A terrifying clear light shot out from the spatial storage device without any warning. It darted straight for Jiang Fan's glabella.
Even Jiang Fan was startled. Reacting quickly, he took out the Sky-Monitoring Treasure Mirror, blocking it in front of his glabella at the critical moment and activating it.
Whoosh! As the eyeball on the Sky-Monitoring Treasure Mirror rotated, the clear light that struck it was immediately reflected away, piercing through the snow cave and disappearing into the sky.
Black smoke billowed from the pierced hole, revealing the power of the clear light. If it had truly hit a vital spot like his glabella, Jiang Fan would have undoubtedly died instantly.
Immediately after, Jiang Fan's heart pounded. "Phew, that was close!" Despite his caution, he almost fell victim to it. Who would have thought that a dead person's spatial storage ring, even after obtaining the incantation, still harbored such a lethal trap?
Qin Wangchuan was also startled. "This clear light... is this spatial storage device from the Jiangshan Yipin Tower?" she exclaimed. "You should have said something earlier! I would have definitely stopped you! Spatial storage devices for Guest Elders and above in Jiangshan Yipin Tower are all equipped with traps. If an outsider opens it, it will inevitably be triggered. It's a good thing you blocked it, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable!"
Only then did Jiang Fan realize that the Jiangshan Yipin Tower's spatial storage devices had such restrictions. He asked curiously, "How did Supreme Elder Qin know?"
Qin Wangchuan didn't hide it, saying, "To cure my body's stagnation problem, I once went undercover and joined the Jiangshan Yipin Tower. I barely managed to become a Guest Elder. I know a little about its secrets."
Jiang Fan was greatly surprised. Qin Wangchuan had even been to Taicang Grand State.
"What kind of look is that?" Qin Wangchuan questioned. "Almost all the Supreme Elders in our sect have traveled to Taicang Grand State. The one who fared the best is the Supreme Elder of Samsara Peak. Under his care, the chief disciple of Samsara Peak is now incredibly formidable."
Jiang Fan frowned slightly. He then realized a problem. It seemed there was indeed no mention of a chief disciple under Elder Feng Guzen. Tang Tianlong was only his second disciple, and he had never claimed to be the senior disciple of Samsara Peak.
"Elder Feng has another chief disciple?" Jiang Fan mused. "That's truly unexpected."
Qin Wangchuan sighed, "Calling him the chief disciple is wishful thinking on our part. He might not even be willing to admit he's a disciple of Qingyun Sect."
Jiang Fan couldn't help but mumble to himself. How well must this chief disciple of Samsara Peak have fared in Taicang Grand State, if he didn't even want to acknowledge being a Qingyun Sect disciple?
But this had nothing to do with him anymore. He quickly and carefully used his divine sense to explore Xifei Jue's spatial ring.
A quick scan left him astonished. The resources inside were outrageously abundant. All kinds of precious elixirs, spiritual herbs, rare treasures, talismans, and refined ores were present. There were even spiritual liquids that could enhance cultivation to the mid-Core Formation stage. Not only disciples could benefit, but even some elders of the Qingyun Sect could profit.
Most astonishingly, there were a full ten top-grade magical artifacts. One must know that the entire land of the Nine Sects only had a mere few such artifacts. They were either in the hands of Supreme Elders at the peak of Core Formation or held by the leaders of the Nine Sects. Ordinary elders were simply not qualified to possess them. Now, with ten pieces, there were enough to equip every Supreme Elder with one.
It wasn't a waste that he had used up a Nascent Soul Jade Talisman. He finally recovered some of the cost.
Suddenly, Jiang Fan discovered a jade-like sheet of paper. Mysterious inscriptions flowed across it, but most were worn away and illegible. He took it out and showed it to Qin Wangchuan. "Supreme Elder Qin, this is..."
Before he could finish his question, Qin Wangchuan snatched it away. She examined it repeatedly in her palm for a long time before exclaiming:
"The Jade Paper Heavenly Scroll? Jiang Fan, what level of Guest Elder did you kill? How did he have something like this on him?"
Jiang Fan thought for a moment and said, "Very powerful. I only managed to kill him with a Nascent Soul Jade Talisman."
Qin Wangchuan understood, her large eyes flashing with surprise. "You've truly stumbled upon a treasure. Everything in that spatial storage device combined can't compare to this single jade paper."
Jiang Fan was curious. "What is the Jade Paper Heavenly Scroll?"
Qin Wangchuan, unable to put it down, said, "The Jade Paper Heavenly Scroll is rumored to be a magical artifact of a wise sage who fell a thousand years ago. Its level is unknown. Before the sage's demise, he self-destructed it, and its immense power directly annihilated all living beings within a thousand-mile radius. The surviving jade papers scattered across the world. Later, someone found one and achieved Primordial Spirit by chanting the inscriptions on it. You understand Primordial Spirit, right? It's a major realm in Daoist cultivation, equivalent to the Nascent Soul realm in magical cultivation."
