Chapter 235: Zhang Xuemo's Shock

Jiang Fan’s eyes turned cold.

Using hidden weapons repeatedly? He would no longer hold back!

He immediately let out a low roar, his internal blood qi surging, making his entire body glow crimson and emit large amounts of white steam. He looked like a steamed crab.

The moment his opponent’s hidden weapons struck, he advanced instead of retreating, closing the distance between them. Then he abruptly spread his legs, causing Black Lotus to miss her kick.

Black Lotus sneered. Her toe continued upwards, aiming straight for Jiang Fan’s vitals. If that spot were hit, Jiang Fan would surely die!

But who would have thought? Jiang Fan’s legs, fast as lightning, clamped shut!

*Crack!*

Black Lotus felt as if her ankle had been caught between two wild bulls colliding from either side. An unparalleled immense force instantly snapped her foot!

"Ah! Hiss!!!" She groaned in pain, letting out a shriek. But she reacted extremely quickly. With a backhand, she slashed her curved saber across Jiang Fan’s neck.

Jiang Fan decisively released her leg and stepped back.

Black Lotus examined her right foot, which had been brutally snapped, and exclaimed in surprise, "You're actually a dual cultivator of magic and body cultivation?" It was one thing for his magic cultivation to be so refined, but his body cultivation was also astonishing.

"Why ask so many questions?" Jiang Fan wasted no words. He advanced decisively with his sword! Against a Core Formation realm cultivator who killed without mercy, giving them even a moment's respite could mean one's own death!

Black Lotus's face twisted with ferocity. "Good! Good! To push me this far, you'll die without regrets!" She decisively tossed aside her black saber. She stood up, limping, and watched Jiang Fan approaching. Raising both palms, a cold expression on her face, she fiercely struck Jiang Fan through the air.

"Ghost Shark Palm!"

The moment her palms struck, two ink-black palm prints instantly slammed towards Jiang Fan.

Zhang Xuemou, who was about to arrive, saw the move, and her pupils contracted sharply! She urgently yelled, "Jiang Fan, move away quickly! That's an Earth-rank palm technique!!" Her heart pounded wildly! Who could have imagined that Black Lotus not only concealed her Core Formation realm cultivation, but also a deadly killer move! An Earth-rank palm technique! The black saber and saber techniques she used were entirely meant to deceive others, making enemies mistakenly believe that she excelled at saber techniques and overlook her true trump card!

But the warning came too late! The two ink-black palm prints arrived in an instant! A smile appeared on Black Lotus's cold face. She seemed to have already envisioned Jiang Fan's chest being pierced through!

However! What made her expression freeze was this! Jiang Fan also dropped his long sword, quickly raised both palms, and with a playful look, said: "What a coincidence. I, too, am proficient in palm techniques!"

As his voice fell, he suddenly struck with his palms! Activating the final move of the "Roaming Dragon Palm" that he had cultivated not long ago! "Dragon Annihilation!"

Both his palms struck out simultaneously! A dragon's roar, deafening to the eardrums, emanated from his palms. And an incomparably fierce palm force, like a roaming dragon, roared forth. In an instant, the two incoming black palm prints were crushed. Then, the roaming dragon's momentum undiminished, it fiercely struck Black Lotus's chest.

Black Lotus's chest instantly shook! The clothes on her back tore and shattered with a ripping sound. She stood dumbfounded, scarlet blood continuously gushing from her mouth. Her eyes were filled with disbelief. This palm strike had pierced through her front and back, and directly shattered her heart. She couldn't believe that her trump card, which had unfailingly slain countless powerful enemies, was useless against the young man in front of her. Instead, she was killed by a single blow from him.

"How... how could this be..." Black Lotus lost her strength and collapsed to her knees with a thud.

Jiang Fan picked up his black sword and slowly walked over. He said calmly: "Not long ago, there was also someone who used palm techniques as a hidden trump card. Unfortunately, he lost to me. Oh, and he was also at the Core Formation realm, just like you."

What? Black Lotus was startled. Had the young man before her already defeated a Core Formation realm expert before her? She didn't believe it. If she were given another chance, she was certain she could kill Jiang Fan.

