Chapter 154: The Crumbling Dragon Tower, Part One

The three of them teamed up, working in unison, and each vengeful dragon spirit was killed, the situation gradually stabilizing.

"Wuh—"

The last beast‑shadow let out a wail, shattered, turning into pure dragon‑origin purple aura that drifted ethereally, wavering everywhere.

Xiulan only felt so exhausted she could not straighten her waist, hunched over, unable to mind her appearance, panting heavily.

Zhang Heng was drenched through, and for some reason his face turned ghastly pale, as hideous as could be.

As for Wang Wu, though also drenched in fragrant sweat, her eyes were sharp, coldly staring at Lu Fan, seemingly pondering something.

At that moment, Lu Fan opened his eyes, actually stretched lazily, slowly got up, and let out a sigh. It seemed the incantation he had just recited had taken a considerable toll on him.

"You, Lu, you're so ruthless! Let the three of us shield you from disaster, and you're still so carefree!"

She grew angrier the more she looked, not even calling Lu Fan by name, and shouted furiously.

The other two were also fuming, the three of them had exhausted their strength and were nearly unable to hold back. Yet Lu Fan pretended as he did; if the three weren't so mature, they might have gone berserk and fought Lu Fan to the death.

Lu Fan slightly shook his head, nonchalantly saying, "You followed us in secret just to reap benefits behind me, Lu Fan. Since you have such intentions, you should also have the resolve to suffer for me."

He spoke with righteous confidence, claiming that he was the one taking advantage all along. If not for his casual tone, others might think he was the one being wronged!

Nevertheless, his words made sense, and Wang Wu was left speechless, only able to snort coldly, unsure how to reply.

Zhang Heng ignored all that, tore off his tattered sleeves, baring his broad chest, and acted brazenly, "Lu, cut the chatter. There should be several more waves of these dragon spirit demons! If you're unkind, don't blame us for being unjust. When the next wave strikes, we'll inevitably draw it toward you!"

He said that, yet he clearly still had reservations, staring blankly at the oval light surrounding Lu Fan, feeling a sudden headache.

"Oh? Ambitious! If you have the ability to get in, I'll count it as skill!"

Lu Fan gave a noncommittal smile, then ignored them, walked to Kun Mang's side, leapt onto its head, lightly patted its two horns, and with a swift hand snatched the floating crystal furnace.

"Puff!"

With a booming crack, the crystal furnace's three tripod legs were thrust into Kun Mang's skull, streams of blood spurted out, swirling around the furnace, boiling and in an instant turning into a pool of blood.

At the same time, the furnace's lid kept shaking, and waves of Qi surged out, as if something were being stewed inside.

"This furnace is so strange, are you sure it isn't the one you took from outside the Dragon Tower?"

Xiulan found the scene before her eerie and bizarre, not knowing what she was thinking, and stared blankly at Zhang Heng, asking.

Zhang Heng frowned, then spoke weakly, "It should be that one, but the imprint I left on it was erased by Lu Fan! He may have even fused my breath with Kun Mang's. By using a formation to isolate it, those vengeful dragon spirits are now relentlessly pursuing us!"

"What? I get it!"

Xiulan's face turned pale with shock, her eyes widened in disbelief. Wang Wu and Zhang Heng both changed expression, staring at her intently; just as they were about to ask, Xiulan pointed at Lu Fan and shouted in alarm:

"So that's it! You have such huge ambition, actually trying to sacrifice and refine this Kun Mang. Cauldron forging dragon snake—you intend to seize the Dragon Tower!"

"Cauldron forging dragon snake? What does that mean?"

Wang Wu's face froze, clearly hearing such terms for the first time. Though she didn't know what it meant, she sensed it sounded formidable.

Zhang Heng, standing nearby, was also stunned, then wore an incredulous expression, shaking his head vigorously, and said, "Miss Jiang, you can't be joking! The so‑called cauldron forging dragon snake is just a fanciful rumor spread by dreamers. While a powerful demonic snake does have a unique advantage in being refined by dragon‑origin purple aura, claiming that this alone can seize the Dragon Tower is sheer nonsense!"

He was clearly too shocked, his mind stirred, and unintentionally spilled centuries‑old secrets, trying to refute Xiulan's claim.

"Heh heh! I originally thought you were competing with my senior brother for the Ghost Seal, assuming your Junzi Hall had designs on the Dragon Tower. Now it seems the so‑called Four Great Sects of Dragon and Elephant, Junzi Hall, are nothing but that!"

Xiulan curled her lip, showing a hint of disdain. Though they had just teamed up against the enemy, and the alliance seemed set to continue, she still gave no quarter.

When Zhang Heng heard that, he was slightly displeased. After a moment's thought, he seemed to realize something and exclaimed, "What do you mean? Could the Dragon Seal have some special effect on the secret realm, and not actually be used to seize the Dragon Tower?"

Xiulan fell silent, staring straight at Lu Fan with a face full of caution and wariness, yet a hint of eager curiosity.

At this moment, Lu Fan had no time to heed Wang Wu and the others; his eyes burned as he stared at the alchemy crystal furnace before him, a faint yearning within.

"Roar—"

Suddenly, Kun Mang swayed, finally regaining consciousness. It tried hard to lift its head but couldn't, wobbling, and with a 'thump' it slammed onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

At the same time, the surrounding oval shield quivered, turning from a solid barrier into streams of vaporous Qi, rapidly condensing, and in the blink of an eye, all were drawn into the alchemy crystal furnace.

The 'gurgling' of liquid churned like a boiling cauldron, with a faint wisp of heat drifting outward.

"Stop!"

