Chapter 651: Shockwaves Through the Great State's Bounty

A single spiritual pill could lead one to achieve the Origin Infant realm. From then on, one could soar through the heavens and burrow underground, move mountains and fill seas. From then on, one would be revered by thousands and establish a sect! Who wouldn't be tempted?

The moment the bounty was announced, the entire Taicang Grand Province was shaken. Xifei Jue was also incredibly excited. But that excitement lasted only a moment. This was because the bounty's task was simply impossible to complete: finding someone who cultivated the Virtual Flow Lightning Force. What kind of person? Male or female? Tall or thin? Old or young? Not a single detail was mentioned, not even the search area. Taicang Grand Province alone had hundreds of millions of living beings, and the surrounding smaller provinces were spread out like stars, teeming with countless more. "Finding a needle in a haystack" was usually an adjective, but in this case, it was a literal statement. This was truly finding a needle in a haystack.

The martial artists of Taicang Grand Province were all tempted, but it was just a fleeting temptation. No one took it seriously because they didn't believe such a low-probability event—even less likely than being hit by a meteor—would happen to them. Xifei Jue felt the same way. Until just now, when the lodestone in his possession, used to detect Virtual Flow Lightning Force, reacted. This lodestone was distributed by that Venerable to all sects and religions in Taicang Grand Province. Every martial artist above the ninth layer of the Meridian Core realm was eligible to receive one. Its sole purpose was to sense Virtual Flow Lightning Force. And when Jiang Fan's spiritual energy became chaotic just now, it stirred a trace of Virtual Flow Lightning Force, causing the lodestone to react.

Jiang Fan's heart jolted. He immediately transmitted a message to the two women: "Be on guard! This person is suspicious." Why did Xifei Jue know about Virtual Flow Lightning Force? Was there really a second person cultivating the "Five Virtual Flow Forces," unique to the Five Elements Divine Lord, besides him? On the surface, Jiang Fan remained calm, lightly frowning as he asked, "Virtual what force? Are you talking about me?" He tried to buy as much time as possible, hoping to break through sooner.

Xifei Jue held the lodestone and gestured towards Jiang Fan again. But as Jiang Fan contained the leaked energy, the lodestone no longer reacted. Xifei Jue paused, then forced a wry smile. "It seems I was mistaken. My apologies for disturbing your breakthrough. No problem, it's fine now. Please continue your cultivation." He turned his back to everyone and sat down cross-legged. Ling Shu let out a small sigh of relief. She had thought something was amiss and was about to lower her guard. Suddenly, Jiang Fan's urgent voice echoed in her mind: "Don't fall for it! He's trying to lower your vigilance..."

No sooner had the words faded than Xifei Jue, who had been sitting cross-legged just moments before, suddenly slammed both palms onto the ground. *Boom!* A powerful, mysterious energy radiated from beneath the earth. Ling Shu had no time to react. Her feet instantly felt as if they were trapped in a swamp, rendering her unable to move. Immediately after, Xifei Jue used the ground's recoil to spring up, transforming into a blur as he shot towards Ling Shu. His speed was astonishing, reaching her in the blink of an eye. His ancient, withered face was contorted with ferocity. In his hand, he clutched an antique, serrated dagger, which he thrust viciously towards Ling Shu's chest. All of this happened in a flash. It was simply too fast, giving Ling Shu no time to react. Her vision darkened, and she felt certain death.

But just then, a multicolored fish tail appeared instantly, lashing out towards Xifei Jue's vital spot on his back. Xifei Jue's expression changed. He had no choice but to abandon his attack on Ling Shu, dodging sideways. Then, he sped towards Jiang Fan, his eyes burning with fervor. The one who had intervened to save Ling Shu was, of course, Hai Mei. With her extensive experience, she was not easily deceived like Ling Shu. The more the enemy feigned harmlessness, the more vigilant she became. So, the moment Xifei Jue made his move, she reacted.

"Be careful," Hai Mei quickly warned. She then decisively transformed into a blur of wind and snow, instantly appearing in front of Jiang Fan. With a thought, sharp ice shards immediately manifested around her, assailing the charging Xifei Jue like a violent storm. "Bloodline talent?" Xifei Jue found it difficult to deal with. Gripping his dagger, he continuously hacked away at the ice shards. At the same time, without turning his head, he roared, "What are you all staring at? Kill that kid! Make sure you bring back his head!"

The members of Jiangshan First-Class Pavilion were utterly bewildered. Hadn't Elder Xi just said to avoid creating complications? Why was he suddenly attacking and trying to kill? After a moment of stunned silence, they immediately carried out his orders. The young man in luxurious robes, his face full of menace, charged towards Jiang Fan, who was still in the middle of his breakthrough. "Kid, weren't you bluffing me just now? Go on, keep bluffing!" He held a long saber and swung it fiercely towards Jiang Fan's neck.

*Poof, poof, poof!* A flurry of green spiritual light suddenly flew in, exploding violently around him. Although not incredibly powerful, their sheer number made him incredibly flustered. "If you want to harm my Brother Jiang Fan, you'll have to get past me first!" Ling Shu, having escaped the mire's control, flew to Jiang Fan's side. With a torrent of spiritual light in her hands, she stared intently at the young man in luxurious robes.

"Heh heh," the young man in luxurious robes scoffed playfully. "So your name is Jiang Fan! I knew all along you weren't Wang Chongxiao! I must say, you have quite a good life—a mermaid on your left, and a beautiful sister on your right." Jiang Fan's brows were tightly furrowed. He was at the final critical stage of his breakthrough and couldn't possibly interrupt it. Doing so would leave his Golden Core in an unstable, abnormal state—neither large nor small—which would lightly affect subsequent spiritual energy circulation. Worse, his Golden Core could disintegrate, causing spiritual energy to flow backward, commonly known as qi deviation. He could only hope Ling Shu would be able to hold them off for a moment. But would Ling Shu truly shield him? They didn't really have much of a connection. Moreover, Ling Shu knew so many of Jiang Fan's secrets; in a way, she was currently under his control. Now was a good opportunity for her to break free from him.

"Little sister, I am Yi Feng from Jiangshan First-Class Pavilion," Yi Feng said, teasingly appraising Ling Shu's slender figure and delicate, pretty face. Her refreshing, fairy-like aura was truly hard not to like. "Why follow someone who hasn't even reached the fifth layer of the Meridian Core realm when you could follow me?" Her response was a burst of green light from her sleeve. *Boom, boom, boom!* The green light scattered in all directions, blasting the group of pavilion members who had tried to flank Jiang Fan from behind, leaving them dusty and scrambling backward. It turned out Yi Feng was trying to distract Ling Shu while the others secretly attempted a sneak attack to quickly end Jiang Fan's life. He didn't expect Ling Shu to see through their ploy.

"The same trick, trying it a second time?" Ling Shu's pretty face turned slightly cold. Being deceived by Xifei Jue earlier and almost falling for his trap had already caused her to lose face. There was no way she would fall for it again. Yi Feng's eyes narrowed. "You refuse a toast, so you'll drink a forfeit!" A formidable aura emanated from his body—it was the powerful aura of an eighth-layer Meridian Core realm cultivator! The remaining eight pavilion members also unleashed their cultivation levels, all of them being powerful cultivators of the sixth and seventh layers of the Meridian Core realm! Any one of them, if placed in the Nine Sect Lands, would be a renowned powerhouse. Together, their combined strength was something no sect would dare to underestimate. Ling Shu's beautiful eyes sharpened. Even one Yi Feng was more than she could handle, let alone so many other powerful cultivators. If she fought with all her might, she would undoubtedly die here!