At the base of the Duantou Cliff, Huo Jinchuan had already arrived at the formation with the male cultivator in tow.
The man dangled like a quail in Huo Jinchuan's grip, eyes wide with terror. Gone was any trace of his earlier arrogance. He had already recognized Huo Jinchuan's identity, trembling as he stammered, "Young Master Huo, I… did I do something wrong?"
Huo Jinchuan gave him a cold, dismissive glance, a flash of distaste passing through his eyes.
Such a small fry—before, he wouldn't even have bothered to look twice.
But he couldn't stray too far right now. Having someone like this around would have to do for the moment. The man's Luck wasn't bad—though not particularly remarkable, it was still far better than that of his wretched elder sister.
Without a word, Huo Jinchuan hurled him straight into the formation.
The man gave a startled cry as he hit the ground with a thud, not daring to voice his pain. He pushed himself up, ready to speak, when glowing formation lines flared all around him. A second later, he found himself completely trapped, panic twisting his expression. "Young Master Huo, what's the meaning of this?
Young Master Huo, is there some misunderstanding between us? I didn't mean to harm my sister. She's done plenty to hurt me before—this time I just struck back because I was forced into it! Really, I'm not that kind of bad person. Please, Young Master Huo, just let me go this once!"
He bowed and scraped again and again, the formation's oppressive presence making his very soul shudder.
He didn't want to die.
Huo Jinchuan, however, never spared him so much as a glance. Talking to this kind of trash was nothing but a waste of breath. He activated the formation, his gaze locking on the man with burning anticipation.
Under that stare, the man's fear deepened into raw dread. His pleas failed, and he snapped, hurling curses instead. It was useless. He could only feel as though something unseen had locked onto him. Then a suffocating fear seeped into the deepest part of his soul, enveloping him completely.
Yet no harm touched his body, no visible change occurred.
His face went deathly pale. He felt utterly doomed.
As time passed, his Luck began to deteriorate at a speed visible to the naked eye. Through the formation's nexus, that Luck slowly transferred into Huo Jinchuan.
When the man's Luck had turned utterly pitch-black, Huo Jinchuan finally withdrew. He shut down the formation, closed his eyes to savor the sensation, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.
Centuries of preparation had not been in vain—this formation really could take another's Luck and make it his own!
From now on, all he had to do was lure in those with abundant Luck, and everything would be under his control.
"Hahahaha!"
He laughed wildly. Since crossing over, it was the first time he had laughed with such unrestrained delight. His laughter echoed through the cliffs.
The man inside the formation steadied his trembling body, thinking that Huo Jinchuan must be insane.
But he wasn't injured, and the formation had vanished. This was his chance to leave. He bolted. Yet he had barely run a short distance when a golden eagle swooped down from the sky and seized him in its talons.
The eagle was massive and powerful; the man was no match.
"No—!" he screamed in despair.
The golden eagle carried him aloft, then dove back to the cliff top.
Its beak opened wide, and with one bite, it swallowed him whole.
His desperate, terrified cries faded into nothing.
Huo Jinchuan glanced up at the sound, his expression indifferent.
This was what happened when one's Luck hit rock bottom—you might trip and die just walking down the road, or choke to death just drinking water.
His own Luck, on the other hand, had improved considerably.
Eager to test it, Huo Jinchuan began strolling about the canyon floor. Sure enough, he soon stumbled upon several small windfalls.
A flicker of joy lit his face. These past days his fortunes had been poor, his Luck dwindling bit by bit. Now, at last, it seemed to be recovering.
"Song Wanníng… I wonder where that woman is."
His expression darkened. Her Luck still rankled him; he coveted it deeply.
"Forget it. Once I've fully recovered, I'll settle things with her."
He quickly reined in his thoughts. Facing Song Wanníng head-on would only put him at a disadvantage.
For now, he would focus on repairing his own Luck. He began searching for more targets. At first, he stayed within the mountains, but the area had too few people. Eventually, his hunt spread to the nearby cities.
By the time Song Wanníng finished refining her pills and stepped outside again, she had already heard the news.
Huo Jinchuan had truly gone mad—in such a short time, he had seized so many people. Was he not afraid of plunging himself into an abyss from which there was no return?
Her expression sank. She immediately produced a Shadow Stone, which contained the scene of Huo Jinchuan abducting that male cultivator.
Looking at the incriminating evidence he had so kindly delivered to her doorstep, she chuckled coldly.
She wondered if this gift would be to Huo Jinchuan's and Huo Yang's taste.
She herself liked it very much.
…
"Have you heard? Huo Jinchuan, the Patriarch's son, has been secretly abducting people—no one knows where he's taken them!"
"You've seen the Shadow Stone too?"
"Of course. Those missing people must all have been taken by him!"
"Hiss… but Huo Jinchuan is the Huo clan's next Patriarch. How could he do such a thing? Could someone be framing him?"
"No way. Who could fake something like that? We all saw—it was definitely Huo Jinchuan!"
"Heh, you're behind the times. Do you know who he abducted just last night?"
"Who?"
"The City Lord's son…"
"What? Has he lost his mind?"
"Huo Jinchuan's courage is outrageous!"
"What is he even after? Don't tell me he's a demon cultivator!"
The crowd buzzed with anxious speculation.
At first, no one paid much attention when people began to vanish. But as the number grew, concern spread—and no one had expected the culprit to be Huo Jinchuan.
Even more shocking, he had dared to abduct the City Lord's only son.
While the people were still wondering what it all meant, the toll of a mourning bell rang from the City Lord's manor. Countless figures flew out, each radiating killing intent, heading straight for the mountains.
The street fell silent. Only after the last of those figures vanished into the distance did murmurs resume.
"The mourning bell… was it for the City Lord or his son?"
"Hiss… the City Lord chased out after him last night and still hasn't returned. Who knows what's happened…"
They looked at one another, their faces all carrying the same stunned realization.
This time, Huo Jinchuan was finished.
Even the Huo clan wouldn't be able to save his life.
The City Lord would demand justice, and with the Murong family backing him, their power was nothing to be trifled with.