Chapter 581: Jiang Fan's Things Really Work Well

Consort Yunxia held none other than Jiang Fan’s Nascent Soul Jade Talisman. Reverend Qinghe was naturally unafraid of a mere Nascent Soul Jade Talisman. However, the space here was confined. While he could guarantee his own safety if it detonated, his two disciples by his side would find it difficult to escape unharmed.

Consort Yunxia wasn't so foolish. If she were to kill his two disciples, Reverend Qinghe would undoubtedly retaliate and kill her.

“My apologies, I grabbed the wrong one,” Consort Yunxia said, putting the talisman away.

Of course, she hadn't mistakenly grabbed it. She had deliberately pulled it out to intimidate them, ensuring they understood she wasn't someone to be easily manipulated. While she couldn't truly harm Reverend Qinghe if provoked, she could certainly take down one or two of his disciples.

Lu Liang and the young girl were visibly shaken by the jade talisman. The girl, in particular, displayed a flicker of lingering fear, realizing she had nearly tried to seize Consort Yunxia's Blood Bodhi. Fortunately, her master had intervened to settle the matter. Otherwise, if Consort Yunxia had deployed the Nascent Soul Jade Talisman, even with her master's protection, the girl would not have fared well. It was just as her master always said: when venturing out, it's best to avoid trouble. Who would have thought that a seemingly random demoness would wield such a powerful weapon?

Lu Liang's fervent gaze upon Consort Yunxia instantly cooled significantly. He no longer dared to stare so brazenly.

Reverend Qinghe snorted, “Consort Yunxia, it’s best not to casually take out such dangerous items, lest you cause unnecessary misunderstandings.”

Consort Yunxia felt smug. *Let them underestimate me! Now they know fear?* she thought. *Speaking of which, that little brat’s things are truly effective. I really should have kept his Sky Thunder Stone and searched carefully for other treasures.*

“My apologies, junior will be more careful next time,” she replied. “I am about to break the formation, Reverend Qinghe, so please be careful.” She then beckoned to Chun Ni.

Chun Ni stomped her foot, and a towering tree emerged from the ground, its thick roots clutching a palm-sized, multicolored mountain. Consort Yunxia laboriously picked it up and approached the formation.

Reverend Qinghe shook his head slightly. *This woman, surely she doesn’t intend to smash open the formation with a rock?* he mused. *That’s child’s play. My formation-breaking spirit artifact couldn’t even budge it. A mere rock…*

Bang— As Consort Yunxia released her grip, the multicolored mountain slammed down. Crack— The final restriction, which had withstood countless attacks from the formation-breaking spirit artifact, was now rent with a crack.

Lu Liang and the young girl were so astonished their mouths hung open, their faces filled with shock as they stared at the stone.

Reverend Qinghe was also slightly surprised and began to carefully examine the Five Magnetite Mountain. “Consort Yunxia,” he asked, “what is this small mountain?”

Seeing even the Nascent Soul-level Reverend Qinghe stunned by her strike, Consort Yunxia’s face flushed with exhilaration, and she felt a profound sense of accomplishment. At the same time, she silently marveled, *Jiang Fan’s things are simply too useful!* She was beginning to grow quite fond of Jiang Fan's possessions.

“Just a crude method, Reverend Qinghe, I apologize for making you laugh,” Consort Yunxia said modestly. Then, with renewed vigor, she picked up the Five Magnetite Mountain and slammed it down again.

One, two, three times… After a full twenty strikes, the fragmented restriction could no longer withstand the immense pressure of the final blow and shattered with a bang.

The group collectively stepped into the outer realm. Gazing at the four grand halls to the East, South, West, and North, the four individuals shared an unspoken understanding. Their eyes instantly blazed with eagerness as each chose a hall to search.

Consort Yunxia enthusiastically chose the South Hall. “Chun Ni, come quickly!” she called. “This is the secret realm that the Tiger Demon Emperor explored before his death. There must be great treasures within!”

