Chapter 413: Thrilling Demon Tribe General

On the vast, white snowfield, Little White galloped joyfully.

Yue Mingzhu's graceful figure swayed with its movements, tracing elegant lines. Staring at the lingering tears of Li Shiqian on Jiang Fan's shoulder, she couldn't help but chuckle:

"I wouldn't have guessed. You look like a perfect gentleman, but you're quite skilled at charming women. With just a few words, you managed to win over a girl who was hostile towards you, making her fall into your arms. Even Shen Liushu, our sect's chief disciple who fancies himself a master at charming girls, isn't as capable as you!"

On the way, Jiang Fan informed her of the previous minor incident with the Supreme Sect. Only then did Yue Mingzhu understand the Supreme Sect Master's true intention in stopping Jiang Fan. However, her concern was entirely unrelated to the Supreme Sect Master's small-mindedness. Instead, she was slightly displeased by the previous scene.

Jiang Fan gave an awkward smile: "I don't quite understand what's wrong with her either. But having one more friend is always better than one more enemy, isn't it?"

Trying to brush it off? Yue Mingzhu, however, wouldn't let it go. She asked pointedly, "Tell me honestly, how many girls' hearts have you tricked over the years?"

Jiang Fan didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "I am solely devoted to cultivation and have never been distracted by external matters. I truly have no energy to charm any girls."

Yue Mingzhu thought about it carefully and realized he was right. If Jiang Fan were someone who coveted beauty, he wouldn't have remained composed when she fell off the cliff, severely injured and unconscious, back then. How could he have remained unswayed? Thinking of this, she felt slightly relieved. She secretly chided herself for doubting Jiang Fan's character.

"Uncle Master, Uncle Master!" A voice as melodious as an oriole quickly reached them.

It was a beautiful, tall spirit horse, galloping quickly to catch up. On its back sat a breathtakingly ethereal beauty, whose appearance seemed to captivate time itself. Her face was full of joy: "Didn't Uncle Master leave a while ago? Why are you still here?"

The one who caught up was none other than Xia Chaoge. Delighted to find that Jiang Fan hadn't gone far, she happily pursued him.

Jiang Fan said helplessly, "I encountered a minor issue and was delayed for a bit."

Xia Chaoge happily said, "That's great! We can travel together..." Before she finished speaking, she stopped. Because she had been so focused on looking at Jiang Fan, only now did she notice an eighteen-year-old girl with fair skin and beautiful features sitting behind him. The other girl was looking at her with an unusual gaze.

Xia Chaoge, innocent but not foolish, stuck out her tongue and said, "Sorry, Uncle Master, I didn't realize you had a female companion. I'll be going now, farewell!" With that, she urged her white horse to depart quickly.

She pouted a little, somewhat annoyed: "No wonder. I offered to accompany Uncle Master on the mission, but he refused. So, it turns out he already has a pretty girl accompanying him." Feeling very bored, she urged her spirit horse, which quickly disappeared from view.

Yue Mingzhu smiled, biting her silver teeth. "Uncle Master, Uncle Master, let's travel together!" She mimicked Xia Chaoge's tone, saying sarcastically, "You're certainly popular with pretty girls! Even your niece-disciple is so fond of you! I've never seen any niece-disciple so close to her Uncle Master."

Jiang Fan felt a headache coming on. Too lazy to explain, he focused on continuing their journey.

As they delved deeper into the Northern Reaches, the landscape ahead became increasingly desolate. As far as the eye could see, there was truly nothing but snow. It was a mystery what those monstrous beasts ate or drank to grow so large.

Days later, after an arduous journey, they finally arrived at the legendary Taihu Lake. In Jiang Fan's weary sight, a scene that made his eyes light up finally appeared: a vast, boundless lake. Yes, the world was frozen, yet the lake before them showed no sign of freezing. The lake surface shimmered, and several colorful wild ducks chased fish, diving in and out of the water, creating ripples.

They had been in the Northern Reaches for many days. This was the first time they had felt the presence of life.

"There's a place like this in the Northern Reaches?" Even Yue Mingzhu couldn't help but take a deep breath of the fresh lakeside air. Her mind instantly relaxed.

Jiang Fan, however, said, "Be careful, this is the most dangerous time." Liu Qingxian and her group disappeared while patrolling Taihu Lake. Clearly, danger was close by.

