Chapter 131

As they spoke, everyone's gaze shifted, all looking toward a large blue stone.

Lu Fan sat cross-legged upon it, his expression tranquil. The morning sun's radiance spread, bathing him, as if a golden shield. He gently inhaled and exhaled the morning's vital energy; his pores opened with each heartbeat and breath, and faintly, strands of silver light seemed to pour forth.

Gold and silver light flickered, flashing on and off; to the onlookers it seemed wonderfully miraculous. Even his originally pallid countenance, concealed by this state, became barely noticeable.

Sharp-eyed Xiulan seemed to notice something; her pupils dilated, and she stared at Lu Fan with curiosity. Yet at this moment Lu Fan had placed a restriction on her, her spiritual power could not be exerted, and relying solely on her eyes she could not perceive any mystery.

Hmph! You bunch of wastes, your luck isn't bad—most people stayed far from the beast tide, yet you managed to get inside, and Lu Fan's methods protected you. Aside from that, Heaven Source Academy really has no reputation, but in terms of opportunity and fortune it indeed has its unique strengths!

She snorted coldly, deciding to attack indirectly, mocking and sneering without any concealment, utterly refusing to see herself as a prisoner.

"What did you say?" a long-faced youth jumped to his feet, face flushed with anger and humiliation, about to draw his sidearm, but Yang Sheng stopped him.

"Li Yongwang, don't act rashly. This demoness, though restrained, still has some use!" Yang Sheng's words were meant to pacify, but his gaze at Xiulan was icy, his anger held in check.

"Brother Yang, this demoness is too arrogant. Her insulting me I could bear, but she also drags the academy into it—I simply can't swallow this!"

Li Yongwang gritted his teeth, lowered the sword in his hand, yet the anger on his face would not fade. The others also nodded, staring at Xiulan with cold looks, wishing they could devour her alive.

Hmph! Do you still need my academy to insult you? A bunch of wine sacks and rice bags—any outsider entering the Dragon Pagoda Secret Realm could suppress you lot of wastes. If you didn't have some Dragon Origin Purple Qi on you, you'd likely have been seized and killed long ago!

Xiulan lifted her chin, an air of haughty pride. Who could tolerate such words? Even Yang Sheng trembled with rage, releasing Li Yongwang, his face fierce, as if the situation were about to spiral out of control.

Cough—cough—

A faint cough sounded, not loud but unusually clear. No one knew why, but as soon as that utterance fell, Yang Sheng and the others calmed their minds, the anger and agitation in their hearts dissipating invisibly.

It seems I still underestimated you; even without forming hand seals, your mouth alone can bewitch hearts and minds— the title 'demoness' truly fits you!

Lu Fan lightly leapt down from the blue stone, hands behind his back, walking slowly over. Seeing this, Xiulan's eyes darted away, her body involuntarily trembling.

Yang Sheng and the others came to their senses; they usually considered their dispositions decent, but a few words from Xiulan had stirred their emotions—surely it was demonic deceit, confusing the mind.

"I've been placed under your restriction—are you not even going to let me speak? Do you still have any sense of reason?"

Xiulan gathered her courage, glared at Lu Fan, intending to utter some reproaches, but halfway through her words the anger drained away, leaving only greater resentment.

"Might makes right— isn't that always the way of your demonic sect?" Lu Fan gave a faint smile, two fingers pinching Xiulan's chin, locking eyes with her. "You want to speak, right? Perfect—I also have a few questions for you; let's talk privately later."

When his words fell, he released Xiulan, turned slowly, and addressed Yang Sheng and the others:

"After last night's beast tide uprising, few magical beasts likely remain within a thousand li. You all should be careful, but there should be no serious hindrance—let us part ways here."

Upon hearing this, everyone blinked slightly, then exchanged glances and, in unison, dropped to one knee, speaking aloud:

"President Lu, we also wish to join the Heaven Dragon Guild; please grant us this favor."

