Chapter 958: 琳瑯狩猎

Reverend Qiyin understood Reverend Chenjing's meaning. He feared being entangled by his fellow disciples from Qingyun Sect. Now wealthy, it was only natural for him to not want to be associated with Qingyun Sect from a barren land.

"What a pity," Reverend Qiyin sighed softly and said, "This young man is actually very talented. If someone were willing to lend a hand, he could certainly establish himself in Taicang Great State."

He was still amazed recalling Jiang Fan's feat of killing a Nascent Soul cultivator with a Core Formation cultivation. It wasn't that Taicang Great State had never seen a prodigy with a demon core cultivation kill a Nascent Soul cultivator, but the last one was ten years ago. That person was now a Taicang magnate with a Nine-Orifice Nascent Soul, meditating to break through to the Soul Transformation realm.

"Talented?" Reverend Chenjing shook his head. "What kind of talent could possibly emerge from such a barren place like the continent? Core Formation Ninth Level Consummation will likely be the end of his journey in this life."

Reverend Qiyin smiled and said no more. Clearly, Reverend Chenjing didn't want much to do with Jiang Fan, and continuing the discussion would only displease him. The battle in front of White Horse Temple would surely spread soon, and then he would naturally realize just how formidable his junior martial brother was—far stronger than he himself was back then!

On the Ancient Road to Heaven, Jiang Fan, with Consort Yunxia, flew on his sword, soaring above the first stone step. Looking down, the ten-thousand-foot stone steps were covered with countless engravings, and an ancient, weathered aura wafted up. At this moment, several Core Formation Seventh Level disciples were paused on the steps, frantically attacking the air.

"My dear Jiang, these stone steps seem to draw people into illusions," Consort Yunxia speculated.

Jiang Fan nodded. The environment around them was twisting. They were clearly in the sky, yet their surroundings had transformed into a brightly lit city under the night sky. Citizens strolled through the night market, while nobles sang and danced in the buildings above. It was peaceful and harmonious, giving a sense of national prosperity and tranquility.

Suddenly, the night sky brightened. Three meteors crashed into the ground, striking the city and instantly turning it into a sea of fire. More than half of the people died on the spot. The survivors fled in terror and panic. All beauty came to an abrupt halt at that moment.

Even more horrifying, from the three meteor craters, three grotesque blood-red monstrous beasts emerged. They had arrived on this land with the meteors. After crawling out, they began attacking the living beings on the land. Some were torn to shreds with a single claw, their intestines spilling everywhere. Others were thrown into gaping bloody mouths and chewed, accompanied by agonizing screams. Still others, with half their bodies still hanging out of the monsters' mouths, let out desperate and painful cries. Some human cultivators drew their swords and rose to fight, only to be effortlessly pierced through and tossed into the monsters' mouths as food. In an instant, this place became a living hell.

Consort Yunxia's pretty face turned pale. "Is this an illusion... or did this truly happen?"

Clang! Jiang Fan had already drawn his sword, his eyes icy. "Just kill them!"

He saw a young girl in red running out of a collapsed mansion. Her long bridal gown, embroidered with golden phoenixes, seemed strikingly out of place amidst the raging flames and the city full of corpses. A blood-red monstrous beast targeted her. It raised its claw and swatted down fiercely, intending to crush the red figure into a pulp. A flash of purple light, and the blood-red beast's claw was severed by a sword. Before the beast could react, its massive head was sliced off with a single strike.

The young bride looked up in astonishment, seeing Jiang Fan and a woman as beautiful as a painting. "Thank you... thank you," the young bride said, crying.

Jiang Fan watched silently for a long time before slowly saying, "Hide, and don't die again." Then he turned and charged with his sword towards the other two beasts.

Consort Yunxia glanced at the young bride, a pang of sorrow in her heart. Ling Shu in her red wedding attire would forever be an unhealing scar for Jiang Fan.

The blood-red beasts were not particularly powerful; they were at the Core Formation Fifth Level. Killing them was easy. As the third one was killed, the space before them twisted, and their vision returned to the endless staircase.

"My dear Jiang, don't be sad. None of that was real," Consort Yunxia gently comforted him.

