"Ha ha ha! Kid, where do you think you’re running to?" mocked one of the demonic cultivators from the Burning Blaze Ancient Sect. His laughter rang out, sharp and scornful.
"Hold on. Don’t kill him so fast," another one said with a cruel grin. "Let’s play with him for a while first."
"Run, little human! Let’s see how far you can go!" jeered a third voice.
The demonic cultivators from the Burning Blaze Ancient Sect decided to treat the situation like a game. Instead of catching and killing Gu Ran right away, they enjoyed taunting and chasing him, as if he were a helpless mouse and they were the cats.
As they followed Gu Ran, their mocking words filled the air, turning the chase into a twisted sport. They sneered and insulted him at every opportunity, clearly taking pleasure in his struggle.
If Jiang Chen had been there, he would have recognized the scene right away. It was the kind of situation where the protagonist seems trapped, only to later turn the tables and humiliate the bullies.
"A bunch of useless scum!" Gu Ran muttered angrily under his breath as he ran. If it weren’t for the powerhouse supporting you, I’d crush you like the trash you are!
Despite his anger, Gu Ran couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that a far stronger enemy was watching him. His every instinct screamed at him to keep moving.
He didn’t dare use his bloodline power to hide. If this powerful enemy noticed him suddenly vanish, they might attack the entire area, leaving him with no chance to escape.
Damn it! It must be someone at the Dao Palace realm! Gu Ran thought bitterly, his jaw clenched in frustration. For a fleeting moment, he wished Wu Qian and Liu Xiong were there with him.
If they were, he might have been able to defeat a few of these Inquiring Journey realm cultivators. At the very least, he wouldn’t be running for his life like this.
Time didn’t slow for anyone. Within just a few dozen breaths, Gu Ran raced toward the distant towering peak, its massive shadow growing larger with every step. Meanwhile, the Burning Blaze Ancient Sect demonic cultivators continued their relentless pursuit, steadily closing the distance.
High in the sky, Ji Junhao observed the chaos below. His sharp gaze followed Gu Ran’s escape route and eventually landed on the colossal mountain. His expression shifted with curiosity. What is this mountain? he wondered, surprised by its presence.
This Cave Heaven is vast, but a mountain of this size is rare, Ji Junhao thought. And it doesn’t look naturally formed.
He quickly connected the dots. This place isn’t far from where those demonic cultivators were wiped out earlier. We’ll deal with whoever attacked them first and then investigate the secrets of that peak.
Ji Junhao’s eyes gleamed with interest as he issued a decisive order. "Kill the human below. No more games—finish him."
With that, he retracted his divine sense and resumed his journey.
Upon hearing his order, the demonic cultivators from the Burning Blaze Ancient Sect grinned maliciously, their faces twisted with bloodlust. They were more than ready to take Gu Ran down.
However, the task of eliminating Gu Ran was left to a group of Inquiring Journey realm cultivators. To them, taking down someone at the Early Inquiring Journey realm was a trivial matter, requiring almost no effort.
The rest of the demonic cultivators, seeing no reason to linger over such a simple task, chose to follow Ji Junhao instead. In an instant, their figures blurred and disappeared into the distance.
At the same time, every movement and detail of what had just occurred was carefully observed by the hidden Jiang Chen. Tsk, as expected, these fools completely underestimated Gu Ran, he thought.
It’s not just their arrogance; Heavenly Fate is clearly influencing the situation, Jiang Chen mused. Otherwise, a stronger cultivator would have already stepped in and killed Gu Ran effortlessly.
With the higher-ups of the Burning Blaze Ancient Sect gone, leaving only the weaker ones behind, this is Gu Ran’s chance to turn the tables and prove them wrong.
These thoughts raced through Jiang Chen’s mind as he, along with Lu An and He Tian, moved quickly toward Gu Ran’s location.
On the way, Jiang Chen also brought Wu Qian and Liu Xiong into the group, using the Heavenly Demon Hidden Heart Ring to shield their presence from detection.
As they advanced, Ji Junhao’s group came dangerously close to crossing paths with them, but thanks to the ring’s concealment, none of Ji Junhao’s men noticed Jiang Chen’s quiet approach.
In moments, Jiang Chen and his four subordinates arrived near Gu Ran, staying just outside the detection range of Ji Junhao and the other Dao Palace realm powerhouses.
