Chapter 1440: Black Dragon Battle Armor

Fortunately, Jiang Fan was wearing the middle-aged man's mask. Once he successfully escaped and removed it, no one would be any wiser.

However, the moment he moved, Great Venerable Golden Scale detected an anomaly. "There's someone else here?" Great Venerable Golden Scale's expression hardened. He couldn't let anyone leave before seeing the Black Lotus of Deliverance. Immediately, his body radiated blinding golden light, illuminating the surrounding area.

Under the golden light's shroud, Jiang Fan and Yue Mingzhu's figures became visible. "It's you?" Great Venerable Golden Scale recognized Jiang Fan instantly, frowning. "Is the Black Lotus of Deliverance with you?"

Jiang Fan's scalp tingled. The Black Lotus of Deliverance truly was a bane, instantly attracting the attention of two Great Venerables.

Great Venerable Black Dragon's face darkened. With a sweep of his long tail, he struck at Great Venerable Golden Scale, shouting, "Leave quickly!"

Jiang Fan didn't dare to hesitate and immediately fled. Yue Mingzhu clicked her tongue in amazement, never imagining that two terrifying Heaven-and-Man Five Decays Great Venerables would be drawn here. She also never thought that the Black Lotus of Deliverance, infused with immense luck, would fall into Jiang Fan's hands. Left with no choice, for her own safety, she could only follow Jiang Fan and run.

Great Venerable Golden Scale confirmed that the Black Lotus of Deliverance was with Jiang Fan. As he blocked Great Venerable Black Dragon's colossal tail, he urgently cried out, "Sir, the Black Lotus of Deliverance cannot leave the Interstitial World! Otherwise, it will bring disaster to Middle Earth! Please put it down."

Jiang Fan's face showed hesitation. Great Venerable Golden Scale's words were likely not baseless. Successive generations of the Spirit Snake Mountain knew about the Interstitial World and the Black Lotus of Deliverance, but no one had ever retrieved it, indicating its forbidden nature. However, if he were to hand it over, wouldn't he offend Great Venerable Black Dragon? If the latter became enraged, Jiang Fan might not have a chance to leave.

After a moment of thought, he cupped his fists and said, "My apologies, Great Venerable Golden Scale, but Great Venerable Black Dragon is my master. I must obey orders."

"Master?" Great Venerable Golden Scale frowned, a hint of coldness in his eyes. "In that case, don't blame me!" He had initially admired Jiang Fan, but the latter was now aiding a tyrant.

Great Venerable Black Dragon's expression shifted slightly. If Great Venerable Golden Scale attacked regardless of the cost, he might not be able to protect Jiang Fan. The residual power of a Heaven-and-Man Five Decays strike was something a Nascent Soul realm cultivator like Jiang Fan couldn't withstand. A pang of reluctance flashed through his eyes. With a shake of his tail, large sections of his scales peeled off, flashing to Jiang Fan's side and adhering completely to his skin. Aside from his seven orifices, Jiang Fan's entire body was covered in black scales.

Jiang Fan was secretly startled. What was this? Would it harm him? What made him even more uneasy was that the scales slowly merged with his body, sinking beneath his skin.

"With my Black Dragon Battle Armor protecting you, just go!"

Battle armor? Jiang Fan felt a slight sense of relief and quickly left. Great Venerable Golden Scale's eyes sharpened. "Trying to leave?" He suddenly spat out a mouthful of golden energy, which transformed into countless small golden snakes, darting towards Jiang Fan.

"It's too late, Golden Scale!" Great Venerable Black Dragon pushed with both palms, and a shadowy form of a colossal black python appeared behind him. The giant python opened its mouth and inhaled, swallowing most of the small golden snakes. Only a few flew past.

One of the golden snakes, like lightning, struck at Yue Mingzhu. Jiang Fan's expression changed drastically. This was a strike from a Great Venerable! For a Nascent Soul realm cultivator, it was tantamount to destruction. Before he could think, the golden snake hit him. His heart instantly skipped a beat, certain he was doomed.