Suddenly, she seemed to notice something, looking behind Jiang Fan, and said gravely, "My dear Jiang, look behind you."

Jiang Fan turned his head and his expression changed slightly. Behind him, at some unknown point, a blood-red pillar of light about an inch long had appeared. Jiang Fan's figure flickered as he tried to shake it off, but he found the blood-red pillar of light clinging tightly behind him, as if it had grown onto his body.

"What is this?" Jiang Fan's expression became uncertain.

Consort Yunxia looked at her own empty back and said, "It should be related to you having killed those three blood-red beasts."

"Oh, there are words on the light pillar." She noticed with keen eyes that it was densely inscribed with words. Looking closely, they were actually demon script.

"Linlang Hunting Ground, Hunter No. 888, Number of prey captured: 3."

"So, the so-called Ancient Road to Heaven is actually a hunt? And what we just saw wasn't an illusion, but we entered a mysterious space where everything that happened was real?" Consort Yunxia recalled the tragic state of those people and the young bride's tearful thanks. Her heart trembled deeply!

Jiang Fan clenched his fists, feeling fortunate that he hadn't dismissed it as an illusion and had stepped in to save the young girl, saving the world from losing another beautiful bride.

"Continue!" Jiang Fan leaped onto the second step. If this ancient road was indeed a hunt, and the various natural wonders at the top were rewards, then the final outcome must be determined by the number of prey caught, right? Thinking of this, his eyes gleamed with a sharp light.

As they stepped in, the illusion reappeared. This time, it was a battlefield where a group of valiant demon cultivators were launching mass attacks against six blood-red monstrous beasts before them. The blood-red beasts, like those on the first level, were ferocious reptilian monsters that could stand upright. However, they were slightly stronger than those on the first level; five were at Core Formation Fifth Level, but one had reached Core Formation Sixth Level. With a single strike, they inflicted heavy casualties on the demon cultivators.

Realizing they were fellow demons, Consort Yunxia raised her hand, wanting to intervene herself. But Jiang Fan stopped her. "Don't you act." With a single Sword Control spell, he instantly pierced through the heads of all six blood lizards. The inch-long pillar of light behind him grew to three inches, and the number on it changed to nine.

Jiang Fan looked at Consort Yunxia's empty back and said, "There's no such thing as a free lunch. A great fog appearing out of nowhere and bringing a hunt to Taicang Great State is something we must be wary of."

Only then did Consort Yunxia understand Jiang Fan's intention. It was best for one of them to remain outside the hunt. If something unexpected happened, she could still lend a hand and they wouldn't both get trapped. Thus, the two continued to advance, fighting their way forward. With Jiang Fan's strength, they advanced unopposed.

A few days later, ten days into the Ancient Road to Heaven, various prodigies had successively reached over nine thousand levels. Some impatient powerhouses from the divine sects and great academies arrived one after another.

When Reverend Qiyin saw a middle-aged man in luxurious robes, his eyes faintly wreathed in purple light, he immediately stepped forward to greet him. "Greetings, Pavilion Master." The newcomer was precisely the Pavilion Master of Tianyahai Pavilion, a great cultivator whose cultivation had reached the Seven-Orifice Nascent Soul realm.

The Pavilion Master of Tianyahai Pavilion surveyed his surroundings, his sharp eyes glinting slightly. "Which other great academy masters have arrived?"

Reverend Qiyin carefully replied, "Reporting to Pavilion Master, among the Three Divine Sects and Seven Great Academies, all the masters have arrived, except for the Fire Worship Sect and White Horse Temple."

Divine Sects and Great Academies was a general term for the top powers in Taicang Great State. More precisely, there were three Divine Sects and seven Great Academies. The standard for being called a Great Academy was having an unrivaled grand master at the Nascent Soul Ninth Level overseeing the sect. Divine Sects, on the other hand, were major powers with Soul Transformation realm cultivators overseeing them. Tianyahai Pavilion was considered one of the Seven Great Academies.

The Pavilion Master chuckled. "They're certainly eager. It's no wonder. That Venerable Xinnie from Tianzhou said he would be waiting at the end of the Ancient Road to Heaven. The first person to reach the end of the ancient road will be taken as his disciple. Who wouldn't be tempted by that?"