Chapter 418: Mermaid Spirit Pet

"What does 'letting me off easy' even mean?" Jiang Fan wondered inwardly. "Is the method Yue Mingzhu spoke of even proper?"

Roughly half an hour later.

Hai Mei's gaze slowly shifted from astonishment to despair. In just a short time, she had personally witnessed Yue Mingzhu, gravely injured and on the verge of death, recover completely!

"You humans actually possess such a divine pill!" Hai Mei sighed deeply. "It was truly not a wise decision for our demon race to invade human territory!"

Yue Mingzhu wasn't about to tell her that this pill was exceedingly rare even among humans, and that only by staying with Jiang Fan could one obtain even a bit of it.

"Hehe, what a stunning beauty you are." Yue Mingzhu crouched down, pinching her chin playfully, and said, "If it hadn't been for you just now, I would have killed the Blood Dragon long ago and left unscathed! As for the trouble you caused me, it's far greater than what the Blood Dragon did."

Hai Mei was still firmly pinned to the ground by the purple sword; not to mention fighting back, she could barely move. Yet her expression remained calm, as if she had long accepted her fate.

"Kill me or dismember me, do as you please." She spoke as if it were a trivial matter, giving the impression of someone unafraid of death.

Yue Mingzhu's smile deepened. "Killing you, wouldn't that be letting you off too easily?"

Only then did Hai Mei's pretty face finally show a hint of change, her beautiful eyebrows arching slightly. "If you don't kill me, be careful you don't leave yourself a future problem."

Yue Mingzhu fumbled in her sleeve for a while, finally pulling out a somewhat old wooden box. "It's been so many years. I thought I'd never have a use for it. I was even planning to discard it in the treasure vault. Who knew it would finally come in handy today?"

With her slender, jade-like fingers, she opened the wooden box, revealing a dry and worn-out collar. At first glance, it looked like a piece of jewelry, but the inside of the collar was dotted with countless barbed spikes. Upon closer inspection, it resembled an instrument of torture.

As if sensing the collar's sinister nature, Hai Mei struggled slightly and asked, "What are you going to do?"

Yue Mingzhu replied, "This is called the Karma Collar. It was crafted a hundred years ago by an ancestor of my Joyous Union Sect, who poured their life's efforts into it. He once deeply loved someone, dedicating his entire life to them, yet received no response. In his rage, he created this collar. Once placed on a designated person, they will be eternally subservient to him. Should they show the slightest resistance, they will suffer agonizing torment. Of course, that ancestor ultimately couldn't bear to use it, and when it was passed down to us, their descendants, they explicitly forbade its use on humans."

She held the collar, comparing it to Hai Mei's fair and elegant neck, and chuckled, "The size is just right. It's as if it was custom-made for you."

Upon learning the purpose of the Karma Collar, Hai Mei recalled the legendary "Slavery Rings" that humans used to enslave demonic beasts. This collar and the Slavery Rings achieved the same effect through different means.

"Just kill me! I'd rather die than become a slave to you humans!"

Yue Mingzhu dismissively said, "All you talk about is death. You speak as if you have no attachments in the demon race."

At these words, Hai Mei's eyes flickered. Anger surged in her previously calm eyes. "You're so malicious!"

"Thanks for the compliment!" Yue Mingzhu shrugged and turned to toss the Karma Collar to him.

"Drip in your essence blood and soul power," Yue Mingzhu instructed. "The former is to refine the collar, and the latter is to control her mind. Just one drop of essence blood is fine, but for the soul power... you'd better not be stingy, or she'll break free from your control."

Jiang Fan held the Karma Collar, speechless. The original intent behind crafting this item was truly a bit sinister. Enslaving the lover one couldn't have? Fortunately, that ancestor of the Joyous Union Sect had a sudden realization and suppressed the evil in their heart, only allowing its use on demonic beasts. Since it was for a demonic beast, why would Jiang Fan have any reservations?

He immediately dripped a drop of essence blood. As for soul power, he wasn't stingy either; enduring intense pain, he severed a wisp and infused it into the collar. With his soul power, no demonic beast below the Nascent Soul stage could hope to break free. Moreover, he had severed quite a significant amount. Even if Hai Mei were to transform in the future, she wouldn't be able to escape his control for some time.

