Chapter 792: Praise from Jiang Fan

Ji Ruyue's face flushed. She lightly stamped her foot and scolded playfully, "Stop talking nonsense!"

"Jiang Shidi and I are really nothing. What you call 'hero saving the beauty' was just him saving me from the mouth of a corpse on Boundary Mountain. He saved countless people on Boundary Mountain. If you really go by what you're saying, were those several female elders, over eighty years old, also 'saved by a hero' by him?"

The two mischievous junior sisters exchanged glances. They covered their mouths and giggled.

Ji Ruyue put her hands together in a salute: "My dear sisters, please spare me! Stop spreading rumors. You're trying to pair me up with our Sect Master's man. Do you want to get me killed?"

As she spoke, she sighed dejectedly, "Besides, I wouldn't dare to harbor any thoughts about Jiang Shidi. You all saw Xu Youran that day, didn't you? Even someone as powerful as the Sect Master, what did she become in front of her? How could I possibly dare to approach him? If it had been me that day, a single glance from Xu Youran would have probably scared me into kneeling."

The two junior sisters clicked their tongues. Remembering the scene of Xu Youran appearing as the rightful partner, they both felt a little intimidated. Many female disciples from various sects who had harbored feelings for Jiang Fan completely settled down after that. No one dared to court disaster.

"Then, Senior Sister, you recently..." One junior sister was still a bit unaccustomed to Ji Ruyue's style of dress.

Ji Ruyue pointed to her palace attire: "Jiang Shidi gained fame from the battle at Boundary Mountain, then fought the Giant Sect, shaking all directions with his might. Many people from other sects, knowing I had some acquaintance with Jiang Shidi, came to me to inquire about his situation. Many of them were elders. I couldn't possibly continue wearing my usual light and revealing clothes, could I? I couldn't let them think that Jiang Shidi associated with an immodest and flirtatious young woman, could I? That would make people misunderstand Jiang Shidi's character."

The two junior sisters suddenly understood. One of them stepped forward and gently hugged her, saying, "You've been wronged, Senior Sister Ji. Thinking so silently for Jiang Shidi, he won't see it, nor will he realize it."

Ji Ruyue, however, was indifferent. "It's just changing my style of clothes, what's the big deal? Besides, Jiang Shidi saved me. It's only right that I help maintain his image. It's just a pity that I'll probably never see him again in this life."

The two junior sisters fell silent. The current Jiang Fan, having entered the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, was like a dragon in the clouds, unattainable. Even if he returned to the Nine Sects, only grand figures like the Supreme Elders, Sect Masters, and Elders of each sect would be qualified to meet him. For Ji Ruyue, a minor disciple, even catching a distant glimpse of him would be fortunate. To travel together as they once did, or to meet alone, was now impossible.

Just as they were speaking, *Thud, thud, thud, thud—* Four dull thuds, without warning, crashed down around them. The ice on the ground was smashed into four huge craters. The slight tremor caused by this made the three women's delicate bodies tremble violently.

"Wh-What's going on?" Mustering their courage, they approached one of the ice craters. Peering inside, they all gasped in unison. A person lay at the bottom, their body grotesquely twisted. Their bones were probably crushed to dust. Large amounts of fresh blood rapidly flowed from their orifices, staining the bottom of the pit red. They were deader than dead.

"Why are people falling from the sky?" They checked the other three craters; all of them contained people. But when they all looked up at the sky, they were so frightened they scattered and fled.

They saw a gigantic fierce beast, accompanied by countless human figures, all falling downwards. *Boom—* The colossal beast crashed heavily onto the ground. It directly caused an earthquake. Immediately after, living people fell down one by one, smashing hard onto the ground. Not even a single groan of agony was heard. They were instantly killed upon impact.

