Chapter 696: Hell Desert Beast

“Master’s Tranquility Whisk?” she asked in disbelief. “How did it get into your hands? This is impossible!”

This whisk was Daoist Qinghe’s life-bound magical artifact. It never left his side. If it ever appeared in someone else’s hands, there could only be one explanation: he had perished!

Yuan Chen’s body trembled. A great fear enveloped her heart. Her gaze, which had been filled with resentment towards Jiang Fan, now turned to terror.

“You… you killed my Master?”

Jiang Fan gripped the whisk and said indifferently, “You and your master shouldn’t have provoked me!”

With that, he flicked the whisk. Thousands of Tranquility Lotus threads, like a cascading waterfall, swept forth.

Yuan Chen screamed in fright and tried to escape the inner dwelling. However, the exit, seemingly just a step away, had now become an insurmountable barrier for her. Her body was immediately entangled by the whisk, which pulled her back, away from the exit. She watched helplessly as her path to survival receded, little by little. Behind her, Jiang Fan, like the grim reaper, took its place.

At this moment, she regretted it. She regretted her greed for the ox horns and the little spirit beast. If she had quietly left, Jiang Fan would have been the one to die! She was also afraid now. Her delicate body trembled, and she let out a wail of supplication.

“Jiang Fan, I’m sorry, I know I was wrong. Please spare me, I’ll never dare again…”

*Pfft*—

Her answer came in the form of a purple sword, which streaked forth and pierced her heart. A cold sensation washed over her, followed by a complete loss of strength. Finally, her consciousness plunged into eternal darkness. Vaguely, her consciousness registered one last faint sound from outside.

“I gave you a chance.”

Jiang Fan raised his hand and summoned. The purple sword and the Tranquility Lotus threads, still wrapped around her corpse, returned simultaneously. Since he sought to eliminate future troubles permanently, why would Jiang Fan show mercy? Before Yuan Chen could even be fully pulled back, he used his sword to slay her, leaving her no chance to escape.

He retrieved the Tranquility Whisk. Jiang Fan looked at Yuan Chen’s corpse before him. Without a second thought, he sliced open her abdomen with a single stroke of his sword. A dazzling, lightning-infused thunder core came into view.

“Coincidentally, your master gave me the complete version of *Six Heavenly Thunder Chapters: Cloud Shadow*,” he mused. “And you, you gave me a thunder core.” He unceremoniously dug out the thunder core and tucked it into his robes.

When Consort Yunxia arrived and saw Yuan Chen’s corpse, she couldn’t help but blame herself. “I actually forgot about her! Are you alright?”

Jiang Fan took out a Rejuvenation Pill, swallowed it, and shook his head slightly. “I’m fine. Did you find the spatial storage device?”

Consort Yunxia frowned. “No. I don’t know if it was destroyed.” She had searched carefully but found no trace of the spatial storage device. With her cultivation level, she could clearly perceive an entire area with a single glance. Yet, after searching for a while, there was still no sign of the spatial storage device.

“Is that so?” Jiang Fan vaguely thought of a possibility. “Little Qilin, it’s your turn.”

Little Qilin poked its furry little head out from behind Jiang Fan. It cautiously glanced at Consort Yunxia.

“Oh?” Consort Yunxia looked surprised. “Your spirit pet? That was it that bit me back then, wasn’t it?” She had once searched Jiang Fan and had been bitten by something. Presumably, it was this little spirit beast. But, what use could such a tiny creature be?

The next scene astonished Consort Yunxia. Little Qilin surveyed its surroundings. Its gaze suddenly fixed on the entrance of the central hall, surrounded by smaller structures like stars orbiting the moon. It pointed, “Master, it’s there!”

Without hesitation, Jiang Fan decisively launched a Soul Spike.

“Ah!” A cry of pain from Yan Daoan echoed from within the void. The space in that area warped for a moment. A transparent, palm-sized figure resembling Yan Daoan appeared, clutching a spatial storage device. His eyes showed a hint of surprise. He glanced at the little spirit beast, then looked at Jiang Fan with extreme solemnity.

