Chapter 485 - 163: I Want You to Help Me Cultivate, Flying into a Rage, Six Desires Heart Demon Inheritance (4)

"It seems negotiations are off the table..." Jiang Lan shook his head, his tone somewhat regretful.

A mocking smile touched the corners of Tantai Qing’s lips. "It seems Helian Wen is indeed lucky to be alive and to have found you," she said lightly. "A pity that even if he survived, he can’t stir up any trouble."

In her mind, it was obvious Helian Wen had found Jiang Lan and told him the whole story.

But she still couldn’t figure it out. How did Jiang Lan know she needed the Six Desires Pearl for her cultivation?

"No, I haven’t actually met this Helian Wen yet. I’m just offering a kind reminder, so you don’t get tripped up where you least expect it," Jiang Lan said with a faint smile.

Tantai Qing’s expression was cold; she didn’t believe him.

"A mere Helian Wen... I’ve never considered him a threat," she said coolly.

"As expected of the one I have my eye on, so confident and poised..." Jiang Lan clapped and smiled. "My trip to Immortal Ascension Island wasn’t in vain, after all."

Hearing this, Tantai Qing’s brow furrowed even tighter. If they were anywhere else, she would have attacked already, but for now, she could only suppress the fury and coldness in her heart.

"Young Master Jiang, could it be that you wish to subdue me?" she asked with a mocking smile.

"You’re right. I admire people like you—mercenary and ruthless. Someone like you, who will do anything for the right price, is the perfect blade," Jiang Lan said with a pleasant smile.

Tantai Qing remained noncommittal, her tone still mocking. "And this blade... can you wield it, Young Master Jiang?"

The instant she spoke, a boundless, deep ink-like color surged in the depths of her eyes. It was like an endless night, sweeping over to drown everything, swallowing heaven and earth, concealing all.

In a flash, all sight was lost. Heaven and earth became a canvas of darkness and despair, and the only sound was the miserable wailing and roaring of all living things.

Within that endless darkness, all sorts of terrifying, chilling sounds arose, like a parade of a hundred ghosts or a wild dance of countless demons.

Behind Tantai Qing, a vague figure emerged. Its face was identical to hers, but it was in a constant state of flux—sinking and floating, appearing and vanishing, gathering and fading, hiding and taking form... It had no constant shape, as if it could transform into any living creature.

Any living being who witnessed this would feel their Divine Soul tremble in fear. It was as if they were confronting the deepest, most terrifying secret hidden in their heart, causing them to lose their true self, become a puppet, and be reduced to a walking corpse.

The mocking smile remained on Tantai Qing’s lips, as if she could already see Jiang Lan lost in the illusion of the Heart Demon, his true self extinguished, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell.

"As expected of the Ten Transformations of the Heart Demon. If my heart had any flaws, I’m afraid I would have already fallen for your trick..."

"A pity your technique has no effect on me."

But in the next moment, Jiang Lan’s voice suddenly rang out.

A strange light flickered in his eyes. Deep within his pupils, a vision seemed to recede—like a blood moon falling into a boundless river, finally returning to silence.

Hearing this, Tantai Qing’s expression changed in disbelief. The moment she reacted and tried to get up to dodge, she saw the Void before her blur. The horizon became within arm’s reach.

A long, fair hand reached out, as majestic and unshakeable as a mountain, and seized her slender, swan-like neck.

’The power of time...’

Tantai Qing was in utter disbelief, her eyes filled with incredulity and horror. It wasn’t that she had been too slow to dodge.

Instead, in that instant, the surrounding Void had frozen. Her movements were affected, slowed by a factor of several hundred.

Because of this, the moment the thought to dodge arose and she was about to move, the hand had already reached her. There was no chance to evade.

This power didn’t just affect the surrounding Void; it even affected her thoughts.

One must understand that a battle between experts is a razor’s edge. Often, a single misstep can lead directly to death.

And the consequences of a single mistake were terrifying to imagine.

A chill ran down Tantai Qing’s spine. She was horrified. ’Jiang Lan can actually control time! A technique like this would make him Innately invincible.’

Even a Saint, who had mastered the Heaven and Earth Rules, could at best influence time within a Little World of their own creation. But Jiang Lan was manipulating time in the real world...

In that instant, Tantai Qing gave up any thought of resistance.

"But you were the one who struck first..." Jiang Lan said, tightening his grip on Tantai Qing’s neck. He lifted her slowly, as if holding a baby chick.

COUGH... COUGH...

Tantai Qing’s expression remained icy. She had indeed struck first, but ’if Jiang Lan hadn’t provoked her with his words, why would she have done such a thing?’

"I admit defeat today. I underestimated your strength. But on Immortal Ascension Island, even if you are the Young Master of the Prime Minister’s Mansion, you won’t leave this island alive if you kill me." Her tone was calm and cold; even now, she remained composed.

Although she had lost the exchange, that didn’t mean she was out of options. If the two of them fought to the death, the commotion would definitely attract attention and cause a huge incident.

That would do Jiang Lan no good either.

"You think a simple ’I admit defeat’ is enough to call it quits? Isn’t that a bit too easy? If I weren’t stronger than you, I would have fallen for your trick just now. If you were stronger than me, would you have let me go so easily?" Jiang Lan chuckled.

Tantai Qing looked at him coldly, unable to refute his words. If she were stronger than Jiang Lan, she would have absolutely destroyed his true self and refined him into her puppet, to be controlled by her.

’Does he really think I can’t guess what he’s planning?’

’He was setting a trap for me from the very beginning. We’re two sides of the same coin, neither of us a good person.’