Chapter 68

The cliff face was steep, with slippery green moss and bare rock interlaced, dark green vines hanging like giant pythons, swaying unpredictably in the gale.

Wang Shan gripped a thick vine with one hand, and with the other he clutched two pallid grandsons, his feet struggling to find footholds on the wet rock wall.

Sweat mixed with rain blurred his vision, each downward shift accompanied by muscle soreness and bone‑deep groans.

Behind him were the surviving members of the Wang Family. Wang Zheze, Wang Zhitao and a few others with decent cultivation could barely control their bodies, using claw hooks or Spiritual Power to cling, scrambling down in a sorry state.

But many more of the clansfolk, especially the women, children and those of low cultivation, were already terrified out of their wits, grasping at anything nearby purely on survival instinct.

"Ah—!" a shrill scream tore through the wind. A young Wang Family daughter‑in‑law, her strength gone, slipped her fingers and plummeted like a broken kite into the unfathomable, mist‑wreathed canyon below.

Her husband hovered not far above her, eyes nearly bursting as he reached out, but grasped only emptiness.

"No! Lian'er!" the man bellowed in despair, wanting to jump after her, but the old man beside him seized him tightly.

"Don't be foolish! Going down means death too—saving your life is what matters!"

Another mid‑Qi Refining clansman, trying to grab what seemed a sturdy vine, heard it snap with a "pop" and was swept away into the lower mist, not even uttering a cry.

The shadow of death clung like a bone‑eating maggot, tightly wrapping every person.

Grief and fear spread silently, yet no one dared to stop, nor to look back.

Above, the figure hovering in midair was like a soul‑reaping Yama, exuding a suffocating pressure.

Wan Tianjue simply floated there, tens of zhang from the cliff wall, hands behind his back, expressionless.

His icy gaze swept over every wretched climber below as if it were substance.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator's pressure was unleashed without restraint, making hearts tremble, limbs go weak, and climbing speed unconsciously slow a bit more.

He seemed in no hurry, leisurely watching and savoring the ants' death‑edge struggles.

Wang Shan lifted his head, wiped rain from his face, and met Wan Tianjue's mocking, cruel gaze in the air.

His heart sank; Wan Tianjue, that old dog, was clearly toying with them, hoping to drain their strength in despair before slowly finishing them off.

At this rate, forget about reaching the forest below; they'd likely be wiped out from exhaustion or a slip before even getting halfway.

We must think of something! Make him momentarily distracted, or… make him dare not act at once!

Wang Shan's mind raced, his eyes sweeping over Wan Tianjue's slightly twisted angry face, and a bold idea formed in his heart.

He drew a deep breath, suddenly halted his climbing, and let the icy rain pour over him.

Those around him saw him stop and felt puzzled and panicked.

"Father?" Wang Zheze shouted anxiously.

Wang Shan ignored him, instead mustering the little Spiritual Power left in his dantian and shouted loudly upward: "Wan Tianjue!"

His voice echoed through the canyon, clearly reaching Wan Tianjue's ears.

Wan Tianjue raised his brows slightly, the corner of his mouth curling into a playful smile, as if waiting for Wang Shan to utter some pleading last words.

Wang Shan continued: "You Wan family have painstakingly cultivated the vicious Ten Thousand Beasts Art, feeding living beings' essence, blood and souls to demonic beasts to boost your own cultivation—such heaven‑defying injustice, aren't you afraid of heavenly retribution?!"

At these words, Wang Zheze and the others were all startled, not understanding why their father suddenly said this.

Wan Tianjue's smile froze, his pupils constricting sharply! A killing intent far colder than before erupted from him!

【Ten Thousand Beasts Art】!

These three words struck like three heavy hammers, slamming hard into Wan Tianjue's heart!

This is the Wan family's greatest secret, and the foundation of their rise!

Aside from the family core, outsiders could never know! How could this Wang Shan possibly know?!

Wang Shan gave him no time to think, raising his voice with a hint of mockery: "Don't think you've kept it secret! If you want no one to know, you must not do it! That Ten Thousand Beasts Gate name may have vanished from the Northern Lands for centuries, but the techniques passed down are hardly glorious! You Wan family obtained this heretical inheritance, thinking you could hide it from heaven? I'd wager you don't even know how the Ten Thousand Beasts Gate was wiped out back then!"

