Chapter 553: Killing the Heart and Mind

Fang Taiji exclaimed in surprise, "Fan Xingkong?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"He merely disappeared."

Jiang Fan chuckled, revealing the truth: "Of course you'd think he just disappeared."

"Because I burned him to ashes."

"What?" Fang Taiji slammed his palm on the ground, roaring, "You killed him too?"

Both First Elder Tie Bubai and Second Elder Fan Xingkong had been killed by Jiang Fan!

"Oh, right," Jiang Fan added, "I almost forgot something."

"That treasure you've been digging for centuries in the Holy Land but couldn't find?"

"I dug it out for you."

"And let me tell you, it's quite astonishing—far more valuable than the *Iron Blood True Scripture*."

*Pfft!* Fang Taiji, already severely wounded, finally couldn't endure the continuous provocations. Rage surged through him, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.

"You killed elders of my Giant Sect, used my Giant Sect's martial arts, and even stole my Giant Sect's treasure!"

"Jiang Fan!"

"You've gone too far!!!"

Compared to all this, his killing of Zhao Wuji was utterly insignificant.

Watching Fang Taiji's fury, Jiang Fan still felt unsatisfied. He placed the Purple Sword at Fang Taiji's neck and sneered, "Don't be so impatient!"

"I still need to take your head to the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion to claim my reward."

"They'll surely reward me handsomely for killing a great traitor who murdered nine elders, won't they?"

"Elder Fang, thank you and the Giant Sect for your generous gifts all this time."

"Without you, where would I have gotten so many good things?"

Fang Taiji's eyes were bloodshot with rage. "Jiang Fan!!"

"Even as a ghost, I won't let you off! I won't forgive you!"

*Pfft!* Blood splattered. The Purple Sword sliced across Fang Taiji's neck. His angry face, eyes wide with indignation, still bearing traces of unwillingness and resentment, rolled down into the bottomless icy crevice and disappeared completely.

The cold smile on Jiang Fan's face vanished, replaced by profound grief. His mood didn't lighten with revenge; instead, it grew heavier.

Xia Chaoge and the others arrived, their hearts similarly heavy, as they had all lost familiar elders inside.

"Jiang Fan, let's leave quickly."

"Such a huge commotion must have alarmed Consort Yunxia."

"If she arrives, none of us will be able to escape."

Qiu Shengnan stifled her sorrow and urged, "Don't let Elder Zhao and the others die in vain."

Jiang Fan clenched his fists. In a low voice, he said, "You all go first."

"I need to retrieve Elder Zhao's remains and bring him back to the Azure Cloud Sect."

"And while I'm at it, I'll eliminate Consort Yunxia to help Elder Zhao complete his mission."

With that, he stepped into the dark canyon.

Qiu Shengnan was startled and quickly said, "Don't go!"

"Consort Yunxia is at the Nascent Soul realm!"

"Even if you have another Nascent Soul Strike Talisman, it'll be useless!"

A Nascent Soul Talisman was, after all, just a talisman. Not only was it slow to activate, but each use consumed one. In contrast, a Nascent Soul cultivator could unleash an equivalent attack at will. Jiang Fan facing a Nascent Soul cultivator alone was no different from seeking death.

"She's not at the Nascent Soul realm," Jiang Fan replied without looking back, speeding deeper into the canyon.

The reason was simple: if Consort Yunxia were at the Nascent Soul realm, the Demon Race wouldn't have started a war. The two Demon Sovereigns would simply impose their will on the lands of the Nine Sects, and the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion Master would bow down, allowing them to take whatever they wished. It was precisely because both sides were evenly matched in strength that a war was necessary to achieve their goals. Therefore, Consort Yunxia couldn't be at the Nascent Soul realm. It could only be some factor that made her *appear* to be at that level. The Nascent Soul Talisman could still kill her!

Qiu Shengnan was shocked. She stood contemplating for a long time before she finally realized, "We've all been... deceived?"

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!* Jiang Fan's agile figure flickered through the canyon. Along the way, he saw the corpses of the seven sect elders. None were intact; they had all died miserably.

