Supreme Emptiness

Jiang Fan took out a jade box, placed the blood-red key inside, and threw it into his space storage device.

He then reflexively pulled out the Turtle Breath Cloak.

It was only then that he remembered he had already returned it to Gu Huaxi.

Nowhere to hide.

The sound of the approaching voice drew closer.

With a quick thought, he retrieved the key and tucked it into his sleeve for later use.

Then, he casually stepped out from behind the stone.

Acting as though nothing had happened, he headed toward the space transmission array leading to the next layer.

The two parties were less than a hundred zhang apart.

Jiang Fan's sudden appearance naturally caught the attention of the two.

The tall, burly male disciple with a calm complexion merely glanced at the unfamiliar Jiang Fan with slight surprise.

Wearing a wine-red, form-fitting long dress that accentuated her stunning figure, was none other than Wu Manyue.

She was still just as she always was.

Lightly adorned with makeup, her face was exquisitely beautiful.

Her peach blossom eyes, often looking even at dogs with affection, were brimming with a mischievous smile.

But.

Upon seeing Jiang Fan approaching.

Her smile suddenly froze.

She lightly rubbed her eyes, looked again carefully, and confirmed that she hadn't misjudged.

Moments ago, her playful smile had charmed everyone.

Now, she erupted with a lion's roar: "Jiang Fan!"

"How dare you show your face at the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion?"

On that day, Jiang Fan had left her with nothing to return to the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion!

How could he have the gall to show up?

Jiang Fan feigned the expression of only now recognizing Wu Manyue.

Slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Senior Sister Wu!"

"Ah, I've missed you, Junior Brother has missed you terribly!"

This was his honest sentiment.

Countless times, when he was in danger, he had hoped Wu Manyue was there.

Then he'd have someone to take the fall for him.

Seeing Wu Manyue again after so long, Jiang Fan felt an unprecedented sense of security.

He eagerly strode forward.

The bold move prompted Wu Manyue to calm down.

Her mind quickly replayed the nightmares she'd experienced while being with Jiang Fan.

It seemed like every time she was with Jiang Fan, misfortune would follow.

And every single time, she would suffer a major loss.

Without exception!

Thinking of this, seeing Jiang Fan boldly approach again.

She involuntarily shuddered, crossed her arms, and retreated, saying, "Stay back!"

"Keep your distance from me!"

She was truly afraid of Jiang Fan now.

Didn't want to have anything more to do with him.

Not even a shred of desire!

Uh—

Brother Ren, standing off to the side, looked at Wu Manyue with a bizarre expression.

It was his first time seeing Wu Manyue afraid of someone.

And it was a young boy who was clearly younger than both of them.

"Senior Sister Wu, who is this?"

Brother Ren was curious.

Wu Manyue kept her eyes fixed on Jiang Fan and said, "Brother Ren, don't ask."

"Listen to your Junior Sister's advice and stay far away from him."

"As far as you can, really!"

"Because he is absolutely not human!"

Jiang Fan rubbed his nose.

Was he truly that bad?

He cupped his hands and said, "This Brother Ren, I'm Jiang Fan, recently admitted as a new disciple of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion."

"Senior Sister Wu misunderstands me greatly—please excuse her behavior."

Wu Manyue panicked, tugging on Brother Ren's sleeve, "I'm not joking!"

"He's truly not human!"

Brother Ren, too, was at a loss for words.

How could a new disciple frighten you like this?

He cupped his hands and said, "Ren Guhong, you probably don't recognize me yet, as you've just arrived."

"But you'll hear my name very soon."

Only a handful of disciples in the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion had the confidence to make such a bold statement.

Jiang Fan understood at once and said, "Ah, so it turns out you're one of the Four Legendary Prodigies, Brother Ren."

"It's an honor to meet you—it's truly an honor."

Oh?

Ren Guhong looked surprised and studied Jiang Fan up and down:

"You figured that out just like that?"

"Junior Brother Jiang, you're impressively perceptive."

Wu Manyue gritted her teeth and said, "Is that supposed to mean anything?"

"His cunning knows no limit."

"Brother Ren, let's focus on finding the key and keep our distance from this guy."

As she spoke.

She discreetly glanced toward the area behind the large black stone.

A sense of unease crept into her heart.

It seemed as though Jiang Fan had just emerged from behind that stone.

Could he have found the key?

No way, right?

Even a dog's sense of smell couldn't be that sharp, could it?

Suddenly.

Her peripheral vision caught sight of a torn sack.

Instantly, her blood pressure shot up.

Jiang Fan!!!

You damned scoundrel!!!

The treasure I painstakingly hid—did you dig it up the moment we met?!

Ren Guhong nodded and said, "Junior Brother Jiang, we have some business to attend to."

"Farewell."

As he was about to leave.

He noticed Wu Manyue frozen in place, her expression shifting back and forth.

"Junior Sister Wu, what's the matter?"

Wu Manyue snapped back to reality.

Her face quickly turned into a cheerful and smiling expression, "Junior Brother Jiang."

"Tell me, did you happen to pick up a key on your way here?"

"A red one, very striking."

She deliberately emphasized the word "pick up."

Meaning, Jiang Fan mustn't reveal it was dug out from underneath the stone.

Jiang Fan pondered briefly.

If Wu Manyue discovered he took the key.

It was within his expectations.

After all, he had come from behind the large stone; Wu Manyue wouldn't be capable of not suspecting him.

If he chose to hide it now.

Wu Manyue might resort to any means necessary to take the key back—be it open combat or sneaky schemes.

Besides, he still didn't know what this key was for or what value it held.

Rather than keep it and risk trouble.

Why not use it to barter for something useful?

"Are you talking about this?"

He took out the jade box and displayed it to the two.

Ren Guhong's face lit up with joy, "You really found it?"

"That belongs to us—please return it quickly, Junior Brother Jiang."

Jiang Fan tucked the jade box back into his sleeve and said, "Brother Ren, let's not beat around the bush."

"I can't just hand over the key for free."

Seeing Jiang Fan's blunt attempt to strike a deal.

Ren Guhong didn't want to complicate matters either.

After all, who knew who this new disciple's master was?

If it turned out to be one of the Vice Pavilion Masters, or even his own master.

An altercation now would make future encounters awkward or troublesome.

His gaze shifted as he said, "How about this—I'll give you some mid-grade crystal stones."

"The outside world only has low-grade crystal stones; only the underground world produces mid-grade ones."

"They're rich in spiritual energy and highly sought after by many high-tier martial artists for cultivation purposes."

Jiang Fan shook his head.

His space storage device contained multiple Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion crystal tokens with a balance of 100,000 each.

If he wanted crystal stones, he could exchange tokens for them anytime.

"How about this—the key likely opens a certain place, right?"

"Why don't you take me there?"

"I'm just looking to broaden my horizons. What I gain isn't important."

Listening to the first part of Jiang Fan's offer.

Ren Guhong frowned deeply—the key led to a perilous secret chamber, potentially full of treasures.

With one extra person, their share of the loot would inevitably decrease.

But upon hearing the last part, he finally realized.

Jiang Fan, as a mere disciple, would struggle just to stay alive in that place.

What ability would he have to vie for treasures with them?

Therefore, his frown eased, and he agreed readily:

"Alright, but the place is extremely dangerous."

"I can't guarantee your safety, Junior Brother."

Jiang Fan nodded and replied, "Brother Ren, just lead the way to the location. After that, you don't need to worry about me."

With that assurance, Ren Guhong was completely relieved.

What a considerate and easy-going Junior Brother.

What was Wu Manyue thinking, being so wary of him?