Chapter 1112: Substitute Paper Doll

Over a hundred experts from the Central Plains remained in this location. They watched in awe as the nine suns shone simultaneously in the sky. This was also their first glimpse of scenery from another realm.

Everyone understood the unspoken agreement not to rush out recklessly. Given the previous failed reconnaissance by three Incarnations and one Bodhisattva, the ancient giants surely wouldn't be unprepared this time. It was possible that formidable giants were lying in ambush at the exit of the Sky-Piercing Black Pillar. Therefore, someone needed to scout the exit first.

Gu Xin'er chuckled, "This is my cue."

She took out a red piece of paper and quickly cut it into a palm-sized paper figure. Then she turned to Jiang Fan and said, "Give me your hand."

"What for?" Jiang Fan asked, puzzled.

Gu Xin'er didn't waste words; she grabbed his hand, lifted a corner of her mask, and revealed her rosy lips. Then she bit his index finger. The wet, gentle sensation sent a strange ripple through him. He couldn't help but blush slightly.

"Deputy Pavilion Master Gu, everyone's watching," he said.

Unexpectedly, a sharp sting followed. Gu Xin'er bit down with her silver teeth, breaking his skin! She then quickly placed his finger on the paper figure. Drops of blood from his fingertip seeped into the paper figure.

"Ouch!" Jiang Fan cried out in pain. "Are you a dog?"

Gu Xin'er playfully shook the red paper figure in her hand. At that moment, after absorbing Jiang Fan's blood, the red paper figure actually came to life. It used its limbs to scramble up the Sky-Piercing Black Pillar, flying towards the exit.

"This is a decoy paper figure; it needs human blood to activate," Gu Xin'er explained.

Jiang Fan looked at the wound on his index finger and retorted impatiently, "Then why didn't you use your own blood?"

Gu Xin'er stated matter-of-factly, "How could I bear to bite myself?"

Jiang Fan almost laughed in exasperation. "Fine, just you wait to be cannon fodder then!" He felt there was a hint of personal vendetta in that bite.

But he had no time to dwell on it. As the red paper figure climbed higher, his vision synchronized with it. It was as if his eyes were attached to the paper figure. He could move with it and see everything around it. This was indeed an unparalleled tool for reconnaissance!

Soon after, the paper figure successfully climbed out of the Sky-Piercing Black Pillar and looked around. A sea of black clouds appeared in Jiang Fan's view. The clouds churned; falling into them meant being shredded by the fundamental wind essence, strong enough to destroy a Venerable. Above the cloud sea, large and small fragments of rock floated. The smallest were about an inch long, while the largest were tens of meters, densely scattered around the Sky-Piercing Black Pillar as their center.

Suddenly, three massive cyan figures appeared in his sight. They were three ten-meter-tall ancient giants, sitting on a large rock and conversing in guttural tones. It was the language of the Underworld Race. Fortunately, Jiang Fan had fully learned the translation book written by Huaxin in the days before coming to White Horse Temple, so he could understand them perfectly.

"Which little brat did this?"

"They moved the Sky-Piercing Black Pillar to the Chaos Lake, making us move rocks and pave roads all day."

"When we descend, I'll find that kid and roast him!"

"I'll fry him!"

"I'll eat him as sashimi!"

A vein throbbed on Jiang Fan's forehead. Good heavens, it was his first time in the Southern Heaven Realm, and the first topic he overheard was about three ways to eat him.

Using the paper figure, he surveyed the surroundings. As far as he could see, there was nothing but churning cloud sea, with no other ancient giants present.

He looked at Bai Xin beside him and said, "There are three ten-meter-tall ancient giants guarding nearby."

At his words, everyone's expressions eased slightly.

Gu Xin'er eagerly exclaimed, "What are we waiting for then? Let's go out and kill them! Three ancient giants, and so many of us? Wouldn't it be as easy as slicing watermelons?"

Jiang Fan flicked her forehead. "Use your brain! Given that three Incarnations and one Bodhisattva previously breached the Southern Heaven Realm, how could the ancient giants not be prepared? The three ancient giants before us are most likely bait to lower our guard."

Gu Xin'er covered her forehead, stomping her foot in pain. This scoundrel hit me again! When I get back, I'll definitely add another entry to the Death Diary! No, an entire page!

