Wen Jian immediately rushed outside the treasure room, but he was too late. All he just saw was the pile of dead elder's bodies, and Ling's traces are nowhere to be found.
Jian heard loud footsteps rushing towards him. He turned around and saw Yao Tian kneeling in front of him.
"Patriarch, I gathered our guards in order to pick the elder's dead bodies-"
Wen Jian suddenly punched Tian's face. All the guards in the area fell silent after they witnessed the patriarch's action.
"Why did you let him escape!?"
Yao Tian recovered from the extreme blow he received and lowered his head and body to the ground.
"I-I thought you can handle him all by yourself since you stopped me, patriarch. A-After I heard that bastard Ling screamed in pain, I was rest assured that you finally captured that brat. So I left and mobilize the guards to pick up the elder's bo-"
Jian stomped Yao Tian's head. Yao Tian couldn't speak anymore due to the extreme pain he felt.
"Ghhhhhk..."
"Indeed, I stopped you because I want to deal that brat with my own hands. But it doesn't mean you should leave your post in case things would go astray..."
Jian put more pressure on his feet, making Tian feel an extreme pain in his head.
"AGHHH!"
"And because you left things unattended, that brat managed to escape. Who do you think would take this blame?"
Tian groaned as he struggles to make an eye contact with the patriarch.
"I-It was my fault, patriarch..."
Jian removed his feet on Tian's head and placed it on the ground. Tian got up slowly and kneeled in front of the patriarch.
"Hmph..."
Wen Jian turned around and mobilized the guards that Tian brought before.
"Guards! Gather the elder's corpses and prepare them for burial tommorow!"
"Hup!"
The guards began to scatter around and gathered the corpses one by one. Before Jian left, he stared at Tian in disdain.
"Don't mess up next time."
Tian bowed is head while clenching his fists. Jian noticed Tian's anger on its eyes as he walks away outside the room.
"Yao Tian... You and your brother was raised by my father since we were young. Even though you came from a branch family of our clan, you two are fated to be the guard dogs of the Wen Clan's patriarch in the future..."
"Even though you swear your loyalty to the clan and vowed to protect it till your dying breath, the possibility of your revolt is still imminent."
Wen Jian breathed deeply as he jumped away from the scene.
"After I settle things with that brat Ling, you'll be next, Yao Tian..."
...
Several miles away from the Wen Clan's household, Ling panted heavily after an hour of jumping between trees. He slowed down and settled at a huge boulder he saw.
Ling groaned in pain and closed his eyes. Bruises and wounds he received from the battle with the Wen Clan covered his body.
(Damn it! Taking such blows from several opponents wasn't an easy feat! Luckily I managed to escape on a narrow margin...)
Ling used his purple qi to heal his fatal wounds, ignoring the less fatal ones. Minutes later, all his fatal wounds was completely healed.
While he was busy tending his injuries, he noticed the ring on his finger changed. The embedded gem on it that was once had a ruby-like color turned into purple.
(Huh?)
Out of curiosity, Ling released his purple qi and applied it directly to the ring, and the ring began to fluctuate.
(What is this vibration? It isn't the air that was vibrating, rather something beyond it!)
Ling remembered a certain book that tackles about the mysteries of spatial arts. On the book, cultivators could manipulate and feel the vibrations of space by using one's qi.
"This ring are those artifacts that could contain a separate space, a spatial ring! If the book was right, one needs to use its own qi to stimulate the door on the separate space hidden on this ring, thus opening it!"
Ling poured more purple qi on the spatial ring, and he felt that the vibration became stronger.
(This isn't enough. I need to pour more of my qi in order to open the space hidden inside this ring!)
"Nghhh!"
Several minutes later, Ling felt that the space hidden inside the spatial ring finally opened. He closed his eyes and measured the insides of the space hidden inside the ring.
(Hmm... The length, width and height had a similar measurement of 6 chi*, similar to a common boulder. Not bad!)
Upon obtaining such tressure, Ling smiled as he truly struck a gold this time.
"Seems like my efforts were not in vain, after all..."
Ling immediately gathered all his belongings that was hidden inside his garments and plced them inside the spatial ring.
"With this spatial ring, storing my loots and belongings would be accessible!"
While Ling was sorting his spatial ring, he noticed an old, tattered scroll that was placed at the edge of the storage space.
(Hmm... This old map isn't mine to begin with. Was this already here before?)
Ling opened his palm and visualized the scroll appearing on his hand. The scroll materialized afterwards.
Ling opened the scroll carefully, fearing that the scroll might torn easily due to its age. On it, he saw a mysterious map
(Is this map leads to something? Judging by the strange marks scattered on it, they are pointing towards a certain place. Perhaps...)
Ling paused for a moment. He slowly smiled when he finally understand the value of the map he was holding now.
"Maybe this map leads to a hidden treasure!"
His face drastically changed when he realized that the map must be a trap set by the Wen Clan.
"No. This might be a trap set by the Wen Clan. If I go there without any hesitation, I might enter a tiger's den, and only fools would do that without preparations beforehand."
Ling looked up at the dazzling night sky and took a moment of gaze. Then, he closed his eyes slowly.
(I should take a rest for a time being. After the sun rises in the morning, I'll scout the area first if there's any signs of Wen Clan.)