Outsiders only believed the Tiger Demon Emperor had died suddenly, unaware that he had been gravely wounded in this very secret realm and succumbed to his injuries upon returning. A secret realm that even the Tiger Demon Emperor held in such high regard must undoubtedly contain significant treasures. Perhaps it even held the hope for her to break through to the Nascent Soul realm once more. If she were to become a Demon Emperor, she could lead the Fox Demon Clan to completely escape the control of the Azure Sky Demon Emperor.

However, upon entering, she was dumbfounded. The hall was in disarray, and it looked quite old, indicating that someone had been there a long time ago. The situation in the other three halls was largely the same.

After searching for a full half hour, the group reconvened. Except for Lu Liang, who had picked up a discarded fragment of a Buddhist scripture, everyone else came back empty-handed.

“This place has been explored many times already,” Lu Liang said, annoyed. “There’s nothing left.” The young girl also stomped her foot in frustration. “I got excited for nothing; this place was explored years ago!”

However, Reverend Qinghe narrowed his eyes and opened his palm, revealing a pinch of luminous pearl powder. “Not necessarily years ago,” he mused. “If I’m not mistaken, someone was here just now. And what’s more, he found something.”

“What? Someone was here?” the young girl exclaimed. She then recalled, “Speaking of which, I did see an imprint on the hall wall left by a string of Buddhist beads. It seemed like it had just been taken, but I wasn’t certain.”

Consort Yunxia’s expression also turned strange. “I found a secret door in the South Hall, which led to a garden,” she said. “It seems some tree was dug up, with only a few leaves left behind.” She then produced a glittering golden leaf.

With just one glance, Reverend Qinghe was visibly moved. “It’s a Bodhi tree leaf!” he exclaimed. “Then what was taken was undoubtedly the Bodhi tree itself! That’s the legendary Bodhi tree that White Horse Temple has been searching for! Heavens, there was actually a Buddhist sacred tree here? Who? Who dug it up?”

Everyone exchanged glances, then in unison, they looked at Consort Yunxia.

The young girl asked suspiciously, “Were your people here before us, taking away many treasures?” From their collective findings, the person had taken a considerable number of valuable items. They had painstakingly broken the formation, yet someone had taken a shortcut, intercepting and claiming all the good things. This was truly ironic.

Reverend Qinghe also fixed his gaze on Consort Yunxia, his eyes showing displeasure. Other treasures could be overlooked, but the Bodhi tree? To take it right under his nose? Dream on!

Consort Yunxia scoffed, “If I knew a shortcut, why would I have followed you? Wouldn’t I have just taken the shortcut myself? Why would I end up being suspected by you now?”

“That… that’s true,” Lu Liang admitted, pondering. “But besides us, who else could be here…?” Then, abruptly, he asked, “Yunxia, where is that human youth who was with you? Could he have gotten a head start?”

Jiang Fan? Consort Yunxia’s heart skipped a beat. If it were anyone else, she wouldn’t believe it for a moment, as he was securely bound by the Dragon-Binding Lock, and the key was in her hand. No one, no matter how skilled, could break free. But if it was Jiang Fan, she truly couldn't be certain. That little scoundrel had so many tricks up his sleeve it made her scalp tingle. Even holding the Dragon-Binding Lock's key, she couldn't guarantee that he hadn't escaped.

At this thought, she somewhat regretted not keeping Jiang Fan by her side. However, when Lu Liang raised the question, she naturally wouldn't admit it. “Impossible,” she stated without hesitation. “He is bound by the Dragon-Binding Lock on the mountain peak, unable to move,” she insisted. “Besides, it’s his first time here, and I was the one who showed him the map. There’s no way he could know a shortcut that I don’t.”

This… it seemed unlikely to be the youth. Reverend Qinghe’s face darkened. “No matter who it is,” he snorted, “no one touches this Reverend’s possessions! Let’s quickly find Reverend Six Paths’ remains, then we’ll begin tracking this person. I’ll turn both the human and demon realms upside down, but I will find him!”

Saying this, he took out a map. After comparing it, he led them to the windy cave entrance nestled in a corner. His expression grim, he said, “Be careful, everyone. A place where even Reverend Six Paths met his demise means the danger is far from minor!” With that, he was the first to jump in.

His two disciples followed closely behind. Consort Yunxia gritted her teeth. *This trip can’t be for nothing,* she thought, and immediately followed them inside.