"How boring!" Yue Mingzhu rolled her eyes at him. With her, the Sect Master, present, what danger could there be? Still, she cooperated with Jiang Fan, putting on a highly vigilant act.

Little did they know, just as they arrived at Taihu Lake, in an ancient palace beneath the lake, shimmering with heat, two enormous monstrous beasts silently observed a giant crystal before them. Inside the crystal, images floated. These were precisely the perspectives of the wild ducks. In the images, Jiang Fan and Yue Mingzhu's figures were clearly visible.

"Blood Dragon! Look at what you've done! I told you not to attack those patrolling disciples, but you wouldn't listen! Now look, you've drawn the Lustful Sect Master here!" Upon clearly seeing Yue Mingzhu's appearance, a mermaid-like monstrous beast, with a graceful and beautiful human upper body and a fish tail for its lower half, exuded an immensely powerful aura. She said reproachfully, her face grave.

Sitting opposite her was a ferocious dragon with blood-red scales all over its body. It bore some resemblance to the Red-Scaled Fiendish Dragon, but the ferocity it exuded was more than a hundred times stronger.

"She's just a Sect Master of the Nine Sects. What, are you, Sea Enchantress, one of the ten great War Generals, afraid of her?" It turned out that these two monstrous beasts had astonishing origins! They were indeed War Generals whose strength rivaled the Grand Elders of the Nine Sects!

Sea Enchantress's pretty face darkened: "It's not that I'm afraid of her. I'm worried that she'll detect the Fiery Heaven Mussel Pearl, which we are guarding and is about to emerge!" Between the two monstrous beasts lay an enormous, ancient river mussel. Streaks of extremely hot current overflowed from the mussel, spreading throughout Taihu Lake. The reason Taihu Lake had no ice was entirely due to the world-shaking pearl within this mussel, which was about to form!

The Blood Dragon scoffed: "What if she detects it? We'll just kill her! With the two of us working together, how could a mere Sect Master at the eighth stage of Core Formation escape our grasp?" If it were alone, it would indeed have to worry about whether it could stop humans with their endless tricks. But with two War Generals present, the Lustful Sect Master wouldn't be able to escape, even with a thousand stratagems.

Sea Enchantress said coldly, "And then? A few elite disciples going missing already attracted a Sect Master to investigate personally. If a Sect Master perishes here, who do you think will come next?"

The smile on the Blood Dragon's face froze for a moment. Then it relaxed again, sneering: "From her disappearance until someone comes to investigate, it'll be at least ten days from now. This pearl will emerge in three days at most. What's there to worry about?"

Sea Enchantress's expression remained indifferent: "I advise you not to cause any further trouble! Don't forget, the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion deliberately released a talisman capable of striking at the Nascent Soul stage! It's completely unknown who holds it now. If, by chance, it's in the hands of this Lustful Sect Master, even with our combined efforts, we won't escape death!"

That talisman was also a supreme treasure in the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. They deliberately let their auction house sell it, with the aim of deterring the four Demon Kings and ten War Generals of the demon race, preventing them from easily showing themselves in human territory.

"This..." This time, the Blood Dragon was truly startled. Its eyes flickered with uncertainty for a long time. In the end, it couldn't suppress its ferocity, snorting heavily, "How could we be so unlucky as to encounter someone holding that talisman? Moreover, as far as I know, the Grand Elder of the Giant Sect acquired that talisman in the auction. He died at the border between the Azure Cloud Sect and the Supreme Sect. By all accounts, the talisman most likely fell into the Supreme Sect's hands. If the Supreme Sect Master came, I would indeed be a little wary! But, for the Lustful Sect Master to come... Hehe, I'm sorry, I wouldn't want to miss the great achievement of being the first to kill a Sect Master!"

With that, its massive tail swept. The entire lakebed shook. It transformed into a long, bloody shadow and swam towards the lake surface.

Sea Enchantress was infuriated: "How can you not distinguish between what's important and what's not?" Compared to safely bringing back the Fiery Heaven Mussel Pearl, being the first to kill a Sect Master was truly insignificant. The Blood Dragon was simply bloodthirsty! It had already made its move. To prevent the Lustful Sect Master from escaping, Sea Enchantress had no choice but to cooperate with it.