C69 Late Period of Mortal Rank

Master Chang's face was dark with fury, and he kept his silence.

"Damn it, Hei One and his crew are dead! Who's responsible for this? Han Feng might be strong, but he's still just Mortal-rank. Even with his mastery of mortal fire, there's no way he could have taken out Hei One and the rest."

"With Hei One and Hei Two together, it's even less likely that Han Feng could have pulled it off."

The Chang family members hardly dared to breathe, fearful of becoming the target of Master Chang's wrath.

In their minds, they were astonished, having not anticipated that the Chang family head possessed such concealed strength.

In stark contrast to Master Chang, Elder Lin of the Lin family was ecstatic.

Elder Lin walked back and forth before suddenly slapping his hands together. "Just as I thought, these are the marks of the Thunder Whip!"

Upon hearing this, Master Chang stepped forward eagerly. "Elder Lin, you've discovered something about the killer?"

Elder Lin chuckled heartily. "The one who killed our Chang family members is likely the Witch."

Master Chang's eyes blazed with anger. "The Witch, her again!" he seethed through clenched teeth.

Elder Lin had only intended to assist the Chang family, who had made the greatest contributions, while the other families had merely made a show of support.

Yet, Elder Lin had not expected to stumble upon news of the Witch here.

Suddenly, Elder Lin declared, "The Witch is gravely wounded; she won't get far. She might have sought refuge in a nearby city. Master Chang, I must be off."

Without waiting for a response, Elder Lin leaped away, leaving the scene.

Master Chang's complexion turned a steely blue as he inwardly cursed, "The Chang family has suffered such losses, and you offer not even a token of compensation."

The Chang family had sought to ingratiate themselves with the Lin family, but they ended up empty-handed, having lost some of their best talents. Master Chang's fury was palpable.

Yet, he dared only to curse inwardly, maintaining a respectful facade toward the Lin family and Elder Lin.

Elder Lin was a formidable force, at the peak of the Twelve-star Human Rank, just a step away from ascending to the Mystic Rank.

Within the Chang family estate, Master Chang was still seething with anger. His primary goal in dispatching Hei One had been to eliminate Han Feng. Once he regained his composure, he reached out to the spies embedded within the Han family to gather intelligence, but there was no word of Han Feng's return.

Master Chang furrowed his brow, pondering, "Has Han Feng been slain by Hei One, or is he in hiding somewhere?"

Several days passed with no sign of Han Feng. Upon learning that the Han family was descending into chaos, a smile crept across Master Chang's face. He mused to himself, "It looks like Han Feng has truly vanished. He's likely been taken out by Hei One; otherwise, the Han family's search through the surrounding mountains would have yielded some clue by now."

"Still, if Han Feng is missing, the Han family's first suspicion will fall on us. We can't afford to completely sever ties with them at this juncture. The Mystic Sect's Elder won't arrive for another three months. A feud with the Han family now would be mutually destructive."

"The Witch's recent appearance is a fortunate twist. We can pin Han Feng's disappearance on her."

"After all, the Witch has left the area. I'm curious to see how the Han family will handle this."

"Under normal circumstances, the Mystic Sect's Elder would visit Renzhong City to select new recruits in six months' time. But with the civil servant's intervention, that timeline has been cut in half. I'm eager to witness the dumbfounded expressions on the faces of the Han and Hong family heads."

Master Chang found it hard to believe that Han Feng would dare to venture out of Renzhong City on his own. The outside world was fraught with peril, especially for a mere Mortal-rank Martial Cultivator like him, who stood at the very bottom of Great Jin Nation's martial hierarchy. One false step could be fatal.

Somehow, rumors of Han Feng's abduction by the Witch began to circulate within the Han family.

Han Lin was overcome with sorrow and anger. "I warned him not to leave the house, but he wouldn't listen. Now, he's probably nothing more than a mummified corpse."

Han Rou gave Han Lin's head a sharp rap, her tone laced with irritation. "Stop spouting nonsense. Han Feng is clever. Even if the Witch did capture him, I'm confident he'll find a way to escape."

Upon hearing Han Rou's words, Han Lin's face relaxed slightly, though the sorrow remained. Clearly, he harbored little hope for her assurances.

When Han Tiancheng learned his son had been abducted by the Witch, he turned deathly pale and sat frozen, at a loss for what to do.

Han Tianxing and the others felt a sour twist in their hearts. They longed to offer comforting words, yet found themselves speechless.

In the Han family's hall, Han Yu's expression was steely. "How did the news of Feng's capture by the Witch spread so swiftly?"

The Great Elder and the rest were equally baffled. They had swiftly issued orders to suppress the news.

Han Feng was held in high esteem among the Han family's youth. The spread of news about his potential death could severely demoralize them.

With an icy gaze, Han Yu declared, "There must be a traitor within our ranks. Great Elder, I entrust this matter to you."

The Great Elder responded gravely, "Rest assured, I will not let the traitor slip away this time. I recommend that our thorough investigation includes the middle and upper ranks."

Taken aback, Han Yu quickly nodded in agreement.

The mood in the hall was somber.

If the traitor belonged to the higher echelons, it suggested that the Chang family had long harbored ambitions to overtake the Han family.

It was possible that the Chang family was already well-informed about the Han family's current predicament.

Should the Chang family act, the fate of the Han family...

The Fourth Elder interjected, "The leak of this news was alarmingly rapid. Clearly, someone wants the tale of Han Feng's capture by the Witch to spread far and wide. What's the urgency? What does it imply?"

A realization dawned on Han Yu. "Indeed, there's something amiss here. If I'm not mistaken, the news could very well be a fabrication."

"Feng might not have been taken by the Witch at all."

The Great Elder let out a heavy sigh. "Even so, Han Feng could still be facing some other peril. Otherwise, there would be no reason for such a false rumor."

Han Yu's fleeting joy was replaced by a rigid expression.

The hall was once again enveloped in a tense silence, broken at last by Han Yu's raspy voice, "At the very least, there's still a possibility that he's alive."

Time has a way of slipping by swiftly. Before we knew it, nearly ten days had passed.

Han Feng and Lin Qingshan, after traversing a succession of mountain ranges, finally reached another city.

Lin Qingshan's complexion was a touch pale.

Han Yu expressed her concern, "Your injuries haven't healed; in fact, they seem to be getting worse. How about we rest here in the city for a few days before hiring a carriage to depart?"

Lin Qingshan offered a faint smile. "Let's go with your suggestion. I must admit, I'm quite impressed by the pace of your cultivation lately. In just a matter of days, you've managed to reach the very threshold of the late Mortal Rank."