Fame Spreads, Foes Flee

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Chapter 674: Fame Spreads, Foes Flee

These three were a steady-faced man in dark robes, a frivolous-eyed scholar in embroidered robes, and a woman of around thirty with a lingering charm.

“Ah, if it isn’t Brother Xun of Senior Soul-Fragment’s sect. What a coincidence.” Upon seeing the three disciples of the Soul-Fragment True Man, the woman surnamed Liu immediately broke into a brilliant smile.

The dark-robed cultivator and his two companions, however, swept their cold gazes over the group, their expressions rather dark.

It was the woman who spoke first, her tone unfriendly: “Coincidence? Fellow Daoist sisters of the Imperial Spirit Sect, shouldn’t you be minding your own business in Yuanwu? Why have you sneaked into Yue? Do you hold our Ghost Spirit Sect in such contempt?”

“Senior Sister Lin misunderstands. My senior sister, Han, and I came to Yue on our master’s orders. The matter was urgent and could not be delayed, so we had no time to notify your sect. We will only be staying in Yue for a few days before leaving. We have absolutely no intention of slighting your sect.” The woman surnamed Liu chuckled lightly as she explained.

“I don’t care why the two of you came to Yue, and I don’t want to ask,” the dark-robed cultivator said, his eyes fixed on Liu as he spoke in a flat, emotionless tone. “I only want to ask one thing: did the two of you go to the Taiyue Mountain Range a few days ago to retrieve something?”

“Taiyue Mountain! You mean the Taiyue Mountain Range where the former Yellow Maple Valley of the Yue Seven Sects was located?” Han Yunzhi’s brow furrowed, a hint of peculiarity flashing in her eyes.

“So, the two of you were there.” The cultivator surnamed Xun’s expression did not change, but a cold light flickered deep within his gaze.

Hearing this, the embroidered-robed scholar and the woman tensed up, hostility seeping onto their faces.

Seeing this, Han Yunzhi and the woman surnamed Liu exchanged a silent glance.

Neither was a fool. They could both clearly sense the ill intent behind the other party’s words.

However, their group had never been to the Taiyue Mountains. It was only because they had been using their technique to remotely track the Wood Spirit Infant’s position that they knew the cultivator who had suppressed it had lingered in the Taiyue area for half a day.

A quick spin of her eyes, and the woman surnamed Liu opened her lips to probe: “The Taiyue Mountains? My sisters and I have never been there. However, there is a cultivator about a hundred li behind us who did linger in the Taiyue area. The timing roughly matches what you mentioned, Brother Xun. Could it be that you are looking for this man?”

“A hundred li behind us? Sister Liu, you’re not just making this up, are you? How would you know that he stayed there? Don’t tell me he’s also a member of your sect?” The embroidered-robed scholar laughed cheerfully, his eyes roving over the two women’s graceful figures without restraint.

“Brother Que, you jest. Would we, being in Yue, dare to deceive you so openly? If you don’t believe me, I can swear an oath to heaven. If you go back and ask for yourselves, you will know the truth! We do not know this man. As for how we know about him, that is a rather complicated matter to explain. I am currently pressed for time, so how about another day, Brother Xun, and I will explain it in full?” The woman surnamed Liu’s cheeks flushed slightly, her eyes as limpid as autumn waves. Her whole demeanor was unusually coquettish and alluring, causing the embroidered-robed scholar’s gaze to go somewhat vacant.

The dark-robed cultivator’s brow furrowed at this display. He was half-convinced, half-doubtful.

After a moment of deliberation, his expression softened slightly as he said, “For ordinary matters, I would naturally take Sister Liu at her word. However, this time, our Sixth Junior Brother and several of his disciples were murdered in the Taiyue Mountain Range. Not even a trace of their remains was left behind. Our master is beside himself with rage. In my investigation, the only high-level cultivators to have entered Yue recently are your group, and your movements were… rather suspicious. Since Sister Liu claims this man behind us was recently in the Taiyue area, why don’t you all accompany me to confront him? I would very much like to see who this ‘person of interest’ is. If he truly is the murderer of our Sixth Junior Brother, I will surely reward the two of you handsomely afterwards.” After saying this calmly, the dark-robed cultivator fixed his gaze on the Imperial Spirit Sect group.

“Confront him?” The woman surnamed Liu was momentarily stunned, a look of hesitation on her face.

“What? Is such a small favor too much to ask of the two of you?” The dark-robed cultivator’s question seemed light and casual, but the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators behind him had already begun to fan out, encircling them. The implication was clear: if they refused, force would be used immediately.

Seeing this, the woman surnamed Liu’s expression changed slightly. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly startled and jerked her head around.