So, the jade paper has a soul-enhancing effect? Jiang Fan's eyes gleamed with excitement. His soul was currently close to the Nascent Soul realm, but still slightly lacking. And it was precisely this slight deficiency that caused his attempt to activate the Nine Phoenixes Facing the Dao Hairpin and slay the Sky Demon Emperor to fall short.
Qin Wangchuan looked at it again and again, saying, "It's a pity, though, that this jade paper is quite severely damaged. Many inscriptions are missing, so its effect will certainly not be as good as rumored. Are there any other jade papers in the spatial storage device?"
Jiang Fan shook his head and said, "No, there aren't."
Qin Wangchuan said regretfully, "That's truly a great pity! If only I were still in Jiangshan Yipin Tower. Jade paper is such a rare item in this world; other forces would find it hard to locate, but Jiangshan Yipin Tower would surely find clues."
Jiang Fan strongly agreed with this point. How rare were the Silver Scrolls of the Pill Records? The demon race themselves didn't even have many. Yet Yan Dao'an alone possessed no less than half of them!
Jiang Fan was also full of regret, saying, "If there's a chance in the future, I'll go to Jiangshan Yipin Tower and have a look."
Qin Wangchuan thought for a moment. She took out a crimson token from her robe and tossed it to Jiang Fan.
"It's for you."
Jiang Fan took it and examined it. He found "Jiangshan Yipin Tower" engraved on the front of the token, and on the back were the words "Tyrant Guest Elder."
"This isn't your old Guest Elder token, is it?" Jiang Fan looked at the two words "Tyrant," then he looked at the petite Qin Wangchuan. He struggled to suppress his laughter.
Sure enough, people often proclaim what they lack. Qin Wangchuan's small face flushed, and she glared, "You ungrateful wretch! I'm giving you an identity as a Guest Elder of Jiangshan Yipin Tower, and you're still laughing at me! Give it back!"
Jiang Fan suppressed his smile and asked, puzzled, "Can I use this token?"
Qin Wangchuan said, her small face stern, "I never revealed my true identity. When conducting transactions, I always disguised myself as a gender-neutral adult. If you activate this token, you can continue to serve as a Guest Elder of Jiangshan Yipin Tower. No one will discover that there's been a change of person."
Such a good thing exists? Jiang Fan happily fiddled with it and asked, "Are there any restrictions on serving as a Guest Elder?"
Qin Wangchuan said, "Every month, Jiangshan Yipin Tower will issue a transaction mission through the token. Simply complete it. It's fine if you can't complete it; it will only lower your rating. With this identity, you can issue missions to search for jade paper within Jiangshan Yipin Tower. It's much more convenient than trying to find it as a guest of Jiangshan Yipin Tower. In the future, when traveling in Taicang Grand State, this identity will also provide you with many conveniences."
Only then did Jiang Fan realize the value of this identity. This was the Guest Elder identity Qin Wangchuan had finally obtained after years of hard work, and now all of it was simply inherited by Jiang Fan.
"Great kindness needs no words of thanks," Jiang Fan said. "When this junior enters Taicang Grand State, I will certainly seek a method to resolve Senior's body stagnation." He bowed deeply.
Qin Wangchuan's expression was touched, then immediately dimmed. "Never mind," she said. "I've searched my entire life and couldn't resolve it. By the time you find it, I'll have already passed away. No need to force it."
Jiang Fan said nothing more. He put away the token and the jade paper, then handed the spatial storage device to her as well.
"Please, Supreme Elder Qin, also distribute the resources inside this."
Qin Wangchuan nodded slightly. "Alright, Elder Zhao is under my care. If you have anything to take care of, go do it quickly. In five days, it will be the day the Heavenly Secret Pavilion recruits you. Finish everything by then."
Jiang Fan nodded. Donning the Turtle Breath Cloak, he quietly arrived at the hidden space on the Great Wall. After confirming no one was inside, Jiang Fan had Little Qilin stand guard at the entrance. He then took out the Soul-Suppressing Buddhist Beads.
Yan Dao'an, whose body was torn into small pieces, was tightly clutching a spatial storage ring, his face full of apprehension. "Jiang Fan, grant this venerable one a way out. This venerable one swears never to seek revenge on you. How about I give you this spatial storage ring and the incantation?"
"Give the incantation?" Jiang Fan glanced at the spatial storage ring in his hand. He immediately understood what evil schemes Yan Dao'an was plotting.
