Supreme Emptiness

"These words are in the Demon Race language."

Gu Xin'er, worried that Jiang Fan wouldn't understand, translated: "It's called 'Xuanbing Hell.'"

"Judging by the name, it hardly seems like a good place."

She felt a little uneasy.

Luminous Pearls were scattered across the ground, indicating someone had been here before.

Yet the hall was devoid of any sound.

Either that person was hiding.

Or they were already dead.

Regardless of the reason, neither was encouraging.

Meanwhile, the aura of the Hell Beast overhead continued to draw closer.

"Just now, I told you to use the Dustless Talisman, but you didn't listen."

"Now you'll follow me in—like it or not."

"If you die inside, don't go blaming me."

Feeling the increasingly frenzied assault of icy winds around them,

she couldn't be sure her Purple Flame would be enough to shield both of them.

Entering this obviously malevolent hall was an even graver uncertainty.

Jiang Fan, however, looked bemused.

His gaze, subtle yet strange, fell briefly to his chest.

He didn't know when it began, but that chicken feather had grown hot—

and now, it felt slightly scorching.

"What's this damned feather stirring up now?"

As if responding to his grumbling,

the feather suddenly grew hotter.

Hiss!

Jiang Fan winced and muttered, "You... you actually understand me?"

If, last time, he couldn't be entirely certain of its consciousness when the feather etched its markings on him,

this time solidified it.

The feather was alive!

Damn it!

What had he gone and gotten himself tangled up with?

Gu Xin'er turned her head, startled: "Who are you talking to?"

Jiang Fan's expression shifted between dark and conflicted as he said, "Some ghostly thing—I don't even know."

The feather grew dissatisfied again, becoming increasingly scorching.

Jiang Fan sucked in a sharp breath: "Alright, alright, I won't badmouth you!"

Only then did the feather cool slightly, though it still burned faintly hot.

It seemed to be reacting to something in its surroundings.

Gu Xin'er shot him a dubious look.

Her thoughts stirred: Could this guy also carry a Remnant Soul of some elder-like figure, similar to my hairpin?

Whoosh—

The wind overhead howled.

The silhouette of the Hell Beast was now visible.

Gu Xin'er dared not delay any longer, clutching Jiang Fan tightly as she dashed into the hall.

The doorway of the grand hall was wide open.

It indicated someone had been here before, but they had seemingly vanished.

The interior was roughly the same size as the Li Fire Heavenly Palace.

The far end was visible at a glance.

The difference was—

while the Li Fire Heavenly Palace had a thousand-year clam shell at its center, birthing the Sky-Burning Clam Pearl,

the center of Xuanbing Hell featured an icy pool.

A crystalline ancient sword was planted in the pool.

The sword body was adorned with an intricate ice dragon pattern.

The Remnant Soul within Gu Xin'er's hairpin gasped softly,

"A top-grade Spiritual Artifact!"

"The material exudes chilling frost, and bears the etchings of an ice dragon."

"Isn't this the Tingxue Sword, one of the Heavenly Slaying Nine Swords crafted by the Beixuan Sword Master?"

"How could it end up here?"

Gu Xin'er was subtly astonished.

It was the first time she'd heard her master so startled.

Even upon seeing the fractured Moon Realm, her master had merely let out mild amazement—

never before had they expressed such shock.

"Xin'er, you've stumbled upon an incredible opportunity!"

"Beixuan Sword Master once wielded the Heavenly Slaying Nine Swords, standing unrivaled beneath saintly power."

"Later, they fell in the ancient wars."

"The nine swords they bore—some shattered, others vanished."

"Who'd have thought a pristine Tingxue Sword would be concealed here?"

Gu Xin'er's eyes sparkled.

The Beixuan Sword Master and the Heavenly Slaying Nine Swords—

just hearing their names evoked the unparalleled splendor of their era, brimming with powerful figures.

"Wouldn't that mean I'm—"

Gu Xin'er was just beginning to covet the sword when she noticed Jiang Fan staring intently at the weapon.

He murmured a warning, "Master, do not touch that sword."

"Those who came before us didn't take it—that's telling."

"Hide and let the Hell Beast test the waters first."

Gu Xin'er immediately sobered.

Indeed.

She had focused solely on the extraordinary characteristics of the sword, forgetting its potential risks.

