Chapter 1454: Doting Father

Golden-Scaled Venerable said in a deep voice, "This is precisely what I'm worried about."

"The strange energy varies in strength, some gentle, others domineering."

"The strange energy before us is of the more domineering kind; you must have experienced its potency."

Jiang Fan nodded, still feeling a lingering fear.

He had almost been driven to madness by it.

He asked, "Then, Venerable, are you confident you can safely rescue Liuli?"

The Golden-Scaled Venerable frowned and said, "With my power, I can shatter the Profound Ice."

"However, it's difficult to guarantee that the strange energy within the Profound Ice won't erode Liuli."

Jiang Fan frowned. Even the Venerable had no safe way to rescue them?

What about Ling Shu then?

Just then, the Golden-Scaled Venerable spoke again: "Don't worry, since these strange energies exist by relying on the ice, they will naturally dissipate once the ice is melted."

"However, this isn't ordinary Profound Ice; it requires an extremely powerful fundamental fire energy to melt it."

"I'm not skilled in fire arts, so I'll need to take her to Shenbing State and ask their Venerable for help."

As he spoke, his brows subtly furrowed.

Jiang Fan had just let out a sigh of relief, thinking the problem could be solved, but seeing the Venerable's expression, his heart sank again.

"Senior, do you have some difficulty?"

The Golden-Scaled Venerable said, "The Venerable of Shenbing State and I had some disagreements when we were younger."

"This trip might not be easy."

"However, Liuli's life is at stake, and I'm willing to pay any price."

Jiang Fan fell into thought.

This was not good.

It wasn't just Liuli who was encased in ice; Ling Shu was too.

The Golden-Scaled Venerable was willing to go to any lengths for Liuli, but not necessarily for Ling Shu.

Gazing at the black Profound Ice before him, his eyes suddenly lit up.

He had just the counter for this kind of Profound Ice!

That was the Sky-Slayer Furnace, which was designed for boiling water!

"Senior, I have a magic artifact that can melt Profound Ice."

He immediately took out the Sky-Slayer Furnace, and casually took out Ling Shu as well, saying, "I'll leave them all to you, Senior."

He couldn't touch such Profound Ice himself, so only the Golden-Scaled Venerable could handle it.

The Golden-Scaled Venerable saw the extraordinary nature of the Sky-Slayer Furnace with just a glance.

"A top-grade spirit artifact? You really have a lot of treasures on you!"

Including the artifact that could command hellish creatures, this was already his second top-grade magic treasure.

Many Transformation God Venerables didn't even possess a single top-grade spirit artifact.

This young man, only in the Nascent Soul realm, had two—it was truly outrageous.

The Golden-Scaled Venerable took the Sky-Slayer Furnace, and with anticipation, carefully held the Profound Ice over it to roast.

Indeed.

The Profound Ice, which was even troublesome for the Golden-Scaled Venerable, couldn't withstand the Sky-Slayer Furnace and quickly melted.

Large amounts of black vapor evaporated and dispersed into the surroundings.

Jiang Fan thought for a moment, then took out the long-unused Mountains and Rivers Cauldron, remotely controlling it to absorb all the black vapor.

These vapors contained strange energy; letting them dissipate would be a waste.

It would be better to collect them and re-condense them into liquid or ice; perhaps they could be useful later.

The Golden-Scaled Venerable caught sight of the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron out of the corner of his eye and was momentarily stunned: "Another top-grade spirit artifact?"

A Nascent Soul realm junior possessing three top-grade spirit artifacts?

And each one more extraordinary than the last.

"Doesn't this kid worry about being ambushed and robbed in an alley when he walks around outside?"

And so, one person did the work, the other collected the benefits.

Half an hour later, Liuli was successfully rescued from the Profound Ice.

The Golden-Scaled Venerable quickly checked her physical condition. His tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed, revealing a relieved smile.

"She's just a bit weak, but otherwise unharmed."

