Chapter 1275: Paid Work

Venerable Lianjing, filled with shame and anger, roared, "Shut your stinking mouth!"

"That was because of the Sage's Inscription! How could that be my true intention?"

"As expected, anyone associated with this brat is no good!"

Iceflame Demonic Lord couldn't help but scrutinize Venerable Lianjing. When he noticed the four flame marks on the divine halo behind her head, he exclaimed in surprise:

"So you're a female Venerable of the Four Declines of Heaven and Man."

"You bear the deep imprint of the Way of Thunder; you must be from Mount Young Emperor, right?"

As a former Supreme of the Five Declines of Heaven and Man, he felt no reverence towards Venerable Lianjing.

It was then that Venerable Lianjing realized the Demonic Lord before her was no ordinary individual. Feeling the ice and fire aura emanating from him, her brow twitched.

"You're Iceflame Demonic Lord? You're still alive!"

How could she not know this ancient being from Tianzhou, who had survived the last Great War of Ancient Giants until now? Yet, hadn't rumors of Iceflame Demonic Lord's demise circulated decades ago? Not only was he alive, but the divine halo behind him subtly showed signs of reawakened vitality.

Her eyes lit up with joy, and she said, "Senior Iceflame, please return to Tianzhou with me!"

"The Ancient Giants are coming, and we need you now more than ever."

Iceflame Demonic Lord jutted his chin towards Jiang Fan. "I owe this lad a great favor, and I promised to guard his sect."

"Tianzhou has so many Venerables; one more useless person like me won't make much difference."

"If you truly consider me a senior from Tianzhou, then give me face and let this boy off the hook."

So that was it. Iceflame Demonic Lord had indeed understood the entire situation. He also knew that Venerable Lianjing's declaration of love was due to the Sage's Inscription. He had merely been teasing Jiang Fan just now.

Venerable Lianjing glared at Jiang Fan, her eyebrows immediately raised in anger, and she declared adamantly, "No!"

"This brat has gone too far!"

"I've already sworn that if I let him get away today, I'll walk backward from now on!"

Iceflame Demonic Lord helplessly shrugged at Jiang Fan. "My influence isn't working right now."

"Kid, I can't help you."

Jiang Fan stared at Venerable Lianjing and said:

"I have the protection of the Law. You can't hit me, you can't curse me. What can you do to me?"

Venerable Lianjing scoffed, "I won't hit you, nor will I curse you."

"What's so difficult about trapping you here until you die?"

This...

Jiang Fan's expression changed. This method could indeed bypass the Sage's Inscription.

However, his ways of dealing with Venerable Lianjing weren't limited to just the Sage's Inscription. There was also the Fortune-Transferring Lock!

He turned to Iceflame Demonic Lord and asked, "Senior Demonic Lord, what would happen if this old woman stood still and let you hit her with all your might?"

Why would Venerable Lianjing stand still, though? Nevertheless, he smiled and said:

"That's an interesting question."

"Although she is of the Four Declines of Heaven and Man, if she truly stood still as you said, I could still heavily injure her."

Jiang Fan knew what he needed to know. Heavy injury was enough.

He took a deep breath and said, "Then, Senior Demonic Lord, strike me with all your might!"

"Quickly!"

He couldn't let Venerable Lianjing react.

Iceflame Demonic Lord was slightly taken aback, feeling somewhat confused. Jiang Fan wanted him to attack him? With his full power, Jiang Fan would surely be annihilated! He should understand this, so why would he make such a dangerous request?

"Hurry!" Jiang Fan urged.

Because he noticed that Venerable Lianjing was already frowning in thought. Soon, she would realize the significance of that ice cube.

A glint flashed in Iceflame Demonic Lord's eyes. Someone as clever as Jiang Fan wouldn't do something foolish. There had to be a reason for such a request. Hearing Jiang Fan's urging, Iceflame Demonic Lord no longer hesitated. He decisively unleashed his domain and struck Jiang Fan fiercely, shouting, "Be careful!"

Iceflame Demonic Lord's domain was far more powerful than that of an ordinary Venerable. This was also why he dared to claim he could heavily injure a cultivator of the Four Declines of Heaven and Man.

