Chapter Eighty: The Death of Lord Jade

Within the inherited space, Jiang Fan watched an extraordinary scene unfold.

"So the Eight-Legged Demon God died just like that?" Jiang Fan exclaimed in surprise.

"In the Grand Hong Realm, the world ultimately belongs to the human race," Yubo replied. "The Dragon Palace would never risk making an enemy of them over a mere minor demon god! Were it not for the altar, that insignificant demon god would have been delivered to the imperial palace long ago."

"Are humans truly the masters of all the worlds beneath the heavens?"

"What do you think?"

"Forget I said anything," Jiang Fan replied with an awkward smile, then asked, "There were three who originally started the blood sacrifice. One was the Eight-Legged Demon God; what about the other two?"

"There's no harm in telling you. One is the Three-Eyed Evil God, the other is the Crimson Flame Venerable. The person who intervened just now was the master of the Crimson Flame Venerable," Yubo explained. "Your grudges, your hatred—those are for you to resolve yourself. Little one, you must work hard; don't let your efforts be in vain!"

As his voice faded, so too did the vision, and Yubo vanished without a trace.

"Three-Eyed Evil God, Crimson Flame Venerable..." Jiang Fan muttered, grinding his teeth. "Those two beasts, I'll destroy them sooner or later."

With a single palm strike, surging waves erupted, and the recoil sent his small boat speeding back.

Once ashore, he carefully set the two volumes of books aside before heading into the courtyard. There, he opened his mouth and inhaled, filling his belly with spiritual liquid. Then, he left the stone courtyard and made his way to the grasslands.

Here, gravity was suppressed. The farther north one went, the stronger the gravity became.

Jiang Fan finally stopped at a spot he deemed appropriate—by his estimation, the gravity here was two hundred times normal.

He sat cross-legged and began to quietly cultivate the Golden Mist Art.

Under this gravity, his progress was significantly accelerated.

Yet, compared to before, it still felt much slower.

He cultivated for a long while, and when his mind grew fatigued, he would leave to rest. Afterwards, he would pore over various ancient texts in the stone house and occasionally venture into the western mountains to battle demon beasts.

Unafraid of death, he fought to his heart's content.

With divine strength, Jiang Fan fought deep into the mountains until he encountered a golden-furred ape—a fearsome demon beast. Though not at the Nascent Soul level, its copper-like skin and powerful bloodline made it every bit his equal.

Man and ape, their battle shook the heavens.

Boom—!

The summit of a peak was shattered by their clash.

From the ground, the fight soared into the skies.

Jiang Fan’s body trembled, his vital energy blazing like a rainbow from his crown. The golden ape was even more astonishing—its body suddenly grew taller by a large margin.

Their strength was evenly matched, neither gaining the upper hand.

"My Inch Fist has reached the ninth level, and I still can't take you down?" Jiang Fan shouted arrogantly. In a burst of speed, he appeared at the ape's side in an instant—so fast his opponent barely had time to react.

Crack—!

A whip-like kick landed on the ape's neck, sending it flying into the distant cliffs. The impact gouged a massive crater, shattering the surrounding rock.

"Die!"

Jiang Fan leapt after it, descending with a crushing stomp.

At last, the mountain wilderness fell silent.

He climbed to the mountain’s peak and gazed into the distance. The wild, boundless mountains stretched beyond sight, and somewhere deeper within, he sensed even more terrifying presences lurking.

He did not venture further. Jiang Fan returned to the grasslands and resumed his cultivation.

Time flowed on, his strength ever increasing.

Battling, studying, cultivating.

Never hurried, never slack.

One day, Jiang Fan let out a long, resonant cry, startling all the land.

"Golden Mist Art, third layer perfected!" Back in the stone courtyard, Jiang Fan looked up to the sky and called, "Yubo, I’ve completed the task!"

"Excellent!" Yubo appeared before him, scrutinizing him carefully before nodding. "For a human, completing this in nine months is nothing short of a miracle. After a million years, at last there is a named disciple— even I feel a bit moved."

"Yubo, now that I’m a named disciple, shouldn’t there be some reward? Do I have to swear some kind of oath? And who is my master?" Jiang Fan fired off questions in rapid succession.

Yubo chuckled. "The rewards have already been given: the Golden Mist Art, the Profound Dao Technique—both are among the finest techniques in the Grand Hong Realm. Add to that the supreme combat art, Inch Fist—what more could you want? Furthermore, the houseful of books contains almost the entire inheritance of this world’s arts, as well as secrets of the ages. As for oaths? None are needed."

