Supreme Emptiness

Jiang Fan furrowed his brows!

This guy is actually pretending to be dead!

Upon seeing the arrival of the Nine-Sect elders, he revealed his identity to threaten them.

This was precisely the concern Jiang Fan had earlier.

Holding such a high position, those Nine-Sect elders have too much to worry about.

They wouldn't permit a disciple from the Outer Realm Divine Sect to die in front of them.

However.

Upon seeing the attire of those approaching.

His tightly furrowed brows relaxed.

He allowed them to rush closer.

"Jiang Fan?"

Leading them wasn't anyone else; it was Qin Wangchuan.

Her aura was overwhelmingly strong, having already reached Ninth Layer Perfection of Core Formation.

It seems she had benefited from Jiang Fan's Thousand-year-old Spiritual Meat.

She was the first to break through her bottleneck, entering the rank of Ninth Layer Perfection of Core Formation.

Stone Kaitian and Huang Zhantian also had auras vaguely approaching Ninth Layer Perfection.

Jiang Fan laughed and said, "Supreme Elders, Sect Master, honored elders, what brings you here?"

Liu Wuchen jumped off his steed, visibly overjoyed, and said, "Of course, we came to help you!"

"Upon hearing that the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion issued an extremely important mission and that you participated in it."

"I discussed with the Supreme Elders and rushed here as soon as possible."

"We hope to help you track the Hell Beast and assist you in completing the mission."

Jiang Fan felt a surge of warmth.

Though he was no longer part of the Green Cloud Sect, the sect still remembered him.

He bowed gratefully, "Thank you all for your concern. This disciple is deeply moved."

Qin Wangchuan hopped off while carrying herself with an air of authority, but: "Kid, we… uh~"

The snow was too deep.

She, a tiny figure, was instantly submerged in it.

Jiang Fan stifled his laughter, quickly pulling her out of the snow, patting her off and saying:

"Supreme Elder Qin."

"You can speak while standing on the Spirit Beast's back; I can hear you just fine."

Qin Wangchuan's face turned bright red and she grumbled angrily, "Even the snow bullies me!"

"Damn it!"

"Kid, why aren't you tracking the Hell Beast and instead are here dueling magic with someone?"

Jiang Fan's demeanor turned cold.

He began to recount the situation in detail.

Kang Lin's heart pounded wildly, and he quickly bowed and said, "Honored elders."

"Jiang Fan does not understand the broader picture; you're the ones who discern the truth."

"I implore you not to act foolishly like him and make irrational decisions."

"If you provoke the wrath of the Divine Movement Sect, it would bring harm to your sects—indeed, to your entire continent."

The Supreme Elders exchanged concerned looks.

Qin Wangchuan, however, gazed into the distance and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, aren't we here to find the Hell Beast?"

"Why are we all standing idly here?"

Everyone understood her meaning.

Liu Wuchen exclaimed in realization, "Is everyone well-rested?"

"Let's continue onward."

Shi Kaitian added, "Indeed, this place is a desolate expanse with not a single thing in sight."

"Let's go, let's go!"

The Green Cloud Sect group blatantly pretended they hadn't been here.

They all left together.

Leaving Kang Lin with a desperate scream: "Don't leave! Don't go!"

Kang Lin wouldn't have imagined what Jiang Fan meant to the Green Cloud Sect.

How could they suppress Jiang Fan for his sake?

Thud—

A Purple Sword pierced straight through the right side of his chest.

Jiang Fan didn't even give him a chance to plead for mercy, ending his life instantly.

Kang Lin's eyes widened, blood gushing from his mouth.

He struggled to reach out, trying to grab Jiang Fan's sleeve, his face twisted in rage:

"You and them… alike… will… meet… cruel ends…"

With a final twitch, his breath completely ceased.

Without hesitation, Jiang Fan severed his head.

Only then did he confirm he was truly dead.

After inspecting the left and right sides of Kang Lin's chest, Jiang Fan realized why he had managed to fake death earlier.

Turns out, Kang Lin's heart was different from ordinary people, located on the right side of his chest.

"I almost got caught off guard."

"Good thing it was us from the Green Cloud Sect. If it were another sect, the outcome might have been uncertain."