“I truly can’t believe Daoist Qinghe died by your hand!” This was something Yan Daoan had never even dreamed of. Even if Daoist Qinghe was severely injured, he shouldn’t have been killed by a mere Core Formation junior like Jiang Fan. However, recalling that he himself had fallen into Jiang Fan’s trap, he felt a sense of relief. With a sinister expression, he said, “So what if you found me? I am a soul body; you can’t harm me!”

A sarcastic smirk played on Jiang Fan’s lips. “Your dying words are just like Daoist Qinghe’s!”

*Whoosh*—

He decisively threw out the Soul-Suppressing Buddhist Beads. Upon seeing the Buddhist beads, Yan Daoan was scared out of his wits: “The Soul-Suppressing Buddhist Beads from White Horse Temple?!” It clutched the spatial storage device in terror, attempting to flee. But this inner dwelling was itself an independent space. Even as a soul body, it was difficult for it to break through the spatial barrier and escape. The Soul-Suppressing Buddhist Beads easily caught up to it.

“Wait! Don’t kill me, give me a chance for possession and rebirth! I’ll give you this spatial storage device and all the incantations!” Yan Daoan screamed in horror.

Jiang Fan was expressionless: “Once I capture you, I have my ways of making you talk!”

*Rip*—

Amidst Yan Daoan’s struggling screams, the Soul-Suppressing Buddhist Beads bound him, quickly twisting him into a knot. Consort Yunxia watched, utterly stunned. Even a Nascent Soul spirit couldn’t escape Jiang Fan’s grasp? This person had so many tricks up his sleeve, it was suffocating!

However, just then, a sudden change occurred! From within the central hall, an incredibly fierce and terrifying aura suddenly emanated! It was as if a dormant ferocious beast had been awakened! The formations surrounding the hall flickered intensely, intermittently brightening and dimming. They seemed to be trying to prevent something from emerging! But this creature was excessively powerful. Even the formations couldn’t completely restrain it!

An arm several meters long pierced through the formation. It seized the Soul-Suppressing Buddhist Beads and Yan Daoan’s bound soul. Yan Daoan seemed to recognize the claw’s origin and screamed in utter terror: “Ah! It’s… it’s a Hellish Desolate Beast! How can there be a Hellish Desolate Beast here? Save me! Hurry!!!”

Jiang Fan was also greatly startled. Within this hall, there was actually such a ferocious creature? But in an instant, Jiang Fan grew annoyed. This creature actually wanted to snatch the soul body he had captured?

“Go!” The purple sword transformed into a stream of light. It fiercely struck the sharp claw. To Jiang Fan’s astonishment, the purple sword, which could cut through anything and had easily severed Daoist Qinghe’s finger, actually produced a series of sparks against the sharp claw!

“What?” Jiang Fan was greatly shocked. With a thought, he urged the purple sword to its maximum power. Only then, with a *crack*, did it sever one of its fingers!

“Roar!” A pained roar echoed from within the hall. The hand clutching the Soul-Suppressing Buddhist Beads also loosened its grip. Seizing this opportunity, Jiang Fan, with a thought, summoned the Soul-Suppressing Buddhist Beads back.

He looked closely. His face immediately darkened. In just that brief moment, Yan Daoan’s soul body had been torn away by almost half. Yan Daoan screamed in agony. Meanwhile, the portion of Yan Daoan’s soul that had been snatched into the hall let out piercing shrieks.

“No… don’t… ah…”

The screams abruptly ceased. They were replaced by sickening crunching and gnawing sounds that made one’s teeth ache and sent shivers down their spine.

“A Hellish Desolate Beast? What in the world is that?” Jiang Fan recalled the purple sword, his face filled with shock. There was actually something that the purple sword couldn’t instantly sever. And it was a living creature? He didn’t have time for questions. His scalp prickling, he urged, “Let’s go!”