Chapter 162: The One Who Gains the Greatest Harvest from the Dragon Tower

Two or three days later, the giant python suddenly emerged and rampaged, something even he hadn't anticipated. The thirty‑li bay was instantly flooded; if he hadn't placed some restraints on the python, Wang Wu would already have ridden this fifth‑tier Beast King away from here!

Thinking of that, Lu Fan drew a slight breath and sighed slowly, "Why do you persist like this! The giant python is indeed powerful, but it doesn't match the innate talent of your True Phoenix Spirit Body. Forcibly reclaiming it will bring endless trouble; hand it over to me, and I can compensate you later!"

"Hmph! To you! Don't even think about it. This giant python was ownerless to begin with, and now I've etched a soul seal onto it—who knows how obedient it is. Give up! Otherwise don't blame me for ignoring sect brotherhood!"

Wang Wu would never heed Lu Fan's words; she sneered coldly and mocked.

"It seems I can't persuade you, so don't blame me for being blunt!" Lu Fan shook his head slightly, his voice chilling, "Heaven and Earth boundless, the Dao of Heaven and Earth, suppress for me!"

With a roar, he kicked into the void, grasping a seal technique in one hand, and surged upward.

"Hmph! Seeking death!"

Wang Wu's expression turned ice‑cold to the extreme, without a hint of hesitation; she flicked her hand in a swift curl and fired a point‑shot at Lu Fan.

"Roar—"

From the giant python's two water‑jar‑sized eyes burst streams of violet light, hammering down.

"Bang bang bang!"

Lu Fan darted left and right, evading the violet pillars. The pillars struck the isolated island, shattering massive stones the size of millstones into powder.

In the blink of an eye, a corner of the island vanished, the torrent rolled over, as if this had always been its shape!

"You really think I have no way to deal with you! That would be far too foolish!"

In a moment, Lu Fan reached the python's head, smiled lightly, seemingly a bit disappointed, and thrust the seal technique he held forward.

With a soft "shh" sound, the seal struck a groove on the python's head, and a crystal furnace blazing with violet light erupted, hovering above the head and swelling rapidly.

"You said you couldn't use it? How come it's still…"

Wang Wu turned pale with shock and panicked instantly. At that moment, any further reaction was too late.

In an instant, the refined crystal furnace grew to the size of a small hill, pressing down on the python's head; even its massive body couldn't support it, and it plummeted straight from the stormy sky.

"Bang!"

The giant python sank into the torrent, disappearing within, its body coiling and churning, wrapping the sky in waves. Yet it couldn't break free; the hill‑sized crystal furnace remained atop its head, leaving only three cauldron‑like ears exposed.

This scene unfolded within a few breaths, and Wang Wu was stunned, her face full of disbelief.

"Impossible, how can this be!"

Her complexion turned icy; she refused to give up. With a flick of her bare hand, her slender sleeve rolled back, revealing a pale, jade‑like forearm, and her other hand, from an unknown moment, produced a dagger and slashed fiercely at the forearm.

A narrow, blood‑streaked wound opened, droplets of fresh blood pooled, finally staining her jade hand crimson.

"Phoenix spirit, manifest, go for me!"

Her bloodied hand struck the void forcefully; a potent, mysterious force surged from her internal organs, swirling the blood on her jade arm outward, solidifying into a blood‑phoenix phantom that dove into the torrent below.

"True Phoenix Spirit Body, condense and manifest! She's still so young, yet already awakened. From this appearance, it seems it's not her first use; she's a bit too eager. In the future, the spirit body's power will be overwhelming, and an ordinary human body simply can't endure it!"

Lu Fan, seeing this, was shocked. Among human cultivators, some rare individuals possess bloodlines inherently stronger than others; once they reach a certain stage, they can mimic the spirits of heavenly beasts, becoming immensely powerful.

The True Phoenix Spirit Body is the pinnacle of such bloodlines; legend says that at the deepest levels of cultivation, one can transform into the divine beast Heavenly Phoenix.

In fact, the Heavenly Phoenix True Dragon is an equally formidable being; the giant python, bearing true dragon bloodline, is even more inclined to submit to Wang Wu, the owner of the Heavenly Phoenix spirit body. It is precisely because of such a spirit body that the giant python, originally suppressed by Lu Fan, was seized by Wang Wu.

While he was pondering, the blood‑phoenix phantom had already reached the torrent's surface. Sensing the true phoenix's aura, the tightly suppressed giant python erupted in fury.

"Pa pa pa!"

The entire torrent churned and surged, waves dozens of zhang high crashing into the void. This place was merely a rocky shoal, no deeper than ten zhang. Layers of sand and stone were tossed up, revealing round jade ore nuggets.

"Thud—"

The clang of bells and cauldrons rang, the clash of massive stone and refined iron sounded. The hill‑sized crystal furnace was suddenly lifted and hurled into the void.

"Roar!"

The giant python's forehead surged upward, its massive blood‑filled maw opening, and it swallowed the blood‑phoenix phantom in one gulp.

"Sizzle!"

Its body, dozens of zhang tall, suddenly swelled another three percent; its violet scales resembled armor, grinding against each other. The faint sound resembled a thousand armies thundering.

"Hmm! With you commanding this giant python, it's indeed more formidable; an ordinary Refinement‑Qi realm Martial Lord would never match it!"

At that moment, Lu Fan actually nodded in approval. While speaking, he then launched a strike at the crystal furnace, sending it flying back, gradually shrinking, and slipping into his palm.

