Vol. 1 - Ch. 140 - Marking

Words : 1332 Updated : Oct 8th, 2025

The two men remained vigilant, but before they could act, two more figures suddenly emerged from the darkness below. Without hesitation, each found a tree and swiftly climbed up. In moments, what had once been an empty canopy was now filled with shadows. All four immediately sensed each other’s presence. The moment their eyes met, their voices rang out in surprise: "Xie Yanwu!" "Shi Potian?""Gan Yu?""Shen He!" Each of them uttered a name, and as their identities became clear, their expressions grew even more serious. These were not strangers but familiar figures—each one a member of the three other great clans, and all of them had reached the Innate Realm. Though they all hailed from Yong'an City, their relationship was far from harmonious. If anything, the four clans were locked in constant rivalry. With the city's limited space and influence, their coexistence was inevitably tense. Xie Yanwu’s expression remained cold. He had already guessed the purpose of their presence—most likely, they were here under the same orders he had received from his clan. But what surprised him was how decisively the other clans had also sent their Innate Realm martial artists. Clearly, they placed great importance on this matter. This development, however, meant his original plans might be disrupted. After a brief exchange, the four quickly withdrew into the shadows, refraining from unnecessary conversation. Different paths. Different goals. The night passed swiftly. The next morning, Chen Tianjing and his group set out once more. They had been traveling without rest, covering a full day’s journey. By evening, they set up camp again. The four men trailing them remained silent, showing no signs of giving up. On the third day, the situation was much the same. But when they saw Chen Tianjing's group halt once more, their patience finally wore thin. Had it not been for their clans’ orders to follow in secret, they would have long since taken action against Chen Tianjing and his party. Walking instead of riding was one thing—but after days of travel, they had yet to reach their destination. Just where in the depths of nowhere was this so-called Chaotic Burial Mountain? With the deadline to report back to their clans fast approaching, they were still nowhere near completing their mission, which only added to their frustration. To avoid detection, each had come alone, without additional reinforcements. A single Innate Realm martial artist could move discreetly, but this also meant they were too far from home to send any messages back. Had they been tracking alone, they might have been able to rest now and then. But with three equally skilled competitors lurking nearby, none of them dared to let their guard down—not even at night. Even for an Innate Realm martial artist, such prolonged vigilance was exhausting. Their frustration deepened when they gazed ahead, only to see endless mountains stretching into the distance, with no clear destination in sight. Still, despite their irritation, they forced themselves to endure for the sake of their mission. … Yong'an City – Xie Clan "Still no news?" The clan member standing below shook his head. Xie Hongyuan frowned in suspicion. The person she had sent to follow them was her own cousin, Xie Yanwu—an Innate Realm martial artist. Given his strength, there was no reason he should have gone silent for this long. Could the Chen clan be more formidable than they had anticipated? But even if that were the case, there should have been some word. She remained patient, choosing to wait a little longer. But when the fifth day came and still no news arrived, unease spread beyond just her. The other three great clans, also left in the dark, quickly took action. Without delay, they dispatched a second wave of pursuers. … Deep in the Wilderness Those who had been sent earlier would have left behind markings, ensuring the newcomers could track them. Meanwhile, in the dense forest, two young boys were making their way back home, following the same path they had traveled before. Five days ago, they had left Yong’an City. Having failed to find food, they nearly collapsed from hunger—until a kindhearted farmer outside the city took them in. To repay his generosity, they had stayed to help with farm work for several days. It was only the day before yesterday that they had finally left, with the farmer seeing them off with deep gratitude. This time, they carried enough rations to last the journey back. "The outside world is too harsh. The clan is better. I swear I’m never leaving again," Chen Qingmeng muttered. Beside him, Chen Qinghe nodded in agreement. Despite the bustling cities they had seen, nothing came without a price—everything required jade coins. And as two penniless boys, they had struggled just to get by. Luckily, fortune had smiled on them. They continued forward at a steady pace, taking brief rests along the way. Before long, they neared the section of the road that their clan had cleared. "Qinghe, come look! There’s another one here!" Resting beside a large tree, Chen Qingmeng suddenly called out, staring at the trunk. Chen Qinghe hurried over. As he examined the tree, he spotted a familiar carving etched into its bark. The symbol was crude and uneven, difficult to decipher at first glance. But having seen similar markings on other trees before, they recognized it immediately. Along with this, there were three other types of symbols. The carvings were fresh, made recently. Most importantly, the markings stretched along the very path leading to their clan’s territory. A sense of unease crept into Chen Qinghe’s mind. He frowned in thought before his expression suddenly brightened. "I’ve got an idea! Let’s carve some more!" Sёarᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Destroying the existing marks would be too obvious. But if they added extra ones—altering the direction just enough—it would be nearly impossible for the trackers to navigate properly. Even though simply following the road would still lead to Chaotic Burial Mountain, the added confusion would waste valuable time. Besides, they had plenty of time to spare and were growing bored on their way home. Wasting no time, the two set to work. As they traveled, they carved identical symbols at various intervals, carefully placing them just off the main path. To further complicate matters, they retraced and deepened some of the existing marks, making them appear fresher than they really were. Others, they deliberately destroyed, leaving an inconsistent trail. Not long after they departed, another pair of figures arrived on the secluded road. This time, it wasn’t just one tracker—it was two. And unlike the previous pursuers, these two were only in the Blood Coagulation Realm. "Brother, why did you stop?" one of them asked. His companion didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he stared at a tree in front of them, uncertain. "Come take a look at this. Is this one of our clan’s markings?" The second man leaned in, examining the carving closely. "Yes, that’s definitely our clan’s mark! I’d recognize it anywhere!" he confirmed with confidence. His companion remained silent, then pointed at another tree nearby. "Then explain this one." The second man’s eyes widened. There, on the adjacent trunk, was an almost identical carving. Yet, clan markings followed strict rules. They were never placed so closely together—especially not by their elders. So why were there two? "Brother, there’s another one over here… and this one looks like it belongs to a different clan." As they scanned their surroundings, they spotted even more symbols—four distinct sets in total. The two men scratched their heads, utterly bewildered. Hello readers! Read up to 12 advance chapters by joining us on Patreon! Support us and read ahead[Join Patreon]Enjoying the story? Help more readers discover it by leaving a rating and reviews on NovelUpdate! Every review counts. [Rate on NovelUpdate]Thanks for your support and happy reading!

Vol. 1 - Ch. 140 - Marking

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