Chapter 137: The Gentleman Is No Vessel Intent

Lu Fan nodded slightly, swept a glance over Zhang Heng and the other two, and said with a smile.

His voice had barely faded when Zhang Heng and Wan Li snapped back to their senses, their expressions changing in unison as though facing a great enemy. Their previously confrontational stance shifted in an instant—they turned sideways in unison, forming a pincer position, arrayed together before Lu Fan.

Clearly they had been fighting each other just a moment ago, yet now they presented a united front—the shift could not have been swifter.

Seeing this scene, Xiulan was overjoyed and cried out urgently, "Senior Brother, Young Master Zhang, this boy Lu Fan is far too bizarre. You two must take him down first, or else all your schemes are mere delusion."

"Bastard! This witch is utterly shameless. Our guild leader treated her with courtesy the entire journey, and now she turns on us without a second thought—truly worthy of being a villain of the Demonic Cult!"

"This is infuriating! If I'd known it would come to this, even if I'd been punished by Young Master Fan, I would have subdued this witch, and we wouldn't be in this mess right now!"

Yang Sheng and the others jumped with rage, pointing at Xiulan and cursing furiously. Originally Lu Fan had been standing on the sidelines, but now he was caught in a situation where Zhang Heng and the other joined forces to besiege him. In truth, this had nothing to do with Xiulan, yet they still pinned the blame on her head.

Lu Fan turned slightly, waved his hand at the group behind him, and said with a calm smile, "There is no need for everyone to worry. If fighting breaks out later, you only need to protect yourselves and find an opportunity to leave this place."

Yang Sheng and the others were momentarily startled, about to say something along the lines of "sharing hardships and braving this crisis together," but Lu Fan cut in first: "We shall regroup before the Dragon Tower. By then, I hope everyone will have made some progress—don't disappoint me!"

Lu Fan wore a smile that gave others a feeling like a gentle spring breeze. His demeanor naturally exuded absolute confidence, and Yang Sheng and the rest were infected by it, realizing that staying here would only burden Lu Fan, and they could not help but nod.

"Hmph! Lu Fan, you still put on an act at a time like this—you really know how to win people over!"

Xiulan gave a cold shout. For some reason, she found Lu Fan utterly insufferable, provoking and rebuking him over every little thing.

Lu Fan smiled calmly and slowly turned around, not even glancing at Xiulan, but casting a brief look at Zhang Heng and Wan Li. Then his gaze shifted, fixing on the spot where the crystal furnace was bombarding the seal stamp.

"Hmm? Something isn't right!" His expression changed slightly, as though he had sensed something, and he said in disbelief, "This seal stamp has been sealed away for so many years. Even if it was once a supreme sacred artifact, there's no reason it should so effortlessly withstand the refining power of the Desolate Fire?"

"Could it be…"

He suddenly recalled something, swept his gaze downward, and stared at the severed hand he had been clamping down on all along.

This severed hand had originally been twisting ceaselessly, struggling nonstop. Yet at some point without him noticing, it had gone still. In its place, streams of faint violet radiance, lustrous and surging, sank into the palm.

Lu Fan's expression shifted. He flipped his large hand over, turning the severed hand's palm upward, and saw strands of violet light twisting and coiling, wreathing and transforming, forming into one bizarre seal mnemonic after another.

Each time a seal mnemonic flashed forth, it instantly exploded apart, transforming into a hidden ripple that vanished into the void.

With just a brief sweep of perception, Lu Fan's expression changed drastically. What this ripple connected to was unmistakably the True Dragon Seal Stamp. All the changes before his eyes had covertly been triggered—and even manipulated—by this severed hand.

"Damn it! A moment of inattention, and you slipped through the crack!"

His expression turned abruptly cold, yet within his eyes brilliant light flashed explosively. A severed hand that possessed its own consciousness, could even employ tricks, and deceive him, Lu Fan—even in his past life, he had never heard of such a thing.

As soon as those words fell, his other hand flicked and pointed, and a restriction seal mnemonic instantly shot forth, about to suppress the severed hand.

