Chapter 21: The Cloud-Piercing Panther

In the silent mountains, the group moved forward at a slow, cautious pace. The two mercenary companies had formed a temporary alliance, and together they pressed deeper into Cloud Crystal Mountain with Lu Han in tow.

After some questioning from Iron Madman and Li Hu, they learned Lu Han’s name, but much to their frustration, Lu Han could not identify their location either. It seemed this truly was his first time in Cloud Crystal Mountain—he hadn’t even heard of Fallen Eagle Ravine. Otherwise, why would he have fled there, cutting off his own escape?

With no other choice, Iron Madman and Li Hu decided to let Lu Han lead the way. Lu Han wiped the sweat from his brow—not from exhaustion, but from the discomfort of being watched by so many eyes. Though they hadn’t bound him with rope, there were nearly two hundred men keeping him in their sights. Escape was impossible, not to mention two innate third-level experts watching him like hawks.

Inwardly, Lu Han cursed the old man a thousand times over. That old fellow was always boasting—belittling the so-called “minor Earth Kings”—but now, at the first sign of an innate expert, he retreated into the ring and dared not show his face. Yet Lu Han could do nothing about it except continue to curse him silently.

The party remained vigilant, every one of them gripping the weapons at their waists. The deeper they ventured into Cloud Crystal Mountain, the greater the danger. Rumor had it that there were second-level demonic beasts here—creatures as powerful as innate experts. Some even whispered of third-level beasts in the deepest reaches, matching the strength of a Mystic Lord. Encounters were rare, but everyone stayed on high alert.

Li Hu appeared relaxed; he could handle a typical second-level beast, and they weren’t so easily encountered. Watching Lu Han leading ahead, a faint smile crept onto his face.

“This boy is truly my lucky star. After we get the treasure, I might even be reluctant to kill him,” Li Hu mused.

Iron Madman, by contrast, wore a stormy expression. What should have been his alone must now be shared with rivals—worse yet, with an immediate adversary. The thought nearly drove him mad. For some reason, he even began to resent his dead son, Iron Luo. If not for him provoking Lu Han, none of this would have happened. They might already have claimed the inheritance.

Lu Han understood that neither Iron Madman nor Li Hu would let him live no matter who claimed the Sky Robe King’s legacy in the end. That old man was as silent as a stone sinking into the ocean—no help to be had. He could only rely on himself.

But with so many people… Lu Han touched his nose, deep in thought.

“Wait, hold on, I need to relieve myself,” he said, clutching his stomach.

“Boy, you’d better behave. Otherwise, you’ll regret it. Zheng Qi, send a few men to tail him—don’t let him try anything,” barked Iron Madman.

Lu Han had only been testing the waters, but even for a simple bathroom break, several men followed him. His face soured. He had survived a fall off a cliff, only to land in a den of thieves.

“Iron Brother, it’s nearly dark. Our men have been marching all day and are exhausted. How about we rest here for the night?” Li Hu suggested, though the Flying Tiger Mercenary Company had already halted.

Iron Madman nodded, and his own men also stopped in unison.

After a brief discussion, a dozen mercenaries were sent out to stand guard.

Several bonfires were lit, and everyone took out some dry meat from their packs to roast. After a day spent chasing Lu Han and marching, none had eaten.

Lu Han leaned against a tree, eyes half-closed. At their pace, they would reach their destination by tomorrow. He still hadn’t figured out how to escape. He doubted Iron Madman would show him any mercy—after all, he had killed his son.

Whoosh—

“Lu Han, eat something. You’ll need your strength for tomorrow’s journey,” Li Hu called, tossing him a piece of roasted meat.

Lu Han caught it and began to chew slowly…

A sudden roar shattered the night’s calm.

“Captain, bad news! There’s a demonic beast! One of our eighth-level brothers has already been snatched and killed!” A disheveled mercenary who had been on watch came running in.

“That’s impossible! There are so many of us, and we’ve lit fires. Ordinary beasts should be afraid of fire. How could it dare come near? Did you see what kind it was?” Iron Madman demanded urgently.

