Supreme Emptiness

So.

The Double-headed Hellhound had detected Jiang Fan's trap.

Thus, it did not take the mountain path.

Instead, it scaled the mountain directly!

Boom——

It gave Jiang Fan no chance to fight back.

The colossal hundred-zhang figure descended like a mountain crushing down.

The narrow mountain path was instantly shrouded in darkness.

Jiang Fan's heart sank along with it.

But he did not give up.

Clenching his teeth, he pulled out the Yin Marrow Tiger Talisman.

Following Hua Xin's example, he fiercely slapped it toward the sky above him.

Bang——

A massive surge of terrifying Yin Qi erupted like a dark cloud rising into the air.

The Double-headed Hellhound's sneering eyes abruptly turned solemn.

It immediately moved sideways through the air to evade the cloud of Yin Qi, landing at a distance.

When its gaze landed upon the object Jiang Fan held in his hand.

All four red eyes contracted simultaneously.

Thud.

It unexpectedly dropped to all fours, kneeling down on the ground.

It let out odd whining noises.

Hmm?

Was it... submitting?

Though Jiang Fan couldn't understand its sounds.

Its mannerisms, indeed, reflected submission.

Jiang Fan was stunned.

He had already braced himself for a life-or-death battle against the Double-headed Hellhound.

But suddenly, things turned out like this?

He looked at the Yin Marrow Tiger Talisman in his hand.

The Hellhound was clearly wary of this item.

Could it be that this Tiger Talisman truly had the power to command an army?

An army of hellish creatures?

Jiang Fan was a bit bewildered.

Who exactly was Hua Xin?

And what earth-shattering artifact had he taken back?

He stared at the Double-headed Hellhound before him, unsure for a moment how to proceed.

An extremely dangerous creature of Nascent Soul level.

Moreover, cunning and vicious.

He certainly didn't think keeping it by his side was a wise decision.

Suddenly.

The Double-headed Hellhound abruptly lifted its head, gazing toward the far-off sky.

An expression of fear appeared in its eyes.

Jiang Fan felt something too.

Turning his head, he looked toward the horizon.

A golden burst of Buddhist light surged up from the edge of the earth.

Dazzling, radiant.

It was like a golden sun rising into the sky.

It was the Dharma Seal Vajra!

They were pursuing the Double-headed Hellhound!

"Oooh~"

The Double-headed Hellhound began clawing at the ground in pure terror.

It wanted to flee but glanced at the Yin Marrow Tiger Talisman and dared not move.

Jiang Fan shouted, "Go quickly!"

If the Dharma Seal Vajra saw both man and dog together, he'd laugh his head off.

Because they were both targets for him to convert.

Taking both at once, how convenient?

The Double-headed Hellhound couldn't understand Jiang Fan's words. It gave him a helpless look.

Jiang Fan decisively stowed away the Yin Marrow Tiger Talisman, flicking his sleeve to signal for it to leave.

Only then did the Hellhound seem to breathe a sigh of relief.

It scrambled to its feet and bolted away.

But after running just a few steps, it stopped again.

Turning its head, it gave Jiang Fan a long look.

One of its heads opened its dog mouth and spat out a black bell, kicking it with its paw toward Jiang Fan.

It muttered something unintelligible.

When it noticed the golden light closing in, it no longer looked back, transforming into a ball of black flames as it fled.

Jiang Fan was puzzled.

Had it given him this?

He stepped closer, using Spiritual Power to wash off the sticky saliva on the surface.

Then, wrapping it in cloth, ensuring it was safe, he placed it in his palm to examine.

It was a small black bell.

Slightly larger than a palm.

It resembled the magic artifacts used by human Taoists.

But Jiang Fan had no time to study it.

He hurriedly put away Linglong and dug up the bronze Array Plate.

Then he took out a Dustless Talisman, attaching it to his chest.

Planting his body firmly against the rock wall, he remained motionless.

"Mani Om..."

A magnificent Brahmic chant, accompanied by brilliant golden light, approached from afar.

At first.

Jiang Fan only felt that the chant brought a sense of calm to his mind.

But soon, his consciousness grew hazy, uncontrollably focusing on the chant.

He snapped out of it quickly, sealing off his hearing senses.

Oddly enough.

The chant seemed to resonate directly within his soul.

His heart sank with alarm.

He fought desperately to prevent himself from losing his mind to the chant.

At that moment.

A dazzling golden lotus throne flew overhead.

The chant reached its peak in intensity.

Under the illumination of the Buddhist light, the chant became utterly irresistible, saturating his mind.