Until Jiang Fan spoke the person's name. "He is the Senior Disciple of the Grand Supremacy Sect. His name is Hua Xiangchen."

It was him? Black Lotus struggled to lift her head, her eyes filled with shock. Hua Xiangchen, the strongest male disciple of the Grand Supremacy Sect, a Core Formation realm cultivator? As a former disciple of the Grand Supremacy Sect, Black Lotus had always closely followed its movements. She knew everything about Hua Xiangchen. This person was a dragon among men in the current era. His strength was unfathomable. Black Lotus admitted to herself that she would struggle to defeat him. But he had actually lost to the young man before her.

The last shred of unwillingness in her heart receded like a tide, and she said bitterly: "So... I... didn't lose unfairly..."

Jiang Fan nodded: "So, rest in peace!" The sword rose and fell. A head flew off, rolling to the feet of Zhang Xuemou, who had just arrived at the battlefield.

She stared blankly at Black Lotus's head. She felt as if she were dreaming. The infamous Black Lotus, dead at the hands of Jiang Fan, who possessed no spiritual roots? If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, even if her own parents had told her, she would have thought they were crazy for saying such absurd things.

Looking again at Jiang Fan, who was unhurriedly wiping his black sword, Zhang Xuemou no longer had any of her previous haughtiness. She swallowed gently, then cautiously stepped forward and respectfully bowed, saying, "Junior Brother Jiang..."

Jiang Fan asked, surprised, "Didn't Senior Sister Zhang leave? Why have you returned?"

Zhang Xuemou and the other female disciples immediately looked embarrassed. Why had they come back? Of course, to save Jiang Fan. But who could have imagined Jiang Fan would be so incredibly brave and powerful! They had barely arrived when he effortlessly dealt with Black Lotus! This made their rescue effort meaningless.

Zhang Xuemou gave an awkward laugh: "I'm relieved that Junior Brother Jiang is fine."

Jiang Fan nodded. He sheathed his sword, then turned and said, "Let's continue on our way."

"Wait! Junior Brother Jiang, aren't you taking Black Lotus's head?" Zhang Xuemou reminded him, "She's wanted by both our Spirit Beast Sect and the Grand Supremacy Sect. The bounty is quite valuable."

"There's a bounty?" Jiang Fan asked, surprised, "What's the Spirit Beast Sect's bounty?"

Zhang Xuemou showed a hint of envy and said, "It's a whole bottle of Earth Phoenix Grass Marrow!"

The words "Earth Phoenix Grass Marrow" had barely left her lips when Chu Xingmeng exclaimed, "The Spirit Beast Sect is being incredibly generous! Our Grand Supremacy Sect only offers ten mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pills!"

Qin Caihe also looked surprised: "I heard that Earth Phoenix Grass Marrow is a reward only a very select few elite disciples in your sect are fortunate enough to receive. And they're offering it as a bounty?"

Zhang Xuemou took out a cloth bag and carefully placed Black Lotus's head inside. Handing it to Jiang Fan, she said, "Black Lotus has caused too much harm. Several disciples from our Spirit Beast Sect have fallen victim to her evil deeds. That's why our Sect Master, in a fit of rage, increased the bounty to a bottle of Earth Phoenix Grass Marrow! Even so, after several years, no one has successfully claimed the bounty. Congratulations, Junior Brother Jiang."

Jiang Fan, touched, accepted it. Gong Caiyi had once given him two half-bottles of Earth Phoenix Grass Juice. That was only effective for cultivators in the middle and lower stages of the Foundation Establishment realm. In the late Foundation Establishment realm, its effects were negligible. But Earth Phoenix Grass Marrow was different; it was an essence refined from a large amount of Earth Phoenix Grass Juice. Only elite disciples of the Spirit Beast Sect were qualified to use it, and it wouldn't circulate outside at all. If he had a bottle of Earth Phoenix Grass Marrow, he could definitely break through to the eighth level of the Foundation Establishment realm! He hadn't expected to almost miss it.

Thinking of this, his gaze fell upon Black Lotus's corpse. As a bandit who had wreaked havoc for ten years, she must have quite a few good things on her, right?