Bai Xin nodded. "Indeed. Ancient giants can transmit urgent messages to each other by vibrating the vital energy and blood within their bodies. Besides that, they can also sense the death of giants from the same tribe within a certain range. For example, a Fire Giant can sense the demise of another Fire Giant. Though there appear to be only three of them, they can actually quickly alert giants farther away."

After hearing this, everyone was greatly astonished. The ancient giants were proving to be truly troublesome! If not for Bai Xin's reminder, they might have fallen into a trap.

Jiang Fan suddenly realized. No wonder the Imperial Astronomy Bureau had been collecting ancient giants for years. They were, in fact, conducting research on them. And they had discovered quite a lot.

He mused, "In that case, we need to subdue them quickly and make them lose consciousness. At the same time, we cannot kill them."

Bai Xin nodded slightly and looked around. "Who is confident enough to do this? There's only one chance. If we fail, this reconnaissance mission will be over."

Everyone looked grave upon hearing this. If the ancient giants were given a chance to warn others, a large number of them would gather, and the reconnaissance mission would become impossible. With such a critical move that affected the entire operation, who would dare to try lightly? If they failed, they would be deemed sinners.

Jiang Fan pondered, "I'm confident I can control one of them." He had two methods: one was the Immortal's Drunkenness. Theoretically, it could put all three ancient giants into a comatose state. The problem was, it couldn't induce instant unconsciousness. During their resistance, the three ancient giants could easily transmit messages by vibrating their vital energy and blood. His other method was the Soul-Binding Lock. It could instantly seal an ancient giant's soul, making it lose control of its body. However, it only worked on one ancient giant at a time.

Bai Xin said, "I can control one as well."

She looked at Song Lingyu, who shook her head. "I can kill one instantly. But as for subduing it, my Myriad Calamity Sacred Palace isn't proficient in such divine abilities."

Bai Xin scanned the rest of the group. Everyone shook their heads. Either they lacked such abilities, or they possessed them but dared not attempt it lightly.

When her gaze landed on Zong Chaosheng, he gritted his teeth and said, "Count me in!" He glanced at Jiang Fan out of the corner of his eye. There was a hint of rivalry in his gaze. It made no sense for the Eighteen Disciples of Taicang to be inferior to Jiang Fan!

Hearing this, Bai Xin frowned. "Does your Divine Travel Sect have similar methods for subduing others?" From what she remembered, the Divine Travel Sect's path had gradually shifted towards excavating ancient tombs in recent decades. Their methods were more inclined towards countering malevolent energies, discerning geomantic omens, and quarrying stones.

Zong Chaosheng confidently replied, "You can rest assured, Commander Bai. Our Divine Travel Sect possesses an ancient art that can induce unconsciousness, more than enough to handle an ancient giant."

Is that so? Seeing that no one else was willing to act, Bai Xin could only nod. "Alright, the three of us will proceed."

Jiang Fan frowned slightly. So confident, are we? Without a word, he activated his Silent Meditation technique, simultaneously including Bai Xin and Zong Chaosheng in a spiritual consciousness communication.

"This is a spiritual consciousness communication that only the three of us can hear. Later, we'll act together, following my command. We must subdue all three ancient giants simultaneously."

Bai Xin thought, "A good method. With spiritual consciousness communication, we'll have a better chance of success."

A flash of jealousy crossed Zong Chaosheng's eyes. This guy has something so good? He doesn't even have it! Annoyed, he thought, "Why should we listen to your command? Later, we'll all listen to *my* command!"

Jiang Fan was speechless. Did he have to argue about this too?

Seeing the situation, Bai Xin said, for the sake of unity, "Alright, we'll follow Zong Chaosheng's command. You all have invisibility methods, right?"

Only then did Zong Chaosheng's expression soften slightly. He took out two high-grade Dustless Talismans and, smiling, handed one to Bai Xin. "Commander Bai." Then he turned to Jiang Fan and said, "Sorry, I only have two. You'll have to figure something out for yourself."

Jiang Fan shook his head, muttering, "What era is this? Still using Dustless Talismans for invisibility?" He formed hand seals and silently chanted a spell. He was casting the "Selfless Dust Purification Art."