Chapter 817: Two Sides Ready to Go to War

Jiang Fan was stunned.

The black light pillar feared the Primordial Divine Tree?

He turned his head to look at the Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secrets. He noticed that the Pavilion Master and the three Demon Emperors were fully focused on healing their injuries and hadn't observed this anomaly. He was about to tell them about his discovery, but on second thought, he stopped himself in time.

The ancient giant was a matter of great importance, and his ability to move the black light pillar sounded incredibly shocking. It would be best not to reveal it easily before he had a certain level of self-preservation. He decided to wait until the powerful cultivators from Taicang Province arrived. If they couldn't deal with the black light pillar, it wouldn't be too late for him to try.

"Hey, Jiang Fan." Gu Xin'er walked over slowly, her small hands clasped behind her back. "I also have some good news and some bad news for you. Which one do you want to hear first?"

Jiang Fan had an ominous premonition. He raised a hand to stop her. "Wait a moment." He quickly walked behind the Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secrets before saying, "Alright, go ahead and speak."

Gu Xin'er gritted her teeth. "That scoundrel! He's truly despicable!" Immediately, she said with a cold expression, "The bad news is, I know the truth. It turns out the Hellish Desolate Beast was chasing you, but you wanted to frame me! And I actually believed your nonsense and was even moved by you! You shameless hooligan!"

She was so angry that her chest heaved, completely distraught. Before the Hellish Desolate Beast left, it had said that Jiang Fan's spirit beast stole something from it. Combined with Jiang Fan's uncharacteristic appearance before her, claiming she was targeted by the Hellish Desolate Beast, the truth was obvious: the Hellish Desolate Beast was chasing Jiang Fan!

Jiang Fan gave an awkward smile. "What about the good news? Have you forgiven me?"

Gu Xin'er clenched her fists. "The good news is... I'll forgive you this once. I was originally going to tear you into 108 pieces. Now, tearing you into 107 pieces will be enough." As she spoke, she swung her fists wildly, rushing to strike him.

Jiang Fan quickly ducked behind the Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secrets, calling out, "Pavilion Master, look! She's trying to kill me!"

A vein throbbed on the Pavilion Master's forehead. "This fellow!" However, could he truly stand by and watch his disciple get beaten?

"Ahem, Vice Pavilion Master Gu." He said, "Please calm down. I see that you seem to have sustained serious injuries. You mustn't worsen your condition." He immediately noticed that something was wrong with Gu Xin'er's body.

Gu Xin'er stopped, but she was trembling with anger. "Pavilion Master! Do you know how infuriating this guy is? My injuries are entirely his fault!"

The Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secrets had already grasped the situation from their conversation. Feeling a bit of a headache, he pulled Jiang Fan out and asked, "Do you have any plans?"

Jiang Fan replied, "I'm willing to take responsibility for her."

At that statement, the three Sea Demon Emperors all looked over simultaneously. Gu Xin'er's beautiful eyes widened, and she stamped her foot in embarrassment. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Jiang Fan clarified, "I meant her injuries."

The Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secrets pondered for a moment, his gaze subtly shifting to the East Sea Demon Emperor. He naturally knew that injuries to the Nascent Soul were extremely difficult to heal. After some thought, he decided to set aside his dignity and help Jiang Fan this once.

"Demon Emperor Yizhu, thanks to Jiang Fan's intervention just now, we were able to gravely injure the Hellish Desolate Beast, preventing it from returning to cause trouble. I wonder if you could grant him a small reward?" The implication was to borrow the Mother Source Cauldron for a while.

The East Sea Demon Emperor naturally understood the crucial role Jiang Fan had played. He had indeed solved a major threat for them. Lending the Mother Source Cauldron was completely acceptable. What was even more commendable was that Jiang Fan wasn't acting for himself but to help others, which gave her no reason to refuse.

However, just as she was about to speak, the South Sea Demon Emperor interjected, saying, "Pavilion Master, a reward can certainly be given. Our South Sea demon race is not stingy either. However, before that, you should properly scold this young man." She was still holding a grudge about Jiang Fan seeing her completely naked. He had even stared without blinking. Every time she thought about it, she became furious.

The Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secrets' expression slightly darkened. "Jiang Fan, did you offend the South Sea Demon Emperor?"

