Chapter 270: Education of the Hehuan Sect Leader

Immediately, a barrage of whooshing sounds filled the air. Countless poisoned crossbow bolts shot out like a rainstorm. They landed on the snow outside the cave, instantly corroding the pristine white snowdrifts into a dark, charred mess.

Because they were pressed tightly against the stone wall, most of the crossbow bolts whizzed past them. However, one bolt struck Jiang Fan's waist.

Only then did Yue Mingzhu realize Jiang Fan had saved her. She looked at the vast expanse of corroded snow outside and felt a chill of retrospective fear. Turning to Jiang Fan, who was now so close, her face flushed with apology as she said, "I... I misunderstood you earlier."

Jiang Fan only released her after confirming there were no more traps. He then forcefully pulled the crossbow bolt from his waist. Lifting his robe, he saw that the arrowhead had corroded a significant dent in his silver-white protective armor. It had nearly corroded all the way through, just shy of reaching his skin.

Seeing this, Yue Mingzhu's face flushed with even deeper remorse. "Thank you for saving me," she murmured.

Jiang Fan irritably poked her forehead. "How did your elders teach you?" he questioned in a lecturing tone. "You have no caution at all!"

Yue Mingzhu covered her forehead, her eyes wide with indignation. "You dared to poke me, and lecture me? I, a dignified..." She stopped herself just in time, almost revealing her true identity.

"Still not convinced?" Jiang Fan grew annoyed, prying open her hand and poking her forehead again. "Fortunately, it was only crossbow bolts. What if it had been quicksand, poisonous gas, or explosive talismans? We both would have perished right here!"

Yue Mingzhu was so furious her nostrils flared. "How was I supposed to know," she retorted, "that in such an ancient cave dwelling, the traps would still be perfectly intact?"

"Still talking back?" Jiang Fan poked her forehead again. "Use your brain. A Nascent Soul cultivator can traverse the air; would they even need iron chains to climb?"

Uh— Yue Mingzhu's aggressive expression froze. The question had completely stumped her.

"And what about the warning on the stone tablet at the entrance?" Jiang Fan continued, tapping her head with an exasperated look. "Do you think a Nascent Soul cultivator would write something like that? With a mere wave of their hand, they'd have countless ways to prevent outsiders from entering. Why would they need to erect a simple sign to warn people?"

Yue Mingzhu looked thoroughly chastened by his questions. She had been so fixated on the idea of a Nascent Soul cave dwelling that she had completely overlooked these crucial details.

What kind of beings were Nascent Soul cultivators, after all? Golden Core realm practitioners were akin to ants in their eyes. Would such a powerful figure need to erect a special stone tablet to warn "ants"? Considering this, along with the iron chains, it sounded more like someone else had discovered this Nascent Soul cave dwelling. To monopolize the location, they had specifically erected a tablet to deter others. And someone who wished to claim this place for themselves would naturally not want outsiders to explore it. Therefore, it was entirely normal for traps to be set just inside the entrance.

Realizing all this, Yue Mingzhu felt utterly mortified. She, of all people, had been less perceptive than a mere youth.

Jiang Fan asked with a stern expression, "Do you understand your mistake now?" "Yes, I do," Yue Mingzhu replied, her voice tinged with guilt. Her face was flushed. She would rather die than expose her identity now. As the dignified Sect Master of the Hehuan Sect, she had been lectured by a junior, and the lecture had been entirely valid. If word of this got out, she would be completely humiliated!

Seeing that she had finally relented, Jiang Fan felt it was safe to enter the cave dwelling with her. Otherwise, who knew what traps she might inadvertently trigger by touching things indiscriminately if she didn't listen.

"Don't touch anything inside without my instructions," Jiang Fan warned, his expression softening slightly. Yue Mingzhu felt a mix of exasperation and amusement. "I understand," she replied.

With that, the two finally stepped into the cave dwelling, which had been sealed for untold years, one behind the other.

Just inside, Jiang Fan immediately spotted a meticulously crafted crossbow turret. This was the very device that had activated moments ago, firing over fifty poisoned crossbow bolts.