Gu Ran, to stop you from showing off and teaching others a lesson, I even gave up the chance to ambush Ji Junhao, Jiang Chen thought with a smirk, his gaze cold and calculating.
Down below, Gu Ran felt a wave of relief sweep over him. "They’re gone! Even that Dao Palace realm cultivator has left!" he muttered, his voice filled with joy.
"Ha ha ha! The heavens are truly on my side!" he exclaimed, his confidence soaring. Wasting no time, he turned sharply and launched an attack on a Middle-stage Inquiring Journey realm cultivator.
"This kid’s finished," one of the remaining demonic cultivators from the Burning Blaze Ancient Sect said with a mocking laugh.
"An Early-stage Inquiring Journey realm going up against a Middle-stage? He’s asking to be crushed."
"Let’s just watch. No need for us to step in," another chimed in.
The others nodded in agreement, their faces lit with amusement as they enjoyed the spectacle, not bothering to intervene.
From Jiang Chen’s vantage point, it was unmistakable—Heavenly Fate was quietly manipulating the events, nudging them toward a predetermined outcome.
"You dare look down on me? Die!" Gu Ran roared, his eyes glowing with a fiery blood-red light. His entire being radiated a desperate, all-or-nothing determination as he charged directly at his opponent.
The clash was explosive, shaking the area with its intensity.
Spurt!
The Middle-stage cultivator’s face twisted in shock as he spat out a mouthful of blood. "How is this possible?" he stammered, his confidence shattered. Without hesitation, he turned to flee.
But Gu Ran wasn’t about to let him escape. With a victorious grin, he prepared to strike the final blow.
Before he could act, a cold snort echoed from above.
Hmph!
The sound sliced through the air with disdain, instantly ending the life of the wounded demonic cultivator.
Boom!
Gu Ran’s attack finally landed, shattering the remains of the demonic cultivator into fragments.
But the triumph that had lit up his face vanished in an instant. It was replaced first by confusion, then by a surge of uncontrollable anger.
Again?!!! How can this be?! he thought, disbelief echoing in his mind.
Where are the high-ranking demonic cultivators? Where is that Dao Palace realm demon?!! Why didn’t they clash with the Heavenly Gu Society members?!
They were supposed to cross paths and fight each other!
Why has everything gone wrong?!
Gu Ran’s thoughts spiraled as frustration consumed him. He clenched his teeth so hard they ground against each other, the pressure causing his gums to bleed.
I was so close! So close to breaking through after killing that demonic cultivator!
His inner turmoil boiled over, threatening to drown his rationality.
Fear and despair pressed down on him like a suffocating weight. They clawed at his core beliefs, forcing him to question the principles he had held onto for so long. Gu Ran had always believed in sparing innocent lives—a defining moral compass for someone walking his path.
Yet, in this moment of desperation, a darker impulse surfaced. A violent urge whispered to him, tempting him to abandon restraint and kill indiscriminately.
If I slaughter anyone I come across, I’ll grow stronger faster, the thought echoed, sinister and persuasive.
The prospect of amplifying the carnage loomed before him.
Gu Ran realized a disturbing pattern—whenever he felt the urge to kill, the Heavenly Gu Society seldom intervened to stop him. Instead, they acted first, seizing his intended targets before he could make a move.
But what if he escalated things? What if he unleashed a large-scale massacre or even destroyed an entire city?
Would the Heavenly Gu Society step in to stop him? Or would they continue their habit, preemptively attacking the city to claim the chaos for themselves?
If the latter happened, it would undoubtedly create a storm, drawing the attention of powerful factions. The involvement of such major forces might just give him the opening he needed—to break free from the Heavenly Gu Society’s control and escape the deadly game they had trapped him in.
As these thoughts raced through his mind, another devastating attack descended from above, obliterating the demonic cultivators who hadn’t even had time to react.
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Ah—! I want to kill... No! I can’t give in to this! I’m human, not a demon, not a beast! Gu Ran’s inner scream echoed as he watched the scene unfold. His fists clenched so tightly they trembled, his knuckles white with tension.
The shadows of his messy hair concealed his face, but beneath them, his eyes burned with a turbulent mix of agony and defiance, each flicker betraying the fierce battle raging within him.