Chapter 217
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Chapter 217: The Submissive Pangolin
After watching the Nascent Soul Stage match, Xu Fan spotted a figure that was both familiar and strange.
At that moment, Ye Xiaoyao seemed like a completely different person. The sword formation he once struggled with was now executed with masterful precision, leaving his opponent gasping for breath.
The sword formation Ye Xiaoyao used was none other than the "Chaos Nine Strikes," renowned as one of the most powerful and difficult sword formations of the Transformation Stage.
By the time Ye Xiaoyao unleashed the seventh strike, his opponent was already defeated.
“He must have had his old grandpa step in. What a cheater!” Xu Fan muttered disdainfully, feeling that Ye Xiaoyao’s fighting strength was rather underwhelming.
“This doesn’t add up,” Xu Fan thought, recalling the spiritual swords in the formation.
To Xu Fan, the spiritual swords in that formation seemed far too shabby. Most of them were crafted by novice artifact masters who had just leveled up, lacking any real finesse.
“The protagonist shouldn’t be this broke,” Xu Fan mused, stroking his chin.
With that, Xu Fan decided to stop dwelling on Ye Xiaoyao. It was better to keep his distance from such a down-and-out protagonist.
A day later, at the Hidden Spirit Sect, Xu Fan watched as the group returned.
“Well done, all of you! You four are the future pillars of our Hidden Spirit Sect. Keep up the good work,” Xu Fan encouraged.
He then turned to Xu Gang and said, “You really surprised me. I thought you’d only manage second place, but you brought home an unexpected joy.”
Hearing this, Xu Gang took out the Nine Dragons Array from his space ring and handed it to Xu Fan.
“Master, I don’t have much use for this right now. You can hold onto it,” Xu Gang said.
Xu Fan took the Nine Dragons Array and examined it closely.
“Not bad. This artifact can be integrated into our protective mountain formation.”
“I’ll keep it for now. When you’re ready to use artifacts, I’ll craft one specifically for you,” Xu Fan said, still studying the array.
“Master, if you need it, just take it. No need for formalities,” Xu Gang replied with a smile.
“Who’s being formal?” Xu Fan retorted, rolling his eyes.
Looking around, Xu Fan noticed that the high-ranking members of the Hidden Spirit Sect were all present, so he decided to call a meeting.
In the main peak’s dojo, Xu Fan addressed everyone: “Our Hidden Spirit Sect is no longer threatened by Core Formation stage beasts. The sect is safe for now.”
“Those of you who love to wander can head out. And for those disciples who’ve defeated the Foundation Establishment Late Stage challenge puppets, you can travel to various fairy cities before advancing to the Golden Core Stage.”
“That’s all I have to say for now,” Xu Fan concluded.
“Master, can we really go out?” Xu Yuexian asked excitedly.
“Yes, you can. And Wang Xiangchi, if you haven’t fully grasped that sword technique, go out and figure it out,” Xu Fan added.
“The sword technique you taught me will be mastered soon,” Wang Xiangchi assured.
“Good to hear.”
The meeting ended.
The next day, outside Hidden Spirit Island, Xu Fan watched the three beams of light in the distance, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation.
“Don’t you all feel any attachment to the sect with Master around?”
First, Xu Yuexian spoke up, followed by Wang Xiangchi and Li Xingci. Xu Yuexian’s reason was to go out and search for treasures for Master and the sect, while Wang Xiangchi aimed to comprehend the supreme swordsmanship. Li Xingci was the most straightforward, leaving without even giving a reason, just sending a message that he was departing from Hidden Spirit Island.
“Let them all go.”
For some reason, Xu Fan thought of the Transformation God-level giant turtle that had left not long ago, wondering why he hadn’t kept a little turtle to keep him company.
“Master, the cultivation world outside is where they need to grow. They’re striving to become stronger to better protect you and the sect,” Xu Gang comforted him.
“Why don’t you go out?” Xu Fan asked Xu Gang.
“Didn’t I just return?”
“Ah, I forgot about that,” Xu Fan said with a smile.
The two stood on the spiritual boat, gazing at the distant lake, lost in their thoughts.
“Master, I’ve gained some insight into the path of disaster in the Soul Heart Tower. Please give me your thoughts,” Xu Gang began his usual inquiry.
As he spoke, Xu Gang cast a spell, freezing the space ahead.
Seeing the frozen space, Xu Fan nodded and said, “Good, this is the pure path of disaster. Understanding this will easily push you to the Transformation Stage in the future.”