Jiang Fan was speechless. *You peeked at me first, and now you're playing the victim? If I speak up, who'll be more embarrassed isn't certain.* He said seriously, "Pavilion Master, it's like this. I was cultivating in the Thunder Pond when two Demon Emperors suddenly fell from the sky into the Thunder Pond—"

A stream of clear water suddenly sealed Jiang Fan's mouth.

The East Sea Demon Emperor smiled faintly. "Jiang Fan's words are truly concise. He finished the whole story in one sentence."

Jiang Fan shook his head, making muffled sounds. *I'm not finished yet!*

The East Sea Demon Emperor chuckled. "Alright, the Mother Source Cauldron can be used by this Vice Lord of Jiangshan First-Class Pavilion. Demon Emperor Jioumeng, what reward do you have for Jiang Fan? Bring it out quickly." Her meaning was, *Hurry up and shut this guy up! If he really tells what happened that day, will either of them still have any dignity?*

The South Sea Demon Emperor looked uneasy and somewhat regretted provoking Jiang Fan. She cleared her throat slightly. "It's fine, it's fine, it's in the past. Jiang Fan, your performance this time was excellent; this Emperor greatly admires you. I observe that danger accompanies you. If you have time, come to my South Sea, and this Emperor will help you retrieve a protective night-luminescent pearl."

Jiang Fan wondered what that thing was, though he knew if it was given by a Demon Emperor, it wouldn't be simple. He quickly cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

Only then did the East Sea Demon Emperor confidently withdraw the water from Jiang Fan's mouth. The battle to preserve their reputation was won.

"Your name is Jiang Fan, right?" The West Sea Demon Emperor was a bald middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance. He formed a stark contrast to the East Sea and South Sea Demon Emperors, who were both young, beautiful, and as lovely as flowers. Heaven truly favored the females of the Vast Sea demon race, making the male Sea Demon Emperors seem like unwanted orphans in comparison.

"I also wanted to give you some good things, but to be honest, I originally had a box of Water Source Essence," he said. "However, when it was in my son's hands, some good-for-nothing stole all of it. If you have time, come to the West Sea, and I'll treat you well, how about it?"

Jiang Fan said indignantly, "Senior West Sea Demon Emperor, there's no need to be polite between us. The West Sea Crown Prince and I are like brothers. I deeply sympathize with what happened to him. I curse that scoundrel who took the Water Source Essence to have sons without an anus! That's utterly immoral, completely vile!"

The West Sea Demon Emperor was momentarily stunned. Then, a look of gratification appeared on his face. "My good-for-nothing son finally has a true friend who'll stand by him. That's wonderful."

Jiang Fan then looked at the Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secrets. The Pavilion Master chuckled and chided, "Are you going to extort from your own people too?" Though he said that, he handed over a token he had already prepared. It was precisely the token required to cultivate in the Thunder Pond.

"You've cultivated the cultivation method of the Ten Thousand Tribulations Holy Temple, haven't you?" he asked. "If the Ten Thousand Tribulations Holy Temple comes looking for trouble, just give them my name, and I will personally go to the Holy Temple to explain to them."

Jiang Fan first felt a surge of joy, followed by warmth in his heart. The Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secrets truly treated him exceptionally well. Remembering the Hellish Desolate Beast bronze statue the Pavilion Master had entrusted him to study, he looked ashamed. "Pavilion Master, that bronze statue..."

The Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secrets waved his hand. "Don't dwell on it. I've researched it for so many years without progress. Handing it to you was putting you in a difficult position."

Jiang Fan felt a heavy weight in his heart. If the Pavilion Master hadn't been so concerned about the inscriptions on the bronze statue, he wouldn't have specifically given it to Jiang Fan. Having received so many favors from the Pavilion Master, he felt he should do something for him. He resolved that he must find a way to decipher those inscriptions.

"Additionally," the Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secrets smiled, "you completed this mission. One thousand contribution points. Congratulations."

Jiang Fan's eyes showed a hint of a smile. The progress on that bottle of True Spirit Blood was now at ten percent.

"When you go to the East Sea, manage your time well and don't miss the opening of the underground world," the Pavilion Master advised. "I'm looking forward to seeing what surprises you'll bring next."

Jiang Fan nodded. A question he had always had about the underground world suddenly came to mind. However, he glanced at the three Demon Emperors around him, and the words on the tip of his tongue remained unspoken.