Chapter 141: Each Has Their Own Scheme

A surge of anger rose spontaneously; without holding back, he suddenly kicked the crystal furnace, leapt into the air, and unleashed countless sword techniques.

"Heh heh heh!"

The massive seal script, struck by sword qi, instantly turned into a sieve, burst open in an instant, becoming streams of force that dispersed with the wind.

Zhang Heng stood rigidly in the void, his bamboo fan still mid‑swing, gave Lu Fan a cold glance, his face full of battle intent.

"Not bad, not bad. It seems my crystal furnace lodged in your two hands poses no problem for now!"

Lu Fan lightly clapped his hands and said weakly. As soon as the words left his mouth, surging spiritual power formed a spiritual vortex that wrapped around him, star‑and‑moon light shining overhead, and he rose swiftly.

He smiled, apparently pleased with the scene, appearing to look down at the two people and the beast below, yet his peripheral gaze fixed on Xiulan, lying on the ground thousands of zhang away, and he drew a slight breath.

The Palm‑Shadow Great Mouth, upon seeing this, roared in fury, intending to chase Lu Fan, but its primal soul‑qi remained trapped in the crystal furnace. It was still suppressing the severed hand; a single misstep could cause the hand to backfire and melt it, which would be disastrous.

"You two dare ruin my plans; I will tear you apart piece by piece!"

The Palm‑Shadow Great Mouth let out a guttural roar, its momentum surging, clouds of swirling blood‑qi spreading outward, stretching the palm shadow into the void. Its five fingers twisted and transformed, losing their original shape, becoming five tentacles, each bearing a huge maw.

The five tentacles coiled, releasing an aura that seemed to devour heaven and earth, swirling toward Zhang Heng and the other. Though not fast, it gave the impression of no retreat.

"Brother Wan, what kind of monster is this?"

Zhang Heng's face turned pale with shock; he felt his blood‑qi surging, a vague thrust in his acupoints, as if his vital blood were about to lose control, and he rushed toward the blood‑filled maw in his hand.

The Ghost‑Faced Man also looked horrified, his eyes flicking at the vanishing Lu Fan, but most of his mind remained fixed on the Palm‑Shadow.

"If you want to know the details, ask Lu Fan; how would I know!" He suddenly added a hostile tone, speaking bluntly.

Zhang Heng was slightly stunned, his gaze deepening as he couldn't help but glance at the crystal furnace below. He was determined to claim the Dragon Seal, but it seemed the Palm‑Shadow monster was controlling it, and his strength alone could not pierce its edge.

Nevertheless, he could take an indirect sword strike to seize the furnace. The item was originally used by Lu Fan to suppress that Palm‑Shadow demon; once in his hand, he could clamp the monster, even reverse‑control it, wielding the Palm‑Shadow and brandishing the Dragon Seal. Then, within the secret realm, no one would match him.

His shifting thoughts were unmasked, showing great urgency; the Ghost‑Faced Man sensed this, gritted his teeth, and warned sternly:

"Zhang Heng, I don't care what you think; put it aside now, dealing with that demon is paramount."

The devouring vortex, driven by the five tentacles, arrived before them in an instant, like five unparalleled ferocious beasts, their gaping blood‑filled maws snapping forward.

"Ten Thousand Ghosts Devour Souls, Grievances Entwine!"

Wan Li could not spare a glance at Zhang Heng; he acted at once, his body surrounded by ghostly qi, dark malevolent energy crisscrossing. In a thought, fierce ghostly phantoms materialized out of thin air, baring fangs and claws, charging at the tentacle vortex.

Zhang Heng snapped back to his senses; even if he seized the furnace, he likely couldn't escape the Palm‑Shadow monster's pursuit. For now, confronting the immediate situation was best.

With his mind aligned, his whole body's true qi swelled, and the bamboo fan, Xuan Treasure, swung again, resembling a supreme sword, emitting sword qi in a bizarre, unfathomable formation.

"Heh heh heh!"

His strike, though delayed, hit a tentacle vortex instantly. With extensive combat experience, his myriad sword qi focused solely on that tentacle, undistracted; in an instant, he turned it into a perforated sieve, its momentum gone.

"Hmph! It's nothing special!"

He suddenly got excited, intending to press on and crush another tentacle vortex. Unexpectedly, that sieve‑like tentacle twisted, its perforated form re‑coagulating, even swallowing hundreds of sword‑light strands, enlarging itself.

"How could this be?"

His face turned pale; a single flick of his hand was too late. The tentacle reverted to its original state, coiling out of nowhere, scooping up sword qi, which was then devoured by its blood‑filled maw.

On the other side, the fierce ghost spirits commanded by the Ghost‑Faced Man clashed with the tentacle vortex, tearing at each other. Though numerous, the ethereal ghosts were no match for the vortex; within a few blows they were completely devoured.

The Ghost‑Faced Man was stunned; he was well‑versed in demonic arts. Especially the fierce ghosts just now, which he usually employed against heretical foes, often allowing the weak to overcome the strong by devouring their divine qi. He hadn't expected such an easy defeat.