【Ten Thousand Beasts Gate】!

If the Ten Thousand Beasts Art merely shocked Wan Tianjue, then the three words Ten Thousand Beasts Gate struck him like a thunderbolt, his face instantly turning ashen, even faintly paling.

The Ten Thousand Beasts Art was indeed a fragment the Wan family obtained from an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling, completed and refined over several generations to reach its present scale. But as for the origins and concrete deeds of the Ten Thousand Beasts Gate, they know little, only that it was an evil sect eradicated long ago by righteous cultivators for its overly cruel methods.

How could Wang Shan know this so clearly?

Could the fragment he saw be more complete than what they themselves obtained?

Or… does he truly have some hidden power behind them that they don't know about?

Any force capable of knowing the Ten Thousand Beasts Gate's secrets is absolutely not something the little Wan family could provoke!

In an instant, Wan Tianjue's heart filled with doubt and uncertainty, countless thoughts racing through.

He had originally intended to slowly torture the Wang clan to death, but now Wang Shan's danger level in his mind shot straight up! This person must not be left alive!

Yet his secrets must also be completely dug out!

"You… what nonsense are you spouting!" Wan Tianjue's voice grew hoarse, his eyes flickering uncertainly; the former teasing and cruelty were replaced by deep apprehension and ever‑stronger killing intent. He must quickly seize Wang Shan and use soul‑searching to uncover everything!

Right now!

Wang Shan keenly caught the fleeting waver and doubt in Wan Tianjue's eyes—that was exactly the chance he'd been waiting for!

"Zheze! Zhitao! Everyone, go down as fast as you can! Enter the forest!" Wang Shan bellowed, his voice hoarse from excitement.

He no longer paid heed to Wan Tianjue, seized the vine, and with explosive arm strength hauled his two grandsons down like an ape, darting swiftly downward.

Although Wang Zheze and the others didn't understand why their father suddenly mentioned the Ten Thousand Beasts Art and Gate, seeing Wan Tianjue's expression shift and hearing their father's order, they dared not hesitate in the slightest.

Each exerted every ounce of strength, using hands and feet together, ignoring posture or sorry state, just striving to be a little faster, then a little faster still.

Wan Tianjue's mind was thrown into chaos by Wang Shan's words, still weighing pros and cons in his doubt, when he finally snapped back to find that Wang Shan and company had, in that brief moment of his distraction, surged downward ten or so zhang, the leading Wang Shan's figure already about to disappear into the impenetrable treetops below the cliff.

"Insolent brat! How dare you!" Wan Tianjue was both startled and furious—he had actually been cowed in spirit by a few words from a mere Qi Refining junior, losing a prime opportunity! This was nothing short of a monumental disgrace!

He roared, his Spiritual Light surging all over, ready to swoop down.

But just then, from the primordial forest at the canyon's bottom, puffs of grayish miasma rose and quickly spread upward.

These miasmas not only carried a pungent sweet‑stench, they also exerted powerful suppression and interference on Spiritual Sense.

Wan Tianjue's Spiritual Sense, just extended, was instantly muddied by the miasma, its range greatly reduced.

He furrowed his brows; the environment at the canyon floor was even more complex and harsh than he had anticipated.

Hmph! Do you think hiding in this miasma-filled jungle lets you escape with your life? Delusional!

Wan Tianjue let out a cold snort. Although he felt extremely troubled by the secret that Wang Shan knew, he couldn't dwell on it now. His figure flickered, turning into a stream of light as he swiftly descended to the base of the cliff.

No matter what, catch Wang Shan first!

"Plop!" "Plop!"

Wang Shan led the way, leaping down from the last section of vine with his two grandsons, his feet landing heavily on the soft, damp, humus-rich soil.

Immediately after, Wang Zhize, Wang Zhitao, and the others also fell to the ground one after another, each landing in a sorry state, their appearance ruined, but at least they had reached solid ground.

The relief of having survived barely lasted less than a breath before being scattered by the harsh environment ahead and the pursuing troops behind.

They now found themselves in a primitive jungle they had never set foot in before.