Right at this moment, this severed hand that appeared to have fallen calm yet was secretly "wielding mnemonics and casting arts" suddenly had its five fingers dance wildly and clench with a boom. Violet mist swirled all around, surging upward in reversal, transforming into tentacle-like appendages that coiled and wrapped toward Lu Fan's arm.

In an instant, Lu Fan's expression changed. The hand gripping and clamping down on the severed hand involuntarily loosened.

In that very moment, he realized something. His hand, which had not yet had time to withdraw, clenched fiercely and smashed down with a boom.

"Pfft!"

The strike, with its accumulated power, smashed down upon the violet qi tentacles, but instead of stirring up any commotion, it produced a burst of air-rushing sounds.

The power erupted outward, generating a pushing force. The severed hand's five fingers gave a flick, like five long legs, and riding this pushing force, it shot out ten zhang away in an instant, thoroughly slipping out of Ye Fei's control.

"Hmph! To think I was fooled by this bizarre severed hand!"

A trace of regret appeared on Lu Fan's face, but more than that, he was caught between laughter and tears. He had clearly perceived the strangeness of the severed hand, but at the critical moment, he had still let it succeed. This was something he had never encountered since his rebirth.

The severed hand's shooting momentum came to an abrupt halt. It flipped over with a boom and raised a middle finger at Lu Fan, as if mocking him. It was as comical as could be—were it not for the circumstances, even he would probably have laughed out loud.

How could Lu Fan endure this? This severed hand was bizarre beyond compare, and his interest surged at once. He leapt forward, about to pounce on it.

"Hmph! You think that with a few little tricks, Wan can't see through your bluff? Dream on!"

The ghost-masked figure gave a cold shout, eyes fixed dead on Lu Fan, placing his full attention on him. As soon as his words fell, his form drifted and spun, actually blocking right in front of him.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Zhang Heng clapped, a smirk on his face as he said, "I originally thought Brother Lu would employ a supreme array formation. I didn't expect you to feign a blunder, attempting to use this severed hand to distract our minds. Clever indeed, but the two of us won't be fooled—we absolutely will not let you near the Dragon Seal!"

As his words fell, he waved his hand and put away the scroll. Then he produced a bamboo fan, gave it a casual flourish, and a gale swirled forth, transforming into an array formation that trapped all three of them within it.

Lu Fan's expression showed a brief moment of surprise, then he understood. These two did not know the true nature of the severed hand and assumed that this situation was his doing—that he was trying to use it as a pretext to approach the True Dragon Seal Stamp and claim this extraordinary treasure.

"Damn it! How did this happen?"

The situation had spiraled out of control at once, shifting somewhat beyond his expectations. Through the gale array, the severed hand twitched its fingers in place, transformed into a phantom, and flew swiftly toward the True Dragon Seal Stamp.

Zhang Heng and the other watched this scene with their own eyes but made no move, only watching Lu Fan with cold sneers, wearing the look of those who had seen through all his tricks, immune to his deception.

"Lu Fan, my senior brother and Brother Zhang have already seen through your little tricks. I suggest you give up now and stop struggling in vain!"

Seeing this scene, Xiulan was exceptionally delighted. Even though she was not the one taking action, she still found it immensely satisfying and felt her spirits soar.

"Oh? Is that so?"

Lu Fan's mouth curled up, and he casually flicked a point toward a patch of empty void. Zhang Heng and the other's strength was not to be underestimated, but to attempt to use this against him seemed somewhat…

The thought had barely surfaced when he was startled. Under his single finger, the gale array instantly dissipated without a trace, like a phantom illusion.

"How could this be…"

This time it was his turn to be surprised. Even if it were an illusion array, he had absolute confidence in dispelling it. He had clearly sensed its imposing aura—why, out of nowhere, would there be such a profound transformation?

"Hahaha…" Zhang Heng threw his head back and laughed. With a wave of his hand, the bamboo fan snapped shut in an instant. He tapped it lightly against his palm and chuckled, "Brother Lu, oh Brother Lu, so even you have your day. How about it—my array formation isn't bad, is it?"

He had not the slightest intention of actually asking. As soon as his words fell, the bamboo fan opened and closed, and another gale swept forth, once again enveloping the three of them. A majestic pressure materialized out of thin air.

