Chapter 1243: Monster

She hurriedly ran towards the secret chamber on the left and scanned it carefully.

The ink-black alchemy furnace was still there.

Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief: “Good, this cauldron cannot be moved by anyone below the Incarnation stage or a Five-Star Soul Master. Even if someone discovers it, they won't be able to take it away. This alchemy furnace belongs to Jiang Fan; I can't let anyone else get their hands on it cheaply! I need to find a way to take it back.”

With this thought, she carefully examined the black cauldron.

The black cauldron's surface had nine dragons, and it was topped with a heavy lid.

She remembered trying to move it before, but it hadn't budged an inch.

Now that she was at the Nascent Soul stage, she decided to try again.

Without hesitation, she acted.

She took a deep breath, hugged the Nine-Dragon Demonic Cauldron, and tried to lift it.

However, the Nine-Dragon Demonic Cauldron remained completely still.

“You little broken cauldron, is your granny still unable to handle you?” Yue Mingzhu felt slightly annoyed.

With a thought, she activated the ‘Son of Heaven's Aura Viewing Art,’ drawing upon her long-accumulated luck.

She wanted to see if her potent luck could successfully move the Nine-Dragon Demonic Cauldron.

Creak!

To Yue Mingzhu's surprise, the lid of the Nine-Dragon Demonic Cauldron trembled slightly.

Her luck had worked!

However, something unexpected happened.

As the lid trembled, a narrow crack appeared, and an immensely powerful spatial energy shot out from inside the cauldron, enveloping Yue Mingzhu.

Yue Mingzhu had never anticipated such a vast amount of spatial energy.

She couldn't help but exclaim, “How is there a teleportation array inside this?”

She suddenly realized that the people who had destroyed the cultivation technique footprints on the wall were not from this continent. Instead, an unknown group of people had activated a teleportation array from an unknown location, arriving within the Nine-Dragon Demonic Cauldron. From there, they had descended upon this Nascent Soul cave dwelling!

However, Yue Mingzhu had no time to ponder who had arrived on the continent; the light from the teleportation array had already enveloped her.

She frantically tried to run away.

But she was still a step too late.

The array's light encompassed her, sweeping her into the Nine-Dragon Demonic Cauldron.

“No…”

With a sudden, cut-off scream, she was teleported to an unknown place.

Finally, the cauldron lid closed once more, returning to its original state. It was as if nothing had ever happened.

***

Great Desolation Province, Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

Jiang Fan's face was pale, and he leaned against the wall, vomiting uncontrollably.

The West Sea Crown Prince beside him was also retching, having thrown up his entire previous night's meal.

Both of them vomited for a while before finally recovering.

The West Sea Crown Prince, with a splitting headache, groaned, “Oh my god, a provincial-level teleportation array is simply not meant for humans to use. Even battling ten women for an entire day isn't as tough as this.”

Jiang Fan was in slightly better condition, but still extremely uncomfortable. Hearing the West Sea Crown Prince's words made him even more miserable. This scoundrel sure knows how to boast! He hoped the woman from the Asura tribe for the marriage alliance would be a fierce she-devil. As a brother, that was the best he could wish for him.

After recovering a bit more, a commander, whose cultivation had reached the Seven-Orifice Nascent Soul stage, arrived with his men.

“Who are you?”

Jiang Fan displayed his Imperial Guard token and said, “Jiang Fan, Imperial Guard from the Great Cang Province. I've been sent to the Great Desolation Province on official business.”

Upon hearing he was an Imperial Guard, the commander scrutinized him and asked, “What business brings you to our Great Desolation Province?”

Since it concerned the marriage alliance with the Asura tribe, how could it be revealed before the matter was finalized?

Jiang Fan replied, “I need to meet with the Great Sacrificial Priest of the Great Desolation Province. Please facilitate this meeting.”

The commander, with his hands behind his back, said indifferently, “Our Great Sacrificial Priest is very busy. You can tell me what you need, and it will be the same.”

