Chapter 1049: Annihilating the Sect (Eighth Watch)

The White Bone Alliance Master nodded faintly. "Of course. We only want the Blood Coffin."

Jiang Fan no longer had any doubts. He took out the Sky Thunder Stone and ran his finger across it. But what appeared in his palm was not the Blood Coffin; instead, it was the black cauldron. He emulated the Daoist Master of Mount Sanqing, striking it with his remaining soul power. The inscriptions on the black cauldron immediately activated and manifested before him. At Jiang Fan's thought, they transformed into a long spear. Although far less powerful than before, it still carried the force of a blow from a Nascent Soul with seven apertures. He fixed his gaze on the White Bone Alliance Master and shouted, "Go!" The inscribed spear pierced through the void.

The White Bone Alliance Master was already prepared; he snorted heavily, "I knew you wouldn't be honest!" He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of black blood. When it splattered onto the inscribed spear, the spear immediately hissed and emitted black smoke, then quickly corroded away! Its effect was no less potent than the 'Death' character. The White Bone Alliance Master's killing intent flared: "I gave you a chance! Attack, kill them all!" He commanded his two subordinates while he himself, carrying unmatched killing intent, swept towards Jiang Fan. The current Jiang Fan had very little Nascent Soul power left; how could he be a match for a Nascent Soul with seven apertures?

In this critical moment, his mind raced, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Yunshang!" He could only try. Fairy Yunshang immediately understood Jiang Fan's intention. She tapped the Mantra Venerable beside her, then ran quickly towards Jiang Fan. The Mantra Venerable frowned upon seeing this. She instantly vanished and reappeared beside Jiang Fan, then tightly held onto Yunshang's arm, not letting anyone snatch her away. Just then, the White Bone Alliance Master appeared in a flash. He looked at the woman who had strangely appeared beside Jiang Fan, his heart pounding. But there was no time to think further. The Blood Coffin in Jiang Fan's hand had to be retrieved. He raised his palm and waved it, and the demonic energy on his face surged. A jet-black demonic claw extended, fiercely striking towards Jiang Fan. This strike was as dangerous as the Blood Hand; it was no longer something Jiang Fan could block. He looked at the Mantra Venerable beside him, completely unsure if she would intervene. The demonic claw struck instantly, yet the Mantra Venerable showed no reaction. Jiang Fan felt a surge of disappointment; he could only fight head-on! He once again mobilized the origin of fire within him, preparing for a desperate fight.

Suddenly, the demonic claw froze in front of Jiang Fan. The Mantra Venerable had, at some unknown point, extended her hand and lightly grasped the demonic claw. She frowned, looking at the demonic claw, then at the White Bone Alliance Master, seemingly confused. She seemed not to understand what the White Bone Alliance Master was trying to do. The White Bone Alliance Master's pupils constricted! The corrosive nature of this demonic claw was comparable to the black blood from earlier! Even a Nascent Soul with nine apertures would suffer flesh rotting upon touch, yet the woman before him had casually gripped it! At this moment, the Mantra Venerable also noticed a stinging pain in the skin of her palm. Frowning, she squeezed with force, crushing the demonic claw. The White Bone Alliance Master suffered a massive injury, spitting out a large mouthful of blood in horror, "Run! This... this is a Deity Transformation Venerable!" "What?" His two subordinates beside him turned pale with shock. "Don't all Deity Transformation Venerables have a divine halo? If the woman before them was a Venerable, where was her divine halo?" Seeing the heavily injured White Bone Alliance Master, the two dared not be careless and immediately helped him escape.

Jiang Fan was secretly anxious and said, "Mantra Venerable, quickly kill them!" The Mantra Venerable looked at Jiang Fan with confusion. It was unclear if she didn't understand what 'killing' meant, or why they should be killed. She did not attack again. Jiang Fan felt great regret; it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! He could only watch as the three members of the White Bone Alliance fled. If these three contacted that Grand Sage Realm expert and revealed the Blood Coffin's location, his trouble would be immense! Gritting his teeth, Jiang Fan said, "One person stays to receive guests; the rest follow me!" The Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master immediately understood Jiang Fan's intention. A feud had been established; the White Bone Alliance and the Heavenly Secret Pavilion were now sworn enemies, destined to fight to the death! Since these three Nascent Soul Realm experts had fled, the other alliance members could not be spared. He gave a signal, and everyone promptly gave chase.

Not long after, they arrived at the White Bone Alliance's headquarters. It was built in the most spiritually vibrant area of Mount Qingli, and at the foot of the mountain lay many bodies of local rogue cultivators. Some were those who foolishly came to cause trouble. Some were the original owners of this mountain. Others were rogue cultivators enslaved by the White Bone Alliance to build its headquarters, killed after their use. Among them were also some rotting female corpses, their clothes disheveled and their bodies ravaged beyond recognition. The White Bone Alliance had only been established for two months, yet it had committed such numerous atrocities. If given a few more years, would there be any way for rogue cultivators to survive on Mount Qingli? The Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master's eyes grew cold as he watched: "No wonder Wang Yuandao's group of rogue cultivators dared not join the White Bone Alliance. The White Bone Alliance's conduct is hardly different from that of demonic cultivators. Demon Emperor Nu Xin, guard the entrance. Kill anyone who tries to escape; do not let them get away. The rest of you, charge in!" Including the turncoat, they had a total of eight Nascent Soul cultivators and Demon Emperors. With no Nascent Soul cultivators guarding the alliance, the fate of the ordinary members was predictable. Jiang Fan charged at the forefront. Although he lacked Nascent Soul power, his physical body remained strong, and his Ethereal Flow Fire Energy was still active. Alliance members at the Ninth-level Core Formation could not withstand his casual strike. He left the killing to the others. He, however, captured a live one and interrogated them about the whereabouts of Mu Ying and her uncle.

Not long after, he appeared in a foul-smelling dungeon. It held many rogue cultivators, mostly young, beautiful women. Some were already dead, and many were on the verge of death. But without exception, all had suffered immense torture. Jiang Fan casually broke open the cages and released them all. After searching, he finally found Mu Ying and her uncle. Mu Ying leaned weakly in a corner, all the fingers on both her hands brutally broken, and numerous grotesque wounds covered her body. Her uncle, meanwhile, had his eyes gouged out and bones fractured throughout his body. Jiang Fan was filled with rage. "These beasts!" Mu Ying also noticed Jiang Fan, her face showing surprise: "Junior Brother Jiang, why are you here?" She tried to get up but couldn't stand at all, because her kneecaps had been shattered. Jiang Fan felt a pang in his heart and quickly stepped forward, saying, "Don't move." He gave each of them a Rejuvenation Pill. Only after sensing their injuries starting to heal did he ask, "Didn't you two escape? Why were you still captured?" Taicang Grand State was vast; for the two to leave Mount Qingli was like a drop of water falling into the ocean. He couldn't understand how the White Bone Alliance, with only about a hundred people, could have found them. Mu Ying couldn't help but cry, shaking her head, "I don't know either. We hid in a market in a small city, but we were still found." Mu Ying's uncle woke up. Although he couldn't see, he heard Jiang Fan's voice and weakly said: "It must be the Heavenly Secret Elder. Only he can intercept heavenly secrets and uncover the hidden truths of all things. The White Bone Alliance must have paid a hefty price to enlist the Heavenly Secret Elder to find our whereabouts."