Chapter 938: Absolute Survival

The Pavilion Master of Tianji wore a bitter smile. He had no will to resist. Against such an absolute powerhouse, any defiance would be futile.

He cupped his hands and said, "Venerable Baiyu, I can die; there's no need for you to dirty your hands. But I beg you, please spare the others. They are all inhabitants of this continent and have never been to Taicang Prefecture in their lives. They have no connection with the people there and will not leak your secrets."

Venerable Baiyu, holding his horsetail whisk, presented an image of profound compassion. "Ah, why would I ever wish to take a life?" he sighed. "However, Tianzhou, you must understand one truth: there are no impenetrable walls in this world. Unless, of course, that wall stands between here and hell."

The Pavilion Master of Tianji's heart sank completely. Venerable Baiyu was clearly determined to slaughter everyone present. Not a single soul would be spared! It had been evident from his casual remark that the Sky-Connecting Black Pillar's presence on this continent was a good thing; he regarded the continent's inhabitants as mere blades of grass. He cared not at all!

He looked at Jiang Fan, then at Consort Yunxia, then at Haimei, who was still struggling under the heavenly tribulation, and finally at Lingshu, adorned in red, her eyes full of hope for Jiang Fan. His heart ached. Just when the Pavilion of Tianji was about to embark on a new beginning, and this continent was about to be freed from the Sky Demon Emperor's shadow, his most trusted support had become the very hand that would destroy everything. A pang of guilt and unwillingness surged within him. Flashes of lightning gathered in his eyes.

Venerable Baiyu's eyes narrowed. "Heh," he said blandly. "Tianzhou, I taught you your Black Heaven Eyes. And yet, you dare to use them against me?" He smiled, his eyes gathering an immense and surging power of thunder, countless times stronger than that of the Pavilion Master of Tianji. "I'll have to trouble you to go down first," he mocked. "I'll send the others to join you shortly!" With that, bolts of lightning were about to erupt from his eyes.

However, a colossal roar echoed from the ground. It was the sound of Jiang Fan's talisman arrow finally striking the Sky Demon Emperor after several intense skirmishes.

*Bang*—

The Sky Demon Emperor was instantly sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground. His body was riddled with bloody holes, stained entirely crimson, and his internal organs spilled out onto the earth. His aura had dwindled significantly, and his former might was gone. More than half of his life was extinguished.

Jiang Fan had paid a heavy price as well. His Seven-Star Precious Sword was completely ruined, all six protective luminous pearls were depleted, both talisman arrows were expended, and two Nascent Soul jade talismans had been used. Many of his long-accumulated trump cards were nearly exhausted. He had returned to his initial state. If the Sky Demon Emperor had endured a little longer, it would have been hard to say who would have suffered the worse fate.

"Jiang Fan, hurry and leave!" the Pavilion Master of Tianji cried out, both relieved and anxious at the sight.

If not for Venerable Baiyu, everything would have settled. It was then that Jiang Fan noticed the Pavilion Master of Tianji's predicament. The white-robed elder before him felt like an abyss; any probing gaze was swallowed, revealing no depth. He felt even more terrified than he had facing the Abyssal Beast of Hell. Could this be a being at the fifth level of the Nascent Soul realm? His heart pounded, filled with a strong sense of unease.

"Your Excellency, I am Jiang Fan, a member of the... Imperial Astronomical Bureau!" Realizing the Pavilion Master of Tianji was in danger, Jiang Fan decisively produced the token given to him by Bai Xin.

Venerable Baiyu's body stiffened slightly. He turned his head and saw the Imperial Astronomical Bureau token in Jiang Fan's hand. He couldn't help but narrow his eyes and say, "So you are the Jiang Fan Bai Xin was waiting for that day? And she even gave you the status of a temporary Heaven's Guardian?"

Jiang Fan nodded. Since the opponent was from beyond the realm, this token was the most powerful deterrent he could offer.

Venerable Baiyu nodded slightly, a hint of a smile appearing on his face. He cupped his hands and said, "So it's someone from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. My apologies for the oversight."

"In that case... you deserve to die even more!" One moment he was smiling, the next, the bolts of lightning gathered in his eyes ruthlessly blasted towards Jiang Fan.

