Reborn Medicine King

Jiang Fann reappeared, having put some distance between them. Clearly, he wasn't planning to get close again and instead dissipated his domain. He wasn't about to waste his spiritual strength for nothing. Maintaining the domain and dealing with that corpse required a massive amount of energy. The spirit was hiding beside the corpse, leaving Jiang Fann with no chance to take him down. He had to wait for Xiaomo to arrive.    

The spirit sneered at Jiang Fann, "Why aren't you coming back? Weren't you tough just a moment ago?" Despite being startled by Jiang Fann, the spirit felt no fear with his own body nearby.    

Jiang Fann ignored him, glanced toward the palace, then returned to the ground and started heading down the mountain. He had already informed Xiaomo to bring reinforcements up the mountain, but there was a barrier in the way, so he needed to go meet them.    

Seeing Jiang Fann leave, the spirit frowned, unsure of what Jiang Fann was planning next. "Is he going to get backup?" he muttered, then looked at his own body. "Too bad I don't know what you all were up to down there. The cultivators who can stop you must be strong. Looks like I need to be ready ahead of time."    

After speaking, they walked together toward the palace.    

Meanwhile, Jiang Fann turned back and headed down the mountain. The surrounding spiritual strength had returned to its previous calm, and it was unclear what the spirit would do next. It was evident the spirit also knew it couldn't do anything to him.    

Near the barrier, Xiao Mo had already brought the others over. Wan Chengfeng was still somewhat weak; both his and Wan Xin's spiritual strength had been drained earlier. However, Jiang Fann couldn't leave them in the palace below. If the spirit could reach them through the formation, they would be in danger. Bringing them up with him, he could protect them without issue.    

Wan Chengfeng remained silent, feeling frustrated. After his breakthrough, he had hoped to make great strides, only to face a setback.    

At the barrier, Jiang Fann used his assimilated power to pass through it. He first brought Xiao Mo and the others into a safe space, then guided Wan Chengfeng and Wan Xin through the barrier.    

Both had taken some medicine and regained a bit of strength, but they were still unable to fight.    

Reaching the upper part of the mountain, they were surprised by the tranquil atmosphere and looked at Jiang Fann with newfound respect.    

Wan Chengfeng asked, "Is this the final area of the inner valley?"    

Jiang Fann said, "I'm not sure if this is the final area, but there's a spirit here. I specifically brought Xiao Mo to deal with it. Once we handle this spirit, there shouldn't be any more trouble. Plus, I spotted a teleportation array here, so our trip won't be in vain."    

Hearing Jiang Fann's words, Wan Chengfeng was understandably thrilled. "Is there really a legacy here?"    

"Absolutely. Not only is there a legacy, but there should be other treasures hidden here. This palace is far more impressive than the one halfway up the mountain."    

Looking at the surrounding mystical creatures, Wan Xin felt noticeably calmer, though they remained on high alert. Jiang Fann had already informed them about the spirit—a presence that could completely counter them.    

They moved toward the palace at the mountain's peak, returning to the plaza. The spirit and the corpse were nowhere to be seen, and the palace doors stood open, just as before. Due to the earlier battle, the mystical creatures around the palace had been scared off, leaving none behind.    

At that moment, the spirit's voice echoed from within the palace. "Since you're here, come on in."    

Jiang Fann activated his Divine Eye, carefully observing the palace's array patterns. The door wasn't covered by any formations, but the arrays here were stronger than those in the palace halfway up the mountain. Jiang Fann didn't consider this place safe.    

At the entrance, Wan Chengfeng hesitated, genuinely afraid this time. Jiang Fann gave him a gentle push from behind, leading the two into the palace.    

Jiang Fann scanned the room, noticing a statue standing in the center. It resembled the corpse they'd seen before, but the statue had lost its divine aura, confirming that the being had truly fallen. What remained was just a fragment of its spirit, and this forbidden area was its domain.    

Beside the statue stood the spirit, observing the newcomers. Upon seeing Wan Chengfeng and his companion, the spirit seemed surprised. "Your backup is only at the reincarnation level? You think he can withstand my physical form? What are those two up to?"    

From the spirit's words, it was clear that this one was different from the one halfway up the mountain. This spirit seemed unaware of Jiang Fann's journey so far, not even knowing about the battle on the mountainside. Otherwise, it wouldn't have spoken that way.    

Wan Chengfeng was equally puzzled. This spirit was noticeably different from the one that had captured them earlier, appearing much older.    

Wan Xin whispered to Jiang Fann, "I don't feel my spiritual strength being suppressed by him."    

