Chapter 950: Killing Towards Taicang Dazhou

This was truly astonishing. So many peerless experts had arrived in the Taicang Great State, even some more powerful than Senior Baiyu. Yet, not a single one could even slightly harm the Heaven-Connecting Black Pillar.

But it was actually afraid of Jiang Fan! As Jiang Fan approached, it consciously recoiled.

"Don't be afraid of me," Jiang Fan said. "I'm just taking you to a better place!"

He instantly moved in front of the Heaven-Connecting Black Pillar and, before it could shift, firmly grasped it. Although described as a beam of light, it felt tangible. Jiang Fan immediately seized it. It writhed, trying to break free from Jiang Fan's grip, but it couldn't. After a moment, realizing its struggle was futile, it stopped resisting and allowed Jiang Fan to drag it away.

Concubine Yunxia immediately understood. "You're taking the Heaven-Connecting Black Pillar to Baima Temple?"

Jiang Fan said calmly, "The ancient giants descending from the Heaven-Connecting Black Pillar are all extremely ferocious. Wherever the pillar is, that will be the primary disaster zone. An ancient Buddha once said, 'If I don't go to hell, who will?' Since the monks of Baima Temple are so noble, always speaking of the Buddha's compassion and saving all sentient beings, I'm sure they won't mind taking the lead and letting Baima Temple be the first to suffer the ancient giants' calamity, right?"

Concubine Yunxia finally understood why Jiang Fan had said even a Bodhisattva couldn't protect the Cangqiong Demon Emperor. If the Heaven-Connecting Black Pillar was thrown into Baima Temple, even a Bodhisattva wouldn't be able to stay put. How could they still dare to shelter the Cangqiong Demon Emperor?

"Then, do you have confidence in defeating the Cangqiong Demon Emperor?" she asked, pondering. In the previous battle, Jiang Fan had practically exhausted all his magical treasures. Even if Baima Temple stopped protecting the Cangqiong Demon Emperor, Jiang Fan might not be able to defeat him.

Jiang Fan said, "That's why I said I'd need assistance from someone." He took out half a bottle of True Spirit Blood and asked, "How long will it take to reach Baima Temple from here, traveling at the speed of a one-aperture Nascent Soul?"

Concubine Yunxia had traveled through the Taicang Great State in her youth. She knew a little about it. "Roughly a day," she replied.

Jiang Fan nodded. "Just enough! Let's go!"

Holding the Heaven-Connecting Black Pillar, he returned to the Nine Dragon Bronze Chariot and set off towards the North Sea coast.

Upon reaching the coast, he retracted the Nine Dragon Bronze Chariot and switched to the Golden Cloud Spirit Boat. He had less than a conch's worth of Water Source Essence left, which was not enough to cross the vast sea. He had to rely on the Golden Cloud Spirit Boat before them.

"From now on, you pilot the spirit boat, and I'll focus entirely on cultivating," Jiang Fan instructed. "Once I achieve great mastery, killing Cangqiong won't be difficult."

Concubine Yunxia gently nodded and took the helm of the Golden Cloud Spirit Boat. Jiang Fan sat cross-legged within the spirit boat, with the Heaven-Connecting Black Pillar bound to his back, as they traversed the vast sea together. From a distance, one would see a bizarre sight: a pitch-black pillar of light moving rapidly across the ocean.

On the spirit boat, Jiang Fan examined his body. All the various powers drained by the Hook-Judge Pen had fully recovered, and the spiritual energy exhausted from activating the Nine Phoenix Adorning Dao Hairpin had also been restored. In addition, when he saved the Slave Heart Demon Emperor, he had absorbed some tribulation lightning. Although the amount was less than one percent of what the Slave Heart Demon Emperor had absorbed himself, it had still caused a transformation in his power, adding a trace of Nascent Soul aura. As a result, his spiritual energy surpassed ordinary spiritual energy. Moreover, with two inner cores—one at the perfected ninth layer of Core Formation and the other at the ninth layer of Core Formation—his spiritual energy was incredibly abundant. Combined, his spiritual energy, while not yet true Nascent Soul power, was only a hair's breadth away. Furthermore, his soul power had reached the peak of the one-aperture Nascent Soul stage.

