BTTH: Death Letter From The Future

The next day.

Chen Guan wrote two letters: one was sent to Yao Ye in the Holy City of the Imperial Capital, and the other, along with a token, was sent to the nearby Wutan City.

After handling miscellaneous affairs, he bought two maps of the outer region of the Magical Beast Mountain Range in Qingshan Town, then, without hesitation, ventured into the mountains alone.

This was his first time entering the Magical Beast Mountain Range. While hiring a mercenary guide would have been more convenient, he gave up on the idea due to strength concerns.

Even the leaders of the major mercenary groups in Qingshan Town were only at the Dou Master level, let alone the others. Bringing them along would only hold him back, and their usefulness would be limited.

For his first time entering the mountains, Chen Guan wasn't in a rush. His main goal was to familiarize himself with the environment while also searching for the cave that Xiao Yixian discovered in the original story.

After spending the entire morning, he didn't find the cave but ended up slaying more than a dozen magical beasts. They were all first-tier magical beasts, posing no real threat. Chen Guan suspected they were just asking for trouble.

After enjoying a delicious meal of roasted hog meat, Chen Guan stood up and continued his journey deeper into the mountains.

Finding the cave wasn't urgent—he had plenty of time to search for it slowly, combing through the area in a systematic manner each day. For now, his main focus was on honing his skills, keeping his priorities straight.

As Chen Guan ventured deeper, the magical beasts he encountered grew stronger. First-tier magical beasts began to retreat, and second-tier magical beasts became the dominant presence.

A second-tier magical beast was roughly equivalent to a Dou Master, and usually a particularly powerful one at that.

This region still belonged to the outer perimeter of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, but it was already a depth most mercenaries avoided.

As a result, the mercenaries Chen Guan had encountered earlier had all but vanished; not a single one could be seen now.

Suddenly, a sound—shhh—a stream of scorching venom came flying at him from behind.

In that moment of danger, Chen Guan seemed to have eyes on the back of his head. With a subtle movement of his feet, he easily dodged the attack. The Thousand Flame Sword Technique condensed a scarlet sword aura, which he threw backward, hitting the mouth of the beast that had attempted to ambush him. A sharp, piercing scream echoed through the air, accompanied by a spray of blood—loud and clear.

The culprit was a Fire Venom Lizard, a second-tier magical beast.

Recognizing the target, Chen Guan wasted no time. He dashed forward, mounted the Fire Venom Lizard, and killed it with three powerful punches.

After wiping the blood from his hands, he drew his sword and skillfully cut open the beast's body. A dark red, thumb-sized magic core appeared before him.

"Hm, not bad," he muttered.

It was the first magic core he'd obtained that day.

After thinking about it, it seemed like this was also the first extra profit he had earned in years—it almost brought tears to his eyes.

Training and earning money at the same time, Chen Guan felt a surge of motivation. He stored the magic core and started searching for his next target. To him, this area had turned into a gold mine.

Swift Wind Wolves, Green Wood Foxes, and Blazing Spirit Pythons—one after another, the second-tier magical beasts appeared, but without exception, they all met their end. By evening, Chen Guan had slain fourteen second-tier magical beasts!

The only slight disappointment was that he had only obtained four magic cores.

"Fourteen... such an unlucky number. I'll find one more and then leave," Chen Guan muttered to himself, deciding as the sky began to darken.

At that moment, he resembled an old general on a battlefield, standing amidst his many conquests.

After over a dozen battles, although he had emerged victorious, the toll on him wasn't small. His energy was slightly depleted, especially since not every second-tier magical beast was as weak as the Fire Venom Lizard.

Fire Venom Lizard: You're acting all high and mighty after taking my magic core, and now you're calling me weak?

Chen Guan carefully searched for his next target. Suddenly, a rustling sound reached his ears.

His expression changed slightly. He stepped back to a wide, open area, gripping his sword tightly. A thin layer of Dou Qi aura appeared around him, and with a single-hand seal, a crimson sword aura quickly formed and floated behind him.

One aura, two auras... he condensed sixty sword auras in total, only stopping when he sensed he had used up about half of his Dou Qi.

At that moment, the source of the strange noise finally appeared.

Just as Chen Guan had suspected, a swarm of nearly a hundred pale-white serpents slithered into view.

