Chapter 1058: Significant Increase in Strength

At Tianji Pavilion on Green Mount Li, after two days of intense cultivation, all the scattered stone fragments Jiang Fan had acquired were now fully integrated into the Five-Magnet Primordial Mountain. Layers of colorful light continuously flickered from it.

Elder Liudao looked on enviously. "Little one," he said, "if Venerable Heart Demon ever hunts you down and you can't escape, don't forget to leave me some of your inheritance. I don't need much, just this Five-Magnet Primordial Mountain will do."

Jiang Fan glanced at him sideways and scoffed, "Alright, I'll give it to you right now!" Immediately, he formed a hand seal with two fingers and struck the Five-Magnet Primordial Mountain. "Five-Magnet Divine Light!"

A forty-foot-long, five-colored light, like an inverted bowl, instantly enveloped the entire secret chamber. Elder Liudao had no room to flee and was immediately covered. He instantly felt all the power in his body being suppressed. His legs went soft, and he knelt on the ground, unable to get back up. His old face flushed red as he bellowed, "You brat, quickly withdraw it!"

He was greatly alarmed. The Five-Magnet Primordial Mountain now not only emitted four times the light it once did, but its power had also increased many times over. Even he, who was almost back to his former peak, was easily suppressed!

Jiang Fan, satisfied, withdrew the Five-Magnet Divine Light. He then weighed the black cauldron belonging to the Daoist Head of Sanqing Mountain, which he had just refined. Even before refining it, it had displayed considerable power; now that it was fully refined, its power should be even greater.

"Do you want this one?" Jiang Fan asked playfully. Elder Liudao got up, patted the dust off his knees, and grumbled, "I can't afford it! You disrespectful brat!"

Jiang Fan, disappointed, put it away and then took out the Nine Phoenixes Adoring Dao hairpin. "What about this one?" he asked. With the help of five Soul Jade Papers, its soul had reached the Five-Orifice Nascent Soul level, and he believed the power it could unleash would be even greater.

Elder Liudao, who had previously tried to covet this item but failed, naturally knew what a terrifying killing weapon it was. His old face twitched. "Put it away," he warned, "be careful not to accidentally activate it with a slip of your hand."

Jiang Fan's eyes flickered with lightning, and two blazing thunderous lights appeared and disappeared intermittently as he said, "What about the Dark Sky Eye?"

He had mastered this Dark Sky Eye to perfection, and its power far surpassed what it once was. Out of the 'Six Divisions of Heavenly Thunder', he now commanded three. Only the Heavenly Abyss Heart, Hell Lotus, and the last missing Yin-Yang Heaven divisions remained.

Elder Liudao clenched his old fist. "You've mastered the Dark Sky Eye," he fumed. "You're showing off! Dammit!"

Jiang Fan withdrew the Dark Sky Eye. He then said, "Or perhaps the 'Brahma Saint True Spirit Art'?"

His body shook, and three illusory images simultaneously appeared behind him. One was a divine statue, one was a Human Emperor statue, and the third was an ancient golden bell, emanating a wild, primeval aura, suspended beneath his feet. This was precisely the third manifestation, the Thick Earth Manifestation, cultivated with two wisps of True Spirit Blood. Its specific power would need to be tested in actual combat.

Elder Liudao scoffed. "You're showing off even after cultivating the third manifestation to great accomplishment. If you were to cultivate it to perfection, you'd be invincible in the Nascent Soul realm; wouldn't your tail be wagging to the heavens? I pray you never find that Hell Desolate Beast and never obtain the remaining True Spirit Blood."

Jiang Fan shrugged. "Envy makes people ugly," he said. "Alright, I'm going to the East Sea." "Where are you going?"

Elder Liudao pondered, then said, "I'll accompany you to the East Sea. Only when I see you obtain that divine ability can I feel at ease searching for my daughter."

