Chapter 648: 断发簪

Jiang Fan's scalp prickled!

This was a terrifying entity that even a Demon Emperor couldn't handle.

How could he, a mere Core Formation cultivator, easily shake it off?

Without hesitation, he decisively formed a hand seal and struck the Five-Magnet Primordial Mountain in his palm.

"Five-Magnet Divine Light!"

A five-colored light barrier instantly enveloped a three-zhang radius.

To Jiang Fan's alarm, the Blood Skirt was completely unaffected; it broke through the barrier and instantly coiled around Jiang Fan's waist.

A piercing pain immediately spread through him.

It seemed as if the Blood Skirt had bitten into his flesh, intending to devour his blood and essence.

And it wasn't just that. Once it had him ensnared, the Blood Skirt lunged forward entirely.

It intended to completely engulf him, just as it had devoured Yuan Liping.

Jiang Fan's expression drastically changed.

"Soul Spike!"

A spiritual spike shot out abruptly, piercing into the Blood Skirt.

To Jiang Fan's dismay, the Blood Skirt showed no signs of hesitation or pause.

It instantly enveloped Jiang Fan!

The Blood Skirt completely ignored his two most prized abilities!

In this critical moment, Jiang Fan roared, "Void Current Lightning!"

A massive surge of lightning erupted from his body, forming a protective lightning net around him.

*Zzzt!*

The Blood Skirt immediately sizzled from the electricity, evaporating large amounts of bloody mist from its surface.

The force with which it coiled around Jiang Fan loosened.

This malevolent entity, which was neither spirit nor physical, feared lightning power the most.

However, it only loosened for a brief moment before, as if enraged, it coiled around Jiang Fan once more.

Jiang Fan, meanwhile, seized the brief moment of its slackening.

He grabbed the purple stone.

Before the intense pain enveloped his body and his flesh began to be devoured, he bellowed.

He pressed the stone into the formation's core!

*Grind! Grind!*

The ancient formation immediately activated.

The inscriptions on the walls flickered with an intermittent glow.

The blood in the underground blood pool instantly dried up, and the ground around the bronze coffin rapidly ascended.

It was quickly resealing the underground chamber.

The Blood Skirt sensed something.

It let out a shriek, decisively abandoned Jiang Fan, and darted into the bronze coffin as an afterimage.

It then coiled around the bronze coffin lid, covering itself once more.

Jiang Fan had narrowly escaped death.

He looked down.

His body was covered in countless tiny, intricate cuts, from which blood flowed profusely.

A profound sense of weakness washed over him.

Just being coiled for a moment, Jiang Fan had lost at least ten percent of his vital essence.

He dared not imagine what would have happened if the Blood Skirt had had another two breaths.

What his fate would have been!

A wave of dread washed over him.

In all his years of cultivation, that single moment had been his closest encounter with death.

Bar none!

He looked with immense apprehension at the rapidly closing bronze coffin.

To his surprise, he noticed a broken, bronze-colored hairpin inside the coffin.

The Blood Skirt lay quietly, coiled around it.

Could this, could this also be a relic of that great sage?

And was it highly valued by the Blood Skirt?

Thinking about how he had almost been drained into a husk by the Blood Skirt, and glancing at the rising ground, a glint flashed in his eyes, and he snorted, "My flesh and blood are not something you can freeload on!"

"Time to pay up!"

Seizing the moment just before the bronze coffin fully closed, Jiang Fan decisively shot out a strand of Tianshan Silkworm Silk.

It instantly wrapped around the broken hairpin, pulling it out.

*Boom!*

The bronze coffin closed.

Only then did the Blood Skirt inside realize what had happened, letting out a long, piercing shriek.

The newly closed bronze coffin lid was violently blown open again.

The Blood Skirt transformed into an afterimage and surged upwards with a howl.

But at that very moment, the ground completely ascended, permanently sealing off the underground area.

*Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!*

The underground chamber immediately began to shake violently.

It was obvious that the Blood Skirt was furiously slamming against the ground below, trying to break free.

Jiang Fan's action had completely enraged it.

However, as the seal continued to operate, the crashing sounds grew weaker and weaker, eventually fading into complete silence.

