Chapter 523: 妖族内乱

Kong Yuanba's expression darkened. He said coldly, "I've already stated that it was just a misunderstanding. What more do you want?"

He wasn't actually too surprised. Having dealt with Jiang Fan a few times, he knew how difficult Jiang Fan could be. It was wishful thinking to believe that a simple apology would satisfy him. This time, Jiang Fan was undoubtedly looking for more benefits.

Jiang Fan said, "It would be best if Sect Master Kong could give me the Void Lotus."

Kong Yuanba let out an exasperated laugh. Was he still thinking about his Void Lotus? "Don't even dream about that item."

He took out several jade boxes from his sleeve. Each contained either rare natural treasures from the Nine Sects' lands or precious items for body tempering. Every single one was priceless.

"Pick one, and this matter will be settled!" Kong Yuanba scoffed.

The surrounding elders' eyes lit up. My goodness. As expected of the Giant Sect Master, his resources were truly abundant. Any one of those items was a high-grade spiritual treasure that the elders present wouldn't even dare to dream of. To avoid being held accountable by the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, he was truly spending a fortune.

Jiang Fan's eyes gleamed with delight. It seemed Gu Huaxi and You Yunzi's deterrent power was still very strong. A mere threat was enough to make Kong Yuanba pay dearly. He directly skipped over the natural treasures and focused on the few body-tempering items, a hint of regret in his eyes. If he hadn't already cultivated the Dragon Elephant Battle Body, these would have been excellent body-tempering treasures. Unfortunately, they wouldn't have much effect on the current Jiang Fan.

Suddenly, Jiang Fan's gaze fell on the last jade box. Inside, there was no natural treasure or body-tempering item, but an ancient pill recipe. Looking closely, the words "Bodhi Pill" were written on it. Jiang Fan's pupils constricted! A Bodhi Pill recipe? According to the Evil Spirit, the Bodhi Pill was a highly coveted treasure pill for cultivators at the ninth level of the Core Formation realm. This recipe had been in the hands of the Grand Supreme Sect Master. The Giant Sect had always wanted to acquire it. Last time, Xue Wan Chong even asked Lu Xiunian to convey the Giant Sect's intentions and facilitate a discussion between the two sect masters about this matter. He hadn't expected that Kong Yuanba had already made a deal with the Grand Supreme Sect Master and successfully obtained this pill recipe!

Jiang Fan grabbed the item and said, "I want this one."

Kong Yuanba's expression subtly changed. "What do you want this for? This is a pill recipe for the Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master; I cannot give it to you."

He was preparing to refine a Bodhi Pill. Once his physique was cultivated to the limit of the Core Formation realm, he would consume this pill to break through the physical constraints and reach a realm never before attained in the Nine Sects' lands: the Golden Body. Body cultivators, unlike martial artists who cultivate magic-based systems, cannot break through to the Nascent Soul realm. Before their bodies reach the strength of a martial artist at the peak of the ninth Core Formation level, they are collectively referred to as body cultivators. Only by breaking through the limits of body cultivation can one enter the Golden Body realm, which is equivalent to the Nascent Soul realm for magic cultivators. However, once in the Golden Body realm, the physique becomes incredibly powerful and invincible, impervious to water and fire, and difficult to destroy by any magic. A Nascent Soul martial artist of the same level cannot defeat a Golden Body expert. Yet, this step is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Throughout history, many Nascent Soul cultivators have emerged in the Nine Sects' lands, but the Golden Body realm has been unheard of. The path of body cultivators seems to suddenly end at the peak of the ninth Core Formation level, a barrier no one has been able to cross.

Over the years, Kong Yuanba had collected countless ancient texts and even traveled far to foreign lands. He finally discovered the secret to breaking through to the Golden Body. The key was to possess an incredibly effective Bodhi Pill. Only then, when his body reached the limit of a body cultivator, could he use this pill to make the ultimate leap and reach the other side of the Golden Body realm.

Seeing Jiang Fan about to take the Bodhi Pill recipe, how could he agree? He planned to find the Blood Bodhi, then give both the Blood Bodhi and the recipe to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master, asking him to refine a Bodhi Pill. How could he let Jiang Fan take the recipe?

Jiang Fan pondered for a moment, then said, "Allowing me to copy a portion of it would also work."

Copy it? Kong Yuanba's eyes flickered. Although he didn't know what Jiang Fan needed this recipe for, if it was just a copy, he wouldn't lose anything. Therefore, he agreed without hesitation: "Alright!"

Jiang Fan suppressed his excitement and unfolded the Bodhi Pill recipe. He copied it word for word, then returned the original recipe. "Alright, we're even! You're welcome to cause trouble for me again next time, Sect Master Kong," Jiang Fan said with a half-smile.

