Supreme Emptiness

Chapter 2227: Chapter 2271: Changing Face

Jiang Fan immediately took out the Hell Soul Bell and shook it vigorously.

RING! The clear chime of the bell rang out. The mutated souls retreating like a tidal wave suddenly stiffened for a split second.

Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Fan took out the Soul Suppressing Tower and sucked the surrounding souls into it. He didn’t spare those that had luckily managed to flee back into their holes either. Relying on his powerful Sage Realm perception, he swept through the holes one by one, catching the mutated souls in one fell swoop!

Slightly less than half a day later, the tens of thousands of holes were completely empty. Not a single mutated soul remained.

Holding the heavy Soul Suppressing Tower, Jiang Fan’s eyes shone brightly.

The Hell Soul Bell was divided into two sides: red and black. The red side was adorned with numerous chain patterns, indicating its soul-suppressing effect. To this day, a remnant soul of the Big Black Dog and a remnant soul of the Nine-winged Great Angel from the Southern Heavenly Realm’s Secret Realm were still imprisoned within.

The black side depicted a large mouth pattern, which could devour Soul Attacks, representing soul defense.

However, whether it was Sealing a soul or defending against a Soul Attack, both required the consumption of Soul Power! If he used innocent souls, it would harm the harmony of heaven. But these mutated souls before him, just like the Half-Giant souls back in Central Earth, could be used without any scruples.

The difference was that each individual mutated soul was incredibly powerful, far superior to the Half-Giant souls that hadn’t even reached Divinity Transformation. This Hell Soul Bell was finally going to bloom with its true brilliance in his hands!

His soul had entered the Sage Realm, and he had secured the Hell Soul Bell. Filled with joy, Jiang Fan walked out of the Soul Refining Hall and casually stored it away. He then looked toward the young girl in the pink palace attire, only to find that she was nowhere to be seen.

”Huh? Where did she go?” Jiang Fan exclaimed in surprise and doubt. ”Could someone have rescued her while I was cultivating? Doesn’t that mean my Soul Refining Hall has been exposed?”

At this thought, he was just about to chase after and search for the girl in pink when an indifferent soul transmission reached him.

”You’re late.”

It was the Mysterious Great Sage! Jiang Fan hadn’t forgotten that she had told him to rest for a day before coming to see her. Counting the time on his fingers, he realized he was already over half a day late!

He hurriedly used Instantaneous Movement to arrive on the deck. From afar, he could see four One Calamity Realm experts lined up in a row at the bow of the ship. Behind them was a jade chair facing forward. A woman dressed in pink was faintly visible sitting on it, her back facing the crowd.

”You may all step down. I have some things I want to discuss with Jian Wuming alone.”

The four One Calamity Realm Sages glanced enviously at Jiang Fan before turning into phantoms and dispersing, completely revealing the jade chair and the woman sitting on it. Although it was just her back, her attire was clearly visible.

”Pink palace attire?” Jiang Fan was stunned. Why did it look exactly like the clothes of that young girl who was practicing Alchemy? Could they be the same person? His heart skipped a beat.

The Mysterious Great Sage slowly stood up and turned around.

Upon seeing her face, Jiang Fan breathed a sigh of relief. Before him was a woman in palace attire, seemingly in her forties. She had beautiful features and fair skin. Although she had passed the prime of her youth, she still retained her charm. Her phoenix eyes carried a naturally commanding gaze. The aura of the Three Calamities Realm swirled around her, causing the hem of her skirt to flutter. An aura of authority, born from a long-held position of power, washed over him.

”So it’s not her,” Jiang Fan murmured, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

The Mysterious Great Sage asked with a dignified tone, ”Not who?”

Jiang Fan cupped his hands and replied, ”A little girl who likes to peep. Senior, that girl is full of tricks and holds a grudge against me. No matter what she might have told you, please don’t believe her.”

Heh...

The Mysterious Great Sage suddenly chuckled. Reaching into her robe, she pinched out a single flower petal.

Jiang Fan’s face stiffened. Wasn’t this the flower petal he had sprinkled on that little girl? Could it be...

The Mysterious Great Sage scoffed, ”What’s wrong? Weren’t you quite skilled when you drugged me? Don’t tell me you’re not going to admit it?”