“I didn’t see clearly. It moved too fast—just a blur…” the man replied hastily.

“But—” Iron Madman began, but Li Hu cut him off.

“No need to ask further, Iron Brother. I know what it is.” Li Hu’s face was grave.

“It’s a Cloud-Piercing Leopard—a second-level demonic beast, equivalent to an innate first-level expert. But its speed is frightening. Only an innate fifth-level could match it. Cloud-Piercing Leopards are gluttons; the smell of our roasting meat must have drawn it here,” Li Hu said with a headache.

The beast wasn’t supremely powerful, but its speed was unmatched. Li Hu and Iron Madman were not afraid, but most of their men were only at the acquired sixth or seventh level. The eighth and ninth-levels were few, and at the leopard’s speed, it would slaughter them with ease.

“A Cloud-Piercing Leopard! No wonder—it’s infamous for its greed. What now? If it doesn’t show itself, are we supposed to stay awake all night?”

“No need to worry, Iron Brother. It will show itself soon.” Li Hu ordered several men to pile the roasted meat in the open.

Before long, a sleek black leopard appeared at the edge of the firelight, eyes glinting maliciously in the darkness, its muscular body coiled to strike.

With a thunderous roar, the Cloud-Piercing Leopard tried to scare them off.

“Beast! So it was you who killed my man. I’ll cut you down!” Iron Madman drew his sword and charged.

The fallen man had been one of the company’s eighth-level elites, and he’d been killed in a flash.

The leopard’s eyes flashed with a disturbingly human mockery—such beasts possessed a glimmer of intelligence.

As the great sword was about to strike—

Whoosh—the leopard vanished.

With a crash, a massive tree was cleaved in two.

“So this is the power of an innate expert?” Lu Han watched the battle from afar. He guessed he wouldn’t last a single exchange against Iron Madman. If he didn’t know the location of the inheritance, he’d likely already be dead.

Screams broke out as the leopard darted through the crowd, wounding several mercenaries. Iron Madman was helpless.

“Li Hu, your men are getting hurt too—do you want this beast to keep slaughtering us?” Iron Madman shouted, frustrated by the creature’s impossible speed.

“Haha! Let me lend you a hand, Brother Iron!” Li Hu laughed, leaping into the fray.

With everyone distracted by the battle, Lu Han slipped behind a tree and began to sneak away.

The Cloud-Piercing Leopard was starting to tire. Its speed was still formidable, but against two innate third-level experts, the balance was shifting.

“Iron Fist!”

“Scorpion-Tiger Strike!”

Sensing the beast’s slowing movements, Iron Madman and Li Hu unleashed their signature techniques.

Iron Madman’s right fist shone with a blue light, a phantom fist the size of a meter arcing toward the leopard.

Li Hu formed seals with both hands, a faint red tiger silhouette flickering into existence. With a crouch and a double palm strike, a scorpion-shaped red shadow, accompanied by a tiger’s roar, shot toward the beast.

The leopard’s body tensed, black energy roiling over its form. With jaws wide, it spat a ball of black fire at the incoming attacks. The fireball vanished instantly on contact, dimming the fist and shadow but failing to stop them.

With a sidelong leap, the leopard barely dodged.

A deafening blast left a gaping crater in the earth, stones and dust flying everywhere.

Though the leopard escaped death, the shockwave left it battered and bleeding from its legs.

With a resentful roar, it vanished into the night.

“No need to give chase, Iron Brother. Even wounded, that leopard is beyond our pursuit. A pity we didn’t finish it with one strike. Now, let’s see about that boy,” Li Hu said with a sly grin.

Lu Han couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was following him, but whenever he glanced back he saw nothing.

“Never mind—while they’re distracted, I’d better move quickly,” he thought, picking up his pace.

Suddenly, looking ahead, he saw a man standing with his back to him, arms folded.

“Little brother, where do you think you’re going?” the man asked.