Tian He approached the head.
Liu Guan Tao had a fearful and shocked expression in death, his eyes opened wide and his mouth hanging open.
A small spider went in and out of it while maggots and larvae could be seen wriggling in the wound of his neck and his eyes.
"The head was left there like a trophy or a warning, the killer wanted to catch my attention. It seems he's trying to lead me somewhere, heheh. He doesn't know who he's facing!" Tian He laughed, intrigued but mostly unconcerned.
He inspected the scene, but it didn't need much attention. Near the head were clear footsteps and drops of blood leading in a direction.
Following the lead, Tian He wasn't the least bit afraid. From what he knew, the culprit was either a mortal or at best a Qi Gathering Realm cultivator else he wouldn't need to attract Liu Guan Tao and the others here but could easily slaughter them in the city.
Of course there was the suspicion of accomplices, but Tian He didn't worry.
He was one of the best among the Liu clan, and Liu Hao being so assertive about sending him wasn't for nothing.
Among cultivators, individual strength is primed over the rest. The Liu clan was far from taking this matter lightly. Their recent persecution made them see enemies everywhere, and determined to swiftly handle the matter, they decided to send an elder over mere suspicions.
This time, they chose Tian He who was strong enough to deal with a group of regular Foundation Establishment experts without too much problem or, at worst, escape.
Even if he were faced against a small clan's patriarch, he was confident he would survive.
As he advanced, he found the remains of another corpse several hundreds of meters further.
Tian He didn't know he was looking at what was left of Liu Jiali's body. Beside blood, bones and pieces of flesh, only her legs retained their shape.
He didn't stop for long and continued. On his way, he would meet the corpses of each member displayed on his path one by one until he bypassed the first mountain. Some were partially devoured by wolves and other animals when he arrived, but he could still recognize most of them, only Liu Hong was missing.
"What, now?" Tian He wondered, unsure in what direction he should go.
He was deep inside the jungle, but the traces stopped abruptly after the last corpse. To have a better view of the surroundings, he climbed to the top of the biggest tree of the area and looked around.
The environment was filled with green, the thick foliage of the trees covering everything beside the grey rocky mountains towering above the jungle.
Tian He found he made more than a quarter of the way towards the second mountain.
He was just about to go down when he noticed something in the distance. Gathering qi in his eyes, Tian He's vision slightly increased as he looked ahead.
In more than a kilometer, a small shadow could be seen standing at the peak of the tallest pine tree in the area.
Under the moonlight and before the clear sky, this dark figure stood out like a spying raven.
After an instant, the shadow jumped down to the opposite of his position, and Tian He lost sight of it.
"There's no doubt, it must be him!" Going after the culprit, Tian He didn't bother to land down and directly stepped on the top of the surrounding trees using the Chasing Whirlwind battle skill, crossing the distance in a short time.
Reaching the tall pine tree, Tian He jumped down towards the zone where the shadow went.
On the ground, he used his spirit sense and could see flattened grasses and broken twigs, indicating someone's passage.
"You can't escape me." Smiling, Tian He sprinted deftly in a straight line.
As he pursued the trail, a high-tier flesh devourer sleeping plant emerged from his position, but he was too fast to be caught and since he was in movement from the start, he went out of range before the maw could swallow him.
The plant sensed it missed its prey and went after Tian He, opening its menacing mouth wide.
"A plant acting like a tiger? Take this!" Turning around, the Liu clan elder sent a palm strike.
High-tier Yellow Class - Rock Splitting Palm!
The flesh devourer sleeping plant received the full force of the palm, its base was uprooted from the earth, and the head was sent flying all around in a multitude of pieces.
Tian He didn't look at the outcome but returned to his chase at once. He could see the number of traces growing and becoming clearer as he progressed, showing he was getting closer to his target.
He moved fast and after a short distance, without noticing, Tian He left the jungle and arrived on a small plain.
It was very strange in this zone full of tall trees and dense bushes for an area devoid of any to appear.
At the center of this wide patch of grass was a big pile of leaves, large enough to have a house built upon, and on it lay an enormous black ape on his back, seemingly sleeping!
At this moment Tian He's heart dropped a beat.
"A wrathful black ape, what... what is a rank 3 beast doing here?" His back was full of cold sweat as he tried to make a silent step back, staying as composed as possible, but it was too late as the ape opened its black eye and looked at him with hate.