They were Crimson Ice Serpents, first-tier magical beasts commonly found in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Their element was ice, and their venom contained cold poison. Anyone poisoned by them who didn't receive treatment within half a day would have their blood frozen solid by the poison, resulting in death.

Recognizing his enemies, Chen Guan relaxed slightly. While the serpent swarm looked frightening, even top-level second-tier magical beasts avoided them, but they didn't pose much of a threat to him.

He was a master at fighting in low-tier situations.

"Go!"

Without hesitation, Chen Guan launched an attack. The sixty sword auras shot forward, resembling a dazzling meteor shower. The red glow filled the sky, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

Hisss!

The serpent swarm was engulfed by the sword auras, suffering heavy casualties. Severed serpent bodies littered the ground, and the air was filled with the aroma of cooked meat. In a single strike, over 70% of the serpents were wiped out, and the survivors were all injured.

Such was the terrifying power of Black-level Dou Techniques!

Taking advantage of the moment, Chen Guan charged forward with his sword, cutting down the remaining serpents.

However, just as he was engrossed in his slaughter, a sudden, intense sense of danger surged through his heart. Without a second thought, he pushed his movement technique, Swift Cloud Steps, to its limit, dodging several meters away in an instant.

Hisss! Hisss!

A pool of venom splashed down where he had just stood, corroding the ground into a half-meter-wide pit. The grass and plants withered and died, leaving a thick layer of frost.

In the distance, a large gray serpent, several meters long, stared coldly at Chen Guan.

"Tier three?!" Chen Guan cried out in shock.

This was no ordinary serpent—it was a mutated Crimson Ice Serpent King. Its cold venom contained powerful corrosive properties, making it a formidable foe, even among third-tier magical beasts.

"Sorry for disturbing you, goodbye!"

Without even glancing at the seven or eight magic cores on the ground, Chen Guan hurled his sword at the Crimson Ice Serpent King and dashed off. By the time the serpent dodged the sword and looked back, Chen Guan was already dozens of meters away.

The serpent king, now possessing some intelligence, was enraged by the cunning youth and began chasing after him. Its massive body didn't hinder its speed, which wasn't much slower than Chen Guan's.

Chen Guan could feel the Crimson Ice Serpent King closing in on him. Without looking back, he sprinted toward a dense forest, using his agility to his advantage. He judged the distance between them based on the sound of trees being smashed to pieces behind him.

Though he was being chased, Chen Guan remained calm. He still had a trump card—the serpent king couldn't truly threaten his life.

He was only running because unleashing his ultimate technique, Calamity of all Gods, would consume too much of his energy. In his current state, even a second-tier magical beast could pose a threat after he used it.

Thus, fleeing was the wisest choice.

Chen Guan clearly remembered the route he had taken earlier. He knew he had cleared out the magical beasts along the way, so everything was under control.

What he hadn't anticipated was how quickly magical beasts would claim new territory. A newly arrived second-tier Fire Fox, determined to assert its dominance, extended its claws the moment Chen Guan appeared.

Caught off guard, the Dou Qi aura around him was pierced, leaving a deep scratch on his left arm.

It was only a flesh wound, but the bigger problem was that the Fire Fox's interference had disrupted Chen Guan's escape rhythm, forcibly stopping him in his tracks.

Although only a few seconds passed, it was enough for the Crimson Ice Serpent King to catch up.

Without time to think, Chen Guan summoned a broad sword into his hand and activated Boundless Ocean, meeting the serpent king's charge head-on.

A tremendous force struck him, sending him flying. He coughed up blood in midair, but used the momentum to widen the distance between himself and the serpent king, leaping into the forest and disappearing from view.

Realizing it had been tricked, the Crimson Ice Serpent King hissed furiously, turning its gaze toward the Fire Fox, ready to vent its anger.

However, the Fire Fox, with a strong will to survive, immediately leaped onto a cliff. Its nimble movements allowed it to escape the serpent king's massive body with ease.

As the serpent king helplessly watched the Fire Fox escape, Chen Guan had already made his way deep into the forest.

The Fire Fox, proud of its escape, had no idea that it had now become the source of disaster for its entire species, forever remembered by a certain someone.

(End of chapter)