"Your caution never ceases to amaze,"

Gu Xin'er teased him lightly.

But silently, she thought to herself: This guy is a rogue through and through, but his prudence is unshakable.

From now on, I must think twice before acting.

Can't afford to be outdone by this fellow.

These thoughts did not escape the Remnant Soul within the hairpin.

It was quietly pleased.

At last, she was starting to recognize Jiang Fan's merits.

Gu Xin'er pressed herself against the hall's rear wall.

She withdrew a Mid-grade Dustless Talisman, which she promptly activated and affixed onto Jiang Fan.

Then, she swallowed a Wanxiang Bead.

A faint green glow began to radiate from her body, enveloping her.

Soon after, the glow shifted, camouflaging seamlessly with the hall's walls.

From a distance, it was impossible to spot anyone present.

Absent physical contact, there was no telling they were there at all.

Jiang Fan marveled silently.

The Purple Flame Master once used this bead to disguise themselves as Liu Qingxian, fooling Jiang Fan so thoroughly that he couldn't discern the deception through appearance alone.

Only through physical contact had he unveiled the truth.

Now, he finally understood—

The bead could not only transform someone into another person, but also into inanimate objects.

Still, why wasn't it used earlier?

Had it been, they wouldn't need to hide in the icy abyss, would they?

Soon, Jiang Fan understood.

Once disguised as a dead object, one couldn't make any movements—doing so would immediately undo the concealment.

This method was problematic.

It could easily be exposed by the Hell Beast.

Unless absolutely desperate, she wouldn't resort to using it.

At this point, they were at the end of their rope.

They had no choice but to try.

Thud—

A loud, heavy sound came from outside the hall.

The Hell Beast had arrived!

Cautiously, it stepped into the hall.

Sweeping its gaze left and right, its eyes immediately fell upon the icy pool.

Its pupils shrank sharply, "The Beixuan Sword Master's blade?"

"And preserved in such pristine condition!"

Excited, it rushed forward.

Then, abruptly halted, narrowing its ancient gaze to scrutinize its surroundings, letting out a sinister laugh:

"You little Human Clansmen."

"This sword must harbor some grave hazard, doesn't it?"

"Otherwise, why wouldn't you take it yourselves?"

"You're hoping I retrieve it, agitating whatever danger lies within?"

True to the years it had amassed, the Hell Beast immediately saw through their trick.

Jiang Fan scoffed internally.

"So what if you figured it out?"

"As long as you entered, it's enough!"

He drew his quasi-Spiritual Artifact bow and loosed an arrow at the Tingxue Sword.

Brilliant silver light instantly pierced the air, striking the sword.

The Hell Beast pinpointed them based on the trajectory of the shot.

It grinned coldly: "Found you both!"

Laughing sinisterly, it charged toward them.

However—

As the Tingxue Sword shifted, the icy pool beneath it suddenly erupted with unforeseeable change.

From what appeared to be a water-filled hollow, countless writhing creatures emerged.

They were all sharp-mouthed, flat-bodied Nightmare Ice Worms.

As if jolted awake, they surged angrily toward the Hell Beast.

The Hell Beast's face turned ashen.

A handful of bugs might still be manageable.

But faced with such an immense swarm—how could it possibly cope?

Without hesitation, it abandoned Jiang Fan, roaring: "Damnable Human Clan!"

"You tricked me!"

And then bolted out of the hall.

The tide of Nightmare Ice Worms engulfed the entire space.

There was nowhere left to hide.

Gu Xin'er was terror-stricken, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest.

Such overwhelming numbers—her meager Purple Flame would be snuffed out instantly!

She instinctively prepared to grab Jiang Fan and flee.

The Hell Beast was fearsome, but these Nightmare Ice Worms were even worse.

But soon, she made an incredible discovery.

The swarm of bugs swarming toward them suddenly diverted course—

as if encountering something frightful, skirting away from them completely!

The hall-full of Nightmare Ice Worms poured outside, all chasing after the Hell Beast.

None of them paid any attention to Jiang Fan and Gu Xin'er.

"What... what's going on here?"

Gu Xin'er asked, stunned: "Master, was this your doing?"

In her estimation, only her master could make these bugs retreat in fear.

But surprisingly,

the Remnant Soul within the hairpin replied in a baffled tone, "These Nightmare Ice Worms would never fear me."

"It seems they're afraid of this boy!"