Chapter 408: Coming Challenge from Xiaobai

Xiaobai hesitated for a moment, then obediently tried to spit out the Rejuvenation Pill.

Jiang Fan waved his hand. "Eat it," he said. "I've decided this spiritual pill is for you!" He quickly covered Nangong Xiaoyun's mouth, not letting her speak again.

Xiaobai gazed deeply at Jiang Fan, then chewed hard, crushing the Rejuvenation Pill. It was too late for Nangong Xiaoyun to stop her. She could only watch as Xiaobai swallowed the pill. A miraculous scene then unfolded before their eyes.

The weak Xiaobai recovered at an almost visible rate. Her breathing grew stronger, and her heartbeat became more robust. After a short while, she could move her body, and half an hour later, she was standing and joyfully bouncing around.

"Master, master, I'm well! I'm completely well!" the little cow piped excitedly.

Nangong Xiaoyun wept with joy. She touched the cow's tall, long legs, pondered for a long time, then, as if making a firm decision, said: "Xiaobai, from now on, you will follow another master." She pointed at Jiang Fan. "He saved your life. Your life belongs to him now. You must obey him from now on."

Although she was very reluctant, this was the only way to compensate for the Rejuvenation Pill.

Upon hearing this, Xiaobai said fearfully, "No, I don't want to! He's not my master!" Then, she fiercely told Jiang Fan, "I don't want you! If you dare to ride me, I'll, I'll burn you to death..."

A layer of scorching red flames suddenly erupted from her body, the temperature extremely high. It was estimated that iron objects thrown into it would melt into liquid. If one were reckless enough to try sitting on it, there was no doubt they would certainly meet their end.

"Xiaobai!" Nangong Xiaoyun said angrily, "Don't be willful!"

Xiaobai, however, was stubborn. "I won't! Not even if I die, hmph!"

Jiang Fan smiled wryly. "It seems you truly pick up habits from those around you. Being near Nangong Xiaoyun has made you just like her! Your temperaments are carved from the same mold!"

Nangong Xiaoyun's face flushed. She stamped her foot. "I'm not like that at all!" Then, annoyed, she glared at Xiaobai. "If you don't listen, I won't want you anymore!"

Realizing she had truly angered Nangong Xiaoyun, Xiaobai then retracted her flames and sidled up to Nangong Xiaoyun. She nuzzled her huge head affectionately against Nangong Xiaoyun's body, pouting, "But I don't want another master."

Jiang Fan chuckled, "Even if you wanted to be my spirit beast, I might not accept you. I only saved you because I need you for a mission. Once the beast tide ends, you can return to your master. During this time, you'll follow my orders." He wasn't angry that Xiaobai didn't understand gratitude. Xiaobai was a demonic beast; gratitude was a human moral standard and didn't apply to beasts. Besides, Xiaobai was still young, and even more so, she wouldn't understand.

"What do you mean? Are you looking down on me?" Xiaobai again erupted in red flames. But hearing the latter part of his words, she retracted the flames and said, "You'll let me go after the beast tide ends? Really?"

Jiang Fan gave a half-smile. "So, can you come with me now?"

Xiaobai wrinkled her cow nose. She naturally knew that merely serving as Jiang Fan's mount was an immense advantage for her. But seeing Jiang Fan's air of having everything under control, she felt a sense of defiance.

"It's fine for me to be your temporary mount," Xiaobai nodded, but then her tone immediately shifted: "But, you must have the strength to protect me. Don't be like the last martial artist. When the demonic beasts came, he abandoned me and ran, forcing me to protect him instead." Recalling her injury, Xiaobai now had a psychological trauma. Encountering an unreliable martial artist was truly life-threatening.

Jiang Fan showed interest. "My strength should be adequate. Do you want to test it?"

Xiaobai retreated dozens of yards, red flames rising from her body. She said: "If you can withstand ten of my moves, then you're capable." Immediately afterward, a formidable demonic aura emanated from within her.

