Chapter 176: Beast King
Chapter 176: Beast King
Three hours later, Tang Jinbiao ran more than three hundred miles in one breath and hid inside a mountain cave.
The power of the Stealth Talisman slowly dissipated, and his internal Qi Energy was completely exhausted. Only when he felt his whole body nearing its limit did he finally stop.
“Heh!”
Tang Jinbiao glanced back towards the direction of the Stone Forest, a cold sneer appearing at the corner of his mouth. Yet, within that sneer, there was more than a trace of smugness.
This time, not only had he eliminated Wei Wuya, but he had also obtained Wei Wuya’s Storage Pouch. While he wasn’t entirely sure what was inside, it certainly wouldn’t be ordinary.
“Huff… Huff… Huff!”
Tang Jinbiao slumped to the ground, utterly spent, gasping for breath in huge gulps.
Fortunately, the entanglement with the three had been merely frightening but left him unscathed. He hadn’t sustained any serious injuries, only some superficial wounds from his earlier clash with Wei Wuya.
Tap Tap!
He gently patted his Storage Pouch. A white Jade Vial appeared in his hand. He poured out four or five pellets of Elixir and swallowed them directly.
“Hmm, they shouldn’t find me here in the short term. I’ll rest and recuperate here before figuring out how to leave. There’s no way I can return to the Academy under these circumstances. Likely, those two are already laying in ambush along the route.”
Tang Jinbiao slowly began refining the Elixir within his body while contemplating his next moves.
Returning to the Divine Wind Academy was definitely out of the question. Given Wei Wuya’s status, if news got back, Tang Jinbiao returning would be walking straight into their trap.
“Humph! If that’s how it is, then I’ll just enter the Hundred Thousand Mountains. I refuse to believe they’d pursue me there. But this time I absolutely must enter from a different direction! Though, that Stone Forest is strangely peculiar. I must study it thoroughly if I get the chance later.”
Having decided he couldn’t return to the Divine Wind Academy, a cold smile touched Tang Jinbiao’s lips as a wild idea immediately took root in his mind.
“But this isn’t the time for those thoughts. I need to focus on recovery now.”
He slowly closed his eyes, concentrating on refining the Elixir within his system.
…
Three Hundred Miles Away.
Jia Longwu and Young Master Ma, having failed to find any trace of Tang Jinbiao, stood once more before that expanse of Stone Forest.
“Damn it!”
Young Master Ma’s face was pale, etched with a trace of gloom as he gazed resentfully at the Stone Forest before him, cursing inwardly.
“Young Lady Jia, since Young Master Wei has… met with misfortune, and you are his betrothed, it falls to you to report this to the Wei Clan. Also, send a message back. Tell them to block that brat’s path; don’t let him escape! And you, go investigate below! Find out when this Stone Forest appeared here! Why haven’t I heard of it!”
Young Master Ma cursed, then turned to Jia Longwu to issue his orders.
“Yes!”
Jia Longwu showed no sorrow over Wei Wuya’s death. Instead, a hint of concealed delight flickered deep within her eyes as she nodded in acknowledgment.
Immediately, she took a Message Talisman from her Storage Pouch, slowly infused it with Qi Energy, and sent the news out.
…
Time swiftly flowed past, and three days elapsed.
Jia Longwu and Young Master Ma could wait no longer. Convinced Tang Jinbiao was likely already far away, they finally departed.
…
Three days later, in a dense forest hundreds of miles away from the two, Tang Jinbiao walked up to a massive magical restriction.
“Whew, this is practically a miracle!”
Gazing at the enormous restriction, Tang Jinbiao couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.
He hadn’t paid attention before; it turned out that this Hundred Thousand Mountains was actually enveloped by a giant formation.
“Given this, it seems only that Stone Forest can be the passageway!”
Seeing the path into the mountains blocked, Tang Jinbiao muttered to himself internally; simultaneously, he chose the direction and dashed toward that Stone Forest.
……
Three days later, in another dense forest a thousand miles inside the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
“How terrifying! I never thought, according to hearsay, that countless demon beasts abound here in the Hundred Thousand Mountains. I’ve been here for three days now, yet I haven’t seen even a shadow of one. Could they all have been driven deep into the mountains?”
Tang Jinbiao looked at the lush and thriving trees around him, trembling uncontrollably inside.
Because he had been here for three days, yet throughout his journey, he hadn’t encountered a single living thing, let alone a demon beast.
This feeling was exactly like when he first emerged from the Immortal Bathing Lake—there wasn’t a single living creature beneath the surface that seemed bustling.
He had chosen to head deeper into the Hundred Thousand Mountains for three reasons: first, to avoid retaliation from Young Master Ma and Jia Longwu; second, to hunt demon beasts, as he was somewhat poor and desperate now; and finally, to try his luck and see if he could find Tang Yilin.
“Meh, it seems set to disappoint me—not only no demon beasts to hunt, but I couldn’t even find a trace of one!”
Feeling that eerie quiet, Tang Jinbiao suddenly sensed he had lost his purpose.
“Oh right, what’s in Wei Wuya’s storage pouch? I haven’t checked yet!”
While walking along like this, Tang Jinbiao suddenly remembered he had seized Wei Wuya’s storage pouch but hadn’t opened it for inspection.
Snap!
With that thought, Tang Jinbiao slapped the storage pouch, sending Wei Wuya’s storage pouch flying out.
“Hehe, just what might lie inside this scumbag rich heir’s storage pouch, huh?”
Grasping Wei Wuya’s storage pouch in his hand, Tang Jinbiao weighed it a moment, swiftly opened it, and began inspecting the contents.
However, things took a turn for the worse when he checked—his face inevitably darkened.
“Only four items?”
