Chapter 798: Familiar Earth Phoenix

Jiang Fan's brow furrowed. That guy was actually feigning death! Seeing the elders from the nine sects approaching, he revealed his identity to threaten them.

This was exactly what Jiang Fan had been worried about. Being in high positions, those elders from the nine sects had too many considerations. They wouldn't allow a disciple from an outer realm divine sect to die in front of them.

However, when he clearly saw the attire of the approaching people, his furrowed brow relaxed. He allowed them to approach him.

"Jiang Fan?" The leader was none other than Qin Wangchuan. Her aura was powerful, having clearly reached the ninth layer of Core Formation, Peak Completion. It seemed she had benefited from Jiang Fan's millennium spirit meat. She was the first to break through her restraints and enter the ranks of those at the ninth layer of Core Formation, Peak Completion. Shi Kaitian and Huang Zhantian's auras were also subtly approaching the ninth layer of Core Formation, Peak Completion.

Jiang Fan smiled, "Supreme Elders, Sect Master, and all you Elders, why are you here?"

Liu Wenchen jumped down, unable to contain his joy. "Of course, we're here to help you! We heard that the Divine Mechanism Pavilion issued an extremely important mission, and you're part of it. After discussing it with the Supreme Elders, we immediately rushed over. We hope to help you find traces of the Hellish Desolate Beast and assist you in completing the mission."

A warmth surged in Jiang Fan's heart. Even though he was no longer at Qingyun Sect, they still remembered him. He cupped his hands gratefully. "Thank you all for your concern. This disciple is immensely grateful."

Qin Wangchuan jumped down with her hands behind her back, saying, "Kid, we... Mmph!" The snow was too deep. Her small stature was completely submerged. Jiang Fan stifled a laugh and quickly pulled her out of the snow, patting the snow from her. He said, "Supreme Elder Qin, you can just speak from the spirit beast's back. This disciple can hear you."

Qin Wangchuan's face flushed crimson. Annoyed, she said, "Even the snow is bullying me! Drat it! Kid, why aren't you tracking the Hellish Desolate Beast? Why are you fighting someone here?"

Jiang Fan's expression turned cold. He then explained the entire situation.

Kang Lin's heart pounded wildly. He hastily cupped his hands and said, "Elders, Jiang Fan is a disciple who doesn't understand the larger picture, but you are reasonable. Please don't be as muddled as he is and do something irrational. If you provoke the wrath of the Divine Movement Sect, it will be detrimental to your sect and your continent."

Several Supreme Elders frowned. Qin Wangchuan, however, looked into the distance and said, "Everyone, aren't we supposed to be looking for the Hellish Desolate Beast? Why are we all just standing around here?"

Everyone understood her unspoken meaning. Liu Wenchen suddenly realized, "Has everyone rested well? Let's continue on our way."

Shi Kaitian said, "That's right. It's just a vast expanse of white here; we won't find anything. Let's go, let's go!"

The Qingyun Sect members simply pretended they had never been there. They all departed, leaving Kang Lin's desperate shouts behind: "Don't go! Don't go!"

How could Kang Lin know what Jiang Fan truly meant to the Qingyun Sect? Would they possibly suppress Jiang Fan for his sake?

*Swoosh—* A purple sword instantly pierced through the right side of his chest. Jiang Fan didn't even give him a chance to beg for mercy, taking his life directly.

Kang Lin's eyes widened, and blood gushed from his mouth. He forcefully reached out, attempting to grab Jiang Fan's sleeve, his face contorted in a grimace: "You, like them... will... not... die well..." With a final kick, his breath completely ceased.

Jiang Fan unhesitatingly chopped off his head. Only then did he confirm that Kang Lin was truly dead. He carefully examined his chest, both left and right, and only then understood why Kang Lin had been able to feign death earlier. It turned out his heart was unusual, located on the right side of his chest.

