Chapter 1074: Who Did I Offend

Whoosh!

The paper burned to ashes.

From an unseen source, a mystical power descended upon the surroundings. It was hard to describe what it was. It felt like a vast, righteous energy filling the heavens and earth, or perhaps a pure, profound essence from the Nine Heavens.

Jiang Fan immediately sensed an invisible substance draining from his body. His fair skin began to yellow, his dark hair dulled, dried out, and then turned white, and his vision started to decline. His hearing, smell, and touch weakened at a visible rate. Next, his Nascent Soul power, Void-Stream Fire Energy, lightning energy, and physical strength all receded.

Biluo exclaimed in alarm, "Fan, stop it now!"

In just a few breaths, Jiang Fan transformed from a handsome nineteen-year-old youth into a white-haired, wrinkled old man. And he was still rapidly weakening. Before the Giant King could even devour him, he would age into a pile of decaying flesh.

Six Paths Venerable cried out in horror, "You are sacrificing your life force!"

The Giant King, who had intended to eat Jiang Fan, retracted his tongue, his eyes filled with disdain. "A mere Nascent Soul cultivator with three apertures dares to attempt 'Words Become Law' against a Divinity Transformation realm expert? Didn't the person who gave you that talisman paper tell you not to make too grand a wish?"

Having previously fought against beings from the Central Continent, the Giant King naturally knew many human techniques. This "Words Become Law" technique, as he understood it, required a price. Powerful Confucian cultivators would cultivate a vast, righteous energy within their bodies, sacrificing this righteous essence to achieve "Words Become Law." For Jiang Fan, a martial artist not trained in Confucianism, using this technique for small wishes would have been manageable. At most, it would have caused a headache and fever, or in severe cases, a coma.

But Jiang Fan's ambition was too great. He dared to strike at a Divinity Transformation Venerable. Without righteous energy, he could only pay the price with his life force! There was no need for the Giant King to act; Jiang Fan would die on his own. And once he died, the "Words Become Law" would be interrupted. It would be a wasted life, unable to even activate the technique.

Jiang Fan, however, did not panic. He recalled the self-salvation method used by the Leader of the Three Pure Mountains Sect when he was struck by Jiang Fan's Judgment Brush and fell into a state of death. At that time, the Leader had swallowed a particle of Temporal Dust, using its potent life force to resist the erosion of death.

And Temporal Dust... Jiang Fan had plenty! If the Leader of the Three Pure Mountains Sect swallowed one particle, then he would swallow a handful! He grabbed a handful of Temporal Dust. Without checking how many particles there were, he shoved them all into his mouth. The powerful life force immediately caused his decaying body to rapidly recover.

One particle, two particles, three particles... Only after a full ten particles of Temporal Dust had been digested did the draining of his life force finally cease. This indicated that the price for "Words Become Law" had been fully paid! One particle of Temporal Dust could extend a lifespan by over sixty years. Ten particles meant six hundred years. That was equivalent to four of Jiang Fan's lifetimes! A Nascent Soul realm cultivator truly had no right to make such a grand wish!

The Giant King, who had been preparing to leave, suddenly sensed something amiss. His pupils constricted. A strong sense of unease suddenly surged in his heart.

"You succeeded in your wish?" He gasped in disbelief, then decisively extended his long tongue, aiming to pierce Jiang Fan. If Jiang Fan died, the wish would not be fulfilled.

However, midway through extending his tongue, he found that he couldn't move. His body was suppressed by some indescribable will. More precisely, it was control! His body, completely beyond his soul's control, turned and began walking towards the Heaven-Slaying Furnace, which was about to erupt again.

"No, stop, stop!!" The Giant King roared. But he could no longer control himself, striding towards the Heaven-Slaying Furnace. Through the furnace mouth, he gazed at the raging blue magma and flames within, horrified beyond measure. He shrieked, "Grand Yin Sect Master! What are you waiting for? Kill him!"

The Grand Yin Sect Master's heart tightened. But he glanced up at the rapidly falling world-ending magma. He turned and immediately fled. The Pavilion Lord of Jiangshan First-Grade Tower cupped his fists towards Jiang Fan and also quickly left. Even the Hellish Desolate Beast, after gritting its teeth, jumped off the Giant King's shoulder and fled.

"You two traitors!" The Giant King was both shocked and enraged. What terrified him even more was that his own hands, uncontrollably, reached out and scooped up the Heaven-Slaying Furnace! The scorching hot Heaven-Slaying Furnace burned his hands to mere liquid, yet he still held it tightly, refusing to let go. The furnace flames inside, after a violent churning, erupted once more!

"No..." A terrifying pillar of fire, generating a fiery ring from friction, shot out again from the enormous furnace mouth, aimed directly at his head. In an instant, it could melt his skull into liquid!

In that moment of life and death, the pale star once again appeared on his forehead. White frigid air surged from it, condensing into a small bowl-shaped shield, protecting his head and blocking the fire pillar.

Hiss! Hiss!

Large amounts of white steam billowed, and the small bowl rapidly thinned. It wouldn't last long at all.

Terror and panic filled the Giant King's golden vertical eyes. "Human! Quickly use your sword to suppress this Heaven-Slaying Furnace. This King will not kill you, and I promise you and your sect will be unharmed by our ancient giants in the coming catastrophe!"

What? Jiang Fan was tempted. By himself, he couldn't protect everyone in his sect. But in just an instant, he rejected the thought. There were too many people he needed to protect: Lonely Boat City, Azure Cloud Sect, the demon race, the entire continent, and now the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. The ancient giants would never spare all of them!

The biggest difference between master and slave was: one controlled their own destiny, the other handed their destiny over to someone else to decide!

So, he coldly gazed at the Giant King, who was desperately resisting the fire pillar, and waved his hand. "Hold on! Die after we've all left. Let's go, quickly!"

Jiang Fan quickly urged everyone to flee. They had to leave while the Giant King was occupied with the Heaven-Slaying Furnace! He swung his Listening Snow Sword, unleashing streaks of cold energy above everyone's heads. This would reduce the damage from the world-ending magma as much as possible.

Six Paths Venerable was too busy to be shocked by a Divinity Transformation expert being actively eliminated by Jiang Fan. While fleeing under the protection of the Listening Snow Sword's cold energy, he didn't forget to stick a few more protective talismans on himself. Finally, he wrapped himself in the Demonic Smoke Soul Extinguishing Banner. Only then did he show a tiny hint of relief.

Biluo, meanwhile, cradled the little tiger in one arm and carried the Yellow Spring in the other, desperately running. Only the Giant King was left, clutching the Heaven-Slaying Furnace, struggling against it.

"Human!!!" The Giant King let out an enraged roar.

Finally, he could no longer hold on. He was already a remnant body, weakened to the extreme, with his life sustained only by some true spirit blood. His actual strength was nowhere near that of the true Giant King. How could he possibly resist such flames?

Thump!

The cold energy shield completely shattered. The roaring pillar of light struck his head squarely.

"No!!!" His head was instantly melted by the fire pillar. His screams vanished into the deafening sonic boom.

And even without his head, under the effect of "Words Become Law," he still clung tightly to the Heaven-Slaying Furnace, his entire body ablaze. That remaining half-torso had survived the great battle a thousand years ago and endured a millennium of waiting. Yet, it could not escape Jiang Fan's deadly grasp!