Chapter 416: Sorry, Mine is the True Jade Talisman

"Jiang... Jiang Fan?" Moonlight Pearl's eyes widened in disbelief. "Why... why didn't you leave?" she asked urgently, regaining some consciousness and scolding him.

Her fight with the two demon emperor generals seemed long, but it had only lasted a few minutes. Jiang Fan should still have been on his way to find those spirit beasts. His presence here meant he hadn't gone at all.

Jiang Fan held her close, his face etched with self-reproach as he looked at her blood-soaked body. "I was truly foolish to believe your words."

He soon realized why. After walking only a short distance, Jiang Fan calmly reflected and knew something was wrong. Moonlight Pearl had hidden the discovery of Liu Qingxian's body, claiming it was to spare him grief. But if that was the case, why did she tell him later? The contradiction made Jiang Fan realize she was lying, so he rushed back. He never expected to return and find Moonlight Pearl suffering such horrific injuries.

Holding her, Jiang Fan felt like he was cradling a soft ragdoll. He didn't need to examine her to know her bones were shattered and her internal organs severely damaged. Any ordinary person would have long since perished. Yet, for some reason, her life force was incredibly tenacious; she was still clinging to life.

Moonlight Pearl gave a pained laugh. "You shouldn't have come back... *cough cough*..." She coughed up a mouthful of blood mixed with bits of internal organs. The precious time she had fought so hard to gain for Jiang Fan was now wasted. It seemed they were destined to die together.

"Don't speak. Leave the rest to me." Jiang Fan took out a Rejuvenation Pill. Moonlight Pearl shook her head. "I've already taken one... it's useless..." The Rejuvenation Pill needed time to take effect; it would take half an hour to recover. But the Blood Dragon and Sea Siren wouldn't give her a moment. Knowing she had taken the pill, Jiang Fan felt a sense of relief. He looked up at the Blood Dragon and Sea Siren, his expression darkening little by little as he slowly pulled out a jade box. He said calmly, "You attacked my senior sister. You also beat Moonlight Pearl into this state! If you don't die, I won't be able to rest easy."

As if hearing the world's greatest joke, the Blood Dragon burst into laughter. "Make us die? What makes you think you can?"

Jiang Fan slowly tore open a jade talisman, stating calmly, "Just because this is a Nascent Soul Strike Talisman!"

The Blood Dragon laughed even more wildly, clutching its stomach. "Sea Siren, listen to this!" Even the Sea Siren couldn't help but shake her head. "Human boy," she said, "your companion already tried that trick. It's pointless to use it again." That missing jade talisman hadn't even been acquired by the Sect Master of the Joyful Union Sect. How could it possibly fall into the hands of a mere disciple? This attempt at intimidation was meaningless. A hint of pity appeared on her face. "You shouldn't have come back. The time your companion bought for you with her life has all been wasted."

The Blood Dragon, however, chuckled. "Not wasted, not wasted at all! How can it be wasted when it saves me the trouble of hunting you down? That wretched woman injured me so badly; I'd chase you to the ends of the earth just to twist off your head and show it to her! Now! While she still has a breath left, I'll take my time and twist off your head right in front of her!" It let out a cruel sneer and charged forward as an afterimage.

At that moment, Jiang Fan had just finished tearing off all the seals and slowly opened the jade box. A terrifying spiritual pressure, sealed for ages, surged out like a raging tide! The Blood Dragon's charging afterimage stumbled and flew backward from the impact of this pressure, only barely steadying itself after colliding with a block of ice. The Sea Siren also cried out in shock from the sudden spiritual pressure. She immediately transformed into ice and snow, teleporting hundreds of feet away. Her usually composed face now showed terror, and a trembling voice escaped her lips: "A Na-Nascent Soul Strike Talisman!!!" "How... how could it be in your hands?"

Moonlight Pearl, filled with despair, also suddenly widened her eyes and gasped in horror. "Jiang Fan, this... this talisman..."

At this point, Jiang Fan had nothing left to hide. "I killed Iron Unbeaten," he stated. Moonlight Pearl was utterly stunned. Rumors had circulated that a sect master, or even a grand elder, was responsible for killing Iron Unbeaten and taking the talisman. Moonlight Pearl had firmly believed this. After all, Iron Unbeaten was the Grand Elder of the Giant Sect, and his physical prowess was legendary. Without the strength of a sect master or grand elder, it would have been impossible to kill him. Yet, she never imagined that the killer was Jiang Fan! It was likely that no one in the entire Nine Sects region could have conceived that Jiang Fan was the true assassin!

Jiang Fan scoffed, "Do you know the first thing Iron Unbeaten did after getting the talisman? He forced our Azure Cloud Sect to hand over two million spirit crystals! If he didn't die, who would?" Moonlight Pearl suddenly understood. No wonder Jiang Fan risked so much to kill him. Money was secondary. It was the act of threatening the sect that truly ignited such fury. If Moonlight Pearl were in Jiang Fan's shoes, Iron Unbeaten would have been torn to shreds.

At this moment, the Blood Dragon and Sea Siren were in a difficult predicament, caught between a rock and a hard place. The Blood Dragon stared at the talisman with extreme apprehension, a look of reluctance on its face. "Brat, take that woman and get out of here!" it growled. "Otherwise, I might regret it at any moment!" It now regretted not heeding the warning. Wouldn't it have been better to just patiently guard the Heaven-Burning Clam Pearl until its emergence? Why did it have to come out? Now, it had stirred up trouble without gaining anything. Fortunately, letting Moonlight Pearl escape wasn't a major issue. By the time she returned with powerful allies, they would have already fled with the Heaven-Burning Clam Pearl.

Only the Sea Siren remained visibly worried. Now, it wasn't about whether they were willing to let Jiang Fan and Moonlight Pearl leave. It was about whether Jiang Fan was willing to spare them. What made her heart sink was that Jiang Fan indeed had no intention of letting them go. He took out the jade talisman and gripped it in his palm. With one arm around Moonlight Pearl and the other pointing at them from a distance, he said, "Let us go? What are you thinking? I told you, you all have to die!"

Aside from repeatedly harming Liu Qingxian and Moonlight Pearl, which had completely enraged Jiang Fan, the mere exposure of the talisman meant they absolutely could not be allowed to leave alive. Otherwise, if they relayed the news back to humanity, what enormous trouble would that cause? The Giant Sect would furiously seek revenge on him, and all major factions would desperately try to snatch the talisman from his hands. Even staying within the Azure Cloud Sect, hiding behind the Sect Master and Grand Elders, might not be enough! The allure of a Nascent Soul Strike Talisman was simply too great! Therefore, this talisman had to be used, whether he wanted to or not!

"Run!" Without holding onto any hope, the Sea Siren transformed into ice and snow, flickering continuously across the snowy ground like a phantom. Seeing her flee, the Blood Dragon's scalp tingled with fear. It quickly dashed towards Taihu Lake. A Nascent Soul Strike—what earth-shattering power was that? Perhaps only by escaping back to the bottomless Taihu Lake could it save half its life! But how could Jiang Fan allow them to have their way? "Go to hell!" The talisman in his palm had already been secretly activated!