Chapter 1153: Intelligent Beauty

Jiang Fan glanced down.

The pit beneath the blue ring was unfathomably deep. He didn't know where the Four-Crowned Asura King was hiding. Without a word, under the gaze of numerous Giant Kings, he leaped into the blue ring.

Sensing the movement, Green Pearl knelt on the ground. A misty film welled up in her crystalline eyes as she murmured: "I'm sorry, Wang Chongxiao. Forgive me."

The whistling wind echoed in Jiang Fan's ears. After falling for a distance, he looked up and, realizing he could no longer see the ancient giants, abruptly stopped. He quickly removed his clothes and rubbed off all the fragments of Hell Abyssal Crystals adhering to his body.

"These are Hell Abyssal Crystals. Even the landlord's foolish son wouldn't dare be so wasteful as to smear them on his body!"

However, he looked at the clumps of powder he had scrubbed off his body, then thought about condensing them into crystals to consume. He couldn't help but frown. "Wouldn't that be a bit disgusting?"

But then he reconsidered, feeling relieved. "These are for the Asura race to eat. I'm not eating them!"

He immediately took out the Mountain River Cauldron and threw all the powder inside. Upon activation, a large amount of black smoke immediately billowed from the cauldron. The powder rapidly condensed. Soon after, ten glowing black crystals lay quietly in the cauldron. These were, remarkably, complete Hell Abyssal Crystals, a heaven-defying divine object capable of elevating an Asura King's realm. He refused to believe that the Four-Crowned Asura King wouldn't be tempted.

After putting away the Hell Abyssal Crystals, he continued to descend, searching for the individual. To avoid accidental injury, he called out softly: "Fairy, I am from the Central Lands. The ancient giants captured me to harm you. I'm one of you!"

The moment his words fell, a faint, cool voice drifted up from below. "Who is one of you?"

Jiang Fan looked down; there was a faint glow in the dark abyss. He cautiously flew towards the light source. Only upon getting closer did he discover it was a beautiful woman, subtly radiating a faint glow. She wore a long black dress with wide gold-threaded sleeves, her long hair softly draped. Her profile was elegantly beautiful, her nose bridge high, and she wore gold-rimmed crystal glasses. She was currently seated on a chair, holding a book and quietly turning its pages. An intellectual and mature aura immediately enveloped him.

Despite having an appearance identical to Green Pearl, it was impossible to connect the two. The difference between these twin sisters was truly immense, wasn't it?

Jiang Fan quickly stepped forward and bowed: "This junior, Wang Chongxiao from the Central Lands, greets Senior. May I ask how Senior should be addressed?"

The intellectual beauty continued to read her book, not even looking at Jiang Fan directly, and said calmly: "Names are all fake; why should I tell you mine?"

Jiang Fan was secretly surprised. How did the person before him know his name was fake? He said awkwardly, "Senior, this is my real name."

The intellectual beauty gently closed her book. She slowly turned her body towards him. Her long, slender legs were elegantly crossed, and her gaze was calm and profound as she spoke: "The ancient giants wouldn't have thrown a Four-Aperture Nascent Soul down here without reason. I believe there's something on you that could be fatal to me. But you're unwilling to accept your fate and want to resist, which is why you warned me not to kill you by mistake. You are very cautious, and someone as cautious as you would most likely not casually reveal their true name."

Jiang Fan froze on the spot for a moment. This woman was a bit terrifying! With just a tiny bit of information, she had seen through the ancient giants' scheme. He suddenly felt that Green Pearl playing with her sister, who was right before him, was like a child dealing with an adult! Her plan to smear herself with Hell Abyssal Crystals probably seemed as childish as playing house in her sister's eyes. Provoking her? Impossible!

He became serious and said, "Alright, my name is Liang Feiyan. May I ask how to address Senior?"

The woman in the black dress looked at him calmly and said, "Given your close relationship with my sister, didn't she tell you?"

Jiang Fan's pupils contracted. "How did Senior know I am acquainted with your sister?" he asked. He was truly surprised.

The woman in the black dress said indifferently, "It's simple. You weren't surprised when you saw me. My sister would never easily mention our relationship to others, nor would she readily tell anyone that I look just like her. Since you weren't surprised by my appearance, it means you were already prepared. Therefore, you are my sister's close friend."

Jiang Fan took another deep breath. This woman's intellect made him feel a bit fearful. He secretly became wary and said: "Yes, Green Pearl, your sister, and I have some connection. This time, I came specifically to find you."

"Specifically?" The black-dressed woman's crystalline eyes, deep as an abyss, fixed on Jiang Fan: "You're not going to say that being thrown down here by the ancient giants was part of your plan, are you?"

Jiang Fan replied calmly, "Aside from the appearance of the Five-Star Giant King, everything else was largely as expected."

The woman in black finally looked at Jiang Fan with serious attention. She vaguely sensed that Jiang Fan was not as simple as he appeared.

"So you're looking for me to deal with the Five-Star Giant King, to buy your Central Lands some breathing room?" After a brief thought, she stated Jiang Fan's purpose.

Jiang Fan smiled. "It's easy to talk to you. That's right, our Tai Cang Grand State currently has no one capable of handling the Five-Star Giant King. If he descends, even the combined Venerables of our Tai Cang Grand State might not be his match. Therefore, we need a strong expert to hold him off."

The woman in black tapped her finger on the book. After a moment of thought, she slightly shook her head, rejecting the offer. "I am not his match, unless I reach the Five-Crowned Asura King realm." She felt she had still overestimated Jiang Fan. If she had the strength to deal with the Five-Star Giant King, why would she be hiding in this temporary stronghold? She could simply break out.

However, Jiang Fan's next sentence made her calm, crystalline eyes narrow. "Then, I will help you reach the Five-Crowned Asura King realm!"

A Hell Abyssal Crystal appeared in Jiang Fan's palm. With a soft gasp, the woman in black stood up, her voice serious. "A complete Hell Abyssal Crystal? You..." She wanted to ask where it came from, but such a question would have no answer, or if it did, it would be a deceptive, false one. So, she swallowed the words that were about to leave her lips. She stared at the Hell Abyssal Crystal, her eyes unable to move away; she was clearly tempted.

"Aren't you afraid that once I get the Hell Abyssal Crystal, I'll turn hostile and disavow you?"

Jiang Fan tossed the Hell Abyssal Crystal to her and said: "We still have many Hell Abyssal Crystals in the Central Lands. If our cooperation proceeds smoothly, I will give you more later. If it doesn't go smoothly, this one is still yours, as a gesture of goodwill."

The woman in black caught it, looking somewhat surprised. This was a Hell Abyssal Crystal, a divine object the Asura race yearned for. The two had just met for the first time, and he was giving it to her directly? She adjusted her glasses, her gaze profound, and said: "Since Young Master Liang has such sincerity, there's no reason for me to refuse a mutually beneficial arrangement. However, we are, after all, engaging in cross-realm cooperation, and holding back the Five-Star Giant King is not a matter of a day or two. It will span the entire war period, and the duration could very well be measured in months or even years. We must establish a bond of mutual trust. Otherwise, the cooperation could easily break down midway."

That was certainly true. Jiang Fan nodded. "What is Senior's esteemed opinion?"

The woman in black replied simply: "Looking through history, there's nothing more effective and swift than a marriage alliance."

A marriage alliance? Jiang Fan looked at the woman in black, then at himself. Could it be... the two of them?