HISS! Jiang Fan gasped, his eyes widening. ”You... you two are the same person?”

The two of them clearly had completely different ages and cultivations. She was a Great Sage; there was no way she would disguise herself as a young girl to practice Alchemy in her own territory, right?

The Mysterious Great Sage flicked the petal away and dropped her smile, her gaze turning serious. ”Speak. Who exactly are you?”

Someone whose Sword Dao ranked highly across the heavens and who was also a Seven-star Soul Master couldn’t possibly be a nobody.

Jiang Fan hesitated before saying, ”I... Senior, please understand. I am not Jian Wuming. That was just a fake name I casually made up just in case.”

Just as I thought! The Mysterious Great Sage revealed a curious expression and asked, ”So, what is your real name?”

Jiang Fan sighed helplessly. ”To tell you the truth, I am... Wang Chongxiao of Central Earth.”

The Mysterious Great Sage raised her brows, a glint flashing in her eyes. Her phoenix eyes slowly narrowed. ”Wang Chongxiao? I heard that there’s a person named Jiang Fan in Central Earth who especially likes to impersonate Wang Chongxiao. You... couldn’t be Jiang Fan, could you?”

Huh?

Jiang Fan’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. What? Had his impersonation of Wang Chongxiao in Central Earth already spread all over Nanqian? This... this couldn’t be possible, right? Unless this woman paid special attention to matters in Central Earth, she wouldn’t have noticed such a trivial thing that no one else cared about. But why would a Three Calamities Realm expert care about Central Earth?

Forcing himself to stay calm, his eyes darted around as he tested the waters, ”Senior, you don’t have any grudges against Jiang Fan, do you?”

The Mysterious Great Sage had completely dropped her initial appreciation, and her gaze toward Jiang Fan was now filled with hostility. ”No, but I just don’t like the look of him!”

As she spoke, she suddenly waved her sleeve. A supreme oppressive might descended abruptly!

Fortunately, Jiang Fan had come prepared. Eighteen Array Stones suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking the vast majority of the pressure. Only a small portion slipped through the gaps between the stones and brushed against his body.

Even with his Sage Physique, it felt as though sharp knives were viciously scraping against him. His clothes were entirely shredded, and blood seeped from his skin. Even the mask on his face was scraped off, revealing his true appearance.

Seeing his face clearly, the Mysterious Great Sage froze slightly before saying in a cold voice, ”Rumor has it that Jiang Fan of Central Earth looks very similar to His Majesty Nanqian. So the rumors are true! You really are Jiang Fan!”

Jiang Fan deployed his Second Domain to slowly heal his body. Looking at the Mysterious Great Sage who had suddenly turned hostile, he was completely baffled. ”How did I offend you?”

She had been exceptionally appreciative of him before, gifting him beauties and a sword scabbard. She had even accommodated him when he borrowed her Alchemy Room to cultivate. Even when he subdued her, pinched her cheek, and nearly offended her, she hadn’t punished him. Yet now, the moment she learned he was Jiang Fan, her attitude flipped. Jiang Fan was dumbfounded. Just how exactly had he offended her?

”You don’t need to know!” the Mysterious Great Sage said with a frosty face, Law Chains coiling around her palm.

Jiang Fan’s eyelids twitched. This old woman was actually serious!

The thought of using the Execution Pen flashed through his mind, but considering how well she had taken care of him before, he suppressed his urge to fight. He directly summoned the Void Feather Robe, activated it, and declared, ”What I owe you, I will repay! Farewell!”

Before the Mysterious Great Sage could strike, he turned into a phantom and vanished from the battleship.

The Mysterious Great Sage withdrew the Power of Laws in her hand and snorted, ”If I wanted to kill you, do you think I’d let you get away? Don’t let me see you again, you brat!”

If a Three Calamities Realm Great Sage truly harbored murderous intent, how could Jiang Fan have blocked it so easily?

Shaking her head, she retracted her gaze, took out an ancient Pill Recipe, and sighed. ”When will I ever be able to successfully refine the Breaking Misfortune Pill? Do I really need to invite an Eight-star Soul Master to succeed?”

Amidst her thoughts, she suddenly sensed an anomaly in the surrounding Void. She couldn’t help but narrow her eyes, gazing off into the distance.