Chapter 616 - 291: Defeated and Fleeing
"Elder, where are you going?"
Jiang Feng maneuvered the flying ship to the entrance of the main hall.
"You have the nerve to ask, you coward!"
A disciple of the Divine Sect mocked.
"Silence."
Elder Fa Zheng glared at that disciple.
"Junior Brother, don’t misunderstand him. Fellow Daoist Jiang has already prepared to cooperate with the Elder."
Wu Qiyang jeered.
"I was just having an urgent call of nature, sorry."
Jiang Feng explained.
"Please, Daoist."
Fa Zheng extended his hand again.
Of course, he didn’t believe that Jiang Feng’s earlier escape was due to an urgent call of nature, nor did he trust that Jiang Feng dared to come back at this moment without some reliance.
But no matter what, he was still a Golden Core Cultivator.
Additionally, as a Third-Grade Talisman Master, his soul power couldn’t be weaker than Jiang Feng’s.
Furthermore, the talisman he planted in Jiang Feng would only activate after he left, during which time no one would notice; even if Xiang Pangyun returned to help examine Jiang Feng’s body, it wouldn’t be discovered in the short term.
So he was fearless.
"Please, Elder."
Jiang Feng stepped forward and extended his hand as well.
Fa Zheng seized the chance and grabbed Jiang Feng’s hand tightly to prevent Jiang Feng from pulling back again.
"Jiang Feng!"
Changyun and the others rushed out.
Seeing Jiang Feng’s hand clasped by Fa Zheng, everyone stood guard, ready for any incident.
"Such bravery at a young age!"
Fa Zheng sighed.
He didn’t expect Jiang Feng would actually dare to shake hands with him; he wasn’t interested in assessing Jiang Feng’s soul power strength because whether Jiang Feng had concealed cultivation or was a Second-Grade Talisman Master, it was of no value to him. Once the talisman exploded on Jiang Feng, all of Jiang Feng’s soul power would become ineffective.
Even if Xiang Pangyun and others teamed up to neutralize the talisman, Jiang Feng’s talent would suffer a deadly blow, and Xiang Pangyun and others would also be severely weakened.
So Fa Zheng knew Jiang Feng was useless to him.
He merely made superficial contact with Jiang Feng and injected the talisman using a concealing technique into Jiang Feng’s arm, intending to pull his hand back afterward.
But at this moment.
Fa Zheng found that his hand was being tightly grasped.
Looking down, he saw it wasn’t Jiang Feng holding onto him unwillingly but a water flow emerging from Jiang Feng’s hand, firmly locking his hand in place.
Within the water flow, a talisman was visible—it was precisely the talisman he had injected into Jiang Feng’s body.
At this moment, the talisman had already been activated.
Under the force of the water flow, it was burrowing into his bloodstream.
"You..."
Fa Zheng’s expression drastically changed as he attempted to shake off Jiang Feng’s hand and dispel the water force, but the water force, like grasping his lifeline, kept his power from being released, as if he was imprisoned in place, helplessly watching the activated talisman take root in his body.
Once it was all done.
The water-like force on Jiang Feng’s hand gradually disappeared, seemingly evaporating completely. Jiang Feng swiftly released his grasp.
"Bang!"
Fa Zheng staggered back, collapsing on the ground.
"Elder."
Wu Qiyang and others were caught off guard.
"You..."
Fa Zheng pointed at Jiang Feng, his expression grim. Unable to stop himself, he looked up towards the peak of Yagu Peak—Jiang Feng had descended from there by flying ship, whom did he go to?
Recalling the force of the water flow, Fa Zheng suddenly shivered.
He hastily got up and left.
"Has the Elder not guided me on whether my soul power passes the test?"
Jiang Feng shouted urgently.
Seeing Fa Zheng in a panic and a drastic change in demeanor, he knew Fa Zheng had suffered a major setback—the talisman that appeared in the water seemed to be causing Fa Zheng considerable trouble.
"The green mountain remains, and the waters flow forever. We’ll meet again someday, go!"
Fa Zheng summoned the flying ship and quickly hid inside it.
"Elder!"
Confused, Wu Qiyang and others.
The handshake between Jiang Feng and Fa Zheng lasted only for a moment, too fast for them to understand what had happened.
"Back to the sect!"
Fa Zheng gritted his teeth.
He must neutralize the talisman in the shortest time possible; otherwise, its explosion within him would make it challenging to sustain his soul power or inscribe talismans in the future.
The talisman was a Nether Curse he obtained from the Nether King River, capable of consuming soul power and harming the divine soul, with the only remedy being a stronger soul power to refine or dispel it.
Therefore, he had to return immediately to the Divine Sect and request assistance from a Fourth-Grade Talisman Master, or the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Yes!"
Though Wu Qiyang and others didn’t understand, seeing Fa Zheng so anxious, they sensed something was amiss and quickly boarded the flying ship.
"Elder, please wait. Fulfill your promise and give me that Yellow-Grade Upper-Grade Golden Cicada Talisman."
Jiang Feng blocked his way.
Even if he were foolish, it was clear Fa Zheng had encountered trouble and was eager to leave; he had to delay him somehow.
"Take it!"
Unexpectedly, Fa Zheng promptly threw the Golden Cicada Talisman to Jiang Feng.
Jiang Feng was surprised by the talisman in his hand, realizing it was a Yellow-Grade Top-Grade Talisman, crafted with Fourth-Grade Talisman Paper, worth a fortune!
"Elder Fa Zheng, Master Xiang will return in a few days; he has something he wants to tell you."
Changyun stepped forward to intercept as well.
At this point, he also noticed something was wrong.
"Don’t worry, our fate hasn’t severed yet, go!"
But Fa Zheng disregarded it, forcibly maneuvering the flying ship to escape from the crowd with Wu Qiyang and others.
"Elder, you..."
On the flying ship, Wu Qiyang’s expression was grim. Seeing Fa Zheng decisively give the Golden Cicada Talisman to Jiang Feng indicated that the earlier confrontation resulted in Fa Zheng’s loss.
His urgency to leave was due to encountering trouble.