Kong Yuanba, having suffered a silent loss, snorted coldly and led his Giant Sect disciples to the side to rest.

Seeing the crisis resolved, the elders and disciples from various sects gradually dispersed. Li Qingfeng and others let out a long sigh of relief.

"Jiang Fan, when you have time, go burn some incense at a temple. This time, we truly owe it to the Bodhisattva's blessing," Wen Hongyao said with genuine relief. She had thought Jiang Fan would not escape death. Yet, the Sky-Monitoring Crystal happened to not record any footage of Jiang Fan using the purple sword.

Jiang Fan's heart stirred. After a brief exchange of pleasantries with the three elders, he walked over to the bodies of the fallen sect members. Lei Zhenhai was squatting, tidying the clothes of a deceased Righteous Thunder Sect disciple, his expression both solemn and mournful. Jiang Fan helped him, saying, "Many thanks for your assistance this time, Sect Master Lei. I owe you a favor."

It wasn't any deity or Bodhisattva who protected him. It was Lei Zhenhai. He had preemptively erased the footage of the purple sword, which was why Jiang Fan had avoided the crisis.

Lei Zhenhai said expressionlessly, "What are you talking about? I don't understand."

Jiang Fan chuckled softly and looked at Lei Zhenhai. "It seems I misunderstood Sect Master Lei. Despite your sarcastic remarks, you're actually quite a good person."

Lei Zhenhai suddenly stopped what he was doing. He glared at Jiang Fan. "Are you praising me?" He turned his head to glance at Kong Yuanba in the distance, then snorted through his nostrils. "I simply didn't want any bloodshed during my duty overseeing the Boundary Mountain, lest the Heavenly Secret Pavilion turn its wrath on me. Don't flatter yourself and misunderstand that I was helping you. I don't have a good impression of you!"

Was he being tsundere now? Jiang Fan secretly found it amusing. "Yes, yes, Sect Master Lei is right," he said. "Since Sect Master Lei wasn't helping this junior, then I'll be direct. I have no interest in joining the Righteous Thunder Sect. I appreciate your intention to recruit me, senior." With that, he patted his backside and ran back to Li Qingfeng's side.

Lei Zhenhai's face cycled between green and red. After a long moment, he slapped his thigh and muttered, "That brat! He knew what I meant all along!"

It turned out that Lei Zhenhai had previously spoken to Jiang Fan privately. He had hinted at the Sky Thunder Stone and threatened to expose the purple sword, all with the aim of coercing Jiang Fan to switch to the Righteous Thunder Sect. After all, Jiang Fan's display of the Five Thunder Righteous Heaven Palm had greatly impressed Lei Zhenhai. Moreover, with the heavy casualties among the Righteous Thunder Sect's elite disciples this time, there was an even greater need for promising new talents skilled in the Way of Thunder. Recruiting Jiang Fan was therefore a natural course of action. Later, he had gleefully watched Kong Yuanba suppress Jiang Fan, waiting for Jiang Fan to be isolated and helpless before intervening to protect him. At that point, inviting Jiang Fan to join the Righteous Thunder Sect would undoubtedly have been much easier. However, he hadn't expected Jiang Fan to be so popular, with so many elders supporting him, which caused Lei Zhenhai's plan to fall through. Finally, out of a desire to cherish talent and an unwillingness to see Jiang Fan suffer at Kong Yuanba's hands, he had preemptively altered the contents of the Sky-Monitoring Crystal, secretly helping Jiang Fan overcome this ordeal.

What Lei Zhenhai hadn't expected was that Jiang Fan had seen through his plan all along. This left Lei Zhenhai both amused and irritated. "That little brat!" he muttered. "No wonder I disliked you the first time I saw you! Our horoscopes clash! You don't want to join the Righteous Thunder Sect? Well, I wouldn't have wanted you either! Hmph!"

The great battle had completely subsided. They only needed to wait for the people from Sunset City to arrive before they could rotate to Sunset City for rest and recuperation. Jiang Fan didn't waste any time. He went alone to his previous hidden space and quietly sat cross-legged, cultivating. Since entering the snowy plains, he had participated in seven or eight battles, large and small. The consecutive breakthrough to the second level of the Core Formation realm had been thoroughly solidified through combat. Now, it was time to break through to the third level of Core Formation.

Boundary Mountain was calm. However, within the demon race, a huge upheaval had occurred. The heavily defeated Demoness Yue, with disheveled hair and a sorrowful expression, knelt before the demon race's sacred altar, awaiting the dual judgment from the Demon Emperor and the old High Priest. She bit her red lip, sensing her fate. It was... death! However, thinking that if she died, that little scoundrel Jiang Fan would also die with her, she felt much more balanced. "You scoundrel, if I'm going to die, let's die together!"