Chapter 79: Exchanging the Aura Finder Smoke Again, Tracking Ye Fan
At that very moment.
The monstrous corpses strewn across the ground, their skulls severed and 'inner cores' extracted by Jiang Chen, abruptly dissolved into a pool of blood that seeped into the earth.
"I still can't determine what these creatures truly are!"
Jiang Chen shook his head, promptly extending his divine sense in an attempt to locate Ye Fan's presence.
Alas, Ye Fan had activated a secret art to flee, his speed astonishingly swift. At this point, not a single trace of him remained.
'Given Ye Fan's prudent nature, he surely wouldn't continue fleeing in a single direction.'
'Chasing him in the initial direction of his escape would prove fruitless.'
'It appears I must exchange for additional Aura Finder Smoke!'
After a brief moment of contemplation, Jiang Chen accessed the system mall!
At this moment,
His Villain Value balance stood at 9,600 points!
Exchanging for a stick of Aura Finder Smoke would be effortless.
[Ding! Deducting 300 Villain Value points. You have successfully exchanged for an Aura Finder Smoke*1!]
A stick of incense materialized in Jiang Chen's hand.
It was pitch black and the length of an arm. The middle section was hollow, designed to accommodate personal belongings of the target or body tissues such as hair.
"Handling the aura aspect, it's quite simple!"
Jiang Chen's mouth curled into a smirk, and with a wave of his hand, a potent pressure compressed the surrounding air into a minuscule mass.
Moments ago, Ye Fan had utilized a power-up secret art that consumed his blood essence.
A potent and concentrated aura of qi and blood had erupted from him.
These substances, which had burst forth from Ye Fan's body, fell into the category of body tissues and were the optimal materials for tracking Ye Fan!
"Let it burn!"
Jiang Chen tossed the tiny mass of air into the opening of the Aura Finder Smoke and snapped his right fingers, igniting it instantly.
In an instant.
A wisp of smoke ascended and veered toward Jiang Chen's left side with remarkable speed.
"Ye Fan has indeed altered his course!"
"Hmph! Foolish to believe you can escape from my grasp!"
Jiang Chen scoffed, and in an instant, tapped his foot, morphing into a black shadow and darting forward!
At this moment, he unleashed his most formidable speed without restraint, the velocity of a Half-step Heavenly Origin realm!
Before long.
Jiang Chen's divine sense pinpointed Ye Fan's figure.
This individual was employing a cultivation method to mask his own aura, cautiously creeping ahead.
Unbeknownst to him.
His location had already been unveiled under Jiang Chen's vigilant watch.
"Incredible!"
"Aura Finder Smoke truly is a product of the system."
"Ye Fan's concealment method is futile."
Jiang Chen smirked faintly, then decelerated his pace, trailing behind Ye Fan.
Time gradually elapsed.
Having traveled several dozen miles further, Ye Fan eventually slowed to a stop.
He scrutinized his surroundings with great care.
Upon detecting no suspicious indications, he finally exhaled in relief.
"Phew!"
"At last, I've managed to elude Jiang Chen!"
"I hadn't anticipated his immense strength; he appears even mightier than the average Late-stage Mysterious Platform cultivator!"
"What's more, his caution rivals mine, surpassing it in certain aspects, which is utterly unlike his parents!"
"Dealing with him is a daunting task. I must first enhance my abilities before seeking retribution against him!"
"I vow to exact vengeance for my deep-rooted enmity, or I shall deem myself unworthy of being human!"
Seated cross-legged in the shade of an enormous boulder, Ye Fan clenched his fists and murmured resentfully.
Unbeknownst to him,
Jiang Chen was observing him from afar at that very moment!
His inadvertent mutterings had divulged critical information!
'???'
'My enmity with Ye Fan is connected to my father, Jiang Xingyang?'
'Could it be that my parents journeyed to the Snowy Wind Continent and encountered Ye Fan!?'
Jiang Chen was initially baffled, but then his pupils abruptly constricted!