The Pavilion Master of Tianji had already realized the danger! Jiang Fan producing that token would only make Venerable Baiyu more determined to kill them all to silence witnesses. After all, how could Venerable Baiyu allow such an unsavory matter to reach the ears of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau? Though the Imperial Astronomical Bureau might not necessarily intervene, it would certainly leave a very poor impression of Venerable Baiyu.

Gritting his teeth, the Pavilion Master of Tianji unleashed the lightning gathered in his eyes, striking fiercely at Venerable Baiyu's back. Venerable Baiyu immediately felt the attack from behind. The previously benevolent expression vanished from his face, replaced by instant coldness.

"Yun Tianzhou! You ungrateful wretch!" He was forced to dodge, and the two lightning beams aimed at Jiang Fan consequently veered off course, narrowly missing Jiang Fan's body. The ground was pierced by the two lightning bolts, creating two bottomless, fathom-wide holes, from which streams of magma erupted like geysers! One could only imagine what would have happened if they had struck Jiang Fan.

Jiang Fan's hair stood on end. Any attack from this person was utterly beyond his ability to withstand! He watched as Venerable Baiyu turned, casually unleashing a palm strike radiating the terrifying power of a fifth-level Nascent Soul expert towards the Pavilion Master of Tianji. The normally powerful and composed Pavilion Master of Tianji showed not a hint of resistance before this strike. His face was etched with bitterness as he awaited death.

Jiang Fan's eyes widened with fury. "Old man! Stop!" He swiftly pulled out his Immeasurable Ring and fiercely swung it towards Venerable Baiyu.

*Thump*—

An immense gravitational force instantly enveloped Venerable Baiyu! Completely unprepared, he was instantly dragged down and slammed heavily onto the ground.

"What is this?" Caught off guard, Venerable Baiyu abruptly looked up at Jiang Fan, his aged face flushed with anger and humiliation. He, of all people, was being pinned to the ground by a junior?

"How dare you!" he snarled, trying to get up. But under the effect of the gravity, his movements were incredibly difficult, and he couldn't rise for a while. This filled him with both shame and rage. "Youngster! Are you seeking death?!" Stared at by his ancient eyes, Jiang Fan's heart pounded, like a woodcutter encountering a famished tiger in the mountains. That fear, seeping into every pore, made his entire body tremble uncontrollably.

"Go! All of you, go!" Jiang Fan continuously released the power of the Immeasurable Ring. The Immeasurable Ring changed from dark green to deep green, and its color continued to lighten. This wouldn't last much longer. But he dared not stop. Once he stopped, everyone would die!

"Hurry! What are you hesitating for?" Jiang Fan yelled, seeing them all hesitate to leave.

The Pavilion Master of Tianji was deeply shaken. He gritted his teeth, swept his sleeve, and whisked away Consort Yunxia, Lingshu, Demon King Chunni, and the Three Prodigies. Ye Banxia gazed deeply at Jiang Fan, bit her red lip, and then decisively used her Jade Phoenix Chair to teleport far away.

Seeing them all flee, Venerable Baiyu became infuriated. "You dare to ruin my plans! I will not spare you!"

Jiang Fan looked at the gradually fading Immeasurable Ring, his heart sinking. A trace of despair began to rise within him. How much longer could he last? He had gone through so much: enduring until Haimei's tribulation, finally defeating the Demon Emperor, experiencing countless hardships. And now, was it all to be lost at the hands of this Venerable Baiyu? The reason was ridiculous. Merely because they knew of Venerable Baiyu's scandal concerning women. What kind of major scandal was that? To exterminate all of them just for a tiny bit of face? How arrogant was this man, how little did he regard them as human?

*Rumble*—

Behind them, the cloud eye suddenly grew violent. Hundreds of bolts of lightning, like a terrifying curtain of thunder, flashed within the tribulation cloud, emanating world-ending might. It was exactly like the tribulation Prince of the Northern Sea had faced! This was the final and most dangerous wave of tribulation lightning. If she could endure it, Haimei would successfully complete her tribulation. If not, she would naturally become charred remains, just like the Prince of the Northern Sea. However, she had the blue seed given by Jiang Fan, so she would at least not die.

But then, what good would surviving do? Venerable Baiyu would spare no one.

At that moment, the violent curtain of lightning descended, and the multicolored thunder illuminated the heavens and earth in a dazzling, vibrant display. It was as splendid and enchanting as a rainbow.

Jiang Fan suddenly froze. A rainbow? In his desperate eyes, a strong glimmer of hope abruptly appeared! He remembered someone!