The ape had sensed this intruder long ago, but it was much less aggressive than before and allowed other creatures to wander around without attacking as it focused on its recovery. But to think this intruder now even dared show itself in front of him, stepping into its lair and interrupting its rest?
Utterly unforgivable!
Standing up, the beast had one eye missing, a long, streaked scar running across the right side of his face from the start of the skull to his ear, passing through the eyelid.
His body was full of half-closed wounds, some of them still covered in blood like he had been cut by something extremely sharp.
However, the most attention-catching was the gruesome burns on the left side of his body. Extending from his neck all the way to the thigh, completely encompassing his arm and half his torso, was but a burned ruin of scars. Slick black flesh is pocked with craters and deep cracks that ooze red and wet, while a hint of bone shows on his elbow.
Tian He saw the miserable appearance of the ape and without hesitation turned around and ran away nonetheless.
Blood beasts, like cultivators, had clear ranks of power. A rank 3 beast shouldn't be trifled with no matter its state, especially with just a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation.
The wrathful black ape roared loudly in rage and extended its hand in a grabbing motion.
Tian He ran away at full speed under Chasing Whirlwind but he was still caught by the hand in an instant and lifted midair.
As the ape tightened its grasp, Tian He could feel his blood rushing up.
"You mere beast think you can kill me this easily?!" Tian He shouted in defiance as two waves of steam flew out of his nostrils and swelled up like a balloon, taking the shape of a pale blue panther on one side and a hawk on the other.
The hawk flapped its wings vigorously, flying towards the enormous beast as it tried to claw at its remaining eye.
In the ape's perspective, the hawk was no different than a fly, and he easily smacked it with his free hand.
"Boom!"
The hawk was hit by the palm and instantly exploded.
Hot air blew all over the place and shook the ape violently, reopening his barely cicatrized injuries and spreading blood on the ground.
While losing balance, its grasp on Tian He loosened, giving him an opening as he used a Rock Splitting Palm to definitely break out of the animal's clutches.
The ape had to take a step back to recover its stability, but Tian He was already sprinting away with all his might.
"It barely budged, taking a combination of my Steam Beast's Suicide battle skill with a Rock Splitting Palm and suffered no damage, only opening past wounds. No way I'm staying in this hellhole fighting this freaking monster!" Tian He's thoughts raced as he distanced himself from this mortal enemy.
The wrathful black ape looked at Tian He's back deeply with its bloodshot eye. The hot air from the explosion awakened the burning pain from his recent injuries, enraging him.
The steamed panther lunged forward in an attempt to bite its neck, but before it could approach him, the ape hit the air in front of him with a speed that didn't match its powerful stature.
The remarkable strength hiding behind this strike created a brutal gale sending the panther crashing on Tian He's path, cutting his escape route before it exploded, making him fly back in tattered clothes.
This simple action revealed all the ape's cunningness, which was unlike any other blood beast.
It understood those steamed beasts could explode and inflict much pain on him, so it used its boundless strength to make the panther fly away and cut Tian He's path in the same action.
When Tian He raised his head, seeing the black ape marching towards him as the earth tremored, he understood only one of them could leave this place alive.
"What's this, how did I land in this situation? I was only chasing after some little runt, but where did he go, why do I end up fighting this ape? ...No, I can't distract myself wiyh useless thoughts, I'm at the greatest hurdle of my life. I can only think on how to get myself out of this predicament if I want to survive."
"Yet, if I do live, I will gain unbound wealth and the opportunities to further my cultivation. By this time, the Liu clan would become too small for me, I could even claim it for myself if I were ever interested in such a pitiful organization."
The body of a rank 3 beast was a great treasure, and every part of it was valuable. Many struggling cultivators would dream of getting one in their hands.
The wrathful black ape wouldn't let him go, Tian He could only fight if he wanted to live. Yet, if he survived and killed the beast, he could turn this disaster into great fortune and change the course of his life.
Tian He stood up and took a deep breath, calming his heart as his body suddenly started burning in intense dark blue flames with streaks of gold.
The blazing fire entirely covered his body, scorching the grass near his feet.
His clothes were completely burnt as he turned into a humanoid blue-golden flame with two scarlet pupils hiding beneath the surface!
Peak-tier Yellow class - Human Starfire battle skill.