Chapter 361: Stop Fighting, I Am from the Tianji Pavilion

"How audacious!"Jiang Fan chuckled in exasperation. He had seen many bold individuals, but never someone so utterly disrespectful. A thief so arrogant even after being discovered—it was a first!

"Then you're not leaving!" His words still echoed in the air as Jiang Fan shot forward with astonishing speed.

Instead of worrying, Ruan Qingsu's lips curved into a smile. "Words alone won't keep me here!" she declared. Immediately, she too unleashed her movement technique and darted away.

She practiced the "Shifting Shadows" movement technique, a mid-tier Earth-grade skill treasured by the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. It was said that when cultivated to its peak, it possessed a magical effect akin to shrinking distances. Currently, she had only mastered the first layer. Yet, this already allowed her to move at an astonishing speed of eight zhang per step. Moreover, as she executed the technique, a series of illusions would appear, moving in different directions. For a short while, it was impossible to distinguish between her true form and the illusions. Catching her would be incredibly difficult.

Jiang Fan was momentarily stunned. "This is..." It was his first time witnessing such an unusual movement technique. It actually generated confusing illusions that tricked opponents. Whether for escape or combat, it was far more effective than ordinary movement techniques.

"This female thief has certainly cultivated an extraordinary movement technique." Jiang Fan found himself somewhat envious of her skill.

However, while these illusions might be a headache for others, they weren't necessarily so for Jiang Fan. He concentrated spiritual energy into two fingers and swept them across his eyes. Instantly, the "Aura Sight" technique, derived from the Immortal Medical Tome, activated.

This technique was originally intended to help healers perceive a patient's internal organs and identify underlying medical conditions. However, it was perfectly suited for the current battle. After all, illusions could not possess internal organs.

As Aura Sight unfolded, Jiang Fan's vision showed many of the illusory figures as empty shells. Only one figure, heading east, clearly showed internal organs.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to escape!" He decisively unleashed his movement technique and darted after her.

Ruan Qingsu had been wearing a playful smirk, preparing to watch Jiang Fan flail about like a headless fly, wildly attacking the illusions. However, her expression suddenly changed. Jiang Fan was ignoring all the illusions along the way, rushing directly towards her.

"No way? Did he find my true form?" Ruan Qingsu found it hard to believe.

She once again employed her movement technique, darting further away and scattering countless lifelike illusions in her wake. It made it utterly impossible for anyone to discern which was the real Ruan Qingsu.

But what truly shocked her was that Jiang Fan continued to pinpoint her, rapidly closing the distance between them.

As she was about to be overtaken, Ruan Qingsu finally confirmed that her illusions were useless against Jiang Fan. She exclaimed, "You can see through my true form?"

Jiang Fan's gaze was slightly cold. "Guess!" he retorted. He then immediately struck at her shoulder with a "Swimming Dragon Palm."

Ruan Qingsu raised an eyebrow, dismissing it as a High-grade Profound-tier sword technique. "You think that little bit of skill is enough to capture me?" she sneered.

"Lotus Emerging from Water!" Her fair, jade-like hand darted through space with incredible speed, striking directly at Jiang Fan's palm print.

The formidable power of an Earth-grade cultivation technique erupted with her palm strike. However, the imagined scene of Jiang Fan being repelled by her single strike did not occur. Instead, a powerful and incredibly profound palm force met hers, proving to be an equal match.

This greatly surprised her. Both were palm techniques, yet an Earth-grade one couldn't suppress a High-grade Profound-tier one? Only an extremely top-tier High-grade Profound-tier technique could possess such power, right?

Jiang Fan was also somewhat surprised. "Such a profound cultivation technique, yet she's acting like a petty thief!" He had used the final move of the Swimming Dragon Palm, "Dragon Slayer," whose power was no less than Earth-grade. The fact that this woman could match him blow for blow indicated that she was likely using an Earth-grade cultivation technique. He couldn't quite grasp why someone capable of cultivating such a high-level technique, which was rare even among the Nine Sects, would be a thief. Her status should be quite extraordinary. As for being a common thief?

