Chapter 897: Imprisoning the Painted Heart

The four of them looked at Jiang Fan, curious to see what name he would choose.

Jiang Fan pondered. Since everyone else was using pseudonyms, writing his real name, "Jiang Fan," would seem out of place. After a moment of thought, he picked up his pen and wrote a sentence.

"'Choose a good name: Everyone split up, find the hidden spaces, and keep in touch promptly.'"They had expected Jiang Fan to come up with something interesting. Was this all there was?

Liang Feiyan rolled her eyes. "'Choose a good name,' huh?""Let me help you with that.""Tyrannical Ruler!""With three thousand beauties in your harem, who else could be called a tyrannical ruler but you?"

Jiang Fan kicked him irritably."Get lost!""Alright, let's split up!""Time is running out."

The remaining four nodded, immediately dropping their playful demeanor and going their separate ways. After a month of intense training, their strength had significantly improved.

They were strong enough to operate independently on the ninth floor. Jiang Fan's eyes flickered, and he directly used the 'Cloud Shadow' technique, appearing before Huaxin's hidden space.

However, upon arriving, he discovered that the space had been completely shattered, as if ransacked.

"What happened here?" Jiang Fan exclaimed in astonishment.

No sooner had he spoken than the nearby space rippled. A woman, dressed in snow-white robes and resembling Consort Yunxia, materialized out of thin air, holding the little Qilin.

Her two dark eyes glared at Jiang Fan.

"Isn't this all thanks to your little spirit beast?" Huaxin was furious the moment she saw Jiang Fan. He had stolen her Yin Marrow Tiger Seal and left her as a homeless wandering spirit.

Jiang Fan immediately spotted the little Qilin, noticing that it wasn't injured; in fact, it seemed to have gained weight. His eyebrows lifted in delight. "Little Qilin!"

The little Qilin was equally overjoyed, its four short legs springing to pounce into Jiang Fan's arms. Huaxin grabbed its head, saying, "You ungrateful little thing!"

"You're impossible to tame!""Make your master return my item first."

Jiang Fan took out the Yin Marrow Tiger Seal and asked,"First, tell me, what is this thing used for? Why are the Two-Headed Hell Hounds afraid of it?"

Huaxin replied, "Why should I tell you?""Throw the Yin Marrow Tiger Seal to me first, and then I'll release your little spirit beast.""Also, you need to compensate me for my spatial dwelling, fright fees, soul nourishment fees, emotional distress fees, lost income, and the little Qilin's upbringing fees.""No tricks, no using things like Memory Silversand, no bargaining, no..."

As she was speaking, Jiang Fan put the Yin Marrow Tiger Seal back into his possession.

"I see the little Qilin has even gotten fatter with you," he said."So, you can continue raising it for me.""I'll come claim it when it turns eighteen."

With that, he turned and walked away. Huaxin was completely stumped."No, you should at least try to bargain!"

He just left? Didn't he want his little spirit beast? No, he was telling her to raise it until it was eighteen before he would take it.

"You want me to raise your son?""And then come back to claim him after eighteen years?"Huaxin's nose wrinkled in anger; only this scoundrel could come up with such a wicked idea.

"Come back!""Just return the Yin Marrow Tiger Seal to me, that's enough!"

Jiang Fan ignored her.

"Are you really leaving?""Don't go! I'll compensate you with something, alright?"

Jiang Fan still paid no attention.

Huaxin grew anxious.

"Please, have some decency.""Ever since you took the Yin Marrow Tiger Seal, my strength has greatly diminished, and I've been chased by the other three Ghost Kings all day."

Seeing that Jiang Fan still wouldn't respond, Huaxin said, "Alright, alright, I'll tell you.""The Yin Marrow Tiger Seal is a token for dispatching the Hell Army.""However, you need to possess strength equivalent to or above that of an Asura King to use it."

Jiang Fan took out the Yin Marrow Tiger Seal, his eyes filled with a trace of shock.

A token for dispatching the Hell Army? Did that include the incredibly powerful Two-Headed Hell Hounds?

"What level of strength is an Asura King?"

Huaxin replied, "It's equivalent to your human's Divine Transformation Realm."

Such a powerful being. Jiang Fan's thoughts shifted, and he looked Huaxin up and down with suspicion. He recalled the North Sea Prince's conjecture.