However, to his surprise, other than some stinging, there was no additional pain. He looked down to see that the scales, which had merged into his skin, had resurfaced and now covered his body. The golden snake, which had struck his chest, dissipated into golden specks of light.

Jiang Fan was utterly incredulous. This layer of Black Dragon Battle Armor could actually block the lingering power of a Great Venerable? His mouth went dry; this was an extraordinary treasure!

At that moment, another golden snake shot out, but it was aimed at Yue Mingzhu. Jiang Fan didn't hesitate, pulling her into his arms and using his back to shield her from the golden snake. A much sharper pain shot through him, making Jiang Fan gasp.

Great Venerable Black Dragon shouted, "Don't bother with others! This battle armor requires true spirit blood to activate, and its defense weakens with each use."

Jiang Fan suppressed his pain and said nothing more, instantly teleporting away with Yue Mingzhu in his arms. Great Venerable Golden Scale's face changed. When he tried to pursue, Great Venerable Black Dragon blocked him.

"Black Dragon! Are you abandoning Middle Earth? That thing is an inauspicious item even in the Hell Realm!"

Great Venerable Black Dragon scoffed, "Middle Earth cannot be held this time. I should also prepare for my own escape route! Spirit Snake Mountain must be in my hands!"

At the edge of the sky, Jiang Fan flickered into existence. A fierce struggle erupted in his arms. The plain-looking young woman vigorously pushed him away, repeatedly crying out, "Let go of me!" Her words carried a hint of anger.

Jiang Fan released her, frowning slightly. What an ungrateful woman. He had saved her, yet she showed no gratitude, only anger. Yue Mingzhu vigorously rubbed her arm, where she had made physical contact with Jiang Fan, her face flushed with shame and anger. "Who told you to touch me?" Besides Jiang Fan, she didn't want anyone else to touch her. Anyone!

Jiang Fan shrugged. "I'm not interested in ugly women, don't flatter yourself!"

Yue Mingzhu was immensely annoyed, but she knew she couldn't blame him. She said seriously, "I appreciate the thought, but don't bother with me next time. I love my man, and I don't want any contact with anyone else."

Jiang Fan's face showed surprise. He hadn't expected this plain-looking young woman to be so chaste. It was quite a contrast to her unpredictable personality. He suddenly found himself admiring her; though her appearance was plain and she had many quirks, her moral character was rare.

He cupped his fists. "My apologies, it was a measure of expediency. I'll be more careful in the future. Let's go now; this place is not safe to linger." Besides the ongoing battle between the two Great Venerables, the entire Interstitial World was still shaking violently, showing signs of collapse and destruction.

Yue Mingzhu nodded, actively taking out a large scroll. After unfurling it, she jumped onto it first. Then, she pointed to a corner and said, "Sit far away from me."

What was this now? He jumped onto the scroll and sat in the furthest corner. The next moment, the scroll instantly teleported a hundred miles away out of thin air, then continued to teleport. In a few breaths, it had traversed a thousand miles, faster than his Cloud Shadow technique!

"It's good to have a Great Venerable as a master!" Jiang Fan genuinely envied.

Yue Mingzhu rolled her eyes at him. "You're not simple either. Commanding hellish creatures—that's not something an ordinary person can do." It turned out that when Yue Mingzhu had been chased by hellish creatures earlier, Jiang Fan's effortless dispersal of them had led her to suspect.

Jiang Fan smiled, saying nothing more. He took out the soul of the Transcendent Venerable from Divine Weapon State, as well as his spatial storage artifact.

Yue Mingzhu looked surprised. "What are you doing?"

Jiang Fan's eyes flickered. "Naturally, I'm taking out the Black Lotus of Deliverance." Since the Black Lotus of Deliverance had unexpectedly fallen into his hands, how could he possibly let it go?