Only Zhang Yundian maintained a sliver of consciousness. Just as he was about to fall, he gritted his teeth, opened his mouth, and spat out a protective magic artifact he had been holding. The artifact erupted in clusters of clear light. It offset most of the impact force. Even so, he was sent sprawling, spitting blood, and wracked with pain throughout his body. But he had no time to think, let alone check on his companions and the Listenwind beast. He scrambled up and decisively fled. He was already severely injured from the fall, and the hidden enemy's strength was unknown, plus they were proficient in the Sansqing Mountain's God-Forgetfulness Curse. They were simply not someone he could deal with. Fleeing was paramount.

Ji Ruyue was completely stunned. Out of nowhere, the scene before her suddenly turned into a living hell.

At this moment, the Listenwind beast lying on the ground was surprisingly not entirely dead. Its dull, cruel eyes glanced at Ji Ruyue not far away. Then it raised its sharp claws and lunged at her. This was an attack from a Golden Core ninth-level perfected demonic beast. How could she possibly withstand it? Her vision went black, instantly enveloped by the colossal paw that blotted out the sky. She heard her two junior sisters scream.

But at this very moment, a faint cold snort was heard. "Still committing evil even at death's door!" *Swish—* An invisible sword qi instantly severed the giant paw. Immediately after, the ferocious giant beast let out a tragic howl of pain. Something had pierced through its skull, killing it completely.

Ji Ruyue, having been saved, stared blankly around her. Suddenly, space rippled on the back of the giant beast. A handsome young man in a long black robe, holding a talisman between two fingers, looked at her with a slight smile. "We meet again, Senior Sister Ji."

Ji Ruyue was stunned for a moment before recognizing him, stuttering, "Jiang... Jiang Shidi?"

Jiang Fan chuckled as he observed her. Her peach-pink palace attire did not conceal her graceful figure. Instead, it accentuated her slender and curvaceous physique even more. Moreover, it masked her past flirtatious and alluring demeanor, adding a touch of demure charm befitting a well-bred lady. It made his eyes light up.

He nodded slightly, then approached a corpse. He inspected it but found no tokens or similar items. However, behind everyone's neck, a black totem was branded. Jiang Fan, Ren Guhong, and Wu Manyue were competing to kill these beasts. There had to be some form of proof, right? Since these people didn't have identification tokens, then this totem should serve as a reference. He immediately raised his sword and severed the head along with the brand on the neck, and casually tossed it into the Sky Thunder Stone. He then proceeded in the same manner. All eleven mysterious figures had their heads severed.

After completing these tasks, Jiang Fan calmly glanced in the direction Zhang Yundian had fled. He turned his head and said to Ji Ruyue: "You and your two junior sisters can divide the corpse of this Golden Core ninth-level perfected demonic beast. You can also take all the items from these villains. This junior brother still has matters to attend to. Farewell."

With that said, he ascended into the sky on his sword. Before leaving, he looked at Ji Ruyue once more and smiled: "Your clothes are very beautiful. They suit you quite well." Then he vanished through the air.

Ji Ruyue's pale cheeks flushed at a visible rate. Finally, even her eyes became misty. She shyly covered her burning red cheeks, her heart pounding wildly. "He... he noticed my clothes? And said they suited me?"

One junior sister leaned closer, showing deep envy. "Senior Sister Ji, Jiang Shidi actually praised you! He even said your clothes look good! Jiang Shidi saw your effort."

Ji Ruyue gently bit her red lip, her face and eyes brimming with overflowing shyness and joy.

The other junior sister, looking at the enormous corpse of the Golden Core ninth-level perfected demonic beast, and the corpses of so many unknown powerful individuals, grew even more envious. "Jiang Shidi really takes care of Senior Sister Ji. He left so many good things for you. If word gets out, Senior Sister Ji will be envied to death by the female disciples of the Nine Sects."

Ji Ruyue covered her mouth and chuckled, her face beaming. "Alright, alright. Come, help me handle this quickly. You'll also get a share."

The two junior sisters beamed with joy. They were increasingly glad they had come out with Ji Ruyue. Wasn't this them benefiting immensely from her, gaining a huge stroke of luck for free?

Meanwhile, Mu Ying, leading the rogue cultivators also from Green Mountain, maintained a composed expression.