Supreme Emptiness

Ji Ruyue's face flushed red.

She stomped her foot gently and chided, "No more nonsense!"

"There's really nothing between me and Junior Brother Jiang."

"That so-called heroic rescue you mentioned was just him saving me from the mouth of a corpse on Boundary Mountain."

"He saved countless people on Boundary Mountain."

"If we go by your logic, even the eighty-year-old female elders he saved were part of some 'heroic rescue romance'?"

The two mischievous junior sisters exchanged a glance.

Covering their mouths, they broke into laughter.

Ji Ruyue clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture:

"Please, have mercy on me, grandaunts!"

"Stop spreading gossip."

"Tying me up with our Sect Master's man—"

"Do you really think I want to live that long?"

As she spoke, she sighed wearily, her mood dampened. "Besides, I wouldn't dare have any thoughts about Junior Brother Jiang."

"You saw that Xu Youran that day, didn't you?"

"The Sect Master is such a powerful figure, and even he becomes like that in her presence."

"Would I still dare to approach him?"

"If it were me that day and Xu Youran even glanced at me, I'd probably be so terrified I'd drop to my knees."

The two junior sisters clicked their tongues.

Recalling the scene of Xu Youran appearing with the demeanor of a main wife, they couldn't help but feel chills.

Many female disciples from various sects who had designs on Jiang Fan—

Had completely backed off since then.

No one dared to cross her path.

"But Senior Sister, you recently..."

One of the junior sisters still found Ji Ruyue's change in wardrobe a bit hard to digest.

Ji Ruyue pointed to her formal palace attire:

"Junior Brother Jiang became famous on Boundary Mountain and further cemented his name fighting the Giant Sect, shaking the world."

"Many Outer Sect people, knowing I had some association with Junior Brother Jiang, came seeking me to inquire about him."

"Some of them were even elders."

"I can't very well keep wearing my old provocative outfits, can I?"

"I wouldn't want them thinking Junior Brother Jiang associates with someone unrefined and flirty."

"That would tarnish Junior Brother Jiang's reputation."

The two junior sisters suddenly understood.

One of them stepped forward and hugged her gently: "Senior Sister Ji, how you've suffered."

"You're quietly doing all this for Junior Brother Jiang, but he doesn't see it, nor can he understand."

Ji Ruyue, however, seemed indifferent.

"It's just a change in clothing style; what's the big deal?"

"Besides, Junior Brother Jiang saved my life."

"It's only right to help him preserve his image."

"It's just a pity that I'll probably never see him again in this lifetime."

The two junior sisters fell silent.

Nowadays, Jiang Fan had ascended to the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, like a dragon soaring among the clouds, out of reach for most.

Even if he returned to the Nine-Sect—

Those qualified to meet him would be the Supreme Elders, Sect Masters, or other prominent figures.

For someone like Ji Ruyue, an ordinary disciple, being able to catch a distant glimpse of him would've already been a great fortune.

To walk side by side as they once did—

Or to meet privately—

Was now an impossible dream.

As they spoke—

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—

Four heavy crashes sounded without warning around them.

The icy ground was smashed into four massive craters.

The resulting tremors sent a chill up the spines of the three women, making their delicate bodies tremble.

"W-What's going on?"

Summoning their courage, they approached one of the icy craters.

Peeking inside, they collectively gasped.

Within lay a person, body grotesquely twisted beyond recognition.

Their bones were likely smashed to powder.

Blood gushed rapidly from their seven apertures, dyeing the pit bottom crimson.

They were dead beyond any doubt.

"Why are people falling from the sky?"

They checked the other three craters and found the same grim result—bodies.

But when they all looked toward the sky, they screamed and scattered in fear.

They saw a massive ferocious beast, accompanied by countless human silhouettes, hurtling downward together.

BANG—

The massive beast slammed brutally into the ground.

The impact triggered a small earthquake.

Immediately after, alive humans came crashing down right after and hit the ground hard.

Not a single scream escaped from them.

They died upon impact.

Only Zhang Yundian retained a sliver of consciousness.

As he was about to crash—

He gritted his teeth and spat out a protective Magic Artifact hidden in his mouth.

The artifact burst into a radiant glow—

It absorbed the bulk of the force from his fall.