Jiang Fan nodded. His plan was simple. Wasn't Venerable Evil Raven offering a reward for a living ancient giant? Then he would exchange an ancient giant for that divine ability. As for whether the other party would be willing, this time, the three Spirit Transformation experts and one Bodhisattva returned in utter defeat, and even Venerable True Word suffered such a fate. How could Venerable Evil Raven have sustained no losses at all? At this moment, he should be in urgent need of an ancient giant. There was no reason for him to refuse for the sake of a mere divine ability. Of course, the premise was that they could capture one alive.

With a creak, the stone door opened. Jiang Fan found Gu Xin'er, dressed in a pink long dress, with a round and cute face and a petite figure, pacing outside with her hands behind her back.

Seeing Jiang Fan emerge, her delicate brows lifted, and her exquisite nose wrinkled slightly. "You finally decided to come out," she said. "Here!"

She took out a palm-sized piece of paper, on which mysterious patterns were drawn. Jiang Fan took it, asking in surprise, "What is this?"

Gu Xin'er said, "I told you I'd come back to give everyone a surprise. This is for you. When you're in danger, light it and make a wish, but don't wish for anything too grand."

"A wishing item?" Jiang Fan was puzzled; Gu Xin'er's gifts were truly unique. Elder Liudao, standing nearby, saw it, his eyes lit up, and he said, "Jiang Fan, this item isn't good, it's useless. Throw it away."

Jiang Fan glanced at him sideways. "I can throw it away," he said, "but can you swear to the heavens that you won't pick it up?" How could something be bad if even Elder Liudao coveted it? He immediately stored it in his Heavenly Thunder Stone.

Then he took out a Dragon Marrow Seed and said, "You didn't come on the day of the sect's founding ceremony. Here's your compensation now."

Gu Xin'er immediately beamed with joy and chuckled, "Thank you, Senior Brother Jiang." In her heart, she rejoiced, "Master, I finally have the Dragon Marrow Seed! I'll save it until I reach the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm to consume it; the later I use it, the greater its value."

The hairpin's lingering soul reminded her, "Be careful. That old man beside him is not simple; don't let him discover me."

Gu Xin'er subtly glanced at Elder Liudao, her heart solemn. "What's his cultivation level?" she asked.

The hairpin's lingering soul replied, "He can enter the ranks of Seven-Orifice Nascent Soul at any time. This is also because he is deliberately suppressing his own cultivation. He probably doesn't want to cultivate too fast, to avoid falling into madness."

Gu Xin'er was awe-struck. Dangerous individuals like this were starting to appear around Jiang Fan. She immediately found an excuse to leave. "Senior Brother Jiang," she said, "I'm going to give gifts to the other senior brothers and sisters. Your junior sister will take her leave now."

She smiled sweetly and then hurried away.

Elder Liudao watched her retreating figure, his old eyes narrowing. "Boy," he said, "pay a little more attention to her from now on. This pretty little girl has quite an impressive background."

Jiang Fan watched Gu Xin'er's back. After a brief observation, he found nothing amiss. "What makes you say that?" he asked.

Elder Liudao replied, "Firstly, there's the paper she just gave you. That's a Confucian technique; what she called 'making a wish' is actually 'words becoming law.' However, there is no Confucianism in Taicang Great State. Secondly, I sensed a lingering soul on this little girl."

Having been a lingering soul himself for several decades, his sensitivity to others of his kind was very keen.

Jiang Fan showed a surprised expression. This girl, who had suddenly joined Tianji Pavilion later and actively approached their Zero Team, was actually hiding so much? "What is she after?"

Jiang Fan pondered for a moment. "Never mind," he decided. "Once we retrieve the Sky-Connecting Black Pillar, I'll have a good talk with her and ask her what she truly intends. Let's go!"

He and Elder Liudao immediately ascended into the air and departed, heading for the East Sea.

Two days later, at the East Sea Imperial Palace, Empress Pearl of the Demon Race's beautiful face was covered in frost. "Wei Wuji," she declared, "this Mother Source Cauldron cannot be touched! Are you trying to destroy my East Sea?"