Chapter 58: The Secret of the Blood Bat Palace

Jiang Fan also frowned and looked back, discovering that the newcomer was Zhu Jianshen!

Zhu Jianshen, unaware of Jiang Fan's hidden presence, sneered when he saw the severely injured Branch Master. "Haha! The praying mantis preys on the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it!" he exclaimed. "The Branch Master's head is mine!" Bringing it back to Qingyun Sect would secure him countless rewards.

"You want my head? Are you worthy?" the Branch Master snarled, his eyes fierce. He instantly sprang up, displaying an agility that belied his severe injuries.

Zhu Jianshen's gaze flickered, but he bravely declared, "I am a dignified Qingyun Sect disciple, a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Am I to fear an injured remnant of the Blood Bat Palace?" He drew his sword and charged forward, initiating combat.

The moment they engaged, Zhu Jianshen realized he had underestimated the Branch Master's current strength. Despite his injuries, the Branch Master was still formidable. After ten moves, Zhu Jianshen grew increasingly alarmed; his opponent's extensive experience had nearly cost him his life on several occasions.

Observing from the shadows, Jiang Fan's eyes showed a hint of joy. "The Branch Master's strength has significantly decreased," he thought. "Zhu Jianshen can even last ten rounds against him. If the Branch Master were at full strength, Zhu Jianshen wouldn't have fared much better than Xu Yining."

Just then, the Branch Master seized Zhu Jianshen's opening and delivered a vicious palm strike directly to his right arm. *Crack!* Instantly, the powerful force shattered his arm, sending him flying backward to land beside Xu Yining.

Xu Yining's eyes gleamed with hope. "Young Master Zhu, don't be afraid," she said. "He's at the end of his rope! That was the strongest power he could unleash; he'll only get weaker from now on." She had witnessed the Branch Master bleeding continuously, his vital energy having declined by more than half. He was now relying solely on sheer willpower to remain standing, with very little combat capability left.

However, the Branch Master charged forward with a ferocious, murderous look that terrified Zhu Jianshen, causing his scalp to tingle. Completely devoid of the will to fight, he scrambled to his feet, ready to flee.

But the moment he turned, he exposed his back to the Branch Master. "Die!" the Branch Master sneered contemptuously.

Realizing the extreme danger, Zhu Jianshen gritted his teeth and did something no one expected: he hooked his foot, lifted Xu Yining, and used her as a shield between himself and the Branch Master. Without a second thought for what happened behind him, he turned and ran!

"You... ah!" Xu Yining only had time for a cry of alarm before the Branch Master's terrifying force struck her, sending her rolling away with a pained groan.

Zhu Jianshen completely disregarded Xu Yining's fate and ran outside as if his life depended on it. Just as he reached the edge of the plaza, a figure flashed past him like lightning from the darkness, catching the rolling Xu Yining.

"Shadow Guard One?" Zhu Jianshen exclaimed in surprise. Jiang Fan glared at him with cold eyes, and feeling guilty, Zhu Jianshen dared not linger, immediately fleeing.

Soon after, the rapid sound of horse hooves faded from outside the cave. "What a useless fellow!" the Branch Master spat fiercely. When he turned to look at Jiang Fan, his eyes, though filled with hatred, showed no trace of contempt.

He clutched the profusely bleeding wound on his chest, swaying unsteadily. As Xu Yining had said, his vital energy had been depleted by half, leaving him with very little combat strength.

"I can't believe I'd be defeated by a mere youth! How unwilling I am!" he muttered. He staggered to the statue and knelt weakly before it, caressing its base. "If only I could unlock the mechanism here," he whispered, "no one, not even the Qingyun Sect Master, could kill me!"

Jiang Fan walked over, holding his wooden sword, and decisively thrust it into the Branch Master's right chest. The Branch Master tried desperately to dodge, but he truly had no strength left; his fight with Zhu Jianshen had consumed his last reserves of power. *Thud.* The Branch Master fiercely attempted to retaliate but lacked even the strength to lift his hand. He could only laugh bitterly towards the sky. "Alright! I concede, I concede!" he gasped. "But no one will ever get the secret of this place, no one!"