This was only one coarse‑hand vortex; besides the one Zhang Heng faced, three more spiraled around, awaiting activation.

"Brother Zhang, there's no way out; this thing is too bizarre. However, from my experience the Palm‑Shadow's core should be quite weak. I have a technique that can grievously wound it. You take care of one or two of those five tentacles."

He finished speaking without waiting for Zhang Heng's answer; his form flickered, turning into black qi that spread like a blanket, surging toward the Palm‑Shadow behind the tentacle vortex.

"Hmph! Not knowing life or death, you think these meager tricks can deal with me. Since you seek death, I'll send you to the Western Heaven!"

The Palm‑Shadow Great Mouth snorted coldly and howled. Before the words finished, the three outer tentacles shot out like agile serpents, lashing left and right, devouring the black qi the Ghost‑Faced Man had formed.

Zhang Heng was stunned, not expecting such a move from the Ghost‑Faced Man. At present only one tentacle waved before him, its endless pressure largely dissipated.

"Brother Wan, your righteousness is lofty; I will unceremoniously take this crystal furnace. Once I find a demonic method to subdue this evil, I will avenge you!"

He flicked his large hand, the bamboo fan Xuan Treasure snapped open and shut with a "swish swish", unleashing two swirling vortex formations. One surged forward, wrapping the coarse hand before him; the other shot straight down, engulfing the crystal furnace, then he leapt upward, riding the vortex and fleeing.

At such a moment, he could have seized the chance to strike the Ghost‑Faced Man, but the Ghost‑Faced Man seemed oblivious, as if unaware of the situation, steadfastly sending ghostly qi toward the Palm‑Shadow Great Mouth, ready to suppress it.

The Palm‑Shadow Great Mouth blinked slightly, then erupted in fury; from its blood‑filled maw protruded a black, thin, sharp tongue like a spirit snake, instantly coiling around the Dragon Seal. With a surge of force, it slammed into the sky‑filled ghost qi.

"Bang!"

Supreme force churned, but the massive ghost qi faced no resistance, vanishing instantly, appearing like an illusion.

"Hmph, you treacherous human brat, once I seize the crystal furnace I will suppress you!"

The Palm‑Shadow Great Mouth snorted, then its five tentacles moved in unison, shooting upward.

Zhang Heng had been somewhat proud, but seeing this, his mind shifted drastically. It wasn't he who outwitted Wan Li; Wan Li outwitted him. He seemed to have obtained the furnace, yet also attracted the monster. What began as a joint effort with Wan Li now left him to figure out a solution alone.

His thoughts aligned, the bamboo fan opened and closed again, expending all his qi; vortexes spiraled down like primeval gale, charging at the pursuing tentacles to stall them briefly.

Under the high starry night, within the boundless primeval forest, a massive cavern appeared, over a thousand zhang wide, its bottom unseen.

"Yo‑hu!" a gust of wild wind surged, enveloping a figure that vanished into the endless forest with a speed that outran dust.

In just a few breaths, a monster with five tentacles emerged, not looking around, but following the figure's escape route, giving chase.

Within the underground space, a black haze swirled inexplicably, and the Ghost‑Faced Man's form materialized, previously solid as if tangible, now ethereal and fleeting.

"Hmph! Zhang Heng, Lu Fan's grudge today, I, Wan Li, have noted; you'll both have a good show later!"

The Ghost‑Faced Man gritted his teeth, his face grim as he glanced at the star‑and‑moon overhead, then turned, stumbling step by step toward the prone Xiulan on the ground.

"Junior sister, don't be afraid; I'll come to rescue you..."

He barely reached three feet from Xiulan and was about to crouch when an invisible formation swirled around him, seals circulating; faintly, a skull materialized.

"Junior sister! What is this..."

His face turned horrified; the skull formation was clearly Xiulan's ghost‑path divine art, how could it be used on him?

Before his words finished, the skull formation exploded, not outwardly but collapsing, instantly turning into a ghost‑head shackles that immediately enclosed him.

His entire body of ghostly malice could not be summoned.

"It's not me! It's all that Lu Fan brat's scheme; I didn't expect you'd fall for it!"

Xiulan sighed, then slowly got up. When this skull formation was triggered, the restriction Lu Fan had cast also dissipated, and she regained her freedom.

"If it weren't for Zhang Heng drawing away that monster, the two of us might have had to damage this place today!"

……

In the primeval forest, a great river coursed through, washing the surroundings. Beneath a sheer cliff a waterfall formed; behind its crystal‑clear spray, a narrow opening housed a figure with chaotic aura—this person was Lu Fan.

His body was surrounded by flashing silver light, intermittently condensing seals that restrained him. The meridians and true Qi flow within his body were nearly gone. If not for his powerful willpower sustaining his body, he would have already fallen unconscious.

At such a moment, he did not immediately heal or rest; instead, using a finger‑seal technique, he formed a light barrier before him, bearing two glints of light.