*Whoosh!*

Jiang Fan, weakened, slumped to the ground.

His face was deathly pale, and his body trembled from exhaustion.

He quickly took out a Rejuvenation Pill and popped it into his mouth.

This would only heal the small wounds on his skin and alleviate the pain.

The lost vital essence and refined flesh could not be recovered in a short time.

"I almost didn't make it," Jiang Fan said with a bitter smile.

However, he hadn't left empty-handed.

The Blood Skirt was clearly guarding this bronze hairpin.

This item was a personal hairpin of the great sage, and its preservation after a thousand years indicated it was no ordinary artifact.

Just as he was about to take it out and examine it, Hai Mei rushed over.

She found Jiang Fan pale-faced and so weak he couldn't even stand steadily.

Hai Mei was startled.

She quickly knelt before Jiang Fan to check his injuries.

"It's fine, I just lost some vital essence and refined flesh."

"I'll be fine after some rest."

Jiang Fan waved his hand, indicating he was not seriously injured.

Hai Mei finally let out a slight breath of relief.

With a hint of reproach in her tone, she said, "Master, please don't do that again."

"I'm not worth you doing that for."

Risking one's life for a mere slave...

Only Jiang Fan would be so foolish in this world.

"You're not allowed to leave!"

Just then, Ling Shu's sharp cry came from the exit leading out of the underground area.

Both looked over.

They then realized Wang Chongxiao was trying to flee amidst the chaos but had been stopped by Ling Shu.

However, Wang Chongxiao hadn't sustained any injuries in the blood pool and was at the peak of his combat strength.

After a few exchanges, he struck Ling Shu's shoulder blade with a palm, sending her stumbling back.

He then seized the opportunity to escape.

"Hai Mei! Kill him!" Jiang Fan's eyes gleamed coldly.

Since he had dared to attack a disciple of the Grand Yin Sect, how could they not cut the grass by the roots and eliminate future troubles?

Without Jiang Fan needing to command, Hai Mei had already moved.

She took a step forward.

The next moment, a patch of ice and snow suddenly appeared on the ground in front of Wang Chongxiao.

The ice and snow condensed, remarkably transforming into Hai Mei's likeness.

Her pretty face was slightly cold as she declared, "You deserve to die!"

This man had almost killed Jiang Fan!

Wang Chongxiao's expression shifted.

The person before him was a peak ninth-layer Core Formation cultivator.

How could he possibly contend with her?

He said awkwardly, "Brother Lu, a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!"

"It was all Junior Sister Yuan; her greed blinded her, and she wanted to monopolize the treasure, forcing me to conspire against you."

*Heh.*

How truly shameless!

Yuan Liping had been framed by him and turned into a dried corpse.

Now he was pushing all the blame onto her.

Jiang Fan said indifferently, "Do these words matter?"

"Today, you won't be leaving."

With things having escalated to this point, they had no choice but to kill him to silence him.

Hai Mei's icy eyes glinted, and killing intent surged within them.

Wang Chongxiao's heart pounded with urgency. He pleaded, "Brother Lu, don't do it! Don't do it!"

"I know I was wrong."

"I'll compensate you by sharing some information that could make you rich."

Jiang Fan's gaze flickered.

After a moment of hesitation, he said, "You'd better be sure this information can save your life."

Wang Chongxiao breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "Brother Lu, do you know that a special demon race resides in this mountain range called Green Mountain?"

Jiang Fan asked, surprised, "Are you referring to the Silver Fox Clan?"

Wang Chongxiao exclaimed in surprise, "So Brother Lu knew there were Silver Foxes here already?"

"Could it be that you came here for them too?"

Jiang Fan frowned and said, "Explain yourself clearly!"

Wang Chongxiao paused, then retorted, "Brother Lu, aren't you interested in the Silver Fox Clan?"

"They're a rare commodity!"

"Handsome men and beautiful women, they are top-tier slaves, highly sought after in the black market."

Jiang Fan's brows furrowed even deeper.

He had had a question before this.

Why was the Silver Fox Clan, supposed to guard the secret realm, nowhere to be seen?

Now, the answer had emerged.