"Ahem! Yubo, at least give me a surprise—if not, how about an immortal weapon?"

"Do you even know what an immortal weapon is?"

"Of course! It's a weapon used by immortals in legend!"

"If it's a weapon used by immortals, what right does a mortal like you have to possess one? Even if you did, you could not wield its power." Yubo waved his hand and spoke solemnly. "You are now a named disciple. From today, you must complete the next task to officially become the master’s disciple. When that time comes, you’ll know all you should—and shouldn’t—know."

"Another task?" Jiang Fan’s heart sank.

"Of course!" Yubo smiled mysteriously. "Three years. You have three years to perfect both the Golden Mist Art and the Profound Dao Technique, and to master Inch Fist to the thirty-sixth level!"

"Yubo, you want me to achieve the peak of Earth Immortal in both body and energy arts within three years? And master Inch Fist to the thirty-sixth level? You might as well kill me now!"

"Failure won’t cost you your life," Yubo said coldly. "But from then on, you’ll remain only a named disciple, forever unable to access the true inheritance of the old master. The choice is yours."

"As long as I don’t die!" Jiang Fan breathed a sigh of relief. "Do I have to stay here?"

"As you wish."

"What do you mean?"

"I will now return you to your original place. The Jade Spring Palace will remain by your side, and you can enter to cultivate at any time."

"That’s great!"

"So, will you stay or go?"

"Of course I’ll go! It’s been nine months—my parents must be worried sick!"

"Very well."

With a wave of his hand, Yubo spun the stars, and Jiang Fan vanished. Alone, Yubo muttered to himself.

"This boy is truly mysterious. There’s a space within his mind! Inside is a heart like that of a plant or demon spirit, yet also clearly different. Strangely, it can rapidly enhance the flesh, clearly designed for the Profound Dao Technique! His mastery of Inch Fist and its concepts was not achieved here, either."

"How did he manage it?"

"Here, bound by rules, I cannot probe further. But once outside...!"

"I hope he really does surprise me! A million years of confinement..."

Yubo slowly exhaled a turbid breath, and his figure vanished. In the void, an ancient Daoist palace flickered briefly before disappearing.

Within the Jiang family’s underground chamber, Jiang Fan reappeared.

He had previously declared his seclusion here, perfecting the Profound Dao Diagram before being summoned away. Now, nine months later, he had returned.

"That Yubo..." A look of worry flashed in Jiang Fan’s eyes.

But faced with such a figure, there was nothing he could do but take things one step at a time.

At that moment, the space before him split open, and a miniature palace appeared. It landed between his brows and vanished without a trace, entering directly into his mind and appearing within his mental space.

"How bizarre!" Yubo walked out of the palace. "With my million-year preparations, I can briefly emerge. Now, I’ll see what secrets this strange little fellow is hiding—may he truly surprise me!"

He walked toward the central point of light.

"Here... here, I actually sense a terror that shakes my very soul. How long has it been since I felt this?" Yubo trembled.

"What are you doing?" Qin Ming finally realized—the miniature palace was the Jade Spring Palace, and Yubo had entered his mind. This unsettled him greatly.

"Boy, tell me—what is that point of light in your mind space?" Yubo’s voice was laced with unfathomable temptation.

"It’s a passage connecting to another universe." Though Jiang Fan was on guard, he found himself answering involuntarily.

"Another universe? A universe?" Yubo grinned. "It must be another world! Ha, a mind linked to another world—how strange. Perhaps this is my chance, my opportunity after a million years of confinement. But the Jade Spring Palace... ah, can I truly let go? Besides, given this boy’s talent, what difference do thousands or tens of thousands of years make? Now that I know his secret, what waves can he possibly stir? I can only hope—truly hope!"

Without further hesitation, Yubo transformed into a beam of light and merged into the point of light. In the next instant—

"Ah... what is this power...!"

Before he could finish, Yubo’s voice was abruptly cut off.

A flood of soul force instantly filled the mind space.

"Dead?" Jiang Fan shuddered, breaking out in cold sweat. But sensing the state of his mind space, he could not help but laugh aloud. "Ha! Yubo, oh Yubo, truly, man proposes, heaven disposes!"

With his will, Jiang Fan entered his mind space. Though he could not yet absorb this unclaimed soul power, he was able to observe the drifting fragments of memory.

Half a day later—

"So it was his legacy!"

From one memory fragment, Jiang Fan finally learned the origin of the Jade Spring Palace. After his initial shock came wild joy, for he realized he had already become half its master.