"I almost fell for it," Jiang Fan muttered. "Fortunately, I encountered people from our Qingyun Sect. If it had been someone from another sect, it would have been difficult to say. From now on, if I encounter people from the outer realm again, I must either chop off their heads or ensure their bodies are utterly destroyed. Otherwise, they can't be considered truly dead." Jiang Fan redefined death.

He checked Kang Lin's body but found nothing useful. He then put away his things.

He was about to go and meet up with Ren Guhong and Wu Manyue. However, they had already arrived. Ren Guhong approached Jiang Fan, carrying several heads in his hand. He looked at the headless corpse at Jiang Fan's feet and Kang Lin's wide-eyed, lifeless head beside it. He gasped sharply.

"Junior Brother, you... you killed him?"

Jiang Fan nodded. "He was quite difficult to kill."

Wu Manyue extended her small, pale hand toward him. "Hand it over!"

Ren Guhong, with a darkened expression, took out the Dragon Heart Blood Lotus seed. Wu Manyue's eyes gleamed as she let out a delightful giggle: "I told you Junior Brother Jiang could kill Kang Lin, didn't I? But you didn't believe me and insisted on betting with me. In the end, this Dragon Heart Blood Lotus seed is still mine. Hahaha!" She shook with laughter, and her chest also undulated with eye-catching waves.

Jiang Fan was speechless. "You used me as a wager?"

Ren Guhong gazed intently at Jiang Fan. "All I can say is, Junior Brother Jiang is truly unfathomable."

Only then did Wu Manyue reveal the secret, smiling slyly: "Do you know that when Junior Brother Jiang was still at the second layer of Core Formation, he captured the demon priestess Yaoyue, who was at the ninth layer of Core Formation? Now he's already at the sixth layer of Core For— Huh? You're at the seventh layer of Core Formation?! You blasted person, how do you cultivate so fast?"

They had been so busy fighting for their lives earlier that they hadn't paid attention to Jiang Fan's cultivation level. Now, feeling Jiang Fan's seventh-layer Core Formation cultivation, Wu Manyue was no longer calm. Ren Guhong also just noticed, exclaiming in surprise: "You... you cultivate so quickly, aren't you afraid your foundation will be unstable? Listen to your Senior Brother. Discard a bit of your cultivation and solidify your foundation first."

This trend of not wanting your brother to do well has even reached the Divine Mechanism Pavilion!

Jiang Fan rolled his eyes at him. He nudged the head at his feet with his toe. "It's time to settle the bet," he said.

Ren Guhong snapped back to reality and threw the three heads he was holding over. "The three you just killed, plus Kang Lin, makes four. And I also killed four. Junior Sister Wu also killed four. It's a tie."

Jiang Fan was surprised. Was this group of people also exactly twelve?

Wu Manyue glanced at Jiang Fan's spatial storage artifact with a hint of regret and sighed: "Alright, I'll let your Bodhi Pill off the hook for now. But I'll get it sooner or later!" She winked coquettishly at Jiang Fan.

Jiang Fan was unmoved. He smiled meaningfully, "Who said it's a tie?" After all, he still had twelve round heads in his spatial storage artifact.

Wu Manyue raised an elegant eyebrow. "What, are there still unkilled beasts?"

Ren Guhong said, "Junior Brother Jiang, why do you say that? Could it be that Kang Lin said something before he died?"

The speaker had no ulterior motive. Jiang Fan chewed on the words carefully, and then his brows furrowed slightly. "He said I would die a miserable death, just like 'them.' Do 'they' refer to the tormented demon race? Or are there victims we don't know about?" The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Could it be that they had a third team?

Wu Manyue cupped her chin in her hands, deep in thought. "What exactly is this 'Earth Phoenix' they mentioned? I've never heard of any 'Earth Phoenix' on our continent. The term 'Earth Phoenix' is something I've only just heard in my life."

Ren Guhong shook his head slightly. "I've never heard of an Earth Phoenix either. Is it a type of phoenix?"

Jiang Fan frowned. He mused, "Earth Phoenix... I think I've heard that term somewhere before."