In the void, Wang Wu's form wavered. Using this True Phoenix Spirit Body placed a huge burden on her; had she not ambushed Lu Fan that day and set the soul seal, the giant python's backlash now would have been enough to kill her.

"Hmph! It's good you understand; if you now surrender, I can overlook past grievances!"

She exhaled lightly, let out a cold snort, and assumed a victor's stance.

"Surrender? That's what you're doing right now; I haven't reached that point yet!"

Lu Fan raised an eyebrow, a faint smile on his face, and without showing emotion, adjusted his stance to face Wang Wu directly. It seemed the giant python below, having received the blood‑phoenix phantom and now raging wildly, was no longer a concern.

"What do you mean?"

Wang Wu's expression froze, and she suddenly realized something. No matter how powerful the giant python was, it wasn't her own strength; in this situation, she had no leverage to speak to Lu Fan that way.

"Hoo—"

As that thought echoed, a scorching breath whispered beside his ear, a faint murmuring voice saying, "You forced the True Phoenix Spirit Body into use, yet your own strength is less than a tenth; that's far too dangerous. I'm truly disappointed. It seems in the coming days, as senior brother I must teach you properly!"

The words barely finished, Lu Fan's afterimage vanished before Wang Wu's eyes, and a burst of force shot into her waist, causing her entire body to lose control.

"What are you trying to do?"

Wang Wu's voice trembled, faintly tinged with a sob. She had schemed and even risked danger to reclaim the giant python and deal with Lu Fan. But now it seemed her methods were completely counterproductive.

Even if the giant python's strength were immense, in Lu Fan's eyes it was of no use.

"Guess!" Lu Fan smiled faintly; for the first time he heard a hint of fear and terror in Wang Wu's words.

As he spoke, an arm wrapped around Wang Wu. Her form was restrained; if he didn't act, she would likely fall.

"You…"

Wang Wu's body involuntarily trembled, her face flushed with a mix of nervousness and shame. Yet in this situation, she was utterly helpless.

"Roar—"

The Kun Python clearly sensed Wang Wu's chaotic emotions and roared skyward; that hateful bug in the void had repeatedly controlled it, and now it has also seized the master it recognizes, causing all old and new grudges to flare up.

The dragon roared across the nine heavens, thunder booming; the Kun Python lifted its head, its massive body soaring on clouds and mist, charging straight at Lu Fan.

Spectators on the distant riverbank stared in amazement; upon seeing the Kun Python's complete body, they could no longer hold back their cries.

"Damned it! What the hell is this thing? Even a Fifth‑rank Beast King couldn't have such presence!"

Wujia's face turned ashen; as the commander of the Thousand Cavalry Camp he had in the past slain countless demonic beasts in mining and jade fields, and had never been frightened, but the monstrous serpent before him completely stunned him.

"You don't recognize this thing? Then what have you been busy with these past few days?"

Sun Busi looked astonished; he had originally thought Wujia's Thousand Cavalry Camp's mysterious actions were for this Beast‑King‑level demon python. It now seemed he was wrong!

"This is the Kun Python! A huge beast that emerged from the Dragon Tower's secret realm! It seems the rumors were wrong—thank the heavens, Ye Fan didn't subdue this demon beast!"

Wuzhou, however, wore a look of delight, his excitement indescribable; Lu Fan's strength was already unfathomably subtle, and if another Fifth‑rank Beast King appeared, even with aid from those behind him, he lacked confidence to avenge his grievances.

The current situation, though still worlds apart, still harbors a faint hope.

"Oh? This fellow may not have captured the monstrous python, but that little girl seems able to control it perfectly!"

Sun Busi's words pulled Wuzhou back to reality; in the distant void, the Kun Python that once rode clouds and summoned wind and rain now stalled in the void, repeatedly roaring at Lu Fan. But that was all— with Wang Wu held as a hostage, the Kun Python seemed hesitant because of it, daring not to act.

"Heh heh! That beast actually listens to you; it looks like you got the biggest gain from the Dragon Tower expedition!"

Lu Fan chuckled lightly, one hand gently pinching Wang Wu's chin, his smile bright, "This fellow makes too much noise; let it leave here and go to the Thunderfall River to recuperate for a few days!"

Wang Wu blinked slightly; Lu Fan's words struck her heart. If Lu Fan lets her command the Kun Python not to resist and allow it to cast a seal, the powerful demon beast he fought so hard to capture would be a wasted effort, like drawing water with a bamboo basket— all for nothing!

Thinking of this, she nodded toward the Kun Python, her thoughts stirring.

Almost at that moment, the Kun Python shook its head, let out two roars at Lu Fan, immediately coiled its body and surged away on clouds.

Above the Thirty‑Mile Estuary, lightning flashed and thunder roared, black clouds covering the sky; in the blink of an eye the ominous weather dissipated, while the raging flood below reversed its flow, surging toward the Thunderfall River.

"Great! The flood has finally receded, Old Black and the others are saved!"

The middle‑aged woman had been trembling with fear, but now, seeing the Thirty‑Mile Estuary gradually return to its original state, she couldn't contain her joy, as if the earlier scene of the massive serpent's rampage vanished like wind and rain.

She finished speaking, then ran and crawled, leapt into a depression, heading toward the central "Isolated Island" where the flood once surged; the Thunderfall River's sand and stones battered the beach. This time, however, it was starkly different: the entire Thirty‑Mile Estuary had sunk seven or eight feet. The scattered sand and stones receded with the flood, revealing rigid massive rocks.