Chapter 1213: I Don't Know Him Well

Several whooshing sounds pierced the air.

The Dao Head of Sanqing Mountain, leading a group of powerful cultivators, returned, breaking through the now thin mist. His face was alight with pleasant surprise. As the new Dao Head of Sanqing Mountain, he had taken on a difficult task in a time of crisis. The former Dao Head was missing, and the True Spirit's blood and True Spirit's body had both been stolen. The entire Sanqing Mountain community was in a state of alarm, and there was an urgent need for someone capable to take charge and restore calm. His immense pressure was therefore understandable.

Now, however, things had changed. Under his leadership, they had successfully captured a living Giant King, astounding the entire Taicang Great State and making Sanqing Mountain famous throughout the Middle-earth Realm! Who within Sanqing Mountain would now dare to defy him?

However, when he saw the ground clearly, he froze in astonishment. "Where's the Giant King?" he exclaimed. "Wasn't he supposed to be stuck and immobile due to the demonic fluid? Did he still have strength left to run away?" At this thought, the Dao Head of Sanqing Mountain was greatly disappointed and filled with regret. Indeed, one should not celebrate too soon.

Still, they hadn't lost anything significant. The viscous demonic fluid belonged to Jiang Fan, so the real loss fell squarely on that young man. At most, they had merely inconvenienced Senior Feng.

"Senior Feng, I apologize, I'll bring you back right away..." he began, then paused. "Huh! Where's Senior Feng?" The Dao Head's expression froze once more. Sanqing Mountain's most powerful Nine Aperture Nascent Soul... was gone! Only an empty space where he had stood remained. He blinked, looking around blankly, thinking he had mistaken the location. But as the mist cleared and the surroundings became distinct, Senior Feng's shadow was still nowhere to be seen!

He gasped, "I... I lost Senior Feng?" Sanqing Mountain only had four Nine Aperture Nascent Souls. Each one was a treasure of the sect, and a source of hope for the emergence of a Venerable. And now, one was simply gone? He couldn't imagine whether the group of old monsters, the Eight Aperture Nascent Souls, would be furious enough to tear him to shreds when he returned to the sect! Cold sweat poured down his forehead.

"Where did Senior Feng go? As she was asleep, it was impossible for her to have left on her own. Someone must have taken her!" Suddenly, his gaze sharpened as he noticed something amiss: "Where's Jiang Fan? Wasn't he supposed to be asleep too? Why isn't he here? Wait! He took both the Giant King and Senior Feng with him!"

Realizing this, the Dao Head of Sanqing Mountain roared repeatedly, "Jiang Fan! You scoundrel!"

Amidst his rage, the Dao Head of Sanqing Mountain sharply noticed something wriggling on the ground. He focused his gaze. It was Huang Quan, quietly digging a hole in the ground, preparing to hide himself. The Dao Head's eyes lit up. He flew over, grabbed Huang Quan, and said coldly: "I remember you! You were willing to stay and face all of Sanqing Mountain just to protect Jiang Fan! Clearly, you're someone very important to Jiang Fan! He will surely be willing to exchange you for the Giant King and Senior Feng!"

Huang Quan quickly replied, "No, no, no! Jiang Fan and I aren't close, and I'm certainly not someone important to him. I'm just someone he left behind."

The Dao Head of Sanqing Mountain wouldn't listen. He sneered, "It doesn't matter! Whether you're important or not, his reaction when I cut off your ears, pull out your tongue, and torture you severely in front of him will tell us everything."

Huang Quan's face turned pale green, and he cried out in alarm: "No! I... I really don't know him well!" Even if he were torn into eighty-one pieces, that young man Jiang Fan wouldn't even bat an eyelid. It was even less likely that he would hand over the Giant King and the Nine Aperture Nascent Soul!

A thousand miles away, once certain of their safety, Jiang Fan took out his burlap sack and released everyone. The Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion looked around, confirmed their safety, and asked, "Sanqing Mountain didn't make trouble for you?"

Jiang Fan shrugged, "No, they were quite welcoming and even helped me out a great deal." The cultivators from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion frowned. What did he mean? Jiang Fan didn't explain. Instead, he took a deep breath and said: "From now on, you all need to operate separately from me. I can no longer be with you!"