Zhang Heng seemed to grasp the situation, fearing not a thousand but a single 'what‑if'. If Lu Fan seized the Dragon Tower, he would have come all for nothing.

As soon as the words fell, he leapt, wielding his bamboo fan as a club, charging at Lu Fan.

True Qi surged, primordial energy crackled. Though his move seemed hasty, he was poised, his force considerable.

"Only now do you think to act, don't you think it's too late!"

Lu Fan slightly shook his head, gave a cold smile, then leapt into the air, delivering a sudden strike that drove a seal into the alchemy crystal furnace.

"Bang!"

The entire crystal furnace was blasted straight into Kun Mang's head; the dying serpent let out a mournful wail, its head held high as its scale armor bristled outward.

"Aooo—"

It let out a sky‑piercing howl, a terrifying aura shooting upward, immediately striking the hundred‑battle void dragon‑origin yang shield. Though merely void force, it shattered the shield outright.

"This…" Zhang Heng, seeing the scene, dared not advance, froze instantly, his face full of panic.

Lu Fan's strength was already formidable, his methods even more mysterious. With Kun Mang, he had no desire to fight.

"What? You're scared already! That's truly disappointing!"

Lu Fan gave a faint smile, not out of pride but a amused disappointment. Such matters were already within his expectations, with no intention to tangle; his body settled atop Kun Mang's head, immediately grasping its two horns and continuously rubbing them.

Kun Mang's aura was fierce, different from its initial ferocity, now oddly twisted. Its serpentine body hissed, and beneath the raised scales, strands of blood began to appear.

Such a state should only appear when facing a great foe in a life‑or‑death struggle, yet it manifested here.

"Lu Fan, the Dragon Tower secret realm is no trivial matter; all great powers are helpless before it. If you act recklessly, the result will backfire—don't regret it later!"

Seeing Zhang Heng's feigned indifference, Xiulan, helpless, adopted a patronizing tone, seemingly caring for Lu Fan.

Balancing on the serpent's head, Lu Fan glanced at Xiulan, smiled faintly, and said, "Your words have some sense; alone I'm insufficient. How about this—let you all help me!"

Xiulan snorted coldly, Zhang Heng wore a grim face, and only Wang Wu noticed the oddity, instinctively turning to leave, but it was already too late!

"Gather the primordial Qi, let me absorb it!"

Lu Fan let out a fierce shout, suddenly swung his palm, and the giant sea serpent beneath his feet instantly opened its massive blood‑filled maw, spat out a purple vortex that curled outward. As soon as it reached the serpent's mouth, a misty transformation occurred, turning it into a shadowy crystal furnace that crashed out.

The wind roared along the way. In an instant it became a whirlwind column, wrapping everything around; a strange thing happened: the column was powerful and imposing, yet puzzlingly it had little effect on the surrounding void.

Zhang Heng and Xiulan reacted half a beat too slow, getting caught in the whirlwind column. They only felt a gentle breeze on their faces, with no force at all.

"What does this mean?"

The two of them still hadn't figured it out, but not far away Wang Wu's face turned horrified, unable to put it into words: "This vortex is absorbing the purple Dragon Essence Qi from our bodies!"

With that reminder they snapped back to attention and looked inward. They saw pores and orifices all over their bodies slightly dilating, and faint wisps of purple mist drifting outward.

Earlier they had slain many resentful dragon spirits, and in breathing and exhaling they had also absorbed a lot of purple Dragon Essence Qi; now it was slowly drifting out, heading toward the illusory crystal furnace in the sky.

"Miss Jiang, you're a rare dark talismanist; hurry and break the formation! Otherwise our trip will have been in vain!"

Zhang Heng shouted anxiously, then immediately tried to employ a method to block the vortex's siphoning power, but it was of no use.

"Lu Fan, what forbidden technique are you using? Stop it now!"

Wang Wu reacted a beat faster, not being trapped by the whirlwind emitted by the illusory crystal furnace, but the purple Dragon Essence Qi within her body was also slowly drifting away.

"When clouds part, the sun shines; when the plot is exhausted, the dagger appears! If it were you, would you stop?"

Lu Fan grinned and asked.

These three silently followed him, using the serpent's shed and the refined crystal furnace, staying behind him; their intention was obvious. He didn't care, but that didn't mean others could freely scheme against him.

Zhang Heng and Xiulan are enemies, always opposing him. Though not a deep hatred, a punishment is still necessary.

And Wang Wu here is his disciple. Though she doesn't know, the master‑disciple bond is unavoidable. He must educate her, lest she later cause trouble without restraint.

Within the floating illusory crystal furnace in the void, misty shadows swirled, with waves of purple Dragon Essence Qi drifting. Even from several hundred zhang away, Lu Fan sensed it clearly.

"Sss!"

The giant sea serpent hissed, droplets of saliva dripping from its mouth, yearning greatly for the purple Dragon Essence Qi inside the illusory crystal furnace.

"You're so impatient! That's enough, stop it!"

Lu Fan gave a slight smile and lightly tapped the horn. The serpent received his command, could no longer restrain its desire. Its body coiled, launched a burst, covering a hundred zhang in an instant. Its massive mouth opened wide and swallowed the illusory crystal furnace whole.

The whirlwind column dissipated, and Zhang Heng and Xiulan regained their freedom. At that moment they were right beneath the serpent's head, shocked and still unreacted.

Lu Fan bowed slightly, looking down at Zhang Heng and Xiulan, and said cheerfully, "When I collect the Dragon Tower, you two will share the credit!"

Xiulan bit her lower lip, both startled and angry, and snarled, "Don't get ahead of yourself. Even if you obtained the three of our purple Dragon Essence Qi, it's just a drop in the bucket, still far from the Dragon Tower!"