As the terrifying domain enveloped his body, Jiang Fan immediately felt every drop of blood in him tremble. The aura of death permeated every corner of his body! He felt as if he had fallen into an icy river, his entire body bone-chillingly cold.

But before he could feel the pain, the next moment, all those sensations instantly vanished. Immediately after, Venerable Lianjing, who was standing nearby, suddenly let out a miserable groan. The injuries that should have appeared on Jiang Fan had instead appeared on Venerable Lianjing! Half of her skin was scorched, and the other half was frostbitten. Furthermore, the ice and fire domain was destroying her internal organs.

The sudden excruciating pain caught Venerable Lianjing off guard, making her groan repeatedly. "Jiang Fan! What did you do to me...?"

Suddenly!

She remembered something and quickly grabbed the ice cube. Staring intently at the heart-shaped bronze lock within, she finally knew what it was!

"This... this is a spiritual artifact from Mount Young Emperor, belonging to a Venerable! It's called the Fortune-Transferring Lock!!!"

She had wondered why it looked somewhat familiar! It turned out to be such a treacherous item! Jiang Fan hadn't been compensating her at all just now. He had clearly tricked her once again!

Realizing she had been fooled yet again, Venerable Lianjing flew into a rage. "You dog... Jiang Fan!"

"I'll kill you!!!"

Now, she dared not even curse him, much less hit him. She raised her hand, intending to unleash her domain and trap him. But the excruciating pain in her body made it difficult for her to concentrate her domain.

Jiang Fan dared not hesitate. He decisively jumped onto the provincial teleportation array and said, "Quickly, let's go!"

Iceflame Demonic Lord, seeing the severely injured Venerable Lianjing, was utterly stunned. "You can play it like this?"

"Fortunately, she's of the Four Declines of Heaven and Man. If she were a Venerable of the Two Declines, wouldn't Jiang Fan have tricked her to death?"

He couldn't help but reassess Jiang Fan. From Rat Void to Venerable Soulforge, and then to Venerable Lianjing. This guy had practically conned his way through, one after another. And each one was conned more miserably than the last.

Hearing Jiang Fan's urging, he carried Venerable Soulforge and swiftly moved onto the teleportation array, keeping a slight distance from him.

Jiang Fan said, speechless, "Senior Demonic Lord, what are you waiting for?"

"To load the supreme-grade spirit crystals!"

"As a junior, I don't have supreme-grade spirit crystals."

Iceflame Demonic Lord's mouth twitched. This scoundrel would even swindle his own people! He retorted irritably:

"I only came to Grand Desolate Province to help you pursue Venerable Soulforge."

"And now I have to pay for the travel expenses out of my own pocket?"

"So, I'm working for free here?"

Jiang Fan scoffed, "Senior Demonic Lord, you have the nerve to say that!"

"You chased a severely injured Venerable from Taicang Great Province all the way to Grand Desolate Province, and it took you ten days to catch him."

"If it were me, I wouldn't even dare to complain."

He was genuinely puzzled. It was surprising that Iceflame Demonic Lord took so long to chase Venerable Soulforge. He had thought the battle would simply end in Taicang Great Province. He hadn't expected the fight to continue all the way to Grand Desolate Province.

Iceflame Demonic Lord prodded the dying Venerable Soulforge with his foot and said:

"Someone with two Sage's Inscriptions on him isn't that easy to kill."

"If I hadn't been experienced enough, he might have even turned the tables on me."

Jiang Fan was startled. Only then did he realize that Venerable Soulforge was no ordinary person. He had the Asura Holy Son backing him! He must have had other powerful tricks up his sleeve, making the pursuit quite difficult.

Moreover, Iceflame Demonic Lord wasn't trying to kill him. He intended to capture him alive. It was evident from Venerable Soulforge's near-death state that Iceflame Demonic Lord wanted to keep him alive to extract information about the mastermind. This made the task even more challenging.

It seemed he had misunderstood Iceflame Demonic Lord.

Looking at Venerable Soulforge, who was still breathing, Jiang Fan's face lit up with joy. Bring him back to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion and interrogate him thoroughly! The Asura Holy Son, this hidden tumor in Zhongzhou, must be exposed!