Chapter 900: Punishing Evil

Jian Linyuan spotted Jiang Fan, Liu Qingxian, and the others from a distance. His face immediately lit up with joy. He was about to go towards them, but then a thought crossed his mind: he didn't want to cause them any trouble. So, he changed direction and fled.

Jiang Fan had promised Steward Yunyang that he would help Jian Linyuan and his team if they encountered trouble. How could he stand by and do nothing? He waved and called out, "Senior Brother Jian, come over here."

Jian Linyuan hesitated for a moment before leading his people over. Of their original group of seven, only four remained. One of the male disciples was covered in blood, barely clinging to life, and being carried by Jian Linyuan. Jian Linyuan himself had multiple lacerations and looked extremely disheveled.

"What happened?" Jiang Fan asked. As he took out a Rejuvenation Pill and fed it to the injured disciple, he looked towards the red-robed figures rapidly approaching.

Jian Linyuan's face was filled with shame, and he found it difficult to speak. Shang Shiqiu, holding her fractured right arm, her pretty face slightly grim, spoke instead: "We found a small, hidden cave dwelling. Li Shangqiu brought his people over, claiming that we had asked for his help last time when we sealed off that Yin-filled space. Now he demanded we hand over this space to him as compensation for his help that day."

Jiang Fan frowned. "Didn't they not show up?" He recalled that they hadn't appeared until the Yin energy was about to erupt.

Shang Shiqiu bit her red lip slightly. "When has Li Shangqiu ever reasoned with anyone? He just tried to seize it by force, but Senior Brother Jian drove them back."

Jiang Fan looked at Jian Linyuan in surprise. Li Shangqiu was at the perfected ninth layer of Core Formation, known as one of the Four Mythical Heavenly Talents of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. Jian Linyuan, at best, was only at the eighth layer of Core Formation, wasn't he?

However, Jiang Fan recalled the invisible mysterious woman who was always by Jian Linyuan's side, the one who had once kicked his own backside. He suddenly understood. Most likely, she had intervened.

"But we didn't expect!" Shang Shiqiu's eyes blazed with anger. "They are too shameless! Seeing that they couldn't seize it, they actually shattered the black crystal outside the cave dwelling when we weren't paying attention! This crystal was clearly dangerous and shouldn't be touched lightly. They've been exploring the underground world for years; how could they not understand that? They just wanted to kill us!"

She looked at her former companions, from seven reduced to four. Tears welled up and streamed down her face.

Jian Linyuan's eyes were also slightly red, and he reproached himself, "It's all my fault for being too stubborn. If they wanted it, I should have just given it to them. Losing a bit of merit is better than losing three companions and having one severely injured."

A hint of coldness flickered in Jiang Fan's eyes. He had always believed that as fellow disciples of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, competition was fine, and everyone should rely on their own abilities. But to detonate a black crystal and harm others just for some merit? To cause the death of three people, severely injure one, and then still not relent, even sending people to chase them down? Was there no bottom line anymore?

He recalled the Heavenly Secret Pavilion disciples on Boundary Mountain who had killed Nine Sects disciples, and even attempted to rape Li Shiqian, all for the sake of seizing merit. He realized there were rotten apples everywhere. The Heavenly Secret Pavilion was no exception.

*Whoosh*—

Four red-robed experts from the Wuji team rushed over. When they saw Jiang Fan standing before them, their expressions changed, and they hastily put away their weapons and activated talismans, then casually smiled and said, "Oh, so Junior Brother Jiang is here. A misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding. We'll take our leave now."

They had personally witnessed Jiang Fan's strength. Only Li Shangqiu could contend with him. How could the four of them be a match?

Huaxin observed the four men's red robes, seemingly recognizing them, and a look of disdain crossed her face: "It's them, isn't it? Heh heh, these red-robed fellows are really wicked. Last time, before the underground world closed, they stole a disciple's spatial teleportation talisman, leaving him stranded on the ninth layer. Then he was killed by the Yin energy of the ninth layer. Oh, right, I picked up his bag, and you even got a mid-grade Dustless Talisman from it."