When he saw the weakened Mist Giant King, he understood who was targeting him: The Hellish Beast! Throughout the entire Taicang Great State, only the Hellish Beast could awaken the Giant Kings. Just as it had been in the deep pit of the East Sea. This, combined with the hostile killing intent he sensed upon entering the battlefield, made it clear. Thinking about it now, it could only be the Hellish Beast. If it could awaken one Giant King, it could awaken two, or even three. One of the Hellish Beast's objectives was to kill him. If the cultivators from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion followed him, they would only be put in danger again. Separation was imperative.

Immortal Yunshang keenly realized that the Giant King from earlier must have been after Jiang Fan, and Jiang Fan might be in danger. Therefore, she parted her red lips and said, "All of you go, I will stay with Young Master Jiang."

To her slight surprise, Jiang Fan said, "Yunshang, you go with them too." A hint of worry filled Yunshang's crystal-clear eyes: "But you..." Jiang Fan pulled Yue Mingzhu closer to him, "She will accompany me, so don't worry." Yue Mingzhu smiled happily. Didn't this mean she would get to be alone with Jiang Fan? Jiang Fan was fulfilling his previous promise to spend some time with her.

"It's decided then, all of you leave quickly!" Immortal Yunshang, a look of envy on her face, could only reluctantly bid him farewell and lead the others elsewhere.

Once everyone from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion had dispersed, Yue Mingzhu happily hugged Jiang Fan's arm and asked, "Where are we going now?"

Jiang Fan playfully flicked her nose. "To find the Giant King. Are you scared?" *Sigh*. They were about to embark on a dangerous adventure, yet Yue Mingzhu was acting as if they were going on a sightseeing trip.

Yue Mingzhu nodded, "Yes, I'm scared. But I'm more scared of not having you by my side." Jiang Fan's heart trembled. He reached out and put his arm around Yue Mingzhu's shoulders. It was a silent, powerful gesture.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the Hellish Beast gazed at a Giant King, its body decaying, struggling to crawl out from underground. A faint smile played on its face. "Another one found. The people of Middle-earth would never dream that there are still living Giant Kings within this battlefield, sealed for a thousand years, would they? I wonder what expressions they will have when the Giant Emperor is rescued and leads a group of Giant Kings out of the battlefield to dominate the Taicang Great State! Oh, you foolish beings of Middle-earth! While you quietly await the arrival of the ancient giants from the Heaven-Connecting Black Pillars, the war has already begun."

As it murmured this, it seemed to sense something and looked towards the south, surprised. "The Mist Giant King's aura has vanished? He failed to assassinate Jiang Fan!" The Hellish Beast was stunned in surprise for a moment. "Is that boy really so powerful now?" Then, it sneered, "Fine, I'll play a good game with you!"

Half a day later, the exploration, which had lasted an entire day, was nearing its end. Not only did Jiang Fan not encounter any more danger, but with Yue Mingzhu's help, he had also continuously explored many richly endowed areas, gaining bountiful harvests. Especially prevalent were various hard-textured refining materials, which could better withstand the ravages of time, thus yielding the greatest quantities. Every single item was a rare treasure of unparalleled value.

"The tenth spatial storage device is full," Yue Mingzhu said with a cheerful smile. "Husband, you're now rich enough to rival a Divine Sect!" Jiang Fan's spatial storage devices weren't enough, so he had to borrow Yue Mingzhu's storage devices just to barely fit everything. The abundance of resources was such that even a Venerable would be left dumbfounded upon seeing them. There was no helping it. Yue Mingzhu's Emperor's Qi-Observing Art was simply too effective. For half a day, they hadn't been idle for a moment, continuously scouring various fortunate lands. They had left their footprints in over half of the vast battlefield's blessed areas. It would have been strange if they hadn't acquired many resources.

Unfortunately, Jiang Fan still hadn't found the high-grade spiritual sword he had longed for. Jiang Fan put his arm around her shoulder. "Thanks to you, I'll give you a reward when we get back."

Yue Mingzhu teased, "Is it the kind of reward where Immortal Yunshang doesn't leave the bed for days and nights? I don't want that, it'll kill me." Jiang Fan's old face flushed red. Only Yue Mingzhu would be so daring in her conversation.

Just as the atmosphere grew intimate, an untimely, deafening explosion shattered the quiet.