Chapter 1197: The Power of the Golden Snake Domain

Jiang Fan?The Jiang Fan he was looking for?

The Soul Refining Venerable followed the Iceflame Demonic Lord's gaze. A young man with a faint smile shook his head and said, "I won't."

"What about you, Bai Qianhu?"

Bai Xin replied expressionlessly, "The Grand Wine Sacrifice didn't instruct me to record anything."

Jiang Fan shrugged and said, "Don't worry, Iceflame Demonic Lord, none of us saw you hit the Soul Refining Venerable."

The Soul Refining Venerable was stunned. Then his brows furrowed. "You are Jiang Fan?" Only then did he realize that Jiang Fan had tricked him into being ambushed by the Iceflame Demonic Lord.

"You tricked me!" he roared, demonic energy surging around him in anger. He had encountered the real Jiang Fan earlier, but not only did he fail to recognize him, he was also played for a fool! How preposterous!

Jiang Fan calmly retorted, "If I didn't trick you, should I have announced my name and waited for you to kill me?" As he spoke, he took out two boxes of misty demonic liquid. "Thanks for your bribe. I'll make good use of it."

This was a psychological blow! The Soul Refining Venerable slammed the ground, instantly teleporting to attack Jiang Fan! His furious voice echoed in all directions, "You're asking for death!" His speed was so immense that a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator couldn't possibly react.

The Iceflame Demonic Lord's expression was indifferent. He flicked his finger, and a pillar of intertwined ice and fire light pierced through the void. With a bang, the Soul Refining Venerable was struck, his figure revealed, and he stumbled and flew out of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion.

"To harm someone in front of me is to show me no respect," the Iceflame Demonic Lord said calmly.

Jiang Fan's heart tightened as he watched. He said, "Senior, you can't let him go!" He had already offended the Soul Refining Venerable to such an extent that there was no room for reconciliation. If he left, it would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains. He could return at any time to harm the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. The Iceflame Demonic Lord was only temporarily recovering in the Heavenly Secret Pavilion and would eventually leave. At that point, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion would be in danger.

The Iceflame Demonic Lord didn't say a word. Since this person came to seek the Blood Coffin, he was naturally sent by the Blood Coffin's master. There was no reason to let him go back and report. So, without Jiang Fan's reminder, he had no intention of letting the Soul Refining Venerable escape.

"Ten Directions Cage," the Iceflame Demonic Lord murmured indifferently. His ice and fire domain fully manifested! The Iceflame Tai Chi diagrams reappeared, but instead of one, there were hundreds. They sealed off the sky and the earth. The three-mile radius centered on the Soul Refining Venerable was completely sealed, forming a hollow, three-dimensional Tai Chi diagram cage. Then, the cage rapidly contracted, intending to shrink into a single point, crushing the Soul Refining Venerable into dust.

The Soul Refining Venerable's face darkened. Back then, the Iceflame Demonic Lord's Ten Directions Cage was a top-tier domain that had trapped and killed cultivators in the Five Decays of Heaven and Man! Although his strength was greatly diminished now, it was still not something a Venerable who hadn't even begun the First Decay of Heaven and Man could contend with!

"Iceflame Demonic Lord, do you know who you are making an enemy of?" The Soul Refining Venerable gritted his teeth and pulled out a stone tablet, plunging it into the ground in front of him. On the tablet, three words were carved: "Do not kill." Within the carvings, a strand of mighty power flowed, similar to the Confucian concept of 'words becoming law,' but even more binding. These three simple words conveyed dominance, indifference, and unquestionable authority.

The rapidly compressing cage shattered on the spot, no longer under the Iceflame Demonic Lord's control. The Iceflame Demonic Lord's body trembled, and his face showed a grave expression. "Sage's inscription?"

The Soul Refining Venerable escaped, retreating without hesitation. Before leaving, he glanced at the gradually shattering stone tablet, his face showing a look of pain. He glared fiercely at Jiang Fan and said, "Youngster, you ruined my life-saving treasure! This enmity, I will never forget!"

Jiang Fan's heart sank. He had considered that since the Soul Refining Venerable was backed by the Asura Saint Son of the Great Sage realm, he wouldn't be easy to kill. But he hadn't expected him to carry such a formidable item! If the Soul Refining Venerable were to escape and report what happened here to the Asura Saint Son, wouldn't he himself be targeted by the Asura Saint Son? The thought sent shivers down his spine! He couldn't let him get away! At the very least, he couldn't let him transmit information about this place back!