It was because of him? Because of his death, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion had even changed its rules, requiring team leaders to be at Core Formation eighth layer or above. This man's death was actually caused by the Wuji team! Looking at Jian Linyuan's current plight, a chilling coldness spread through him.

"You don't need to leave," Jiang Fan said indifferently.

The four red-robed men's faces changed. They exchanged glances and immediately split up, attempting to flee.

"Immortal Blade!"

Without another word, Jiang Fan raised his hand, and a two-hundred-zhang lightning sword horizontally slashed out! Four miserable screams followed. All of them were at the eighth layer of Core Formation; how could they withstand such an attack? They were all struck until their bodies were charred black, lying on the ground, wailing.

"Jiang Fan! Are you trying to go against our Wuji team?" a red-robed disciple shouted.

Jiang Fan walked over, lifted his foot, and stomped on the disciple's Dantian. A powerful surge of lightning energy pierced through the Dantian, shattering his Golden Core!

"Ah! You! You've crippled my cultivation! No!!"

For a martial artist, having one's cultivation crippled was a blow almost as devastating as losing one's life. Jiang Fan walked towards the other three red-robed disciples who were trying to crawl away. With one stomp each, he crippled all their Golden Cores.

Jiang Fan scoffed coldly: "You should be glad that I am now also a member of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. If I were still a Nine Sects disciple, you would all be dead by now!"

Jian Linyuan felt a sense of satisfaction. Gritting his teeth, he handed the injured disciple to Jiang Fan and said: "Junior Brother, please protect them for me. I'm going back to save Junior Sister Leng!"

Only then did Jiang Fan realize that among the three missing, only two had died. Leng Qingzhu was being held by Li Shangqiu.

"I'll go with you." Jiang Fan handed the person over to Liang Feiyan. He then leaped towards the direction of the mushroom cloud.

He felt surprised. Since Jian Linyuan had a mysterious woman protecting him, why was he fleeing in such a disheveled state now? He swept his spiritual power slightly. He found no one by Jian Linyuan's side. He then looked with his Dual-Pupil Crystal, but still saw no one.

He probed, "Senior Brother Jian, where is your bodyguard?"

Jian Linyuan's pupils contracted. "Junior Brother, you... you know?"

Jiang Fan's face darkened. How could he not know? On Boundary Mountain, she had publicly kicked him, nearly sending him face-first into the dirt.

"Yes, I know. Is she injured now?" Jiang Fan's gaze shifted slightly.

Jian Linyuan did not hide it. "Barely... she could be considered a bodyguard. During the black crystal explosion just now, she blocked most of the attack. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been as simple as just two deaths. All seven of us would have died."

Jiang Fan nodded. He now understood.

At the site of the mushroom cloud explosion, Li Shangqiu's face was grim as he looked at the wound on his chest, from which blood continuously flowed. "Have their heads not been brought back yet? Jian Linyuan actually dared to injure me! The last person who scratched my arm was trapped and died in the Ninth Layer World. How can I let this go, after being injured like this? I must cut off his companions' heads to make him regret and cry bitterly."

*Thud*—

Leng Qingzhu, her eyes hazy, was pushed down to kneel before him, her hands tied behind her back.

"Senior Brother Li, what should we do with this woman?"

Li Shangqiu grabbed her chin, examining her beautiful face. He said with a half-smile, "She's so pretty; it would be a shame to kill her. Tie her to a rock and strip off her clothes. When the brothers return, they can line up and take turns!"

Since he had already tried to kill Jian Linyuan and his team, he naturally wouldn't allow any survivors to report back. The Heavenly Secret Pavilion had very strict penalties for infighting among its members. Therefore, Leng Qingzhu had to die. Given the circumstances, he didn't mind giving his brothers a little taste of pleasure.

But just at that moment, Leng Qingzhu, still in a daze, suddenly opened her eyes wide. She opened her mouth and bit down on his finger. Caught off guard, Li Shangqiu's finger was bitten, and he couldn't pull it out. A piercing pain shot through him. His finger was about to be bitten off!

Rage surged within him. He pulled out a black saber and slashed it towards her slender neck.