Jiang Fan was surprised. "Core Formation third layer?" To have reached such a realm before adulthood, what if she reached her adult form? Wouldn't she be even more formidable? Moreover, she could turn invisible and unleash extremely powerful flames. This Xiaobai seemed to be a particularly formidable type of demonic beast.

"What, scared?" Xiaobai snorted. "If you can't even block ten moves, don't embarrass yourself."

Nangong Xiaoyun lightly reprimanded, "Xiaobai, don't act recklessly!" Withstanding ten moves from a Core Formation third-layer cultivator... throughout the Nine Sects' lands, the young generation capable of this feat could probably be counted on fewer than ten fingers.

Liang Feiyan rubbed his nose, a hint of schadenfreude in his expression: "Junior Brother Jiang, this White Void Jade Cow is a rare creature of heaven and earth. It's not easy to control it. Perhaps you should ask Senior Sister Nangong for something else to compensate for the loss of the Rejuvenation Pill." Given Jiang Fan's meager strength, did he really expect to withstand ten rounds against a Core Formation third-layer White Void Jade Cow? Even Liang Feiyan would have to use seventy to eighty percent of his strength to barely manage it. Jiang Fan would effectively suffer a double loss; he would gain nothing from either side.

Xia Chaoge also sighed softly. She had thought that one Rejuvenation Pill would solve everything. Who knew that after her injury, the White Void Jade Cow would develop resistance towards martial artists other than her master?

"Martial Uncle, why don't I help you subdue the White Void Jade Cow and accompany you on this mission?" At this point, it was her only option.

How could Jiang Fan let her delay his mission? He looked at the challenging White Void Jade Cow with an amused expression. "It's good to understand your strength. That way, we can cooperate better when danger arises." Even if Xiaobai hadn't suggested this, he would have wanted to understand her true strength. It would be beneficial for both of them.

Xiaobai said, "Then you better be careful; Xiaobai is very powerful!" With that, she swung a hoof at him. With legs a full two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) in length, it held a considerable advantage over human martial artists. Jiang Fan saw a blur of afterimages as the hoof swung towards his head.

Liang Feiyan secretly chuckled. "This guy better not lose half his life in one hit. The strength of a Core Formation third-layer cow demon is simply beyond what a martial artist's flesh-and-blood body at the same realm can withstand."

Seeing Xiaobai attack with such force, Nangong Xiaoyun's heart leaped into her throat. Even the usually calm and serene Xia Chaoge instantly clutched the long sword at her waist, her gentle eyes suddenly shooting forth piercing rays of light.

Thud! A dull, chest-constricting thud suddenly rang out. Everyone stared intently, their expressions turning peculiar.

They saw Jiang Fan standing motionless, one hand behind his back. With merely a casual lift of his right hand, he had blocked the cow's hoof, which was several times larger than his head! The powerful collision generated violent gusts of air, causing Jiang Fan's dark hair to flutter and his white robes to flap loudly in the wind. But his expression was utterly relaxed. "Decent strength. Good. Continue."

Nangong Xiaoyun's jaw dropped in disbelief. "He... he's actually this powerful? No, isn't he a new disciple of the Qingyun Sect?" Even though she had interacted with Jiang Fan once before and knew he possessed various extraordinary qualities, she was still stunned now.

Liang Feiyan froze, his pupils constricting in shock. "This physique! He can actually go head-to-head with a Core Formation third-layer demonic beast? He can even compare to Xue Wanzhong, who has awakened an ancient bloodline... No, he might even be stronger than Xue Wanzhong. Xue Wanzhong might not be able to handle it so casually."

He never expected Jiang Fan had cultivated such an astonishing physique! "Fortunately, he has no spiritual roots, so he can only cultivate his body his entire life," Liang Feiyan thought. "However, the higher one cultivates the body, the more difficult it becomes. His achievements will be very limited. Reaching this point is probably his limit." Thinking this, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.