It wasn’t just her. Every cultivator present felt a powerful, icy-cold divine sense descend from the heavens without the slightest restraint, instantly enveloping them all.

Though no one was visible, the biting, murderous intent was so palpable that anyone could clearly sense it.

“A Nascent Soul cultivator! You said it was a Nascent Soul old monster! Are you trying to trick us into walking to our deaths?” the woman with the lingering charm exclaimed in a mix of shock and fury as she felt the terrifying spiritual pressure.

“Save the chatter! Flee separately! Every man for himself!” The cultivator surnamed Xun, though equally furious, knew this was no time to assign blame. He barked out the order before transforming into a streak of black light and shooting away first.

“He might not be the one who killed Sixth Junior Brother… perhaps there’s no need for such panic,” the embroidered-robed scholar said, hesitating in his shock.

“Hmph! If Senior Brother wishes to hand his life to another, then don’t blame me for not accompanying you!” The woman snorted coldly, transforming into a streak of red light that shot into the sky in another direction.

The scholar’s expression turned extremely sour. After giving the Imperial Spirit Sect group a hateful glare, he too stomped his foot and flew away.

The other low-level Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators, seeing this, scattered like startled birds, each fleeing for their lives.

The terror of a Nascent Soul cultivator was such that none of them could muster even a sliver of will to resist.

“What a useless bunch! Not only were they no help, but they wasted precious time we could have used to escape.” The woman surnamed Liu frowned, speaking in a tone of extreme annoyance.

“No, this is actually better. With them as cover, our chances of escape have greatly increased. Let each of us look to our own fate.” Han Yunzhi, however, was remarkably calm. She patted her spirit beast pouch with her slender hand, and a massive white bird materialized in the air.

The woman surnamed Liu and the other Imperial Spirit Sect cultivators were quick to react. Some changed direction and fled directly on their magic tools, while others joined Han Yunzhi in summoning flying spirit beasts to escape on.

The only commonality was that each fled alone, with no two taking the same path. They all feared that being in a group would make them an easier target for the killer behind them.

In the blink of an eye, the area was devoid of human shadows.

Their logic was sound. Even if that Nascent Soul cultivator’s flight speed was incredible, he couldn’t possibly chase down every single one of them. This would buy a majority of them their lives.

By this time, Han Li was within a hundred li.

A sweep of his divine sense had revealed this new wave of demonic cultivators, causing a flicker of surprise.

But as both groups scattered in all directions at once, he frowned slightly. This was a bit troublesome.

A hint of ruthlessness flashed across his face. Han Li took a deep breath. A thunderclap sounded behind him, silver arcs of lightning danced, and a pair of silver-white wings materialized on his back.

He gently infused the Wind Lightning Wings with a thread of Evil-Cleansing Lightning. Han Li vanished in a flash of electric arcs, and the next instant, appeared several li away.

Using this divine lightning movement technique repeatedly, Han Li’s figure flickered, closing the distance from far to near. After a short while, he appeared right where the cultivators had just separated.

His expression was unreadable, but after a silent sweep of his divine sense, he immediately located every fleeing demonic cultivator.

The furthest one had already escaped forty to fifty li away. The nearest had only just managed to flee a mere ten li.

Han Li let out a cold laugh. He locked onto the Core Formation cultivator who had fled the furthest, and with another flash of lightning, disappeared.

…

The one who had fled the furthest was not the cultivator surnamed Xun who had fled first, but the thirty-year-old woman with lingering charm.

This woman had cultivated some strange technique. Though her cultivation was only at the early Core Formation stage, she was now enveloped in a red light, with spirit flames dancing around her. She looked like a fire spirit, her entire body transformed into a massive fireball, moving with the speed of wind and lightning.

Outside the fireball, several ribbons of light of various lengths extended from her body, flashing with a cyan light. With every stroke, they propelled the woman another thirty meters forward. Her speed was truly astonishing.

The woman herself was inwardly smug.

Her technique might be inferior to other peak techniques in direct combat, but in the art of escape, it was a rare combination of wind and fire movement. That, combined with the ‘Floating Spirit Ribbon,’ a wind-attribute magic treasure she had personally cultivated, allowed her mobility to soar.

She was confident that her current escape speed was not inferior to that of an early Nascent Soul cultivator.

If anyone among these fleeing cultivators had a chance to escape unscathed, it was undoubtedly her.

Just as she was lost in this complacent thought, the sound of “rumbling” thunder reached her ears. Though faint and seemingly very far away, it still startled her, and she couldn’t help but glance back from within the red light.

