Chapter Eight: An Encounter with Pursuit and Assassination

Furthermore, demon beasts possessed extraordinarily long lifespans. A sixth-rank beast could often live for several centuries, while a ninth-rank one might survive for over a thousand years. Upon reaching the rank of Demon Emperor, their lives stretched even further, their longevity spanning thousands of years—an almost terrifying existence. In contrast, a human martial artist of the Ninth Heaven could hope for a lifespan of around one hundred and fifty years, and those who reached the rank of Martial Emperor might live just over three hundred years.

Yet, in this world, fairness manifested in its own way. For demon beasts, advancing to higher ranks was an arduous ordeal, far more difficult than the path of human martial artists—at least ten times so. To evolve, demon beasts had to ceaselessly devour and refine the essence blood of countless other beasts, and the number required was staggering. Even after consumption, a long period of refining was necessary before advancement was possible.

“If I can’t figure it out, I might as well stop thinking about it,” Lin Yanghao thought silently. All of this had been explained to him by Old Lin before his departure, along with many other curiosities and secrets of the continent.

But how did Old Lin, who once knew nothing of cultivators, come to possess such knowledge? That was all thanks to Bai Chen. Upon realizing Old Lin’s ignorance of even the basic realities of the continent, Bai Chen had, the very next day, sought out numerous historical records and accounts of the continent and its sects for him to study.

This was also why Old Lin began giving lectures at the teahouse—he did not wish for people to live in ignorance, so every weekend, he would go there to teach.

Glancing at the sun rising in the east, Lin Yanghao set off on his journey to White Tiger Gate.

After several hours, Lin Yanghao once more arrived at the foot of the Chaoyang Mountains.

“That’s Lin Yanghao! Fatty, go back and call for help. I’ll chase after him!”

“Alright.” Just as Lin Yanghao was about to enter the mountains, he suddenly heard the voices of a fat man and a thin one not far away.

Hearing this, Lin Yanghao was instantly alarmed. Without hesitation, he darted into the depths of the Chaoyang Mountains, and the thin man immediately gave chase.

“Little thief, I advise you not to run. Any resistance is useless—you can’t escape. Our people will be here soon. Be good and come back with me, and you’ll suffer less. Isn’t that better for all of us?” The thin man shouted after Lin Yanghao as he ran, his voice taunting.

Lin Yanghao only quickened his pace at these words, thinking to himself that only a fool would stop and wait to be caught.

Thus began a relentless chase through the Chaoyang Mountains.

After about an hour of pursuit, Lin Yanghao was nearly exhausted, his strength almost entirely spent. The thin man fared little better, drenched in sweat, his vision swimming, on the verge of collapse himself.

Just as Lin Yanghao was about to catch his breath and muster his last ounce of energy to finally shake off his pursuer, he suddenly heard the distant, chaotic thunder of hooves.

At once, Lin Yanghao realized it must be Tian family reinforcements. His heart plummeted into despair, panic flooding his mind. Was this truly the end for him? Would these mountains become his grave? Why, as a transmigrator, had his fate turned so miserable? Was he to become the first transmigrator to end up in such pitiful straits? Was his martial dream to be snuffed out before it had even begun?

“Ha! Keep running, boy! Why aren’t you running now? Our main force is almost here—you won’t escape even with wings! If only you’d listened to me earlier, none of us would have had to suffer. Why do you keep making things hard for yourself?” The thin man’s hoarse voice rang out mockingly as Lin Yanghao brooded.

Lin Yanghao merely snorted coldly in disdain and began to survey the surrounding terrain.

At that moment, he remembered that before leaving, Old Lin had given him a map of the Chaoyang Mountains.

He quickly pulled the map from his chest, hands trembling with urgency as he searched for his current location. At last, he identified it: this was a place called Treasure Ridge. The map indicated that only to the northeast of Treasure Ridge was there a small forest, while in other directions horses could easily pass through.

With this knowledge, Lin Yanghao immediately began to sprint towards the northeast.

The thin man, having regained some strength during Lin Yanghao’s brief pause, saw him take off again and hurriedly resumed his pursuit.

“Damn you, you wretched brat! Haven’t you had enough? I’m exhausted! How many times have I told you you can’t escape the Tian family’s grasp? Their power is beyond your imagination—why won’t you listen?” The thin man, barely able to keep running, cursed breathlessly after Lin Yanghao.

But Lin Yanghao, now racing toward the distant patch of forest, paid him no heed.

“Catch him! Quickly! Don’t let him enter the forest!” As Lin Yanghao neared the woods, members of the Tian family suddenly emerged from all sides, rushing toward him. Their leader barked out orders to his subordinates.

Hearing this, Lin Yanghao panicked, his heart pounding wildly. But just as disaster seemed imminent, he noticed the road ahead sloped downward. Inspiration struck—he threw himself sideways across the path, protecting his head with both arms, and used every ounce of strength to roll desperately downhill.

The Tian family soldiers chasing behind were dumbfounded by this unexpected maneuver. Some found themselves secretly admiring Lin Yanghao’s resourcefulness, while others cursed him roundly.

“If I catch him, I’ll skin that wretch alive!”

“Skinning isn’t enough! I’ll tear him limb from limb! We haven’t slept in days because of him!”

“Enough! Quiet down! Our mounts can’t get through the woods—dismount and pursue on foot! If we lose him, we’ll all lose our jobs!” The leader, seeing his men in disarray as Lin Yanghao rolled ever closer to the forest’s edge, roared at his subordinates.

By now, Lin Yanghao had come to a stop at the edge of the woods. He stood, brushed off the dust, cast a glance at the Tian family soldiers hastily dismounting behind him, and dashed into the forest.

Before long, he emerged on the other side of the small grove—only to be stunned by what awaited him.