Chapter 1668: Green Pearl

"Don't move!" Jiang Fan whispered.

The White Tiger reacted quickly, immediately halting its steps. Both man and beast looked behind them, a collective cold sweat breaking out.

They hadn't noticed when a shadow, tracking their movements, had reached ten thousand feet behind them and was rapidly closing in. It stopped just short of them, losing their trail, and began to circle and search the immediate vicinity instead.

"We really can't be careless!"

"We almost fell into a trap!"

Now, they had to wait quietly for the shadow to dissipate before moving.

However, something unexpected happened, catching Jiang Fan off guard. The White Tiger had stopped so abruptly that while it was quiet, the shockwave from its tail swept behind it, carrying several stones that slammed into its hindquarters and thighs. This was bound to create a huge commotion!

By the time Jiang Fan noticed, it was too late to stop it. His heart instantly leaped into his throat, and his eyes widened. He had only one thought: "It's over! The Death Spirit is going to find them!"

But at that critical moment, the motionless puppet's long silver hair silently spread out like tentacles, gently wrapping around the incoming stones. Then, it slowly retracted, placing them softly before her. The shadow seemed to sense something, paused to scan the area, and only gave up after detecting no new movements. It then moved towards a distant black river. As it neared the riverbank, it seemed to hesitate, as if wary of something, then retreated and moved along the city wall's edge, shifting into the distance.

Only when its figure was no longer visible did Jiang Fan quietly tap the White Tiger's back. The White Tiger immediately ducked its head and quickly teleported several times, rushing to the base of the city wall. The moment its feet touched the ground, Jiang Fan's heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled. They were safe! At least for now, their lives were out of danger.

However, there was still an unexpected hidden danger. He looked sharply at the Three-Crowned Asura King, who was shrouded in black mist, and asked, "When did you break free of the control?"

A wave of fear washed over him. The Three-Crowned Asura King had gained independent movement without his knowledge. If she had harbored ill intentions and attacked him while he was unprepared, he would have been in grave danger. At that moment, Jiang Fan possessed the most achievements and the Primordial Heaven-Imprisoning Gourd. If she had been even slightly greedy, Jiang Fan would have been finished. How could he not feel a chill down his spine?

The puppet merely sat, head bowed, without a word. A flicker of indecision crossed Jiang Fan's eyes, but ultimately, considering that she had not betrayed him and had just saved them, he dispelled the coldness in his gaze. Instead, he beckoned, and the token that controlled her appeared in his palm.

"You are free!" He casually crushed the token.

The black mist that enveloped the Three-Crowned Asura King quickly dispersed, revealing her true appearance. Long silver hair flowed smoothly, and her delicate, oval face was adorned with beautiful, lustrous, crystal-like eyes. However, her expression was very cold, at least when she looked at Jiang Fan.

"Lyzra?" Jiang Fan was startled, unable to believe he was seeing Lyzra here. Even more unbelievable was that she had been the puppet he had used for so long. "How did you get here?" Jiang Fan asked, approaching her excitedly.

Lyzra, however, raised a hand, stopping Jiang Fan from coming closer, and calmly stated, "I received the second Desolate Ancient Token you threw away."

Jiang Fan suddenly understood; it was the duplicated Desolate Ancient Token. He never imagined that in the end, Lyzra would be the one to obtain and possess it.

A look of relief appeared on his face. "So, you encountered the Dark Asura clan and were controlled by them?"

Lyzra nodded calmly. In fact, when the Desolate Ancient Token flew towards her, she hadn't wanted to take it. She knew that with her strength, she would likely perish in the Desolate Ancient Hunt. However, seeing Jiang Fan, who was outnumbered and besieged by the Giant Emperor and the Ten Sins of the Central Land, she was inexplicably compelled to seize it. Her situation was as expected. She had intended to secretly follow Jiang Fan, but as soon as she left the Bronze Earth, she was targeted and captured by the Dark Asura clan.

In the Southern Celestial Realm, the Dark Asura clan and the other Asura clans were like fire and water. She had already mentally prepared herself to be executed by the Celestial Sword. What complicated matters for her was that she had encountered Jiang Fan again. When the three-colored divine rainbow and the flawless domain were displayed, she knew that the hidden person was Jiang Fan. What left her speechless was that Jiang Fan had even bought her. Should she call it a good fortune or a fateful entanglement? She clearly didn't want to owe him any more favors, yet she kept accumulating debts. *Sigh*...

Jiang Fan also sighed with emotion: "It's quite a coincidence that I managed to save you by accident like this." Their destinies always seemed to cross paths unexpectedly from time to time. Previously, he had been struck with bad luck by the Giant King of Fortune, which led him to stumble upon Lyzra bathing, almost getting killed by her. Now, Lyzra had been captured and turned into a puppet, and he had coincidentally bought her.

A slight ripple stirred in Lyzra's heart. However, when she remembered how Jiang Fan, with his most affectionate words, had colluded with Hongxiu to deceive her, making her publicly promise to be his wife in the next life, only to realize she was nothing but a fool, that ripple was immediately quelled, and her gaze became placid as she said: "Thank you for saving me, Young Master Jiang. My life is yours. I will repay it to you."

Jiang Fan sighed. "Is she still hurting?" He didn't want to explain anything further. Suddenly, he remembered that he had retrieved Lyzra's soul. It was time to return it to her.

However, at that very moment, a destructive domain enveloped him without warning. The White Tiger beneath him, already on guard, opened its mouth and roared, shattering the attacking domain. Jiang Fan immediately became alert, looking towards the source of the domain. It was an old woman, at the Second Tribulation of Heaven and Man stage. Having failed her sneak attack, she immediately recoiled, disappointment evident in her eyes.

Only then did Jiang Fan notice that quite a few powerhouses from various realms had gathered around them, unawares. They were both overt and covert, old and young, and most had already lost their crowns. At this moment, all of them were staring at Jiang Fan. More precisely, they were staring at the crown on Jiang Fan's head. Having escaped the Death Spirit, their minds had become active again. If they could seize Jiang Fan's achievements, they would become the first-place winner of the Desolate Ancient Hunt!

How precious was the "Exemption Stele," which granted immunity from the next millennium war? Even if they didn't take it back to their own world, selling it would bring unimaginable wealth. Selling it to a world in need would make it effortlessly easy to secure an opportunity to become a Sage.

Jiang Fan stood up, looking around at them, and said coldly: "Truly, humans die for wealth, just as birds die for food!"

It would be understandable if the people from the Border Wilderness coveted his achievements. But a group of individuals at the Second, Third, and Fourth Tribulations of Heaven and Man, who dared to covet his achievements even with the White Tiger, a Grand Demon at the Fifth Tribulation, present!

The woman who had attacked, seeing everyone gathering, gained confidence. "Jiang Fan of the Central Land, do you, a First Tribulation of Heaven and Man, deserve to be in first place? Hand over your crown; escaping this whirlpool of trouble is your wisest choice. Otherwise, I don't see how you'll escape this plight."

Having been able to participate in the Desolate Ancient Hunt, they naturally possessed powerful means to deal with enemies. Even if Jiang Fan was a formidable killer and had the protection of a Grand Lord-level White Tiger, two fists couldn't contend with four hands.