He spoke rather politely. However, the two Six-Orifice Centurions standing to his left and right immediately spoke with cold sarcasm:

“Are the Imperial Guards from Great Cang Province so disrespectful? Is the Great Sacrificial Priest someone an Imperial Guard can just demand to see?”

Jiang Fan shook his head.

“Alright then, I'll switch my identity.”

He took out the Great Yin Sect Master's token: “I am the Sect Master of the Great Yin Sect, one of the Three Divine Sects in the Great Cang Province! Venerable Xin Nie from Heaven Province is my master. Venerable Zhen Yan from Great Cang Province is the woman I share a bed with. The newly promoted Venerable Jiang Wuya is my sworn brother. The Great Sacrificial Priest of Great Cang is my martial arts mentor.”

Unbeknownst to him, his resume had just been updated again.

Not only were the Imperial Astronomical Bureau disciples present stunned, but even the West Sea Crown Prince was taken aback. With such an extensive resume, any single item on it would be terrifying.

The commander, whose hands had been clasped behind his back, instinctively lowered them, his eyes wide with surprise as he cupped his fist and bowed, saying: “So it is Sect Master Jiang. I am Lin Danqing, Commander of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau in Great Desolation Province. My apologies for the disrespect.”

He couldn't speak for the other claims, but this Great Yin Sect Master token was personally made by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, so it couldn't be fake. As for the subsequent claims on the resume, it was better to believe them than not!

Jiang Fan retrieved his token, feeling helpless. He hadn't wanted to display his credentials.

“Commander Lin, where is the Great Sacrificial Priest?”

Lin Danqing no longer dared to prevaricate and said, “Our Great Sacrificial Priest is currently dealing with a thorny matter and won't be able to return anytime soon.”

Jiang Fan frowned. His timing was truly inconvenient. He didn't have time to wait for the Great Sacrificial Priest to return; his appointed time with the Four-Crowned Asura King had already arrived. He would have no choice but to take a risk and act alone.

“Then I'd like to ask Commander Lin a few questions. Where is your province's Heaven-Connecting Black Pillar located?”

To contact the Four-Crowned Asura King, he would have to connect to the Heaven-Connecting Black Pillar and guide her down. The Great Sacrificial Priest had said that Heaven-Connecting Black Pillars had already appeared in all provinces. His first task was to find the Heaven-Connecting Black Pillar and then move it to the Four-Crowned Asura King's stronghold.

Lin Danqing said in surprise, “Ancient Giants could descend from the Heaven-Connecting Black Pillar at any time. It wouldn't be very safe for you to go there.”

Jiang Fan calmly replied, “No need to worry. There's at least another month and a half until the Ancient Giants descend.”

Lin Danqing was astonished: “You know the exact time so clearly?” The precise time of the Ancient Giants' descent was known only to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau in Great Desolation Province and had not yet been made public. Yet, the Great Yin Sect Master before him knew it perfectly.

The West Sea Crown Prince, standing nearby, immediately looked proud and said: “What's so strange about that? The intelligence regarding the Ancient Giants' descent was extracted by my godfather! The information your Great Desolation Province's Imperial Astronomical Bureau has actually came from our Great Cang Province.”

Jiang Fan didn't stop him. They were representing the Great Cang Province on official business, and there was no need to hide their capabilities when it was time to display them.

Lin Danqing was startled and said, “Huh? You... you're that freak who's proficient in infernal script?”

Jiang Fan nodded, then his expression suddenly froze. “What kind of talk is that? Being proficient in infernal script makes one a freak?”

Lin Danqing only then came to his senses and awkwardly said, “Th-that's what our Great Sacrificial Priest said.”

Jiang Fan rolled his eyes and said, “Commander Lin, please tell me the location of the Heaven-Connecting Black Pillar.”

Lin Danqing became serious, and after assessing Jiang Fan's and the West Sea Crown Prince's cultivation levels, he looked hesitant: “It's fine to tell you, but I'm afraid you might be in danger. Nearby, there are two demonic faction forces fighting each other. And a Venerable is involved, making it extremely perilous.”