Because there were only four things in that storage pouch: one was a Divine Wind Academy token, one jade slip, something resembling parchment, and a pitch-black black pearl.
Rustling!
Looking extremely displeased, Tang Jinbiao dumped all the contents out of the storage pouch in a heap.
“Only this trash?
Staring down at those objects on the ground, Tang Jinbiao nearly wished he could go back and kill Wei Wuya again—even though Wei Wuya was already dead by his hand, the urge lingered fiercely.
“Hah, whatever, since I’ve already snatched it, might as well check it out properly!”
Despite his anger, Tang Jinbiao picked up the token from the ground first, then slightly infused some qi energy to examine how many merit points it had.
Bang!
The moment he began infusing the qi energy, the token exploded with a loud bang.
“I……”
Tang Jinbiao was already in poor spirits. He only intended to check how many Merit Points remained on the Token, never expecting it to explode so abruptly.
“Damn it—black merchants, absolute black merchants! Divine Wind Academy is downright unscrupulous! When disciples die outside, their Tokens become worthless—damn it all!”
Reacting to the situation, Tang Jinbiao couldn’t help but curse furiously.
Indeed, this was Divine Wind Academy’s underhanded tactic.
After swearing nonstop for a short while, he finally stopped with a grimace and stared at the three remaining items on the ground:
The Jade Slip. The Parchment. The Black Pearl!
“Forget it, that Black Pearl looks utterly bizarre. Who knows what’s Sealed inside? Better start with this Jade Slip—let’s see what’s recorded in it first.”
With a glance, he picked up the Jade Slip, pressed it gently against his forehead, and began absorbing its contents.
“What?!”
The moment Tang Jinbiao glimpsed its contents, his expression twisted dramatically.
“Haha! Hahaha! God of War’s Stride! It’s actually this!”
But moments later, wild ecstasy spread across his face as he exclaimed in disbelief.
Suddenly aware that the Jade Slip contained the legendary Martial Technique God of War’s Stride, Tang Jinbiao tensed. He anxiously scanned his surroundings for observers. Seeing none, he swiftly stashed the Jade Slip into his Storage Pouch. He resolved silently to practice it only once he’d reached safety.
“Hmph! If the Jade Slip holds something as heaven-defying as God of War’s Stride, this Parchment must be extraordinary too!”
Fueled by excitement, he snatched the Parchment from the ground and inspected it closely.
Yet to his bewilderment, the Parchment turned out to be utterly blank—devoid of any markings.
“This…is it?”
Tang Jinbiao frowned at the empty surface—until an idea struck him. He raised his index finger to his mouth, preparing to bite it.
“Ow!”
His teeth met unexpected resistance: not just hardness, but unnerving elasticity beneath his skin.
Drip.
Despite the toughness, he pierced it. A droplet of blood splashed onto the Parchment.
Ssss!
As blood made contact, the liquid slowly melted into the material.
“It worked!”
Tang Jinbiao’s pulse raced. This must conceal a world-shattering secret, he thought.
Within moments, the blood vanished entirely into the Parchment. Then intricate characters began surfacing, densely packed like swarming ants.
Ghost Spirit Contract!
Atop the Parchment, twisted symbols materialized—yet Tang Jinbiao recognized them instantly.
“This…?”
Stunned by the occult script, he froze momentarily. Then curiosity won out, and he leaned in to read what followed.
Ghost Spirit Contract!
All things between heaven and earth are born of Yin and Yang Qi, emerging from chaos…
Though this parchment contained only a thousand words, Tang Jinbiao spent a full quarter-hour reading it.
“Huff… huff… huff… so ghosts truly exist!”
Gazing at the scroll in his hand, Tang Jinbiao’s chest heaved, his heart unsettled for a long while.
For this contract turned out to be an agreement between Wei Wuya and Young Master Ma.
Unlike ordinary contracts, this was a pact between a human and a ghost—the human being Wei Wuya, while the ghost was the entity possessing Young Master Ma.
The terms seemed utterly one-sided, overwhelmingly favoring Wei Wuya.
Young Master Ma pledged to secure various benefits for Wei Wuya and protect him from harm, with conditions so advantageous that Wei Wuya had no grounds for objection.
“This contract feels strange… it’s less like an agreement and more like a contract of servitude. Was Young Master Ma truly so subservient to Wei Wuya?”
Muttering to himself, Tang Jinbiao couldn’t shake his unease.
“Forget it. Whatever it is, I’ll keep it. Better to have it on me.”
Setting aside his doubts, he stored the document inside his Storage Pouch.
Only the black pearl remained on the ground.
To be honest, it closely resembled the Yin Pearl, though larger—fist-sized—and radiating palpable power. If unleashed, this energy would utterly overwhelm Tang Jinbiao.
“Hmm. This seems like a single-use item. Though I don’t fully grasp its nature, it feels potent. Best to store it—might save my life someday!”
Feeling its oppressive aura, he likewise tucked the pearl into the Storage Pouch.
“Heh. While the loot isn’t extraordinary, Martial Technique: God of War’s Stride is the ultimate prize. If I master it, I might become unbeatable among peers! And coupled with my Frost Qi… how formidable would that be?”
The thought of acquiring this Martial Technique thrilled Tang Jinbiao. Now he wouldn’t need to blindly research skills—just train this proven art.
He currently lacked neither cultivation techniques nor low-tier Martial Techniques, having studied several recently. Yet none stood out. With God of War’s Stride in hand, joy surged through him.
“Heh!”
Smiling broadly, he resumed his journey deeper into the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
KABOOM—
Just as he took his first step, the earth trembled violently.
The entire Dense Forest shook as an overwhelming presence crashed toward him.
“What?! Beast King!”
Sensing this aura, Tang Jinbiao’s face paled. He staggered, nearly falling to his knees…