"From now on, when encountering people from the Outer Realm, either chop off their heads or leave no trace of their corpses—otherwise, it can't be considered as having killed them."

Jiang Fan redefined death.

After checking Kang Lin's belongings and finding nothing of use.

He collected the items.

Just as he was about to rendezvous with Ren Guhong and Wu Manyue.

They had already arrived.

Ren Guhong carried a few heads in his hands as he approached Jiang Fan.

He glanced at the headless corpse near Jiang Fan's feet and Kang Lin's wide-eyed, expressionless head nearby.

Ren Guhong gasped.

"Junior Brother, you… you killed him?"

Jiang Fan nodded slightly. "He was quite difficult to kill."

Wu Manyue extended her snow-white palm toward him, "Hand it over!"

Ren Guhong, looking displeased, handed her the Dragon Heart Blood Lotus Seed.

Wu Manyue's eyes sparkled as she let out a melodious giggle:

"I told you Junior Brother Jiang could kill Kang Lin."

"You didn't believe me and insisted on betting against me."

"In the end, this Dragon Heart Blood Lotus Seed is still mine."

"Hahaha!"

Her laughter was charming, making waves that shook her alluring figure.

Jiang Fan sighed, "So you used me as a wager?"

Ren Guhong gazed deeply at Jiang Fan, saying, "Junior Brother Jiang, you truly are unfathomable."

Wu Manyue finally revealed the mystery, smiling sweetly:

"Did you know that when Junior Brother Jiang was just at Second Level of Core Formation, he managed to capture Demon Priest Yao Yue of Ninth Layer Formation from the Demon Race?"

"Now he's already at the Sixth—"

"What? You've reached Seventh Layer of Core Formation?"

"You cursed prodigy, why do you advance so quickly in cultivation?"

Being preoccupied with their dangerous encounters earlier, no one had had the time to pay attention to Jiang Fan's cultivation level.

Now sensing Jiang Fan's Seventh Layer cultivation, Wu Manyue was startled.

Ren Guhong also noticed it at this moment, exclaiming in surprise:

"You… cultivating at such speed, aren't you concerned about unstable foundations?"

"Listen to your Senior Brother. Trim your cultivation a bit and fortify your base first."

This pervasive attitude of envying others' rapid progress even in the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion seemed pervasive!

Jiang Fan rolled his eyes at him.

He nudged the severed head at his feet and said, "It's time to settle the bet."

Ren Guhong snapped back to reality and tossed over three more heads.

"You killed four earlier, including Kang Lin."

"And I also killed four."

"Wu Manyue killed four as well."

"A tie between us."

Jiang Fan was surprised.

The squad of enemies was precisely twelve people?

Wu Manyue glanced at Jiang Fan's arms with a hint of regret and sighed:

"Fine, I'll spare your Bodhi Pill for now."

"But I will get it eventually!"

She threw a flirtatious smile at Jiang Fan.

Jiang Fan remained unfazed, replying with a meaningful smile: "Who said it's a tie?"

His Space Storage Device still contained twelve perfectly intact heads.

Wu Manyue raised her delicate brows and asked, "What? Are there still some beasts left un-slain?"

Ren Guhong questioned, "Junior Brother Jiang, what do you mean by that?"

"Could it be that Kang Lin said something before he died?"

He asked innocently.

Jiang Fan pondered deeply and furrowed his brow slightly.

"He said I would meet a cruel end like them."

"Who are 'them'? Is he referring to the Demon Race victims?"

"Or is he speaking of another group of victims we don't know about?"

The more he thought, the more uneasiest he felt.

Could there be a third team?

Wu Manyue held her hands against her chest as she contemplated: "They mentioned the 'Earth Phoenix,' but what is that?"

"I've never heard of any Earth Phoenix on this continent."

"The term 'Earth Phoenix,' I've only heard of in passing."

Ren Guhong shook his head lightly, "I haven't heard of the Earth Phoenix either."

"Is it a type of phoenix?"

Jiang Fan furrowed his brows and murmured thoughtfully, "Earth Phoenix…"

"I feel like I've heard this term somewhere before."