Jiang Fan's eyes began to lose their sparkle, immersing fully into its allure.

His body moved involuntarily, stepping forward to follow the chant.

Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

At this critical moment, the Little Qilin bit Jiang Fan's chest.

The stabbing pain jolted him awake.

He decisively began reciting the Taoist "Forget God Spell."

"The heavens hold nine stars, the earth houses nine palaces."

"I hold a hundred knots, myriad spirits obey me."

"The three corpses are sealed, five organs circulate freely."

"Fields and limbs align, breath in harmony at the core."

"Dragon Tiger Bagua, heed my jade visage."

"Ghosts, demons, myriad entities, Mo Gan Zhen Guan."

Under the influence of the spell, the hypnotic chant occupying his soul gradually dissipated.

On the lotus throne now far away.

The Dharma Seal Vajra seemed to perceive something, turning to look toward the shadowy mountain path.

But sensing the nearby aura of the Double-headed Hellhound.

He shifted his gaze away.

Riding the lotus throne, he led the monks away.

After they had left for some time.

Jiang Fan collapsed to his knees with a thud.

His clothes were thoroughly soaked in sweat, his face pale, the result of extreme mental exhaustion.

It was apparent that even a brief resistance had drained him completely.

And this was merely the incidental influence of the Dharma Seal Vajra's chant.

He could not imagine what direct confrontation with the Vajra would entail.

Probably, the mere encounter would strip him of his selfhood.

And then he'd be converted on the spot.

He couldn't help but shudder.

He quickly gathered his belongings and rushed toward the Transmission Array.

Soon.

He made his way back near the Transmission Array.

Finding three figures waiting there.

It was Ren Guhong and Wu Manyue.

And a graceful young woman who was chatting with them from time to time.

Slender build, fair skin, strikingly beautiful features.

She must be a familiar senior disciple.

Upon seeing Jiang Fan return, Ren Guhong exhaled deeply and immediately came forward, saying:

"Junior Brother Jiang, didn't the hell creature chase after you?"

Neither he nor Wu Manyue were harmed, so clearly, it went after Jiang Fan.

Jiang Fan replied in a complex tone, "It was driven off by the Dharma Seal Vajra."

Ren Guhong's face lit up with delight, "That's good, that's good!"

"Let's go, this place is no longer safe. We must leave immediately."

Jiang Fan also feared another encounter with the Dharma Seal Vajra, so he hastened to the Transmission Array.

Wu Manyue folded her arms, casting a sidelong glance at Jiang Fan, shyly murmuring:

"This time you saved me."

"Thanks."

"Our past grudges, erased with a single stroke."

Jiang Fan chuckled; this woman always changed her attitude like flipping a book.

Unexpectedly, delivering a heartfelt thanks seemed to torment her, making it appear so unnatural.

Ren Guhong added, "I won't hold you accountable for the Dragon Blood Lotus matter either."

"But with Ye Banxia, you'd better be prepared."

"That woman is incredibly proud and has never suffered any setbacks."

"Yet you humiliated her so thoroughly—two strikes with the Wolf Fang Club, plus a kick to the stomach."

"I wager she'll remember you forever."

"Be wary of her."

Jiang Fan snorted:

"She caused me so much trouble."

"I feel like I didn't beat her hard enough!"

While speaking, he retrieved the Jade Talisman, saying, "Let's leave first."

"This place is too dangerous."

Ren Guhong nodded and called out, "Junior Sister Liu Li, come quickly."

The slender young woman immediately picked up her skirt and sprinted onto the array with a sweet smile:

"I lost my Jade Talisman."

"Hope to trouble the two senior brothers and Junior Brother Jiang to take me along this time."

Liu Li?

Jiang Fan was bewildered.

Isn't that the name of his "child's" mother?

What a coincidence, also called Liu Li.

"You're welcome," he nodded, activating the Jade Talisman.

The spatial array immediately began to function.

Ren Guhong relaxed, eyeing Liu Li, saying, "Junior Brother Jiang."

"You new disciples seem surrounded by fortune."

"I've heard rumors of several beautiful female disciples among you."

"This Junior Sister Liu Li is one of them, right?"

Hmm?

Jiang Fan raised an eyebrow, puzzled, and looked at Liu Li:

"Isn't she a senior disciple?"

"I just saw you chatting lively earlier."

Among the new disciples, there's no one like her.

Hmm?

Ren Guhong and Wu Manyue's expressions initially froze.

And then their faces underwent a drastic change.