A thought flashed through his mind. He decisively activated the golden snake emblem on his brow! A golden, snake-shaped bolt of lightning instantly caught up with the Soul Refining Venerable. The Soul Refining Venerable, who had already teleported out of sight, suddenly cried out in surprise. "The Golden Snake Saint Mother's Puppet Domain? How could it be in your possession?! No... quickly take it back..."

The Soul Refining Venerable immediately felt his consciousness blur, as a golden snake shadow coiled within his mind, slowly suppressing his own consciousness. Realizing the danger, he decisively took out another magnificent beast hide. It also bore a Sage's inscription. Jiang Fan had just expended a precious use of the golden snake emblem; how could he let him escape again? Without hesitation, he activated the Void Fishing Rod, snatching the beast hide away before the Venerable could unfurl it.

"My Sage's inscription!" The Soul Refining Venerable cried out in shock and rage, then his consciousness was immediately suppressed. "No... how can I be your puppet..." In that critical moment, he spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood, mixed with demonic energy, condensed into a pair of wings, carrying him away from the spot via teleportation.

In Jiang Fan's mind, he had just established a connection with the golden snake domain within the Soul Refining Venerable's soul, enabling him to control the Venerable as a puppet. The next moment, due to the excessive distance, he lost control. This made Jiang Fan stomp his foot in frustration. He was just a hair's breadth away from controlling a Divine Transformation Realm puppet!

But the scene that unfolded in a flash greatly surprised the Iceflame Demonic Lord: "You actually possess a domain bestowed by the Golden Snake Saint Mother!"

Jiang Fan said with a dark expression, "A complete waste of a domain!"

These words made the Iceflame Demonic Lord feel a bit awkward. Fortunately, the Soul Refining Venerable escaped. If Jiang Fan had successfully subdued him, what face would he, the Iceflame Demonic Lord, have left?

"Ahem, a Venerable backed by a Great Sage, forced to such an extent by you—you're truly unique," he said. "Besides, the Golden Snake Saint Mother's domain you obtained is just a wisp. Controlling a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator as a puppet is still easy, but trying to control a Divine Transformation Realm cultivator as a puppet is unrealistic."

Jiang Fan actually understood this principle. The Golden Snake Saint Mother had been dead for how many years? The domain she left behind was less than one percent of its peak power. How could it control a Divine Transformation Realm cultivator of the same realm? He was just a little worried.

"If he notifies that Sage, then we'll be in trouble," Jiang Fan said grimly.

The Iceflame Demonic Lord was also concerned and mused, "Not for now. It will take him a considerable amount of time to clear the Golden Snake Saint Mother's domain from his soul. He's too preoccupied with himself right now to worry about anything else." At this point, his eyes narrowed, and a cold light filled them: "However, I won't give him that time! Youngster, I'm going to hunt down that villain to eliminate future troubles permanently. You all at Heavenly Secret Pavilion, take care." He had already acted against the Soul Refining Venerable, implicitly offending the Sage behind him. There was no way to stay out of it now.

Jiang Fan's heart sank; once the Iceflame Demonic Lord left, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion would be unprotected. However, he also knew deeply that the Soul Refining Venerable was the true hidden danger. He could only nod and say, "Senior, please take care of yourself. If you get injured, please return to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, and this junior will find a way to heal you."

Feeling Jiang Fan's goodwill, the Iceflame Demonic Lord smiled. He flicked his finger, sending the Burning Heaven Mussel Pearl, which had been floating on his shoulder, flying down. "Leave this pearl here in your Heavenly Secret Pavilion for those several Demon Emperors to use. It can help them advance to the mid-stage Demon Emperor Realm."

Jiang Fan's face lit up with joy. Back then, the Azure Sky Demon Emperor had dispatched the Blood Dragon and Sea Enchantress to await the pearl's advent, precisely because of its effect in helping them break through to the mid-stage Demon Emperor Realm.

"Also, let me see that beast hide of yours," the Iceflame Demonic Lord added. "It also seems to have a Sage's inscription! Don't tell me you've gotten your hands on some top-tier treasure!"