Chapter 656: Metaphysical Battlefield

At some unknown moment, a seed resembling a mung bean sprout landed on his shoulder. The pod at its tip opened, revealing tiny, dense teeth, and bit into his neck.

Xifeijue immediately felt his body was no longer under the control of his soul. He was like a puppet, unable to move or speak. The four words, 'Void Flow Thunder Power,' were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't utter them.

Jiang Fan, standing on a flying sword, slowly descended. His eyes were utterly indifferent as he said, "I've been wary of you all along." Even a cornered dog will jump over a wall, let alone a vicious old man like Xifeijue. If he had been allowed to reveal the secret before his death, wouldn't this Nascent Soul Jade Talisman have been wasted for nothing?

Xifeijue's eyes surged with immense venomous resentment. Unfortunately, he still couldn't speak. As cracks rapidly spread across his chest, finally, with a bang, his body shattered into countless fragments like ceramic.

Jiang Fan was quick. He grabbed one of Xifeijue's severed fingers because it wore a spatial storage ring! However, such man-made spatial storage devices require a specific incantation to open. Without the incantation, one could only sigh in frustration. And Xifeijue, the only one who knew the incantation, was now dead!

Just as he was hesitating whether to keep the item, Hai Mei quickly caught up and asked, "Master, are you alright?" The previous spear strike had been devastating, causing her great concern.

Jiang Fan shook his head and replied, "I'm fine. We need to leave this place quickly..." No sooner had he spoken than a thunderous roar exploded overhead. "Who dares to kill an honored guest of my Jiangshan First-Class Pavilion?"

Both Jiang Fan and Hai Mei staggered from the shock, barely clinging to the rock wall. "Quick, let's go!" Jiang Fan's heart skipped a beat. He had thoroughly offended a Nascent Soul expert. If this person discovered him, he would have nowhere to run, no escape.

He quickly returned to the secret realm and put away the Five Magnetite Yuan Mountain. Picking up Ling Shu, he headed towards the cave entrance they had used to enter. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a tail out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he realized that three members of the Silver Fox clan were hidden in a crevice. He had almost forgotten about them.

"You are free," he said. "Leave this place quickly." With that, Jiang Fan decisively slipped into the passage and headed outside. The three Silver Fox clan members exchanged glances. Ultimately, they decided to follow Jiang Fan and leave.

A short while later, the group arrived on the surface. At the exit, Jiang Fan cautiously surveyed their surroundings. All they heard were booming sounds all around them. At times, immense divine light streaked across the sky, and at other times, terrifying spells shattered the earth. The clear blue sky was illuminated with vibrant, kaleidoscopic hues by the reflections of various spells, as if the end of the world had arrived.

Boom! A residual ripple of power struck near them, instantly triggering a tremor. The passage they were in shook violently, and large rocks fell from above. The ground at the exit was leveled by a full three zhang (about 10 meters)! Jiang Fan, who was peeking out from the exit, was nearly swept away by the sudden ripple. All of them couldn't help but feel their hearts pound in fear.

They were currently on the edge of a Nascent Soul battle! Even a minor residual ripple could claim all their lives. Hai Mei swallowed, asking, "Master, should we still leave now?" It seemed slightly safer to remain in the secret realm.

Jiang Fan's scalp tingled. If they didn't leave, once the battle ended and Deputy Pavilion Master Yan came to inspect the secret realm, they would face certain death. But if they left, every direction was dangerous!

Just then, among the three Silver Fox clan members, a beautiful young female Silver Fox softly suggested, "Why don't we hide in our Silver Fox clan's refuge? It's deep underground and should be very safe." Upon hearing this, one of the male Silver Fox clan members immediately bristled. "Xiao Ya," he said, "that's our Silver Fox clan's refuge. It's never open to outsiders. The clan leader would be furious if he knew." The other male Silver Fox clan member also frowned and added, "Besides, the clan leader was severely injured by that honored guest from Jiangshan First-Class Pavilion and is critically ill. It's even more inappropriate to bring outsiders in now."