If he could fully digest the True Spirit Blood and refine the second form, he could achieve the Golden Body! This so-called Golden Body referred to the Body Tempering path, where his physique would reach the level of a Nascent Soul body! At that point, what would Jiang Fan have to fear from the Cangqiong Demon Emperor? With numerous magical treasures as well, killing him would be as easy as turning his hand.

He settled his thoughts. He gazed at the half-bottle of True Spirit Blood before him. Time was short; he didn't have the luxury of taking it bit by bit, as he had before. He directly swallowed the amount sufficient to cultivate one form. Instantly! Jiang Fan felt as if his internal organs were burning, and his entire body became scalding hot from the inside out. The pain was even more intense than being struck by a heavenly tribulation. Even though he had consumed True Spirit Blood multiple times, the pain was unbearable, and he let out a pained roar. His consciousness rapidly plunged into darkness.

No! He couldn't fall asleep! With a thought, he hastily took out the pain-relief stone that the Traitor had once extorted from him. This item was originally meant for use during tribulation crossing. But now, he couldn't afford to care about that. He immediately placed it in his mouth. The excruciating pain significantly subsided, though it was still much more agonizing than when he had taken diluted True Spirit Blood in the past. He endured the intense pain, silently cultivating the "Brahma Saint True Spirit Art."

In the Taicang Great State, a magnificent and immense Buddhist temple lay sprawling on Mount Zhuyuan, the most spiritually abundant mountain in the Taicang Great State. Its halls were resplendent with gold, and rays of precious light and mist permeated the surroundings. Wisps of sacred Buddha light shone all around, painting the clouds in the sky a golden hue. Incessant chants of Buddhist scriptures reverberated, bringing peace to the heart and mind, making one forget both favor and disgrace.

At this moment, within the most solemn Grand Hall of Great Hero, the Cangqiong Demon Emperor knelt before a Buddha statue. His dragon robe had long been replaced by a simple green gauze robe. His once meticulously combed golden hair now hung loosely. His hands were pressed together in prayer, his head bowed. Monks filled the area around him. Among them was the serenely smiling Vajra Fayin.

Besides the monks of the temple, there were also several guests from other sects.

"Senior Qiyin, why were you also invited?" Wei Wuji compressed his voice into a sound wave and secretly transmitted it to Senior Qiyin, who was seated beside him, holding a teacup. He himself pretended to be taking a nap with his eyes closed.

Senior Qiyin received the transmission and, without changing his expression, transmitted back: "And why were you invited?"

Wei Wuji forced a bitter smile and replied, "Like everyone else here, we've all offended Baima Temple and were invited to observe the 'purification' of the Cangqiong Demon Emperor, as a warning to others. One of their Vajras was injured and went to the East Sea to borrow the Mother Source Cauldron. Coincidentally, one of our experts from the Myriad Phenomena Void Realm was also severely injured and needed to use it, so a dispute arose. That Vajra was completely unreasonable. Not only did he beat our people, but he also completely trashed the Lost Pearl Demon Emperor's East Sea Palace, claiming the Lost Pearl Demon Emperor disrespected Baima Temple by not prioritizing them."

Senior Qiyin's mouth twitched, and he transmitted, "That's truly overbearing. It was similar for us at the Sky's Edge Pavilion. A few inexperienced new disciples had a conflict with some alms-seeking monks. And then we were invited over."

Every time Baima Temple intended to 'purify' a powerful individual, they would invite others. This was an old tradition of Baima Temple. The purpose was to display their strength and warn the outside world that anyone who opposed Baima Temple should be prepared. In recent years, Baima Temple 'purified' a demon emperor or an exotic beast annually. After decades, even centuries, no one could truly say how many demon emperors and exotic beasts had been 'purified' by Baima Temple. If they were to emerge in full force, combined with Baima Temple's many Vajras and the secluded Bodhisattva, the thought alone was suffocating. No one dared deny that Baima Temple was the foremost power in the Taicang Great State. Therefore, when Baima Temple invited the sects they had offended over the past year to observe the 'purification,' no sect dared to decline. They all gritted their teeth and awkwardly attended. Even if they harbored resentment, they could only suppress it and participate with a facade of amiability.

Wei Wuji sighed heavily in resignation and transmitted: "Can no one really deal with Baima Temple?"