"It's done." Jiang Fan returned the collar to Yue Mingzhu.

"No! Don't come near me!" Hai Mei shrieked.

Yue Mingzhu grabbed her by the neck and coldly said, "Behave yourself! If you keep screaming, I'll find you a lewd, corpulent master! Even I pity a beautiful mermaid like you, let alone those lechers!"

Seemingly genuinely frightened, Hai Mei's struggles paused briefly. Seizing the opportunity, Yue Mingzhu swiftly placed the collar on her. By the time she reacted, the barbs on the collar had already pierced her neck, and it constantly constricted, tightening its grip. Amidst Hai Mei's agonizing cries of pain, it tightened until it completely disappeared into her flesh, leaving behind only a rather gruesome circular incision.

"What are you gawking at?" Yue Mingzhu shot a blank-faced Jiang Fan a glare. "Aren't you going to feed your precious spirit pet a Rejuvenation Pill? It would be a shame for such a beautiful woman to have a scar on her neck."

Jiang Fan uttered an "Oh," and took out a Rejuvenation Pill. Hai Mei kept her mouth shut, glaring at him defiantly. "I don't want your things, go away!"

Jiang Fan frowned. Was this Karma Collar actually working or not? He commanded softly, "Open your mouth!"

Hai Mei still resisted, clenching her teeth. However, a twisting, knife-like pain suddenly erupted deep within her soul. It was several times more intense than any physical pain. Even for a battle-hardened general like her, who feared neither injury nor pain, and was unafraid of death, she couldn't help but roll around on the ground, wailing. Before long, she was drenched in sweat, her face ashen, yet the intense pain not only didn't subside but continuously grew stronger. Finally, she could no longer bear it. She quickly said, "Open... I'll open my mouth." With that, her rosy and seductive red lips slowly parted.

Only after she obeyed Jiang Fan did the excruciating pain deep within her soul abruptly vanish. An expression of immense relief spread across her face. Recalling the hellish agony she had just endured, a look of lingering fear appeared on her face. She truly understood the meaning of "a fate worse than death"!

Jiang Fan was astonished. "The power... it's that great?" Even a formidable general was subdued so easily. He flicked his finger, sending the Rejuvenation Pill into her mouth. As the medicine took effect, the gruesome incision on her neck healed at a visible rate. Jiang Fan also quickly pulled out the purple sword, aiming for her complete recovery.

Seeing the purple sword, Yue Mingzhu felt envious, but then spoke with solemnity: "Don't take this sword out again. When you killed Tie Bubai that day, you didn't reveal your true face, but you did reveal this purple sword. The Giant Sect has already notified all other sects, offering a hefty reward for anyone who finds a cultivator using a purple sword."

Jiang Fan's heart jolted. So, the Giant Sect had never given up investigating Tie Bubai's death! It was fortunate that he was usually extra cautious and always kept the purple sword wrapped in cloth. When he used it, he also tried to do so when no one was around. Otherwise, the Giant Sect would have tracked him down long ago.

"I understand." Jiang Fan immediately re-wrapped the purple sword with the cloth.

Yue Mingzhu then picked up her Tianshan silk, a hint of sadness on her face. This was a treasure that had been with her for many years, and her most trusted weapon. Now, it was completely ruined.

"What was that?" Jiang Fan asked.

Yue Mingzhu startled, quickly bundled it up and tucked it into her sleeve, saying, "N-nothing... nothing at all."

Jiang Fan, however, had seen this type of Tianshan silk used by the Joyous Union Sect before. If this item were discovered, wouldn't her identity be exposed? Was that it? Then why was she being so secretive? Jiang Fan approached suspiciously.

Just then, a massive red wave, hundreds of feet high, suddenly erupted from the center of Lake Tai. The wave carried an immense heat, as if a volcano had erupted at the bottom of the lake. Hai Mei was startled and turned her head, exclaiming, "The Heaven-Burning Clam Pearl is activating early..." Mid-sentence, she quickly stopped herself. She cautiously watched Jiang Fan's reaction. What made her heart skip a beat was that Jiang Fan was silently observing her.

"Go on!"