BTTH: Death Letter From The Future

Chen Guan stopped after crafting nearly fifty small toys. Although each toy didn't consume much energy individually, the effort added up, and crafting so many proved taxing. Nevertheless, the quantity seemed sufficient for his purposes.

After spending another hour adjusting his state, Chen Guan headed to a small lake. The death letter mentioned that while leaving the lakebed, he encountered Medusa. The ensuing battle attracted the attention of a Soul Hall protector, leading to the subsequent events. Thus, starting the search from this small lake would be a relatively easier way to locate the person.

Chen Guan believed that hiding in the outer region where low-tier magical beasts roamed wouldn't be advantageous for quiet healing, regardless of whether the person was human or a magical beast, given the larger numbers. Therefore, half of the search area could be eliminated. With a greatly reduced scope, his confidence in finding the target increased.

With his newfound strength, the area that was previously occupied by fourth-tier magical beasts posed no threat to him. He summoned Iron Egg for protection and ventured in without hesitation. Occasionally, fourth-tier and lower magical beasts attacked him, but Chen Guan, wanting to avoid making too much noise, dealt with them using a single punch.

"Little fourth-tier creatures, laughable indeed," he thought.

In reality, it was Iron Egg doing the fighting.

"..."

After traveling several thousand meters and finding a concealed hiding spot, Chen Guan released some of the prepared tracking puppets to conduct a thorough search. His deduction proved correct. After a day and a night, just as the tracking puppets were about to run out of energy, he finally found the target.

In the fifth-tier magical beast area, there was an exceptionally strong energy signature. More importantly, no energy comparable to that of a third-tier magical beast or higher could be detected nearby, as if the area had been intentionally cleared, making it distinctly different from other places.

The pattern was obvious; it was as if the King of Hell were interrogating little demons, and the truth revealed itself without effort!

Avoiding the magical beasts along the way, Chen Guan concealed his presence and stealthily moved closer. Given his current soul strength, it would be difficult for anyone to detect him unless he deliberately leaked his aura.

Upon reaching the location marked by the tracking puppet, Chen Guan extracted a magic core that could be used one more time, discarded the exhausted puppet, and cautiously examined a nest not far away.

Outside the nest, large chunks of magical beast dung were scattered about, arranged with noticeable patterns, indicating that they had been deliberately manipulated. This was not their original state.

"It's a Mountain-Crushing Rhino! A fifth-tier magical beast!"

Chen Guan recognized that this place originally belonged to a Mountain-Crushing Rhino, a fairly powerful beast even among the fifth-tier ranks. It was not weak; after all, Mo Cheng's Mountain-Crushing Arm was derived from a Mountain-Crushing Rhino.

But now, there was no trace of the Mountain-Crushing Rhino's aura—it was clearly gone.

The nest had been taken over, its magic core extracted, and who knew whether its flesh had been eaten. Even the dung had found a use.

"A poor, unlucky beast."

To be cautious, Chen Guan did not release his spiritual power to probe the area; instead, he observed from a distance for a long time.

After roughly half an hour, a chaotic aura began emanating from the nest, so turbulent that Chen Guan could detect it from far away. The power level seemed comparable to Jia Xingtian.

"Just as I suspected, it's a severely injured creature!"

Having confirmed the condition of the Soul Hall protector, Chen Guan did not linger. He quietly came and left, and only after moving several miles away did he send out a signal for help.

"An arrow through the clouds summons the Serpent Queen!"

Medusa had been waiting all this time, with nothing else to occupy her, so she arrived as soon as she received the signal.

"You're here."

"I am."

"You shouldn't have come."

"Shall I leave then?"

"Just joking. I've found that depraved, notorious, evil-to-the-bone maniac. His strength is roughly between an eight-star Dou Emperor and nine-star."

Chen Guan spoke seriously as he put away his smile.

The Serpent Queen nodded slightly, unwilling to waste time. "No need to wait for Jia Xingtian; I can handle this alone."

She was very confident, never having encountered anyone from the Soul Hall before and unaware of their tricks. As for the young man's description of the sinister enemy, she was indifferent. She was only there to uphold her part of the deal, with no regard for the enemy's morality or depravity.

"No, his methods are strange. If he escapes, we may never get another chance," Chen Guan firmly refused.

"Below the Dou Ancestor level, I'm confident I can handle it. If all else fails, your puppet can back us up."

"Forget it. I won't act without absolute certainty. This person's background is vast, and if he escapes, both the Jia Ma Empire and your serpent clan will suffer."

Medusa stopped speaking, her gaze shifting to Chen Guan with a hint of danger, as if to say, "You never mentioned the enemy had such a powerful backing before. Now I'm on this pirate ship!"

Chen Guan avoided her gaze. "Don't worry. I'm fully prepared. As long as we kill him on the spot, no matter how powerful his background, no one will know we did it. Only the Heaven and earth will know, and so will you and I."

Reluctantly accepting this explanation, Medusa was eager to obtain the Heavenly Flame and refrained from suggesting a solo attempt again. When it came to her people's safety, she could not afford to be careless.

Chen Guan breathed a sigh of relief. "Next, we'll go to the hiding place and lie in wait. Our support should arrive within two days."

Chen Guan's estimate was conservative. In fact, Jia Xingtian arrived sooner than expected—by the afternoon of the second day. Not only did he arrive, but he also brought a surprise: Fa Ma joined him.

Though alchemists generally had limited combat prowess, Fa Ma's status as a Emperor made him a valuable addition, bolstering their chances of success.

"What's going on, young Chen?"

Even before Jia Xingtian spoke, Fa Ma couldn't hold back his curiosity. As it happened, he accidentally discovered Jia Xingtian hurriedly leaving the palace, and upon inquiry, learned that the young man needed help. Fa Ma promptly volunteered to come along.

After traveling at full speed, Jia Xingtian hadn't briefed Fa Ma on the details, leaving him in a state of half-confusion.

Chen Guan greeted the two and carefully explained the plan, emphasizing the consequences if it failed and urging them to give their all. He also clarified Medusa's involvement.

Jia Xingtian, already aware of the situation from the letter, didn't need further convincing—he was ready to act. Fa Ma's reaction was particularly moving. Learning about the potential risks, he showed no hesitation, despite having no obligation to participate.

His actions proved that Fa Ma was indeed a trustworthy elder.

More than the danger, Fa Ma was struck by the young man's luck.

"A Heavenly Flame! If word gets out that you've obtained and absorbed one, you'll be envied by countless alchemists, especially Gu He. He's been searching for a Heavenly Flame for years. You'd better keep a low profile about your control over the flame in the empire. If you were an alchemist, Gu He might begrudgingly accept it, but you…"

"Even I feel it's a waste. If Gu He finds out, he may very well harbor ill intentions toward you."

"I understand," Chen Guan nodded.

Although he wasn't afraid of Gu He and had even noted him as a potential target, he appreciated Fa Ma's advice.

With everything in place, Chen Guan was eager to proceed without delay, lest unforeseen changes occur.

Gazing into the distance, he prepared to hunt the sinister enemy.

While the young man was ready to take action, far away at Yun Lan Sect, Yunshan continued to wait in vain.

(End of Chapter)

Guys, I am back! Thank you to everyone for their wishes, they mean alot ot me!

Read the Jia Nan academy arc on my Patreon!

Advance 25 chapters are up on Patreon!

pat reon.com/AlphaSenatus