Yang Sheng glanced at the people beside him, as if he had anticipated this scene, clasped his fists, and said: "Young Fan, they are merely commoner disciples of the academy; their cultivation relies solely on diligence, they have joined no faction, and have no interests entangled with other powers."

He was hinting to Lu Fan that these people's backgrounds were clean and trustworthy. Lu Fan caught on immediately, giving a faint smile:

"Please rise! The state of the Heaven Dragon Guild is clear enough to you lot. Frankly, most of you are just here to fish in troubled waters, not sincerely aligning with me. If you join, you'll likely gain nothing but trouble—better to forget it."

Upon hearing this, everyone blinked slightly. They felt Lu Fan's words made some sense, yet seeing his various methods, they admired him greatly and had already submitted sincerely. Asking them to give up now would indeed be somewhat unwilling.

"Young Fan!" Yang Sheng rose slowly at this moment, walked up to Lu Fan, bowed slightly, and whispered: "With your character and methods, I doubt you'll let the Heaven Dragon Guild descend into chaos. Bringing Zhan Xiao's gang under control won't happen overnight; though we are modest in talent, we possess fervent hearts and loyal courage, and wish to aid Young Fan in accomplishing great deeds."

When his words fell, the people behind him all nodded heavily, faces solemn, clearly sincere in their desire to serve under Lu Fan.

Lu Fan glanced at them, his voice firm: "Despite the many problems of the Heaven Dragon Guild, you still wish to assist me—it seems you truly have confidence in me, Lu Fan. I am not one to stand on ceremony; henceforth I hope to work with you all to build the Heaven Dragon Guild and make it the foremost power of Heaven Source Academy."

He originally needed manpower; though these people were not deeply acquainted with him, having faced magical beasts alongside Yang Sheng with a view-death-as-return spirit still earned his favor, and keeping them nearby gave him considerable reassurance.

"Thank you, President, for granting this!"

Yang Sheng led the way, those behind him bowing their heads in unison; excitement showed plainly on their faces, impossible to restrain.

Lu Fan also gave a faint smile, extended both hands, and gently lifted the group: "My brothers, no need for formality. As long as you sincerely serve the Heaven Dragon Guild, I, Lu Fan, will surely never abandon or discard any of you."

Beside her, Xiulan could bear it no longer, and mustering her courage she began to mock and sneer: "Lu Fan, you're not only mighty in divine abilities, your eloquence is astonishing. A few words can make people sacrifice themselves willingly; you call me a purveyor of lies, but compared to you, I, Jiang Xiulan, feel ashamed."

Upon hearing this, Yang Sheng and the others' faces darkened with anger, they coldly stared at Xiulan. Lu Fan, however, seemed unfazed, gave a faint smile, and casually tapped a point on Xiulan's neck, sealing her throat.

Xiulan's face flushed with resentment; she opened and closed her cherry lips, but could only utter meaningless sounds, unable to speak a single word.

Hmph! Let you spout nonsense—now see how you'll manage to open your mouth!

Yang Sheng snorted coldly, feeling somewhat relieved. As he spoke, he reached into his bosom, produced a piece of worn cloth, and handed it to Lu Fan.

"Young Fan! This is a secret map I happened to obtain, pointing to a treasure site within the Dragon Pagoda Secret Realm, but despite long study I've found no way in—please give me some guidance."

Lu Fan showed a hint of curiosity, casually took the cloth, slowly unfolded it, glanced at it once, and his expression immediately changed; he spoke somewhat oddly:

"Where did you get this? Are you sure what's depicted on the map truly lies within this secret realm?"

The cloth was tattered beyond repair, the routes depicted unclear and overly complicated, like a madman's scribble. Yet at its center was the likeness of an imperial seal, as if it could suppress the eight wastes and bind the whole map together.

Seeing Lu Fan's expression, the others also grew curious; given his abilities, this demeanor suggested something extraordinary, and they all focused their attention on Yang Sheng.

