it earlier and kept it in mind, thinking it might be useful to you. So I secretly took one and hid it away.”
Lin Fan felt only gratitude toward Xu Sanyan, concealing nothing from him.
A glint flashed in Xu Sanyan’s eyes as his mind raced. This Lin Fan truly possessed extraordinary luck. Already at the Dao Seeking Realm, just one step away from the Soul Refining Realm, he had a soul crystal delivered right to his doorstep just when he needed it most.
“Are these soul crystals abundant among the Jade Clan?” Xu Sanyan asked tentatively.
Seeing his interest, Lin Fan nodded enthusiastically. “Very abundant! There’s a whole layer of them beneath the altar. According to the high priest, they enhance the effectiveness of sacrifices.”
Xu Sanyan’s eyes flashed with excitement. He needed vast quantities of soul crystals to set up the Soul-Gathering Brilliance-Preserving Grand Formation!
Lin Fan was truly his lucky star!
“Excellent! I need these crystals urgently, the more the better. Can you secure them for me?”
Lin Fan nodded emphatically. “Yes! For the holy son, this disciple would brave fire and water without hesitation!”
“Good!” Xu Sanyan patted his shoulder approvingly. Such a loyal disciple! I haven’t wasted my affection on him.
As the two shared this moment of brotherly camaraderie, they remained oblivious to the impending catastrophe engulfing Plum City, the Li Clan’s stronghold.
Bang!
“Clan Head, the formation has been breached!”
A bloodcurdling scream pierced the sky, thick with despair and terror.
“My fate is sealed!”
“Awooo~!”
As the formation shattered, countless ghost beasts swarmed like locusts, their overwhelming numbers pressing forward. The flesh giant swung its massive stone sword like a mountain sweeping across the land, and no one could withstand its devastating strikes.
Three figures stood suspended in mid-air, riding the wind. Two men and one woman, all radiating formidable auras, were the Li Clan’s three void harmony realm experts, with the Li Clan Patriarch among them.
“Clan Head, let’s fight this monster!” the woman gritted her teeth, her eyes burning as she watched the flesh giant destroy the foundation laid by the Li Clan’s ancestors and slaughter their disciples.
“Ah~ Ancestor, save me!”
“Father!”
The cries of despair only fueled her rage. Qi and blood surged through her veins as she drew her sword, ready to charge.
“Move!” the old man at the front snarled, his jaw clenched. He turned his head away from the carnage below, refusing to look at his dying clansmen.
“Clan Head!” the woman exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Is that what you’re saying?”
“Move!” the Li Clan Patriarch repeated, his voice now sharper and more forceful.
As long as the green hills remain, there’s always firewood to burn. As long as the three of them survived, the Li Clan would not be extinguished!
Before they could react, the giant sword crashed down upon them!
The flesh giant had long noticed the three tiny insects hovering in the air. Had they fled immediately, it might have ignored them. But their brazenly plotting right in front of it? That was nothing short of a provocation.
What no one realized was that this flesh giant possessed consciousness!
Though its mind flickered between chaos and confusion, the flesh giant undeniably possessed the capacity for thought and was fully aware of its actions.
Boom!
The greatsword crashed into the ground, instantly carving a deep ravine across the earth. The once-proud city had been reduced to rubble, its ruins strewn with countless severed limbs.
The three figures narrowly dodged the colossal blade, their eyes wide with terror. This monstrous entity was far beyond their ability to withstand.
The greatsword alone stretched fifteen to eighteen meters—seventeen or eighteen strides—and its swings generated violent gales. Even a glancing blow would be catastrophic, let alone a direct hit.
The flesh giant straightened its massive frame, its flayed face bubbling with blood blisters that swelled and burst in grotesque succession, each rupture leaving trails of viscous blood. The sight was utterly repulsive.
Heh heh…
The giant’s lips stretched into a grotesque grin, a small chunk of flesh tearing away with the twitching muscles. To the three observers, this scene was even more terrifying, for the giant seemed to be…
Laughing?
It could actually laugh?
The Li Clan Patriarch felt a chill run down his spine, abandoning all thoughts of resistance. With a flicker of movement, he soared toward the horizon.
The other two also lost their will to fight. Even the woman who had been shouting the loudest moments before turned and fled, her earlier bravado exposed as mere posturing.
The flesh giant didn’t pursue them. Instead, the blood clots on its body writhed, rapidly forming a large bulge. The blood-filled sac burst open, releasing a swarm of birds that immediately gave chase to the fleeing trio.
In a mere instant, it birthed ghost beasts?
No wonder so many ghost beasts constantly surround it. It possesses this terrifying ability!
“Scree!”
The hawk’s cry pierced the heavens, drowning out the city’s screams as it swiftly pursued the three figures.
The flesh giant abandoned the chase, focusing its attention on the human figure beneath its feet.
Meanwhile,
Xu Sanyan halted, listening to the faint roars carried on the wind. Sensing something amiss, he flared his nostrils, detecting faint traces of blood in the air.
Since receiving the Dog God’s blessing, his sense of smell had become remarkably acute—whether this was a blessing or a curse remained to be seen.
Lin Fan stopped behind him, gazing at Xu Sanyan with confusion. “Holy Son, what’s wrong?” he whispered.
“Someone’s ahead,” Xu Sanyan explained, taking a few more steps forward. The stench of blood grew stronger.
“Cough… cough…”
Suppressed coughing echoed through the air. Xu Sanyan focused his senses and discovered a human figure lying beneath a tree nearby. The moans and bloody aura emanated from this person.
(End of the Chapter)