(Author's note: Sorry everyone! I had an unavoidable social engagement yesterday and only got home to write at midnight, which is why this chapter is coming out now. But I'll skip sleep and keep writing the next chapter for you.)

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Reading Guide Decoding

The Wraith’s Aura: Winning Without a Single Punch

Cultural / Xianxia Notes

One-Hour Mercy Rule: A classic Mortal Stream tactical calculation. Han Li could kill the Imperial Spirit Sect group for witnessing him, but he doesn’t. They are harmless, unrelated to his core goals, and posing as a sacrificial diversion. Killing them would waste time and energy, but letting them live spreads the legend of his power, which is itself a weapon. In this world, mercy is a transaction, not a virtue.
Reputation as a Combat Multiplier: This chapter is the purest possible demonstration of this principle. Han Li has not thrown a single attack, used a single spell, or spoken a single word. Yet the sight—or rather, the sensation—of his presence is enough to break the morale of a group of elite Core Formation demonic cultivators. In the Mortal Stream, your name is a spell. Once it’s recognized, it can paralyze enemies before your first attack. This is what separates a wandering rogue from a true Patriarch.
Scatter, Don’t Gather: The “scatter and flee” protocol is the universal survival doctrine for low-level cultivators against a high-level opponent. There is no honor in a stand, no benefit in covering your allies. The best strategy is to maximize the enemy’s cost-to-kill ratio by forcing them to chase individual flies. This is not cowardice; it is engineering.
Fame vs. Strength: The woman with the fire escape technique is a perfect case study. She is fast, perhaps as fast as an early Nascent Soul cultivator. But she made a fatal error: she assumed the gap was narrow. Han Li, with his Wind Lightning Wings and combined speed, does not play by normal speed rules. Overconfidence in one’s trump card is the most common cause of death in the Mortal Stream.

One-Hour Mercy Rule

A classic Mortal Stream tactical calculation: spare the harmless witnesses to let the legend of your name do the work of an army.

Chapter Overview

Get ready for a masterclass in how the Mortal Stream really works—by reputation alone. Han Li doesn’t even need to throw a single punch in this chapter. The moment his divine sense touches a group of arrogant Ghost Spirit Sect Core Formation disciples, they collectively soil their robes and scatter like startled quail. It’s the purest, most satisfying application of the “fame is a combat multiplier” principle. We also get a cold, hilarious display of how the Mortal Stream’s survival logic works in practice: the Ghost Spirit Sect’s most talented escape artist gets a personal visit from the Wraith, while the survivors—and the Imperial Spirit Sect’s bait squad—evaporate into the landscape. No grand battle, no drawn-out negotiations. Just a hunt, a chase, and a corpse that hasn’t even hit the ground yet.

Key Plot Points

A chance encounter on the road: The Imperial Spirit Sect’s Liu and Han Yunzhi cross paths with the Soul-Fragment True Man’s disciples, who have been tracking the murderer of their Sixth Junior Brother.
Cold-blooded deflection: Liu immediately points the finger at a “strange cultivator” a hundred li behind them, revealing her group has been tracking the Wood Spirit Infant’s location remotely.
The Nascent Soul pressure drop: Before any confrontation can occur, Han Li’s divine sense—cold, murderous, and utterly unrestrained—sweeps over the entire group, confirming they are dealing with a monster far beyond their pay grade.
Discipline breaks instantly: Xun barks a command to scatter and flee. Every single Ghost Spirit Sect cultivator bolts in a different direction, abandoning any pretense of confrontation or pride.
Imperial Spirit Sect mercy: Liu and Han Yunzhi, having successfully used the Ghost Spirit Sect as cover, also flee in all directions. The one-hour mercy rule is in play—Han Li has no reason to hunt them.
The hunt begins: Han Li uses his Wind Lightning Wings to chase the furthest runner: the fire-attribute woman who fancied herself an unbeatable escape artist. The chapter ends with her realizing, too late, that she is the chosen trophy.

Reading Guide

This is a perfect chapter to demonstrate a core truth of A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality: conflict is best avoided by being terrifying before the fight begins. Han Li’s growth is no longer measured by how many magic treasures he can throw, but by how many cultivators his mere proximity makes wet their pants. Watch for the cold, gratifying shift in power dynamics—the same Ghost Spirit Sect disciples who were aggressively interrogating the Imperial Spirit Sect moments ago are now fleeing for their lives from a presence they haven’t even seen. If you’re reading this chapter and thinking, “Finally, my boy Han Li has stopped having to prove himself,” you’d be exactly right. This is the payoff for over seven hundred chapters of quiet, methodical accumulation. It’s not about the fight; it’s about the threat of the fight being enough to win it.