“Though it’s good, the path of disaster isn’t the best fit for you.”
“What you need to comprehend is the essence of the way of the five elements.”
With that, Xu Fan took out a drop of water’s essence, shattered it into mist, and conjured a formation in the air, placing it around Xu Gang.
In an instant, Xu Gang seemed to step into the primordial world of the five elemental water.
After a while, Xu Gang slowly opened his eyes.
In Xu Fan’s eyes, above Xu Gang’s head appeared the effect “Water Attribute Techniques of the Dao Power +50%.”
Of course, that was just Xu Fan’s imagination.
“Metal, wood, water, fire, earth, and then wind, thunder, light, darkness, space, time.”
“Though there are more, I doubt you’ll need them,” Xu Fan said.
“Go back now. From now on, come see me once a month, and I will use the five elemental origins to help you comprehend the way of the five elements.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“No need for formalities.”
Xu Fan waved Xu Gang off and began to sit alone on the spiritual boat, drifting on the lake with the gentle breeze.
“Let me relax for a few more days, and once Pang Fu’s items arrive, I’ll start working,” Xu Fan said, looking at the rippling lake surface.
At that moment, Grape’s voice suddenly rang out.
“Master, three Core Formation stage beast races have been detected at the northern border of Lin Sen Fairy City. Should we take action?” Grape asked.
“Three Core Formation stage beasts just wandering in like that?” Xu Fan inquired.
In the past, Core Formation stage beasts would only reveal themselves during battles.
“It was discovered by the Demon Suppressing Star. Those three beast races are currently in hiding,” Grape replied.
At that moment, Xu Fan took out some snacks from the cafeteria and started munching away.
“Grape, have you simulated the power of the different cannons on the Demon Suppressing Star?” Xu Fan asked.
“Right now, it’s just theoretical data; we still need to test it.”
“Then let’s test it. Those three Core Formation stage beast races are in a wild area, where only beasts roam. It’s a perfect spot for an experiment,” Xu Fan said, his voice tinged with excitement.
What man can resist the charm of big cannons?
“Just don’t wipe them out all at once. Save the most powerful laser cannon for last,” Xu Fan instructed.
“Understood.”
High above the Hidden Spirit Sect, several hundred miles away, the fully deployed Demon Suppressing Star, with a diameter of a hundred meters, activated its teleportation formations and vanished.
In the border area north of Lin Sen Fairy City, three Core Formation stage beast races were making their way toward a specific location, their faces filled with frustration.
They kept their forms hidden, afraid of being spotted by whatever was above.
“A Core Formation stage dark snake, even if it dies, it’s not a big loss. Even with a true spirit, it’s not that valuable to the demon race.”
“Why does our clan leader insist on saving it?” a pangolin asked a giant snake demon.
“I’m not sure; maybe our clan leader has some illegitimate offspring out there. That explanation makes a bit of sense,” the giant snake demon replied.
It wasn’t interested in why it had to save the dark snake’s true spirit; it just wanted to finish the job quickly and retreat to its cozy snake den.
The human cultivation world was terrifying. Above its den, the thoughts of powerful human beings occasionally swept by. If it weren’t for its hidden abilities, it might have already been caught.
Right now, it felt that the safest place among humans was its own snake den.
“Use thought transmission when you speak; what if a powerful human hears us?” the giant tiger said to the two giant beasts.
The three Core Formation stage beast races exchanged glances and nodded.
“Right now, the true spirit of that dark snake is at the lakebed of the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake. Once we secure the beast that the snake spirit is possessing, we’ll retreat quickly.”
“This place is even more dangerous than Tianjiang Fairy City,” the giant snake demon said.
“You don’t need to say that; if there were any beast races in Lin Sen Fairy City, we wouldn’t need to be here,” the pangolin demon replied.
Just then, the Demon Suppressing Star appeared above the three Core Formation stage beast races, and the standard Alloy Gravity Rod emerged.
The pangolin demon suddenly started digging like crazy.
“Danger! Follow me!” the pangolin demon communicated urgently.
In no time, the three Core Formation stage beast races had burrowed down to a depth of 1,000 meters.
Watching the scene above the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake, Xu Fan was amazed.
“Are they really that jumpy? Just a little disturbance and they go into full panic mode,” Xu Fan said.
He was sure the pangolin’s sixth sense had kicked in, making it hide at the slightest hint of danger.
Meanwhile, the three Core Formation stage beast races were hiding underground.