Ruan Qingsu scoffed, "If I weren't a thief, how would I get such powerful techniques?" Then, she abruptly exerted force from her palm, unleashing her Core Formation Second-layer spiritual energy, which pushed Jiang Fan back.

Jiang Fan stabilized himself, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Surrender now, and I'll give you a chance to reform." "Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Ruan Qingsu looked as if she'd heard a joke. "With your Foundation Establishment cultivation, you'll be ruthless to me?" "Come on, let me see how ruthless you can be." She beckoned with a finger, a provocative smile on her face.

Jiang Fan said no more. He gathered his spiritual energy and suddenly pointed! "Regretful Dragon!" This was the final move of the "Heavenly Cripple Finger," and its power was no less than the first move of a Mid-tier Earth-grade cultivation technique!

A kaleidoscope of light spots pulsed at his fingertip. The moment the spots appeared, the space around his fingertip crackled and rippled, as if about to be torn apart by the light. Wisps of dangerous energy also began to spread.

The smile on Ruan Qingsu's face abruptly vanished. Her expression turned to shock. "E-Earth-grade finger technique?" She realized that Jiang Fan was serious. It seemed she had taken the joke too far. However, it was impossible for her, a dignified disciple of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, to bow her head and admit fault to someone from the Azure Cloud Sect.

"Who's afraid of you?" Ruan Qingsu raised her jade-like finger, surprisingly also unleashing an Earth-grade finger technique. As the technique was cast, brilliant white lotus flowers surged towards Jiang Fan.

However, her Earth-grade finger technique was only at the first layer. How could it compare to Jiang Fan's, which he had cultivated to the third layer?

As Jiang Fan's finger struck, the kaleidoscope of light spots instantly transformed into a terrifying multicolored beam. It was like a rainbow piercing the sky. In a blink, it crushed all the lotus flowers in its path and slammed directly in front of Ruan Qingsu.

Ruan Qingsu's face drastically changed! Both were Earth-grade finger techniques, yet hers was utterly vulnerable!

She frantically slapped her chest. A jade pendant hanging around her neck shattered, emitting streams of clear light that enveloped her. It was clearly a protective magic artifact.

Bang— The multicolored beam struck the clear light shield, as if sinking into a cloud of cotton. It finally halted just a foot in front of Ruan Qingsu, unable to advance further. As the spiritual energy dispersed, it ultimately vanished.

Ruan Qingsu broke out in a cold sweat. Had it not been for a defensive magic artifact capable of withstanding attacks from a Core Formation Fifth-layer cultivator, she feared she would have been severely injured.

Recalling this, she glared at Jiang Fan with a mix of shame and annoyance. "You made me waste a protective magic artifact!" "Next time, I'll play with you again!" She turned to leave, decisively employing her movement technique, preparing to depart the area first.

To her surprise, Jiang Fan's face was cold. "Did I say you could leave?" With a slight movement of his foot, he pursued her with astonishing speed.

Seeing that Jiang Fan wouldn't give up, Ruan Qingsu was both surprised and angry. "What else do you want?" "I'm already leaving on my own accord."

For a disciple of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, such a proactive retreat was already a great loss of face. Yet, this person from the Azure Cloud Sect was still relentlessly pursuing her.

"I gave you a chance to surrender!" With lightning crackling around his legs, Jiang Fan subtly activated the "Three Pure Lightning Shadow" technique.

This leg technique specialized in breaking through defenses! The light shield before him might not be able to withstand it!

Ruan Qingsu was enraged. "Damn it! You're really pushing your luck, aren't you?" "Cloud-Shattering Finger!"

She unleashed another finger technique, far more powerful than before. The white lotus flowers transformed into multicolored ones, and their power increased severalfold. This was the second move of her Earth-grade finger technique, also her proud trump card.

At her age, cultivating an Earth-grade finger technique to the second layer was not unique, but certainly extremely rare. And very few could withstand this particular finger strike! Originally, she had reserved this move as a trump card to "surprise" some powerful senior siblings in the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. She never expected to be forced to use it in the small Azure Cloud Sect.