Chapter 1391: Going to Return Ruins

They were the Half-Giants from Heavenly Relic City in Guixu State.

They had come to Taicang State for two reasons: to acquire the Great Yin Sect's Evil Crow Jade Seal and to capture the little qilin.

Their leader was a four-zhang giant named Xue Qianzhang.

He said in a low voice, "The City Lord gave us only half a month. We've already been delayed for over twenty days; if we don't return soon, the repercussions will be far more severe."

"Regarding the Evil Crow Jade Seal, we'll simply report the truth to the City Lord. As for Jiang Fan, since he dared to contend with us for it, he should be ready to forfeit his life!"

A cold glint flickered in Xue Qianzhang's eyes.

He had already secured it from the Great Yin Sect, only for Jiang Fan to suddenly appear and seize it.

"As for the little spirit beast, it's been confirmed to be in Taicang State, which simplifies things. The Sage Council will personally descend upon Taicang State to locate it!" He ordered, "Let's go! It's time to return!"

With a single leap, he was the first to plunge into the endless abyss.

The others, casting aside their doubts, followed him into the depths.

Soon, they squeezed into the Nascent Soul dwelling, which was quite confined for their size.

They then reached the black alchemy cauldron, intricately carved with nine dragons.

Xue Qianzhang looked down, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the cauldron had been moved.

"A Nascent Soul realm cultivator has found this place and tried to move the cauldron."

This cauldron was impossible to move unless one possessed a Nascent Soul realm soul.

Yet, the cauldron before them bore faint traces of having been moved.

This was not good news.

After a moment's thought, he produced an explosive jade talisman, a hint of regret on his face.

"This Nine-Dragon Demonic Cauldron is a supreme spiritual artifact. I had planned to secretly take it during the ancient war, but a Nascent Soul realm cultivator has already set eyes on it. Rather than allowing Taicang State to benefit, it's better to banish it into the void. What Heavenly Relic City cannot have, no one else shall."

He placed the talisman beneath the Nine-Dragon Demonic Cauldron and urged, "Go, leave quickly! In about a quarter of an hour, the talisman will detonatethe spatial power within the cauldron, tearing open the void and consuming everything nearby!"

With that, he opened the cauldron lid. A surge of chaotic spatial power flickered forth, drawing everyone inside.

As the lid clanged shut, silence returned to the surroundings.

Shortly after, a faint whooshing sound emanated from outside the cavern. It was Jiang Fan.

"Yue Mingzhu!" he called out, entering the cavern. But there was no reply.

Jiang Fan's heart filled with worry. If Yue Mingzhu wasn't here, where could she be? Had she gone to Taihu Lake, or Boundary Mountain? Or perhaps she had already returned to Taicang State, secluded somewhere, unwilling to go back to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion?

Lost in thought, he entered the cavern. Only then did he notice something unusual: the dust-covered floor was marked with numerous giant footprints. They were human-shaped, but remarkably large; even the smallest one was the size of Jiang Fan's chest.

"This is..." Jiang Fan murmured, puzzled. "From ancient giants? No, they're smaller than ancient giants, yet several times larger than normal humans. They're Half-Giants!"

He quickly identified them, his eyes narrowing in thought.

"Are these the Half-Giants who were trying to capture the little qilin? I recall their leader was named Xue Qianzhang. Why would they be here?"

Jiang Fan cautiously followed the footprints to the alchemy chamber on the left. The floor was still covered in prints, but there was no sign of the Half-Giants themselves.

"Did they leave?" Jiang Fan wondered, a hint of doubt in his eyes. "No, that's not right."

A strong barbaric aura still lingered in the air, indicating their recent presence. If they had departed, they should have run into him.

Jiang Fan's gaze flickered. "Something is amiss!"

He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the tightly sealed lid of the cauldron. If there was any lingering mystery in this Nascent Soul dwelling, it could only be the Nine-Dragon Demonic Cauldron.

He closed his eyes, activating the spatial origin within his body. Upon careful perception, he indeed sensed an unusually vast spatial power emanating from within the cauldron.

He was startled. "Is this cauldron the core of a state-level teleportation array? Do the Half-Giants use it to travel between the two states? No wonder they vanished so abruptly. I never imagined a hidden teleportation array between Guixu State and Taicang State would be concealed here."

Jiang Fan let out a sigh of astonishment. The Nascent Soul dwelling he and Yue Mingzhu had stumbled upon by chance long ago contained such a profound secret. It was truly unforeseen.

Wait! Jiang Fan's expression suddenly froze. He gripped the Nine-Dragon Demonic Cauldron, a look of shock on his face.

"Could it be that Yue Mingzhu came here, accidentally activated the spatial power within the Nine-Dragon Demonic Cauldron, and was teleported to Guixu State? Is that why she's missing?"

At this thought, Jiang Fan's expression drastically changed. This teleportation array most likely led to Heavenly Relic City, which was probably Half-Giant territory! Would Yue Mingzhu, a lone woman, be in danger if she were teleported there?

Having witnessed the actions of Xue Wanzhong, Xue Qianzhang, and the other Half-Giants, he knew none of them were to be trifled with.

Without hesitation, he gripped the cauldron lid. Yue Mingzhu had sacrificed everything to follow him to Taicang State, yet he had barely given her any of his time, often only at her request. Now, she was wistfully revisiting their old haunts, reminiscing about their past, and had been teleported to Guixu State, facing danger. How could he possibly hesitate? He had to go to Guixu State and bring her back.

However, he didn't lose his composure. He pulled out his spatial mirror, and the little qilin poked its tiny head out, asking, "Master, what's wrong?"

Jiang Fan paused, then asked, "Are you from Heavenly Relic City in Guixu State?" He recalled Xue Qianzhang mentioning that the little qilin was a Sage's spirit beast, lost in Heavenly Relic City.

The little qilin nodded, then shook its head. "I'm from Guixu State, but it also feels like I came to Guixu State from somewhere much farther away."

Jiang Fan was taken aback. "Somewhere further away? Where exactly are you from?" Come to think of it, the little qilin had never revealed its origins.

The little qilin scratched its head with a tiny paw. "I've forgotten too, but it was a very, very distant place. I only remember that after I woke up, people in Guixu State were also trying to capture me. Then, a teary-eyed auntie threw me into a teleportation array, and I was transported to the North Sea. After that, I went to the Tiger Demon Emperor's dwelling and was eventually chased by the Azure Sky Demon Emperor until I met Master."

Jiang Fan frowned in confusion. A teary-eyed auntie? Who could that be?

He gently patted the little qilin's round head. "If you can't remember, don't worry about it." With Huaxin, he now had two companions who couldn't recall their own identities. He had grown accustomed to such mysteries.

"Since people from Guixu State were trying to capture you, stay hidden in the mirror and don't come out," he instructed. "Xue Qianzhang said you're a Sage's spirit beast, so whoever wants to catch you is undoubtedly a Sage realm cultivator. If they discover you, I won't be able to protect you."

The little qilin bared its tiny fangs, waving its paws, and declared in a fierce but childish voice, "Then I'll swat him to death!"

Jiang Fan chuckled, gently tucking it back into the mirror.

He took a deep breath, opened the cauldron lid, and a surge of spatial power swept out, engulfing him and drawing him within.

Simultaneously, beneath the cauldron, a talisman flickered rapidly with a dangerous, pulsing red light.