This Huaxin might be the remnant soul of a significant figure, not merely an accumulation of dark, shadowy matter.

"Sister Huaxin, how about we do a fun little test?" Hearing the word "sister," Huaxin shivered, immediately sensing trouble.

The last time Jiang Fan called her "sister," that scoundrel tricked her into giving up the Yin Marrow Tiger Seal! She now had a psychological aversion to the word "sister."

"No!""Don't come closer! Stay away from me! If you dare to approach, I'll die right here!" Jiang Fan smiled.

He took out the Soul-Suppressing Buddhist Beads and chuckled, "Don't be afraid, sister.""It'll just bind you for a moment, it's nothing."

With that, he suddenly threw out the Soul-Suppressing Buddhist Beads.

The beads immediately locked onto Huaxin.

Jiang Fan was secretly astonished. She really was just a remnant soul?

Yet, both were remnant souls. Daoist Six Paths was reduced to merely a wisp of mist, but Huaxin was so complete!

Furthermore, she had endured for at least a thousand years! It was hard to imagine what her true form must have been.

With a tearing sound, the Soul-Suppressing Buddhist Beads wrapped around Huaxin. However, Huaxin's soul was remarkably powerful.

Unlike the Nascent Soul spirits he had encountered before, it wasn't easily twisted into a knot. It only managed to bind her upper body.

Moreover, she was still struggling, showing faint signs of breaking free. Huaxin's soul was indeed extraordinarily powerful!

How could Jiang Fan allow such an unknown remnant soul to escape? Since he had made his move, he had to secure her.

Otherwise, there would be endless trouble.

"Five-Magnet Divine Light!"

He summoned the Five-Magnet Origin Mountain, forming a hand seal and striking it. A six-zhang radius divine light suddenly enveloped her.

The divine light countered all things, including soul power. Huaxin, who had just been struggling, immediately let out a pained cry and collapsed to the ground.

Jiang Fan's palm immediately surged with Void Flow Fire Energy, and he pondered how to deal with her. Should he kill her? There was no deep-seated animosity between them.

But if he didn't, she would certainly be a hidden danger.

Just then, the freed little Qilin ran between the two, shielding Huaxin.

It stretched out its tiny arms, seemingly to protect her. "Master, don't kill sister.""She's been very good to me."

Jiang Fan naturally knew she had treated the little Qilin well. Otherwise, how else would the little Qilin have gotten fatter?

"Fine, I'll spare your life.""But you'll have to endure some hardship for a while. I'll release you when my strength is sufficient and I no longer fear your threats." He took out the Ethereal Crystal.

Huaxin, firmly bound and knowing escape was impossible, didn't resist. Looking at the little Qilin's small figure shielding her, a touch of emotion appeared in her eyes. "Little one, I didn't dote on you in vain."

"Alright, I've had enough of the underground world anyway.""It'll be good to see the outside.""And while I'm at it, I'll properly teach you to be an upright and kind beast.""Don't ever learn bad habits from your master!"

She heavily emphasized "upright and kind," clearly implying something.

Jiang Fan's face darkened. "Where's all this nonsense coming from?""You should be secretly celebrating that you got to keep your life!""Before I came, I was ready to strike you down with my sword!"

Huaxin's face flushed, and she chided, "What rubbish are you spouting?""Don't corrupt the child!" The little Qilin blinked its pure, large eyes.

It scratched its head, utterly bewildered. Jiang Fan also blinked his pure, large eyes, taking a moment to understand Huaxin's meaning.

He almost coughed up blood. "You... you improper ghost woman!""You're corrupting my pure Dao Heart!""I'll take you in right now!"

He threw out the Ethereal Crystal. Streams of dark light emanated from the crystal, enveloping Huaxin.

The next instant, Huaxin vanished. Inside the Ethereal Crystal, a miniature, ethereal figure of Huaxin appeared.

She seemed to adapt well. She immediately began arranging her usual belongings, setting up her new home. To her, the Ethereal Crystal was a cage, but wasn't the ninth underground layer also a cage? The only difference was that the ninth layer was a bit more spacious.

*Beep-beep—*Just as he finished dealing with Huaxin, a sound suddenly came from his pocket.

He pulled out the Moon Mirror to see that it had rung. A line of text appeared on it: "Death Diary: Hidden Space Discovered!"