His heart was heavy. He recalled something Jian Linyuan once said: All wars were merely tools for those in power to achieve their objectives. Whether it was the seven elders or the disciples who sacrificed themselves at Boundary Mountain, they were all pawns swept up by the tide of events. They gave their lives, but it only served the grand schemers. The Demon Sovereign who instigated this war was the true culprit.

"Demon Sovereign!" Jiang Fan passed a female elder's corpse. On the half of her face that remained, her eyes were still open, as if clinging to the world. This sight ignited an uncontrollable grief and fury in Jiang Fan. "The one who kills you someday will be me, Jiang Fan!"

*Whoosh!* Leaving behind that chilling declaration, his figure moved like thunder, rapidly reaching the depths of the canyon.

A deserted tent and several dead beast corpses were abandoned. Undoubtedly, Consort Yunxia, having detected the Nascent Soul level attack, had led her group and fled. This implicitly confirmed that Consort Yunxia was not at the Nascent Soul realm.

But this canyon was a dead end. Where could they have gone?

Jiang Fan's eyes gleamed with cold light. Gripping the activated talisman, he swiftly gave chase.

He didn't have to chase for long. The seven battle-king level demonic beasts, severely wounded by Fang Taiji, weren't running fast. Even so, they diligently protected a woman in snow-white robes, whose appearance was exceedingly beautiful and whose eyes held a gentle gaze. She was undoubtedly Consort Yunxia, matching the description given by Golden Claw Iron Wolf.

As if sensing something, she turned her head and saw the black-clad youth with cold, fair skin and extraordinary handsomeness. She averted her gaze. From her bosom, she took out a jade box containing hundreds of drops of Demon Sovereign essence blood. She dipped her fingers in it, then gently flicked a single drop onto the back of each battle-king beast.

Instantly, the scene that had occurred with Xuan Jia repeated itself. The cultivation of these Core Formation sixth-layer beasts surged, their strength, speed, and agility dramatically increasing to the Core Formation seventh layer. Even more miraculously, their vital energy condensed into wings on their bodies. As the wings flapped, they simultaneously soared into the air, protecting Consort Yunxia as they ascended high into the sky, preventing Jiang Fan from activating his Nascent Soul Talisman.

Jiang Fan's expression changed. No wonder they dared to stay in the dead-end canyon without fearing being trapped. So, Demon Sovereign essence blood could also grant them flight? This discovery greatly astonished Jiang Fan.

Imagine this: when the human race relied on Boundary Mountain for a decisive battle against the demon beast army, hundreds of Core Formation seventh and eighth layer beast kings flying above Boundary Mountain would be an absolute catastrophe!

Consort Yunxia could not be allowed to escape; the Demon Sovereign essence blood in her possession had to be destroyed!

"Consort Yunxia! Didn't you want Fang Taiji to capture me? I'm here, and you're leaving?"

Consort Yunxia suddenly turned around. Her gentle gaze sharpened. "You are Jiang Fan?"

Jiang Fan replied, "That's right! This is your only chance to capture me!"

The battle-king beasts stopped one by one, roaring continuously, "He's that Jiang Fan?"

"The Jiang Fan who destroyed our demon race's army of ten thousand undead, bringing shame upon us?"

"I'll go kill him!"

"Let me!"

"Me too!"

Consort Yunxia, however, frowned. She calmly ordered, "Don't stop, go!"

"Since this person dared to come, he might have a second Nascent Soul Strike Talisman. Don't fall for his trick."

Though unwilling, the battle-king beasts obeyed, continuing their ascent higher into the sky. In a blink, they were over two hundred *zhang* in the air. At such a distance, the threat of a Nascent Soul Strike was greatly diminished. Consort Yunxia finally felt a little relieved and turned her beautiful eyes back to Jiang Fan.

She said calmly, "It's regrettable that your mission failed this time."

"We will meet again." She turned away, her snowy robes fluttering, blending with the white clouds in the sky, a beautiful and ethereal sight.

"Heavenly Thunder Six Divisions: Cloud Shadow!"

Suddenly, she heard a calm voice from the ground.