Hai Mei cast a cold glance at the two Silver Fox clan members. Her eyes held a hint of disdain. If not for Jiang Fan, these two would have been taken to Taicang and sold as slaves. They had just caught their breath, and now they were complaining that Jiang Fan was an outsider?

Xiao Ya looked at Jiang Fan's back and weakly said, "But he saved us. If we take him back, the clan leader won't say anything." The two male Silver Fox clan members looked displeased. They muttered softly, "We didn't ask him to save us. It's as if we owe him a favor. Exactly. He was just protecting himself; he didn't specifically save us." Xiao Ya said awkwardly, "But..."

The space was small, and even soft whispers were clearly audible. Jiang Fan found it difficult to pretend he hadn't heard, so he interrupted Xiao Ya, saying, "There's no need to feel conflicted. I had no intention of going to your Silver Fox tribe's refuge anyway." Consort Yunxia was likely there as well. Even if asked, Jiang Fan might not have agreed to go. And now they were even reluctant.

One of the male Silver Fox clan members pouted. "Of course he'd say that after being rejected. Let's go!"

Xiao Ya felt helpless. She could only repeatedly bow apologetically to Jiang Fan before tiptoeing out of the passage with the two clan members. Then, clinging to the base of the green mountain, they swiftly headed towards the Silver Fox tribe's refuge.

Their journey was uneventful. However, at a bend in the path, suddenly! A scattered ray, without warning, pierced through the green mountain, grazing their heads. The powerful Nascent Soul ripple contained within the ray immediately knocked all three of them to the ground! Xiao Ya, being the closest, was directly hit by the ripple, suffering internal injuries that destroyed her vital organs. She screamed as she was thrown sideways, landing on the ground and spitting up blood continuously. It was clear she wouldn't live much longer.

Among the two male Silver Fox clan members, one was particularly unlucky; his head was crushed by the ripple, and he died instantly. The other was luckier, but still covered in blood and spitting up blood incessantly. He lay on the ground, unable to move. He, too, clearly wouldn't survive much longer.

Hai Mei gasped, "This is far too dangerous!" In an instant, one was dead and two were severely wounded. Jiang Fan frowned. He looked up at the increasingly flickering and colorful lights in the sky. The battle seemed to be growing fiercer.

Nowhere was safe except underground. Clenching his jaw slightly, Jiang Fan said, "We're evacuating this place! Hold onto me!" He intended to use Cloud Shadow to get them away from here as quickly as possible.

Hai Mei's expression showed slight embarrassment, but then she thought, *I've already clung to him before, so what's the point of caring so much?* She extended her fair arms and wrapped them around Jiang Fan's waist from behind. His broad, warm back made Hai Mei's cheeks flush, a blush spreading from her ears to her face.

"Hold tight!" Jiang Fan said in a low voice. He decisively activated Cloud Shadow and instantly vanished from their spot. When they reappeared, they were already eight hundred zhang (about 2.6 kilometers) away.

Using the second level of Cloud Shadow while carrying two other people significantly affected the teleportation distance. Somewhat unexpectedly, the three Silver Fox clan members were right in front of them. After a thought, Jiang Fan approached Xiao Ya, who was on the verge of death. He took out a Rejuvenation Pill and fed it to her. "You're lucky," he said.

If Cloud Shadow hadn't coincidentally bypassed them, Jiang Fan would not have turned back to save her. With the powerful medicinal effects, Xiao Ya's life was saved. Her eyes filled with gratitude, she said, "Thank you... Young Master Jiang..." Jiang Fan nodded, then used Cloud Shadow again, saying, "Take care of yourself."

Xiao Ya pleaded, "Young Master Jiang, c-can you take me to the refuge?" The battle between Nascent Soul experts was too terrifying. She didn't believe she could make it to the refuge alive on her own. "I-I won't let you help for nothing," Xiao Ya quickly added. She quickly continued, "I know the incantation for that honored guest's spatial storage device. If you can go back and find his spatial storage device, you'll be able to open it."

"What?" Jiang Fan's pupils constricted.