To Jiang Fan's surprise, a mummified corpse lay slumped at the other end of the crossbow turret. Judging by its condition, it had likely been dead for twenty or thirty years.

Jiang Fan mused, "This must have been the person who occupied this cave dwelling. Even in death, he was still slumped over the crossbow turret, unwilling for outsiders to enter. His possessiveness was truly remarkable."

Suddenly, Jiang Fan noticed a bamboo scroll clutched in the mummified corpse's right palm. From a visible corner, he could faintly make out the words "Earth-tier cultivation technique."

Yue Mingzhu also noticed it, her pupils contracting slightly. However, she made no rash movements.

Jiang Fan turned to her, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Oh? You're not completely foolish after all." Yue Mingzhu's mouth twitched. Outside the stone door, she had merely been careless, not truly lacking experience. Did he honestly think she was a naive, silly girl with no worldly knowledge?

"It's obviously a trap," she said, exasperated. "How could such an important Earth-tier cultivation technique be casually held in someone's hand? And to top it off, it just so happens to conveniently display the words 'Earth-tier cultivation technique'? It's clearly meant to lure people in."

Jiang Fan nodded, a hint of approval in his expression. "Progress," he stated. Yue Mingzhu rolled her eyes. "Oh, thank you so much for your compliment," she said sarcastically.

As she spoke, she bypassed the crossbow turret and approached the mummified corpse. She carefully knelt down, her gaze fixed on the bamboo scroll. Within moments, she discovered a steel wire as fine as a spider's silk, with one end connected to the scroll and the other hidden beneath the corpse's foot.

She crawled on the ground and peered into the narrow crevice beneath the corpse's foot. "Just as I expected," she sneered, "it's an explosion talisman. Anyone who rashly attempts to take that bamboo scroll will pull the wire, thereby detonating this talisman. If that happens, the entire cave dwelling will collapse, burying everyone who entered with him. What a truly malicious trap!"

Jiang Fan's eyes widened slightly in surprise. This young woman possessed remarkable insight; it seemed he had underestimated her. What astonished him even more was her extensive and decisive experience in handling such elaborate traps.

With one hand, she carefully gripped the steel wire, ensuring the explosion talisman wouldn't activate. With her other hand, she casually swatted the mummified corpse away, sending it flying to shatter against the stone wall. This action fully exposed the explosion talisman.

"It's an explosive jade talisman capable of unleashing a strike comparable to a ninth-layer Golden Core practitioner!" Yue Mingzhu's beautiful face lit up with excitement as she recognized the talisman. She swiftly severed the steel wire, deactivating its trigger. Her face was beaming with joy.

An explosive jade talisman of this caliber, capable of a ninth-layer Golden Core strike, would be difficult for even the sect masters of the Nine Sects to withstand. Possessing such an item was equivalent to having a formidable killing weapon!

"Jiang Fan, let me have this item, and you can choose two items consecutively instead, how about that?" Yue Mingzhu proposed, cradling the jade talisman in her hands as if unwilling to let it go. She looked at Jiang Fan, seeking his agreement.

She had initially promised Jiang Fan the first pick of any treasures. However, for this very first find, she had unethically claimed it for herself, which left her feeling a little embarrassed.

"No problem," Jiang Fan readily agreed. For a deterrent talisman of this kind, one was usually sufficient; an additional one wouldn't significantly change its utility. Moreover, the attack jade talisman he already possessed, capable of a Nascent Soul strike, was many times more valuable than this purely explosive one. Exchanging it for the next two magical artifacts was certainly a worthwhile deal.

Suddenly, Jiang Fan's peripheral vision caught a faint, eerie green glow. He turned his head to look, discovering it emanated from the shattered mummified corpse. Inside its abdominal cavity, a faint glimmer of light subtly pierced through the dried skin.

Jiang Fan's heart stirred with an idea. This person had clearly guarded the cave's treasures as if they were his very life, unwilling for anyone else to touch them even in death. So, where would he have hidden a true treasure before he died? Staring at the faint green glow from within the abdomen, his heart began to pound.