Towering ancient trees blocked the sky and sun, only mottled light spots filtering through the dense leaves, making the forest light extremely dim.

The air was filled with a strange odor of rotting leaves and unknown plants, damp and muggy.

Underfoot lay a thick layer of fallen leaves; a single step could sink knee-deep, hiding unknown poisonous insects, snakes, and ants below. From time to time, strange insect chirps and beast roars echoed around, sending shivers down one's spine.

Counting the heads, of the original thirty-plus who had escaped, another seven or eight lost their grip during the recent perilous climb and fell off the cliff, their fate unknown.

Now, only twenty-three people remained standing here, each wounded, their spiritual power exhausted, their spirits listless, their eyes filled with fatigue and fear.

The Black Feather Boat that had carried the hopes of generations of the Wang Family was now completely reduced to a pile of burning scrap iron, plunging into the ten-thousand-zhang Abyss.

Behind them, Wan Tianjue's fearsome Foundation Establishment aura, though somewhat blurred by distance and the miasma's interference, still hung over them like a sword poised to fall at any moment.

The road ahead was endless, with pursuers behind; they were as if thrown into a desolate, hopeless wilderness.

Wang Shan scanned the pale, frightened faces, seeing the hope-fire in the young clansmen's eyes nearly extinguished; his weathered heart also felt a heavy weight of pressure.

"Dad, what… what should we do now?" Wang Zhize panted, his voice hoarse. He had a deep wound on his arm that exposed the bone, inflicted by a jagged stone protruding from the cliff face; it was only roughly bandaged, and blood continued to seep out.

Wang Shan did not answer immediately; he walked to a large tree, leaned against its rough trunk, and gasped violently a few times. Those words, though appearing calm, had actually drained his last ounce of resolve.

He pulled a Healing Pill from his storage bag, not bothering to check its grade, and tossed it into his mouth; then he took out a Cleansing Talisman and slapped it on his body, slightly dispelling some of the filth and bloodstains.

After doing all that, he slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the crowd; his voice, though weary, carried an undeniable firmness: "What's the point of wearing a mournful face? We're not dead yet! As long as we're not dead, there's still hope!"

He paused, pointing deep into the forest: "That old dog Wan Tianjue will be on our heels soon. This woods may be dangerous, but it also gives us cover. We must leave this place as quickly as possible, find a safe spot to rest and recover our wounds and spiritual power."

"But… Dad, where should we go?" a young clansman asked blankly.

Wang Shan glanced at the sky; through the dense leaves he could barely make out the general direction.

He said in a deep voice: "Earlier I observed the cliff base and noticed signs of a Dark River. We'll follow the low-lying terrain, staying as close to the water source as possible. Where there's water, there's life, and it also makes it easier to tell our direction."

His eyes sharpened: "Everyone, cheer up! Wan Tianjue is indeed a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but he's injured; in this forest his spiritual sense is limited, so his advantage will be weakened! We might still have a chance! Now, everyone check your injuries, treat your wounds; those who can move, stand guard! We'll set off in fifteen minutes!"

Seeing their father's eyes regain their luster, Wang Zhize and the others seemed to catch some of it, their despair easing a little.

Yeah, the Family Head is right—if we're not dead, there's still hope!

Wang Shan watched the clansmen regain their spirits, silently sighing to himself.

The true test has only just begun.

This unknown savage jungle, and the relentless Wan Tianjue, will be a tremendous challenge to whether the Wang Family can endure.

He quietly clenched his fist, feeling the faint warm current from the Duant Body Art circulating in his dantian, and the pitifully few Spirit Plant Points shown on the system panel.

"System, are there any spirit plants nearby that can quickly replenish stamina and spiritual power?" he thought silently.

【Ding! Detected within three li of Zhuren: trace amounts of Azure Spirit Grass, small quantities of Blood-Congealing Flower, and one stalk of Century Stone Marrow Mushroom (mildly toxic, requires processing)...】

"Stone Marrow Mushroom?" Wang Shan's eyes lit up slightly. This is great stuff! Though toxic, if processed properly it works wonders for healing wounds and replenishing spiritual power.

Looks, Heaven still hasn't thought of letting his Wang Family be utterly destroyed!