Jiang Fann looked at Wan Chengfeng, curious about his reaction. Wan Chengfeng seemed to feel the same, experiencing none of the oppressive sensations they'd faced with the previous spirits.    

The atmosphere here was noticeably different from other areas. At this moment, Jiang Fann turned his attention to the spirit. Unlike the spirits he had encountered before, this one showed no reaction upon seeing Wan Chengfeng, unlike the greed displayed by the other two spirits.    

Jiang Fann didn't waste any time and immediately summoned Xiaomo and Gu Xie. As the two appeared, the spirit was taken aback. Meanwhile, the spirit's physical form emerged from behind the statue, standing confidently beside it, bolstered by the power of the formation. He was confident that as long as his physical form protected him, he would be safe.    

However, Xiaomo's formidable presence at the peak of the reincarnation realm made him feel immense pressure. He finally realized that Jiang Fann's allies were not the weakened Wan Chengfeng. These two women exuded a terrifying aura, especially Xiaomo, who was not intimidated by his physical form's strength.    

Jiang Fann smiled at him, not even bothering to bring out any immortal treasures. "What do you have to say now? Surrender or be erased!"    

The spirit was at a loss for words, but he could sense the killing intent in Jiang Fann's eyes. Xiaomo and Gu Xie wasted no time and charged toward him, while Jiang Fann only needed to protect Wan Chengfeng and his companion.    

As long as Xiao Mo can keep that corpse in check, all Gu Xie needs is one chance to completely overpower it. Erasing it wouldn't be difficult at that point.    

Inside the palace, the formations were constantly at work, and the surrounding energy became incredibly active, with the atmosphere intensifying. Various formations activated, causing patterns to appear on the ground. Energy surged from these patterns, forming a barrier around the three of them, clearly aiming to restrict their movements.    

The corpse's combat strength here was even greater than halfway up the mountain. Xiao Mo tried to draw its attention to lead it away, but no matter how she tested it, there was no reaction. The corpse stayed close to the spirit, clearly aware that the moment it left, it would be at a disadvantage.    

Now, it could only rely on the palace's formations to try to resolve the situation, while Jiang Fann and his two companions in the back seemed like better targets. After all, Wan Chengfeng and the other person had depleted energy reserves and couldn't defend themselves effectively.    

However, Jiang Fann reacted quickly, constantly helping the two out of tight spots. The formations in the hall didn't seem to suppress their energy in any special way. Gu Xie had already maneuvered to the rear, ready to launch an attack at any moment. Unfortunately, every attempt was thwarted by the corpse, which repelled her advances, giving her no chance to strike.    

Gu Xie found himself in a bit of a bind, but after glancing at Jiang Fann, he noticed that the latter wasn't in a hurry. Jiang Fann was calmly observing the changes in the surrounding barriers, paying no mind to the current situation.    

After about half an hour of back and forth, the standoff remained unchanged.    

The spirit spoke directly, "Do you think we could stop and talk? I have a physical form to protect me, and you can't do anything to me, just as I can't do anything to you. You're here for some kind of benefit, and I'm just here for my own peace. As for what those two fragments did below, I wasn't involved, so you can't blame me for that."    

Jiang Fann replied calmly, "That's not what you said earlier."    

Hearing this, the spirit didn't argue but instead openly admitted its intentions. "I gave them a chance, setting things up for who knows how many years. I just want to be reborn, and I left the method entirely to those two fragments. Since you've disrupted years of planning, is it unreasonable for me to ask for an explanation? But now, I don't want to dwell on it. You probably don't want to waste more time here either, right? Why not take your reward and leave, and I'll handle the rest myself."    

This guy was adaptable, not wanting to explain further.    

Before Jiang Fann could respond, Wan Chengfeng spoke up, "Our clan has no grudge against you, yet your spirit killed dozens of our experts, absorbed their essence, and even tried to take over my body. Do you think a simple conversation can settle such a deep-seated enmity?"    

Wan Chengfeng was clearly a bit agitated. The spirit was surprised to hear this, a flicker of astonishment crossing its eyes. It seemed his initial reaction wasn't just for show; perhaps he truly didn't know what those two strands of spirit had done.    

However, he composed himself and, instead of apologizing, remained remarkably calm. "I have no quarrel with your clan. Why do your masters keep coming to my valley? They came for treasure and lost their lives for it. Instead of blaming them for their lack of skill, you blame me for taking their lives!"    

This question left Wan Chengfeng speechless. His clan had originally settled here with the intention of taking over, drawn by the prime training environment near the forbidden zone. It allowed their people to venture into the area for experience, which was inherently risky for any cultivator.