Suppressing the urge to wake his daughter and catch up, he also picked up Ling Shu's Profound Ice and began roasting it.

Half an hour later, Ling Shu also escaped safely.

Meanwhile, Jiang Fan successfully gathered the vapor from both pieces of Profound Ice.

Under the condensation of the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron, the large amount of water vapor condensed into a black liquid.

Traces of strange fluctuations occasionally leaked out.

Jiang Fan's expression shifted slightly, and he quickly continued the condensation process.

Finally, it condensed into two coffin-sized pieces of Profound Ice, and only then were the fluctuations completely solidified within the Profound Ice, preventing them from dissipating.

The Golden-Scaled Venerable once again marveled at the wonder of the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron: "Your human race's magic treasures truly possess incredible abilities."

Although humans lacked the innate bloodline talents of the demon race, their magic treasures were something the demon race didn't possess.

He examined the two pieces of Profound Ice and said, "This item can trap enemies."

"Unless one has reached the Five Decays of Heavenly Beings, once trapped inside, they will be ensnared by the strange energy and find it difficult to break free."

Jiang Fan wholeheartedly agreed.

This was because many of the Profound Ice pieces had trapped Transformation God realm cultivators who had been literally frozen to death inside.

Jiang Fan's face showed joy. This meant he gained twenty sets of powerful enemy-trapping tools.

However, how was he supposed to use them?

He couldn't even touch these pieces of Profound Ice himself.

Just then, Liuli let out a soft moan, her eyes fluttering open, and she was the first to awaken.

She gazed blankly at the magnificent and grand ceiling of the hall, momentarily unable to distinguish between dream and reality.

Not until a young man's face drew near did she widen her eyes and sit up with a gasp: "Jiang Fan? I'm not dreaming, am I?"

Jiang Fan playfully flicked her forehead: "Dreaming?"

"You almost slept your life away in that dream!"

If Jiang Fan hadn't intervened in time, both Liuli and Ling Shu would have succumbed to their weakening bodies and perished while trapped in the Profound Ice.

The Golden-Scaled Venerable saw Liuli's forehead turn slightly red from the flick, and his heart ached as he said, "Hey, boy, be gentler!"

With that, he pushed Jiang Fan away.

Jiang Fan was stunned. He had only given a light flick; it was completely harmless to Liuli, who was in the Nascent Soul realm, wasn't it?

Was there really a need to be so overly protective?

Was the Golden-Scaled Venerable already a doting father on his first day of fatherhood?

Liuli looked at the unfamiliar handsome man before her. Through her bloodline connection, she immediately realized his identity.

She asked hesitantly, "You are..."

The Golden-Scaled Venerable knelt down and silently embraced her, saying, "I'm sorry, Father couldn't watch you grow up."

This single sentence pierced Liuli's heart.

Her eyes welled up, and she silently sobbed on his shoulder.

Father and daughter reunited, their emotions conveyed without words.

Jiang Fan didn't disturb them. He carried Ling Shu and went to a distant spot.

The sun began to set.

The lingering glow of the setting sun painted a splendid crimson glow on the white clouds in the sky.

Dappled golden light warmly spilled into the quiet hall.

A gentle evening breeze ruffled Ling Shu's shoulder-length black hair.

Her green dress softly billowed.

She looked just like when he first saw her, leaning by the window, smiling in the wind, like a girl from an unforgettable first love.

Jiang Fan's heart felt an unprecedented sense of peace.

Ling Shu was safe.

How wonderful.

He had witnessed Venerable Wutong and Lu Jiulin's unfulfilled promise.

He had witnessed the Golden-Scaled Venerable and the Golden Snake Saintess's sixty years of regret.

At this moment, holding Ling Shu, he felt immensely content.

Gazing at the twilight outside the window, at the evening glow in the sky, Jiang Fan wore a serene smile.

From his embrace, a familiar, sweet voice suddenly drifted: "Brother... you're here."

Jiang Fan lowered his head and smiled gently.

"I'm here. I've come to take you home."