"Hehe, it seems the legacy of the Gentleman Hall is rather interesting. The Gentleman Is No Vessel Intent can actually be combined with array formations—impressive, impressive!"

The ghost-masked figure gave a hehe laugh, having seen through some of the truth. Unfortunately, Lu Fan had not the slightest understanding of the Gentleman Hall, and as for what kind of cultivation art this No Vessel Intent truly was, he was even more at a loss.

Lu Fan shook his head slightly, his gaze deepening. His restless, astonished emotions calmed in an instant, and his eyes chased after the severed hand.

The severed hand had already reached above the True Dragon Seal Stamp. It seemed its speed was too great to stop in time, and its five fingers trembled in unison.

To be precise, it was kicking against the void. "Hiss hiss" air-rushing sounds rang out as the severed hand barely slid another three chi forward. Then it stumbled, nearly toppling over.

This scene appeared utterly comical to everyone watching. Zhang Heng and the others thought Lu Fan was secretly controlling it, and though they were not falling for his act, they still could not hold back their amusement.

Lu Fan's gaze turned sharp in an instant. With a flick and point of one hand, a radiance pierced through the void, directly projecting onto the Art Refining Crystal Furnace.

The crystal furnace jolted abruptly, no longer crashing into the True Dragon Seal Stamp. Instead, it wreathed forth a transformation and slowly began to shrink. In the blink of an eye, it reduced to about a zhang in height, and before the True Dragon Seal Stamp that was ten zhang square, it was practically negligible.

The True Dragon Seal Stamp seemed to sense its opponent's change. Its aura surged violently, rolling out streams of violet qi and rosy light that enveloped toward the crystal furnace, seeking to suppress it then and there.

"Clang…"

The alchemical crystal furnace roared, and a colossal force burst out from within, moving at an unbelievably fast speed and overwhelming power, actually blasting the cauldron lid ten zhang high.

"Yo‑hu"—with a sound, the cauldron furnace spun and flew, evading the suppressing Purple Mist as if teleporting, instantly arriving above the seal, beneath the detached hand.

"Hmph! Trying to run? It's not that easy!"

Lu Fan let out a cold snort, flipped his large hand and struck through the air.

At the same time, the massive force drilled out of the crystal furnace had not yet solidified, and it surged down from all directions, heading toward the single‑handed press.

The detached hand clearly sensed the pressure; its five fingers twitched in unison, but lost their previous coordination, scattering into five directions—how could it evade now!

"Snap!"

The press landed on the detached hand, emitting a crisp sound, and immediately vanished into the cauldron furnace.

At that moment, Zi Xia managed to change direction, striking beneath the crystal furnace, lifting it into the air, perfectly aligning with the spinning cauldron lid in a seamless fit.

"Clang!"

The crystal furnace fell onto the Dragon Bone Seal, emitting a metallic roar, then, together with the True Dragon Seal, fell into calm, no longer battling.

"This…" the Ghost‑faced Man's face flashed with surprise, as if realizing something, incredulously saying, "What's up with that detached hand? Aren't you the one controlling it!"

In his mind, that odd detached hand was just a little trick by Lu Fan, intended only to disturb the minds of him and the others, giving Lu Fan an opening. But now it appears that this is not the case at all; they have all misunderstood Lu Fan.

It wasn't just him; everyone present also realized. In that instant, Lu Fan hadn't been acting; everything was done by that detached hand.

Lu Fan let out a cold snort; he had been that close a breath ago, and the detached hand was about to seize the True Dragon Seal. With the spirit of that thing, it might truly be able to manipulate the True Dragon Seal, which would be a serious trouble.

"You'd better withdraw the formation quickly!"

He gave Zhang Heng a cold glance, his face full of murderous intent. Yet the other merely smiled faintly, "Brother Lu must first withdraw that crystal furnace, otherwise Brother Wan and I will have to give our all and take you down first!"

The Ghost‑faced Man heard this and replied, "Indeed! It should have been this way all along! Brother Lu, as long as you withdraw the crystal furnace, everything will be easy!"

Lu Fan heard this, his face turned irritated, very angry. But the current situation was rather tricky.