Yet Yang Sheng knitted his brows, as if recalling some past event, his feelings complex. After pausing for about ten breaths, he spoke solemnly:

"The origin of this secret map is not something I can conveniently disclose; I hope Young Fan will understand. But this map does point to the Dragon Pagoda Secret Realm—I can guarantee that."

Before his words had finished, Lu Fan's expression turned strange; he paced two steps, then spoke solemnly: "This is actually a tomb's layout plan. Its scale is nearly negligible, yet the formations recorded on it are of considerable origin. If it truly exists here, the secret would be no small matter."

"Oh? A tomb layout! How could that be? The Dragon Pagoda Secret Realm was opened by the Bright Moon Empire and has existed for over a thousand years. Surely no one would have buried anything here—how old could this map be?"

Yang Sheng's face showed astonishment; he had originally thought this secret map was merely left by predecessors who participated in the Dragon Pagoda trials, but now it was clearly not the case.

Within the secret realm there are not a few blessed lands: some have rare flowers and exotic herbs, precious spiritual timber that periodically bears strange fruits of great value; others are strange zones filled with special challenges, helpful for comprehending cultivation arts and martial techniques. The tomb marked on the map, however, clearly does not belong to either category.

"If you want to know the truth, just go see for yourself!" Lu Fan gave a faint smile, casually rolled up the map, then shifted his gaze, giving Xiulan a strange look.

Xiulan's expression froze; she felt a chill run through her body, instinctively sensing Lu Fan's ill intent. But her body was still restrained, she could not speak, and had no means to resist.

"Young Fan, this tomb probably involves some mystery; bringing that demoness along would be inconvenient, wouldn't it?"

Yang Sheng spoke again; he placed great hope in the location indicated by the secret map, felt the opportunity was significant, and fundamentally did not want unrelated people to go there. It wasn't that he feared they'd steal his gains, but rather he worried that afterward Xiulan might leak the secret, leaving this blessed land with no further connection to him.

Within the Dragon Pagoda Secret Realm, many blessed lands were discovered by those who came for trials; even the formations on them were laid out by those people, so their descendants could come seek treasure. Of course, they can also be sold as special commodities, and many major powers are eager to purchase them.

"The place indicated by this secret map is altogether unclear; it would be hard to pinpoint the exact spot in a short time. Xiulan is versed in Ghost Dao Divine Abilities—finding such a tomb is perfectly suited to her."

Lu Fan gave a faint smile; as his words fell, he lightly patted Xiulan's shoulder with one hand. A stream of true qi entered her body, and the restrained form instantly regained autonomy.

"Lu Fan, you might as well give up! I will absolutely not help you!"

Xiulan regained her 'freedom', rubbed her stiff shoulders, and coldly glared at Lu Fan, her gaze icy and her anger blazing.

A few people nearby couldn't stand it any longer, letting out two cold snorts, and were especially displeased with Xiulan's words.

Lu Fan, however, wore a smiling, hehe expression and said: "Have you thought it through? At a glance, this tomb is no good place; not to mention anything else, the death qi and yin qi are surely extremely heavy, which would be a great help to your Ghost Dao cultivation!"

He paused slightly, grinning as he looked at Xiulan, like a pure innocent boy, his face full of sunshine.

Seeing his appearance, Xiulan became so angry she just gritted her teeth, stomped her feet hard, turned her head away, and acted as if she ignored Lu Fan.

You haven't been practicing Ghost Dao for long, but the yin soul ghost qi has already caused considerable erosion to your body; if you can quickly increase your Ghost Dao cultivation, you can easily turn the situation around and regain vitality!

Lu Fan then spoke further, without much seductive talk, but hearing it, Xiulan felt greatly invigorated, couldn't help but turn her head in surprise and doubt, saying:

Is what you said true? This yin cold killing qi all over my body can really be dispelled, and then I can again stir the vitality within?

Lu Fan gave a faint smile, slowly handed over that piece of cloth, and said: "You have a choice, after all; even if I'm just talking nonsense off the cuff, wouldn't you feel more at ease giving it a try?"