Although both his parents were Mysterious Platform Realm cultivators,
They were merely at the Early-stage, or at most, the Middle-stage.
Such prowess was simply insufficient in the face of Ye Fan!
'No matter how the parents of this body provoked Ye Fan,
'Based on Ye Fan's response, the animosity must be profound, either due to the death of his loved ones or some other incident.'
'At present, I fear the parents of this body have already fallen into Ye Fan's clutches!'
'...'
Jiang Chen sighed inwardly as he contemplated.
Jiang Xingyang and his wife, the parents of his predecessor, naturally possessed a low Fate Value. They were initially destined to perish at the hands of Lin Feng.
Yet, he vanquished Lin Feng.
Nonetheless, the elderly couple ultimately met their demise at the hands of another protagonist, Ye Fan.
In the end, they couldn't evade their fate.
Indeed.
Fate is fate, but that did not prevent Jiang Chen from experiencing a complex medley of emotions!
Although they were merely the parents of his predecessor...
Regardless, they were still the parents of his current body.
As he wrestled with this connection, an instinctive, profound hatred toward Ye Fan began to simmer beyond his control!
Furthermore, upon observing his uncle, Jiang Xingtai, it was evident that the Jiang Clan genuinely cherished Jiang Chen, particularly his parents.
The innate bond he felt with them weighed heavily upon his heart!
If there were a way to rescue the elderly couple, of course, he would seize it!
Now.
They had perished at the hands of Ye Fan, so he would slay Ye Fan in retribution and bring solace to their spirits in the heavens...
'Ye Fan!'
'Just you wait!'
'Soon, I will strip you of your protagonist status, subjecting you to an agonizing demise!'
A cold glint flickered in Jiang Chen's eyes, only to vanish in an instant, returning to normal.
No matter how fervent the emotions in his heart, they could not sway him!
Especially when confronting an unreasonable protagonist like Ye Fan!
Subsequently.
Jiang Chen persisted in tracking Ye Fan, seizing the opportunity to consume restorative medicinal pills in between, fine-tuning his condition to its zenith.
As for Ye Fan.
He, too, extracted some healing and rejuvenating medicinal pills to steadily recuperate from his injuries.
The medicinal pills from the Azure Jade Sect were quite exceptional.
Ye Fan rapidly regained his strength to a significant degree, no longer hindered in battle.
He observed Ye Fan rise to his feet, nonchalantly select a direction, and commence his departure.
Jiang Chen lightly tapped the ground with his foot, discreetly trailing behind.
Just then!
"Roar!"
A ferocious growl echoed from the distance.
It was the blood-colored monster's fearsome roar!
Both Jiang Chen and Ye Fan halted, their gazes sharpening.
'Darn it!'
'Ye Fan's luck is unbelievably good!'
'I just snatched over ten monster inner cores from him, and now he's encountering another lone monster!'
'It must be his Heavenly Fate Value in action!'
Jiang Chen grumbled inwardly, then started observing Ye Fan's reaction.
"Blood-colored monster!"
"Excellent, this time I must obtain the monster's qi and blood core!"
Ye Fan's eyes widened with surprise, and he immediately sprinted in the direction of the monster's roar!
Shortly after.
The presence of a blood-colored monster emerged within his divine sense!
And astonishingly.
This monster was tearing and gnawing at a corpse!
Jiang Chen also witnessed this scene, his eyes narrowing, betraying a cautious expression.
'Judging by the attire on the corpse, it appears to be someone from the Heavenly Blade School!'
'Among the five sects we encountered earlier, there was no Heavenly Blade School.'
'This sect, along with the other four sects, dispersed throughout the area!'
'Now it seems that their disciples have also gradually scattered, and this solitary individual has become prey for the monster.'
'But this corpse holds another identity... it's a gift package for Ye Fan.'
'Darn, it's not enough to have monsters waiting to be slain, but it also comes with a gift package!?'
Jiang Chen contemplated for a moment, then became somewhat at a loss for words.