60: Chapter 60 Why are you forcing me!

The night was deep, and Fan Zhiyuan had only just rested for a short while.

Suddenly, he heard Chen Ran in the distance speak up:

"My lord, I know of a place suitable for hiding."

"Oh, where is it?"

Fan Zhiyuan turned his head and glanced at the young jailer, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

His voice was somewhat hoarse.

Chen Ran raised his hand and pointed toward the depths of the Mass Grave.

"There is a stone tablet over there that I discovered while patrolling in the past. Behind the stone tablet is a cave entrance covered by rubble. The space inside is quite large, and there is no one there."

Fan Zhiyuan narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction Chen Ran was pointing.

Under the moonlight, a massive stone tablet did indeed seem to stand in the depths of the Mass Grave. He thought for a moment and said:

"Lead the way."

He needed to recover from his injuries now, and recovering near the Celestial Prison was not a good idea.

If there could be a hidden, unknown cave entrance, then it would be a good choice for both healing his wounds and disposing of the corpse.

Thinking of this, his expression improved quite a bit.

Even the way he looked at Chen Ran softened significantly; he prepared to give this little jailer a gift when the time came.

He would kill him with a single strike to spare him from pain, and the surrounding Mass Grave could serve as his burial site.

...

The three of them quickly arrived in front of the stone tablet.

Chen Ran placed Jiang Mengli on a flat rock and bent down to begin clearing the rubble behind the stone tablet.

His movements were very practiced, as if he had long known what was here.

The rubble was moved away piece by piece, revealing a pitch-black cave entrance.

The entrance was not large, and a cold, damp aura emanated from within, mixed with the smell of soil and rotting wood.

"My lord, this is the place."

Chen Ran straightened his back and brushed the dust off his hands.

Fan Zhiyuan walked to the entrance of the cave and peered inside.

There was indeed a fairly large space within. Borrowing the moonlight, he could see the outline of the stone walls; although crude, it was sufficiently hidden.

"You stay outside and keep watch." Fan Zhiyuan looked back at Chen Ran, "I am going in to heal my wounds. Report immediately if there is any movement."

"This subordinate obeys."

Fan Zhiyuan did not say anything more and bent down to crawl into the cave entrance.

His figure quickly disappeared into the darkness.

...

Time passed bit by bit.

The wind in the Mass Grave was sometimes strong and sometimes weak, and occasionally a few shrill bird cries could be heard from afar.

Fan Zhiyuan sat cross-legged, occasionally frowning, his body twitching slightly.

This fire poison was exceptionally difficult to deal with; having been struck by just one palm, it had already caused the True Qi and blood within his body to become chaotic.

Suddenly, a young man's voice came from in front of the cave entrance; it sounded like that of the little jailer.

"My lord, I have been observing the Red Lotus Witch, and there is something unusual about her."

"Unusual..." Fan Zhiyuan's expression changed slightly. He thought for a moment and then slowly stood up.

After a few breaths, Fan Zhiyuan crawled out of the cave entrance, his face ashen.

Anyone forced to stop their healing process would not be in a good mood. He took a look and asked,

"What has happened?"

The young jailer outside the cave entrance looked solemn:

"My lord, not long after you entered the cave, this Red Lotus Witch began acting strangely, as if she wanted to escape."

"Her cultivation has been Sealed, she cannot make any waves."

Fan Zhiyuan spoke casually, but he still walked forward a few steps, preparing to check the situation. If this witch had truly broken free from the Seal, then the trouble would be great.

"Where is she?"

"My lord, follow me."

Chen Ran led the way, and Fan Zhiyuan followed behind.

They soon arrived at their destination, where an old locust tree stood.

Chen Ran pointed into the distance and whispered a reminder:

"My lord, she is right behind the tree."

"Twisting and turning." Fan Zhiyuan snorted coldly. He had become increasingly dissatisfied with this jailer along the way.

If he didn't still need him to scout the path, he would have slapped him to death long ago.

Following the direction Chen Ran indicated, Fan Zhiyuan actually saw something unusual.

Under the moonlight around the locust tree, a stunningly beautiful woman was standing quietly, like a perfect painting.

Suddenly, the woman turned around. Her captivating, beautiful eyes stared straight at him, the charm in her eyes fully unleashed, and a mental wave struck him violently.

Even though Fan Zhiyuan usually held a high position, he could not avoid being affected; his brain felt as if it had been struck by a hammer, and his reaction time slowed by half a beat.

But just at this moment, a young man's light chuckle seemed to reach his ears.

He opened his eyes wide, wanting to turn around.

But his heavily injured body's reaction was half a beat too slow.

The next moment,

A palm reached out from behind him and pierced through his chest without any obstruction.

"Puchi — —" The sound of flesh being torn was exceptionally clear in the silent area outside the cave.

Fan Zhiyuan looked down at the hand that had pierced out from his chest.

The fingers were slender and the knuckles were distinct, and the palm was entwined with blood-like Evil Qi.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but only a mouthful of hot, bloody foam welled up in his throat.

"How... is this possible!"

His voice was hoarse, filled with incredulous shock.

That hand slowly withdrew.

Fan Zhiyuan staggered and turned around, seeing the person standing behind him.

The Demon Suppression Division member from before was standing quietly behind him, his previously tied-up long hair having come undone at some point, fluttering slightly in the night wind.

At the same time, dark red True Qi spread from his body like a blood mist, and the surrounding Evil Qi was stirred, emitting a woeful wail.

The moonlight descended from the sky, landing on Chen Ran's face.

That originally calm and handsome face was now shrouded in an eerie red light, his eyes cold and devoid of any emotion.

"Lord Fan Zhiyuan."

Chen Ran spoke, his voice very light, yet it clearly reached Fan Zhiyuan's ears.

"I originally just wanted to stay quietly in the Celestial Prison, but you insisted on forcing me to make a decision... Why did you have to force me?"

Fan Zhiyuan widened his eyes, staring fixedly at Chen Ran.

He wanted to speak, to question, to roar.

But the bloody hole torn in his chest was frantically devouring his life force.

Blood flowed down his clothes, pooling into a dark red puddle on the ground.

"You... you..."

Fan Zhiyuan reached out his hand, wanting to grab something, but his fingers only grasped at emptiness.

He staggered backward, his back hitting the stone wall.

The stone wall was cold, but he could no longer feel it.

The fire poison within his body had lost its suppression, and mixing with the Devilish Qi of the Blood Transformation Great Art, it frantically eroded his Meridians.

Fan Zhiyuan stared at Chen Ran, his eyes bloodshot.

He struggled to keep his eyes open, wanting to see the true face of this man before him, who was overflowing with Devilish Qi.

Chen Ran's long hair danced in the wind, his pitch-black pupils quietly gazing at this scene, the corners of his mouth curling up.

He was like a beast that had successfully hunted, currently enjoying the process of the kill.

The prey's terrified struggle only served to excite his interest.

It seemed he had grown tired of playing.

Chen Ran slowly raised his hand, dark red True Qi once again condensing in his palm.

Then, he gently clenched it.

"Crack!"

The blood hole in Fan Zhiyuan's chest exploded violently.

His heart was shattered.

His final expression froze on his face — shock, unwillingness, and a trace of bewilderment.

His corpse slowly slid down, leaning against the stone wall, and moved no more.

...