Soul-Slaying Maiden: Master Of Ancient Divine Weapons

"Why is Jiang Yue here? What's her situation?"

Jiang Yue's appearance seemed to disrupt Jiang Huai's plans as his expression turned grim.

Under Han Zhan's gaze, Jiang Huai had no choice but to explain truthfully:"Jiang Yue has been parasitized. It's not just simple parasitism; the anomaly in her body has been activated. However, because the infection time is not long enough, it's in a delicate state of balance."

"So this was your real plan, wasn't it? To take the Lesser Revival Pill from me on the way, then follow Jiang Yue to uncover deeper secrets behind the infection. Chief Jiang, your calculations are quite impressive."

Han Zhan wasn't a fool. Refining the Lesser Revival Pill, regardless of success or failure, didn't require a nighttime visit. Doing so would waste a pill unnecessarily, which made no sense.

The only plausible explanation was that Jiang Huai's true objective wasn't Han Zhan himself.

The truth came to light only after Jiang Yue appeared.

Having his schemes exposed, Jiang Huai said nothing more and discreetly followed behind Jiang Yue at a distance.

Han Zhan didn't hesitate and also followed Jiang Huai, curious about what Jiang Yue, polluted as she was, might be doing out in the middle of the night.

Jiang Huai, leading the way, moved quickly and seemed well-acquainted with the terrain, indicating this wasn't his first time tailing someone.

The Jiang clan's settlement was situated on a plain beside a deep mountain, and just nearby was a towering peak.

At night, the mountain loomed dark and foreboding, like an enormous swath of black cloth blending into the night.

And into that darkness vanished the three figures.

Jiang Yue, small as she was, walked with uncanny ease, her movements strangely unsettling.

Jiang Huai, following behind, was the first to falter.

At night, his strength was even weaker than an ordinary person's. After half an hour of hiking, he was already panting heavily.

Seeing this, Han Zhan asked, somewhat puzzled, "With you being this weak, how did you manage to follow her before? Didn't you lose her due to sheer exhaustion?"

Panting lightly, Jiang Huai replied, "No. Before, I only followed her once. She turned back before entering the mountain. I don't know why, but tonight, she's lasting much longer."

'Could it have something to do with me?' Hearing this, Han Zhan felt a bit uneasy.

Creation of Living Beings, a talent of the Shennong Cauldron, heals all injuries and restores one to their prime.

What if the strange ailments plaguing the Jiang clan weren't diseases or curses, but "wounds"?

As the two spoke, Jiang Yue, who had been striding ahead, suddenly disappeared into the night.

"This is bad! We've lost her!" Jiang Huai exclaimed in alarm.

Before he could say more, Han Zhan abruptly yanked him aside.

At that very instant, a massive black shadow descended from the sky, landing precisely where Jiang Huai had been standing.

From the darkness emerged its true form:

It was a monster.

It resembled a tiger in shape but had three distinct heads, each bearing a gaping maw filled with sharp fangs.

Its fur was jet-black, and a pair of bony wings jutted from its back—truly a case of "adding wings to a tiger."

What shocked them even more was that Jiang Yue, who had supposedly disappeared, suddenly appeared perched on a treetop opposite them. Her crimson eyes fixed on Han Zhan and Jiang Huai, her silent stare chilling to the bone.

"That's not Jiang Yue," Han Zhan said decisively. "From the beginning, it's been mimicking her to lure us out of the Jiang clan settlement."

"The Jiang settlement hasn't suffered any attacks, proving that even after Shennong's fall, the clan remains under his protection."

"You're quite clever, outsider. Thanks to you, I didn't have to wait decades to activate the seal within this little girl. It's you who enabled my premature revival. I must thank you properly."

A sinister voice emanated from Jiang Yue's mouth.

Her body, which had maintained the illusion of Jiang Yue, suddenly dissolved into a dense black mist.

The mist swirled and condensed, retaining its form as though this was its true nature.

"It's that curse!" Jiang Huai exclaimed. As clan chief, he naturally recognized this form—it was identical to the black mist that consumed Jiang clan members upon reaching the age of thirty-five.

Never had he expected to witness it again so soon.

This black mist was far more aggressive and terrifying than before.

"Don't lose your head. It's revealing its original form to unsettle you, disrupt your judgment," Han Zhan said calmly, analyzing the situation.

For Jiang Huai, the black mist was a greater psychological blow than it was for Han Zhan. Han Zhan, maintaining his composure, quickly deduced its intent.

"It's stalling for time—the Lesser Revival Pill." Han Zhan's mind lit up with realization.

The Lesser Revival Pill, one of Shennong's creations, must possess effects far beyond its simple description.

The ability to walk freely at night without being bound by the rules—that itself was a new rule.

The power of rules was formidable and incomprehensible.

The Lesser Revival Pill's rule was immunity to the night's corrosion, which naturally extended to all threats within the night.

The black mist and the skeletal-winged tiger it controlled couldn't harm him.

With Han Zhan's reminder, Jiang Huai also came to his senses.

"It's trying to run out the Lesser Revival Pill's time limit before attacking us."

'If that's the case, then what are we waiting for? Run!'

Jiang Huai thought, immediately turning and sprinting back toward the Jiang settlement.

But the next second, the black tiger blocked his path.

Even with his keen eyesight, Han Zhan couldn't discern how it moved.

'Ninth rank—again!'

The terrifying strength of nighttime creatures was as overwhelming as the Jiang clan's power during the day. It inspired despair and a sense of futility.

"Even if you see through my plan, it changes nothing. From the moment you left the Jiang settlement, your fate was sealed. Stop resisting—it's meaningless."

The eerie voice within the black mist carried a chilling laugh.

Jiang Huai's face lost all composure.

He had only consumed one Lesser Revival Pill before setting out, and its duration was three hours. Once that time elapsed, the night's corrosion would become unstoppable.

It was just past nine now, with a long wait until daylight.

What could they do? Pretending not to fear death was a lie. Instinctively, Jiang Huai turned his gaze toward Han Zhan, the calm outsider beside him.

"You must have a plan, don't you?"

"Outsiders are cunning; you must have prepared a backup."

Perhaps Jiang Huai was right. Han Zhan didn't hide it any longer.

Extending his hand, he opened his palm to reveal seven or eight lustrous white pills, faintly glowing—they were none other than Lesser Revival Pills.

Seeing so many Lesser Revival Pills, Jiang Huai's despair turned to hope.

He reached out to grab one, only for Han Zhan to pull his hand back sharply.

"You! How can you have so many Lesser Revival Pills? A life for a pill—how could they be so easily made?" The voice from the black mist betrayed a trace of disbelief.

"Oh? You seem knowledgeable. But do you recognize this?"

As Han Zhan spoke, he formed a hand seal, and an ancient, majestic cauldron's phantom manifested above his head.

The Shennong Cauldron

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