Vol. 1 - Ch. 145 - The True Culprit

Words : 1198 Updated : Oct 8th, 2025

Thinking back on what had just happened, Ji Yang couldn't help but laugh. Even though he was the Divine Tree, his means of intervention were limited. If those people had stormed the clan directly, he wouldn’t have been able to do much given their Innate Realm strength. But they were cautious, choosing indirect methods to investigate instead. That was their mistake. Ji Yang might not be skilled in direct combat, but his consciousness was overwhelmingly powerful. With his growing vitality and ever-expanding underground roots, not to mention the green bamboo he had absorbed, his spiritual strength had reached terrifying levels. Using totem power in front of him was like showing off crude tricks to a master. But their retreat was only temporary. Once they reported back to their families, the four great clans wouldn't let this go. More warriors would come. Before that happened, he needed to act. A faint golden shimmer flickered across a locust leaf among the dense branches. … "Qinghe, do you think doing this might bring disaster upon us?" Chen Qinghe, who was scraping bark from a tree, froze. A vein twitched on his forehead before he shot back, "We're doing the right thing. Once we destroy these markers, they won't be able to find the clan." He was about to explain further when suddenly, voices echoed from nearby. “Damn it! If I find out who's been destroying our family’s markers, I'll tear them apart!” “Yeah! Do you know how many detours we’ve taken because of this?” "That bastard deserves a thousand deaths! If we catch them, they won’t get away!" The angry cursing grew louder, and soon, a group of men emerged into view. Chen Qinghe and Chen Qingmeng froze. The moment the two sides locked eyes, the atmosphere tensed. Chen Qinghe forced a friendly smile and, without a change in expression, casually hid his tool behind his back. Meanwhile, Chen Qingmeng remained completely oblivious. As he continued scratching away at the markings, he called out, "Qinghe, this bark is really tough. Come help me!" Silence. As the realization dawned on the approaching men, their restrained fury erupted. “Catch them!” “Qingmeng, run!” Chen Qinghe grabbed his cousin and bolted, but they were too slow. Within moments, they were surrounded. "Run? Let’s see where you two little brats can run now!" The men sneered, their expressions filled with a twisted sense of satisfaction. They had wasted so much time because of these two, their anger simmering with every wrong turn and every beast they encountered along the way. Now, the only thing that could douse that rage was blood. Chen Qinghe and Chen Qingmeng were nervous. They were only at the mid-stage Body Tempering Realm, while their pursuers were all Blood Coagulation Realm martial artists. They were hopelessly outmatched. To make matters worse, judging from their clothing, these seven or eight men weren’t even from the same family—they came from all four great clans. Perfect. They had managed to offend every single one. And now, there was nowhere left to run. Trying to keep his voice steady, Chen Qinghe declared, "I am from the Chen clan of Chaotic Burial Mountain. Our clan is close by. Do you really dare to attack me?" The men hesitated at first, exchanging uncertain glances. But then, sneers spread across their faces. "Well, that saves us the trouble," one of them said, cracking his knuckles. "You're exactly who we were looking for." Chen Qinghe’s stomach dropped. So they really were after the clan. Just as he was preparing for a desperate last stand, footsteps sounded in the distance. A flicker of hope surged in Chen Qinghe’s chest. "That must be the clan sending reinforcements!" Their captors hesitated as well, turning toward the sound, their expressions wary. They still hadn’t heard back from their elders who had gone scouting, and if the Chen family was truly capable, they couldn’t afford to act recklessly just yet. But beside him, Chen Qingmeng frowned and muttered, "Qinghe, does the clan even know we’re back?" Chen Qinghe’s excitement stalled. A moment later, figures emerged from the darkness. "Elder of the Potian Clan!" "Uncle Gan Yu!" Recognizing the newcomers, the group instantly brightened and called out to them in relief. Their mission had been to investigate the elders of their respective clans. Now that they saw them unharmed and at ease, their task was complete. And as a bonus, they had caught two members of the Chen clan. Shi Potian, one of the elders, narrowed his eyes at the scene. "What’s going on here?" The men quickly explained. When Shi Potian and the other elders learned that the two had been destroying the markers, their expressions darkened. But when they realized the two were from the Chen clan, their frowns turned into amused smiles. S~eaʀᴄh the novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Well, well, well." "What perfect timing," Gan Yu chuckled. "We were just lamenting how little information we'd gathered, and now we have this?" Standing beside them, Shen He frowned. Unlike the others, he had actually managed to gather a significant amount of intel. But now that these two Chen clan members had been captured, all his painstakingly collected information was worthless. Damn it. What the hell were they doing out here at this hour? He cursed silently but quickly refocused. There was still a chance. If these two were smart enough to keep their mouths shut, he could handle the situation himself. Chen Qinghe, however, felt his hope shatter completely. Not only were the newcomers not from his clan, but they were the very people who had left the markers. They were doomed. If he had known things would turn out like this, he would never have come. Seeing that the men were about to act, Chen Qinghe made a snap decision. He pulled out the knife he had hidden behind him and pressed it against his throat. "Stay back, or I’ll kill myself right here!" From their earlier conversation, he had already deduced that they wanted to extract information about the clan. If he and Chen Qingmeng were captured, they would suffer a fate worse than death. The warriors hesitated, turning toward Shi Potian for instructions. But the elder simply smirked. "If you die, so be it. We'll just capture a few more." Chen Qinghe's heart sank into despair. Shen He, on the other hand, barely concealed his anticipation. If they had really wanted to capture them, they would have done so already. Why stall? Come on, do it! Hurry up and make a move! But then he saw Chen Qinghe's hand lower ever so slightly, and his excitement turned to alarm. What are you doing? Put that knife back to your throat! 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. 145 - The True Culprit

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