Chapter 806: Being Captured

Almost simultaneously, deep underground within the Beast Spirit Sect, a roar echoed, powerful enough to crack mountains and rivers.

The massive mountain was actually split in two, blasted open by an immense, peak-level power. A colossal shadow, radiating immense ferocity, shot out from within. Its blood-moon eyes swept around, fixing on Revered Xinyao... No, it was looking in Jiang Fan's direction! Immediately, it stepped into the void and gave chase.

*Whoosh—*

At the edge of the world, Jiang Fan, who had already used 'Shadow Among Clouds' eight times consecutively, appeared nearly three hundred miles away. This was a hilly region. A small village was nestled along the river in the distance.

It was currently dusk. Smoke curled from the village chimneys. A shepherd boy rode an old water buffalo, blowing a whistle made from willow bark, joyfully heading home. The old folks at the village entrance dispersed, each carrying their small stools back home.

Jiang Fan's thoughts shifted, and he took out the Thousand Illusions Hairpin, placing it on his head. As spiritual energy activated it, a faint milky-white glow emanated, covering his face. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a rough-looking middle-aged man with sun-darkened, reddish skin. Next, he shed his long black robe and changed into simple clothes he had worn long ago. Then, he pretend-picked up a bundle of firewood, casually tied it, and hoisted it onto his shoulder. He nonchalantly walked towards the foot of the mountain.

*Boom—*

The sky thundered. A fierce wind swept through the forest. Revered Xinyao had tracked him down, following the lingering trace of lightning. He looked down and saw the woodcutter not far away. He leaped and landed in front of the man.

"Ah! A ghost!"

The woodcutter was so terrified that he dropped the firewood from his shoulder and turned to run up the mountain. Revered Xinyao touched his left face, which was covered in brains and bloody flesh. With a savage expression, he roared, "I ask you, did you see anyone just now?"

The woodcutter, scared, fell to the ground, then turned around, kicking his legs as he scrambled backward, trembling all over, even his lips quivering uncontrollably. "Who... who are you asking about?"

"I... I didn't see anyone."

Revered Xinyao was annoyed. But he didn't suspect anything. Jiang Fan had an invisibility talisman on him, so deceiving a mountain woodcutter would be incredibly easy. He squinted, scanning his surroundings. He confirmed there were no traces of an invisibility talisman. Turning his head towards the nearby village, he snorted, then transformed into a red afterimage and streaked away.

Little did he know, shortly after he left, the woodcutter stood up, dusted off his backside, and revealed a slight smile. "If only you'd doubted my identity for a moment, you would have noticed something was off."

The Thousand Illusions Hairpin was only effective if a Nascent Soul expert didn't deliberately probe. If suspicion arose, a single glance would reveal the truth. Immediately, he quickly removed the disguise from his face. Just as Wu Manyue had said, activating the hairpin's disguise ability consumed a tremendous amount of spiritual energy. In just this short time, more than half of his spiritual energy had been depleted!

"If Revered Xinyao had interrogated me a bit longer, I would have been exposed."

He activated the Thousand Illusions Hairpin's invisibility effect. He silently headed deeper into the mountains. The hills stretched endlessly here. As long as he got inside and hid well, Revered Xinyao finding him would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Suddenly, a tremendous sound came from the village at the foot of the mountain. He took out the Heaven-Gazing Mirror to observe the village from a distance. A single glance made his expression grim. After failing to get answers at the village entrance, Revered Xinyao casually destroyed an old man's thatched hut by the roadside. The old man didn't have time to escape and was crushed beneath the hut. His head, visible in the ruins, was barely alive.

Villagers at the entrance were paralyzed with fear, collapsing to the ground. Some lost control of their bowels and bladder. Others knelt, pleading for mercy as if worshipping a Bodhisattva. Revered Xinyao pointed at them, asking something in a condescending manner. The Heaven-Gazing Mirror had no sound, but it was clear he was inquiring about Jiang Fan's whereabouts. How would the villagers know?

Not getting the answers he wanted, Revered Xinyao surveyed the village, a fierce look in his eyes. He swiftly raised his palm. Two fiery beams rapidly flickered in his palm. Jiang Fan's heart skipped a beat. Revered Xinyao believed Jiang Fan was hidden within the village. With the mindset of 'better to kill a thousand innocent than let one escape,' he intended to slaughter the entire village.

The villagers, however, had no idea what was about to happen. The shepherd boy even peeked out from behind his kneeling mother. He curiously peered at the fiery beams in Revered Xinyao's palm. He thought they looked a bit like firecrackers that could only be set off during the New Year—loud and beautiful after they exploded. Unaware in the slightest, he was about to face a living hell.

"Damn it!"

"You old beast!"

Jiang Fan's eyes were bloodshot with rage. He put away the Thousand Illusions Hairpin and roared from the mountaintop: "I'm right here! Come and get me, you bastard!"

Immediately, he drew his purple sword and decisively fled on it. He had barely flown a few hundred yards when a terrifying red figure, with the force of a collapsing mountain, slammed down exactly where he had just stood. The small hill was directly split open by the impact. The violent air currents that erupted shook Jiang Fan, who was several hundred yards away, making him sway precariously and fall from his flying sword.

Before he could even land, a destructive beam of fire swept towards him. Jiang Fan's pupils contracted, and he shouted, "Do you still want your burial soil or not?"

*Whoosh—*

The fiery beam narrowly changed direction, searing past him a hundred yards away. In an instant, half of his clothes were melted, and the exposed skin was scorching red, as if it had been cooked. The intense burning pain made Jiang Fan gasp. The air he inhaled was also incredibly hot. It made him extremely uncomfortable.

Feeling a figure flash towards him, he quickly clutched a spatial storage device and angrily shouted: "Touch me, and I'll crush this spatial storage device!"

*Buzz—*

Just three feet in front of him, Revered Xinyao's flaming palm stopped. He squinted his venomous old eyes, staring intently at the spatial storage device in Jiang Fan's hand. With Jiang Fan's strength, crushing a spatial storage device was no problem at all. Once a spatial storage device shattered, everything inside would be swallowed by the bursting space.

Originally, he had wanted to torture Jiang Fan until he was unrecognizable, to make him wish for death but unable to find it. Then, he would slowly interrogate him for the incantation to the spatial storage device. Now, however, he was hesitant, afraid of destroying the valuable item. He dared not offend Jiang Fan too much.

"Hand over the spatial storage device! Hand over the incantation! I'll give you a swift end!" Revered Xinyao glared menacingly at Jiang Fan. He looked more like a man-eating beast than a fiend from hell.

Only then did Jiang Fan tumble to the ground. He tightly clutched the spatial storage device, cautiously got back on his feet, his expression fluctuating.

Revered Xinyao said grimly, "Don't cling to any illusions. Before a Nascent Soul, none of your tricks will work! I can kill you before you even make a move!"

Jiang Fan's heart sank. These words were indeed true. No matter how powerful the technique, it required time to execute. If he dared to make any sudden move, the opponent could kill him beforehand. An uncontested kill.

After a long silence, Jiang Fan said, "Alright, I can give it to you. But I need to go somewhere first."

Revered Xinyao snorted, "Don't try any tricks, or I'll kill you, even if it means foregoing the burial soil! He had killed all his disciples and left him in this monstrous, half-human, half-ghost state! Today, even if the King of Heaven himself descended, he would still have to die!"