Jiang Fan kicked him aside and looked at the statue's base. In its center, there was a circular hole, surrounded by numerous marks indicating the Blood Bat Palace's repeated attempts to pry it open. After a moment's thought, he took out the jade bead. He compared them and found that the jade bead was exactly the same size as the circular hole. He tried to insert it. Immediately, the statue's base rumbled, activating a mechanism. The entire statue, along with its base, slowly rotated, revealing a small underground chamber approximately ten meters wide. In the center of the chamber, a mysterious longsword glowed with purple light.

"Hiss! A spirit artifact! It's a top-grade spirit artifact!" the still-breathing Branch Master gasped, his pupils widening.

Jiang Fan was also startled. The wooden sword he held was merely a low-grade magic artifact, a unique item in Guzhou City. Even in Qingyun Sect, the highest-grade items were probably magic artifacts. Yet now, before him was a spirit artifact, and a top-grade one at that? His heart couldn't help but pound.

Next, Jiang Fan saw two jade caskets lying beside the purple sword. One was filled with liquid, and the other contained two crimson, mysterious pills. As a Soul Master, Jiang Fan didn't immediately recognize them.

The Branch Master's pupils constricted violently as he exclaimed, "The rumors were true! There's Rootless Heavenly Water here, capable of enhancing the Foundation Establishment realm! And... and a divine item that can enhance spiritual roots, the Mortal Shedding Pill! With this pill, I'll be a prodigy of heaven... a prodigy of heaven... It's mine... it's all mine..."

He struggled to crawl towards the chamber, but ultimately succumbed to exhaustion and died, falling unwillingly before the entrance. His eyes were wide open, unable to rest in peace. The treasure he had sought his entire life had now been obtained by a young man. How could he possibly rest in peace?

Jiang Fan's eyes burned with eagerness; he was about to jump down to retrieve the items. Suddenly, noisy sounds came from outside the cave. The City Lord had reacted and brought reinforcements. Without time to take anything, Jiang Fan quickly retrieved the jade bead. The statue immediately rotated, covering the chamber once more.

When Ye Jifeng arrived with the strong cultivators, they witnessed Jiang Fan's wooden sword slash, and the Branch Master's head rolled to the ground. All the strong cultivators were shocked. "He killed the Branch Master!" they exclaimed. "Shadow Guard One, who exactly is he?"

In the crowd, Zhu Jianshen, who had returned with the main force, was filled with intense regret. Shadow Guard One had ended the battle so quickly, proving that the Branch Master's strength, just as Xu Yining had said, was truly depleted. He had foolishly given away a tremendous opportunity for credit to Shadow Guard One!

"Damn it!!!" he fumed. However, he then realized that since Shadow Guard One had killed the Branch Master, it meant the task he had assigned to the Xu family had failed. "Hmph! Tomorrow, I'll go to the Xu family to demand the head!" he sneered. "If they can't produce it, the entire Xu family can expect to be thrown into prison! By then, that woman Xu Youran will be mine to toy with. Hehe, hehehe!"

Outside the cave entrance, high in the sky, Chen Zhengdao and Liu Qingxian stood side-by-side on the back of a blue eagle, looking down at the situation below. The great commotion in the city made it impossible for them to ignore.

"This Shadow Guard One has some skill," Chen Zhengdao said in an appreciative tone. "Even without reaching the Foundation Establishment realm, he successfully killed a second-level Foundation Establishment martial artist!"

Liu Qingxian also showed admiration. "Although he relied on a magic artifact and there was some element of luck, he is excellent in all aspects," she commented. "He must be some old martial artist who has cultivated for many years. His performance is indeed remarkable."

Immediately, she thought of Zhu Jianshen, and her eyes showed disgust. "In contrast, that outer disciple of our Qingyun Sect is unbearable," she remarked. Chen Zhengdao frowned. "This Zhu Jianshen," he said, "not only fled in a time of crisis but also abandoned a fellow disciple to die by the enemy's hand. Such a person will surely become a menace in the future. You handle him personally." Liu Qingxian nodded. "Yes, Qingxian understands."