Chapter 671: Six Paths Possession

Jiang Fan decisively retreated.

He stared at Venerable Azure Crane, who had been revived, a complex expression on his face.

Hai Mei's face was pale as she exclaimed, "He... how did he come back to life again?"

Jiang Fan narrowed his eyes. "He didn't revive."

"It's soul possession."

"Old man, you really don't miss any chance for soul possession!"

The one who stood up again before them was no longer Venerable Azure Crane. It was clearly Venerable Six Paths!

Venerable Azure Crane... or rather, Venerable Six Paths, stood up. He looked down at the withered and aged body, a look of distaste on his face.

"This body has little lifespan left, and the Blood Skirt drained a lot of its essence and blood. If only it were Yan Daoan's body." He sighed.

Jiang Fan rolled his eyes at him. "You complain when you've got meat to eat? You should be secretly pleased that I didn't snuff you out."

On second thought, he had a point. Originally, Venerable Six Paths had been suppressed by Jiang Fan, his life and death dependent on Jiang Fan's mood. Soul possession and spiritual cultivation rebirth were unimaginable. Now that he had finally managed to possess a body, he was actually being picky.

With that thought, Venerable Six Paths's face broke into a smile. "Thank you for completing this, young man."

Jiang Fan stopped him. "Don't, I didn't help you with the soul possession."

Venerable Six Paths chuckled. "But you never killed me. Perhaps you still remembered the slight connection between us?" When his initial soul possession attempt failed and he was suppressed by Jiang Fan, Jiang Fan could have killed him then. But he never did.

Jiang Fan said flatly, "You misunderstand. I simply forgot."

Venerable Six Paths smiled but said nothing. How meticulous was Jiang Fan? How could he forget his existence? The only reason could be that Jiang Fan had shown him a sliver of mercy, unable to bring himself to kill him.

Noticing the purple sword in Jiang Fan's hand, clenching and loosening periodically, Venerable Six Paths understood. Jiang Fan wanted to let him go, yet also worried he would cause trouble once free. He couldn't help but show a complicated expression and sighed, "Alright! I won't make things difficult for you. I promise you that I will no longer slaughter the innocent from now on, unless someone provokes me."

Jiang Fan thought for a moment. He retracted his purple sword and said, "You'd better keep your promise. Otherwise, I won't mind making you follow in Venerable Azure Crane's footsteps!"

Venerable Six Paths's old face twitched. "That old fox Azure Crane, such a cunning person, yet he ended up dying by your hand. No one would believe it if word got out. However..." He paused and said, "That old man still had a trick up his sleeve before he died. As far as I know, he ambushed and killed at least three Nascent Soul cultivators. The treasures he plundered were quite astonishing! How could there be so little, only what's in the spatial storage ring? There's only one explanation: he anticipated his soul leaving his body and prepared a contingency for soul possession and rebirth."

Jiang Fan's heart stirred. How cunning! He even prepared such a backup plan!

Suddenly, Jiang Fan's gaze shifted, and he began to scrutinize Venerable Six Paths. "Didn't you prepare any backup plans or anything?" Speaking of cunning, Venerable Six Paths was no slouch either. He had almost taken over Jiang Fan's body!

Venerable Six Paths was slightly taken aback. When he noticed Jiang Fan looking at him as if he were a treasure mountain, he was so furious his beard bristled and his eyes widened. "You brat, you're eyeing my possessions now! If I had a backup plan, would I be in this predicament?"

That was true. Jiang Fan asked, "So, what are your plans now?"

Venerable Six Paths chuckled. "Naturally, I'll go find the treasure that old man left behind. Although I have a Nascent Soul body, not only is the body severely injured, but my soul is also a remnant. I urgently need a large amount of resources to recover."

He paused. Venerable Six Paths's eyes gleamed. "Of course, I'll leave a little something for you too. When you come to Taicang Great Province, I'll give it to you."

Jiang Fan squinted at him. He had a look of disbelief. "Are you really that kind-hearted? Or do you need something from me?" He knew Venerable Six Paths too well. This guy, who wouldn't lift a finger without profit, would rather monopolize everything. How could he kindly leave something for Jiang Fan?

"Cough, cough," Venerable Six Paths said, "let's not describe our relationship as so heartless. We've been through hardships together, after all. Of course, I do have a tiny little request." Venerable Six Paths held up his pinky finger, implying the matter was very, very small.

"Heh." Jiang Fan gave him a disdainful look. "Is it 'a little bit,' or 'a huge amount'?"

Venerable Six Paths said awkwardly, "Just a bit, truly just a bit. Aren't you going to the Tiger Demon Emperor's inner palace with this unconscious woman? I'd like to ask you to keep an eye out for my personal artifact from back then inside the inner palace. Back then, when the Tiger Demon Emperor ambushed me, he must have stolen my magic treasures. Most likely, he hid them in his own cave dwelling."

Jiang Fan stroked his chin in thought. Venerable Six Paths was a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator back then. His treasures surely wouldn't be worse than Venerable Azure Crane's whisk, right?

"What kind of item is it?" Jiang Fan asked.

Venerable Six Paths's eyes gleamed with pride. "A mid-grade spiritual artifact, the Sky-Monitoring Mirror! From afar, it can monitor thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, and detect enemy traces. Up close, it can reflect enemy attacks. Holding this mirror, one stands invincible."

As he spoke, Venerable Six Paths's mouth suddenly twitched. "Young man, why are your eyes so bright?"

Jiang Fan blinked and gave a dry cough. "I've been a bit overheated lately, so my eyes are brighter than usual. Alright, I accept this task. We've known each other for a while, and our bond is deep; it's only right that I help you find your lost treasure."

Seeing Jiang Fan's talk of deep bond, Venerable Six Paths suddenly felt a pang of regret and muttered, "Why do I feel like the Sky-Monitoring Mirror is saying goodbye to me forever?" Shaking his head, he said, "When you find this treasure, come find me in Taicang Great Province. At that time, return my mirror to me, and I'll give you Venerable Azure Crane's resources."

Jiang Fan nodded. "Deal!"

Venerable Six Paths also nodded slightly. "Then I'll be going now. Be careful yourself. From what I know of Jiangshan First-Class Pavilion, they never do a losing business. Yan Daoan lost so many subordinates; he will surely seek compensation in other ways. Don't let him see what you have on you." Having said that, he rose into the air, ready to leave.

Jiang Fan scoffed. "Before you go, aren't you going to leave my hairpin?" That old rascal. Did he think Jiang Fan had forgotten? He was trying to sneakily take his belongings?

Venerable Six Paths's mouth twitched, and he pulled out the broken hairpin he had secretly hidden in his sleeve. He grumbled, "Can't you give me a little gift for our parting?"

Jiang Fan walked over and snatched it back. "I risked my life for this; is it something I can just give away to you?"

He then slipped a jade bottle into his hand. "This is what you need most right now." Venerable Six Paths, who had been bristling with anger, saw the bottle full of Rejuvenation Pills. His face lit up with joy. Having been with Jiang Fan for so long, he naturally knew the miraculous properties of this item. It was practically a life-saving talisman.

"At least you, young man, have a bit of humanity. Alright, then I'll tell you the origin of the hairpin and how to use it, lest such a good treasure be treated like scrap metal by you."