Even so, he spat blood and was wracked with pain.

But he couldn't afford to pause or worry about his companions or the demon beast, Ting Feng.

He got up and decisively fled.

He was already severely injured, and with the enemy lurking in the shadows—armed with skills like the Sanqing Mountain's Forget God Spell—

He was utterly outmatched.

Escape was his only option.

Ji Ruyue stood utterly bewildered.

In the blink of an eye, the scene before her had turned into a living hell.

At this moment—

The demon beast Ting Feng, lying on the ground, hadn't fully perished.

With its dim and savage eyes, it glanced coldly at Ji Ruyue nearby.

Raising its sharp claw, it lunged at her.

This was an attack from a Perfect Ninth-layered Core Formation Demon Beast.

How could she possibly withstand it?

Her vision darkened as the shadow of its giant claw engulfed her.

The terrified screams of her two junior sisters filled her ears.

But at that precise moment—

A faint, icy snort rang out.

"Causing trouble even in death!"

SQUISH—

Invisible Sword Qi instantly severed the giant claw.

Immediately after—

The massive ferocious beast let out a blood-curdling howl of pain.

Something had pierced through its skull, killing it outright.

Ji Ruyue was saved and stood there, stunned, scanning her surroundings.

Suddenly—

The beast's back shimmered as space rippled.

A young man in black robes emerged, holding a talisman between two fingers. With a faint smile, he gazed at her.

"We meet again, Senior Sister Ji."

Ji Ruyue froze for a moment before stammering, "J-Jiang... Junior Brother Jiang?"

Jiang Fan chuckled as he sized her up.

The peach-colored palace attire, rather than detracting from her graceful figure—

Actually accentuated her curvaceous form.

Moreover, it masked the seductive charm she once displayed in the past.

Adding an air of innocent elegance to her demeanor.

He nodded slightly and turned to examine one of the corpses.

After a careful search, he found no token on its person.

But on the back of each corpse's neck—

Was a black totem brand.

Jiang Fan needed proof, something to demonstrate to the likes of Ren Guhong and Wu Manyue about who had slain these creatures.

If they lacked tokens of identity—

Then surely, this totem could serve as evidence.

Without hesitation, he raised his sword and decapitated the corpse, brand and all.

He then tossed the severed head into his Heavenly Thunder Stone.

He repeated this process—

All eleven mysterious figures had their heads severed.

When he was done, Jiang Fan glanced leisurely in the direction Zhang Yundian had fled.

Then he turned calmly toward Ji Ruyue and said:

"This Perfect Ninth-layered Core Formation demon beast's carcass—split it with your two junior sisters."

"As for the belongings on these villains, you can take whatever you find."

"I have other matters to attend to. Farewell."

With that—

He mounted his sword and ascended into the sky.

Before leaving, he cast another glance at Ji Ruyue and smiled:

"Your clothes are beautiful."

"They suit you well."

And with that, he vanished into the air.

Ji Ruyue's pale white cheeks flushed crimson at a visibly rapid pace.

Even her eyes grew misty.

She shyly covered her reddened, burning face, her heart racing wildly.

"He... he noticed my outfit?"

"And he said it suited me?"

One junior sister leaned close, brimming with envy.

"Senior Sister Ji, Junior Brother Jiang actually complimented you! And said your clothes were pretty!"

"Your efforts didn't go unnoticed by Junior Brother Jiang."

Ji Ruyue bit her lip gently; her face and eyes were brimming with uncontainable shyness and joy.

The other junior sister, meanwhile, stared at the massive carcass of the Perfect Ninth-layered Core Formation demon beast—

And all the mysterious corpses surrounding it.

Her envy deepened.

"Junior Brother Jiang really cares for Senior Sister Ji."

"Leaving so many treasures for you."

"Spread this around, and the female disciples of the Nine-Sect will be green with envy."

Ji Ruyue giggled softly, her face glowing with pleasure: "Alright, that's enough."

"Let's get to work."

"You'll get your share too."

The two junior sisters beamed with delight.

Feeling fortunate for tagging along with Ji Ruyue—

Weren't they also reaping immense rewards simply by association?

Meanwhile—

Mu Ying, leading the group of Loose Cultivators from Qingli Mountain, maintained a composed expression.