“Pangolin, is there danger?” the giant snake demon asked.
“I just had a feeling; it’s very likely that humans are plotting something against us,” the pangolin said cautiously.
“Are you just guessing that someone’s ambushing us on a whim? What if you’re wrong?” the giant tiger demon asked.
“At least we’re still alive,” the pangolin shot back confidently.
“Following me might mean the mission fails, but we won’t die.”
Just then, an ultra-hard Alloy Gravity Rod dropped from above, smashing through the giant tiger’s skull and unleashing a shockwave that locked down the surrounding area.
“Run!!!”
“Go underground!!!” the giant tiger’s true spirit yelled, clinging to the pangolin demon.
“Crap, bad intel! Let’s get out of here!”
The pangolin demon activated its Earth-Based Powers and dragged the giant snake demon down into the earth.
Xu Fan watched the spiritual energy image on the light curtain and smirked. “You think hiding underground will save you?”
“Fire the railgun. Let’s see what it can do,” Xu Fan ordered.
“Understood.”
Far above, in the skies north of Lin Sen Fairy City, the Demon Suppressing Star extended a second cannon, a mile-long barrel covered in mysterious runes.
A flash of lightning lit up the void.
*Boom!*
A glowing, lightning-wrapped projectile seemed to warp through space, striking the giant snake’s vital spot.
The pangolin demon nearly lost it, now carrying another snake race true spirit.
In that moment, the pangolin demon had an epiphany.
What the clan leader had drilled into it—sacrificing its life for the sake of the race—had flipped. Now, it was about survival, even if it meant betraying the race.
The pangolin demon shifted into human form and trapped the snake demon attached to it.
“Pangolin, what are you doing?!”
“Betraying the beast race will get you the Soul Point Lamp!”
The two true spirits attached to it screamed in panic.
The transformed pangolin slowly knelt, pressing its forehead to the ground in submission.
“Don’t you get it? We can’t escape,” the pangolin said.
Xu Fan stroked his chin, watching the scene. “Grape, what do you think about keeping a pangolin?”
“If Master is absolutely certain he can control it, he could subdue this pangolin demon—as long as it doesn’t enter Hidden Spirit Island,” Grape replied.
At that moment, the Demon Suppressing Star launched a landing pod containing a Void Refinement Stage Puppet and two heavy armor puppets wielding Giant Shields.
“Come out,” Xu Fan commanded through the Refining Void Puppet.
A burly, armored man appeared before the puppet.
“Submit or die. Your choice,” the Void Refinement Stage Puppet said coldly.
“I’ll submit. I’ve always had a soft spot for the human race.”
“I ended up among humans by force. Since I’ve been here, I haven’t harmed a single one,” the pangolin-turned-man pleaded.
“Open your mind,” the puppet said, ignoring the pangolin’s excuses.
The pangolin glanced around, then at the sky, before finally assuming a posture of surrender.
A seed appeared at the puppet’s fingertip and gently touched the pangolin’s forehead.
Instantly, the seed bloomed in the pangolin’s soul, and a small red flower sprouted on its head.
“Come with me.”
A gravitational pull wrapped around the pangolin and the puppet, drawing them up to the Demon Suppressing Star.
Hundreds of miles above, the pangolin stared at the Demon Suppressing Star, a flash of rage in its eyes.
For a moment, it thought about destroying the star.
But the searing pain in its soul made it drop the idea instantly.
The pangolin felt crushed, knowing its life was no longer its own. A good life was probably out of reach now.
Outside Hidden Spirit Island, on a spiritual boat floating on the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake, Xu Fan looked at the human-shaped pangolin.
“Do you know why I kept you alive and gave you a chance to submit?”
“Master is merciful,” the pangolin said, kneeling. The submission in its soul left no doubt—this man was its master now.
“Haha, my mercy is only for my own.”
“I didn’t kill you because you don’t reek of human blood.”
Xu Fan pulled out two crystal balls, each containing the true spirits of the giant tiger and the giant snake.
“These two? They’re drenched in human blood. That’s why they died before you,” Xu Fan said with a grin.
“Now, tell me—why did you come to the Lin Sen Fairy City area?”
“We came to retrieve a dark snake true spirit. It’s under the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake.”
The pangolin paused, realizing why it had been caught.
“The dark snake’s true spirit? Go get it. But if you stray beyond the Ten Thousand-Mile Giant Lake, the seed in your soul will self-destruct,” Xu Fan warned.
“Understood!”
The pangolin quickly adjusted to its new role.
