Chapter 1173: Marula

Jiang Fan looked puzzled. "What's the point of doing this? Isn't it dangerous to seal off one's own memory, especially if it falls into the hands of someone with ill intentions?" Looking at the True Word Venerable's exquisite face and tall, alluring figure, Jiang Fan couldn't imagine what fate awaited her if she fell into the hands of other men.

The Icefire Demon Lord mused, "You said she's called True Word Venerable? So her domain is related to words?"

Jiang Fan nodded. "Yes. Within her domain, one cannot lie; they must speak the truth. Of course, she herself cannot lie either."

The Icefire Demon Lord suddenly understood. "That makes sense then. She must have encountered an extremely dangerous Giant King and felt her chances of survival were slim. She worried that if she fell into the hands of the ancient giants, they would exploit her True Word Domain to extract the information she possessed about the Central Plains. Hence, she sealed her own memory." The True Word Venerable's domain was too unique and could easily be exploited in reverse. She had no other choice.

Jiang Fan asked again, "So her divine halo disappeared because of the memory seal as well?"

The Icefire Demon Lord nodded. "Exactly. A domain, so-called, is the ultimate understanding of the Dao. If one doesn't even have memories, how can they have understanding? Therefore, she no longer possesses any domain, and without a domain, she cannot be called a Venerable. The divine halo symbolizing the Venerable realm would naturally disappear as well."

Jiang Fan finally understood completely. He cupped his hands and asked, "Senior Demon Lord, is there a way to restore her memory?"

The Icefire Demon Lord frowned. "Unless she left herself a contingency plan to awaken, it would be very difficult for external forces to restore her past memories."

Jiang Fan felt a headache coming on. Was the True Word Venerable destined to remain like this forever?

"Alternatively, you could find an expert in soul arts and forcefully unlock her sealed memories."

Jiang Fan furrowed his brows. Regarding soul arts, wasn't Sanqing Mountain undoubtedly the most skilled in the Tai Cang Grand State? But Sanqing Mountain had no Soul Transformation Venerables. With only Seven-Aperture Nascent Souls, it would be impossible to shake the True Word Venerable's memories.

Suddenly, he recalled what the Heart Demon Venerable had said: soul masters from Danzhou would be arriving in the Tai Cang Grand State. There should be Venerable-level existences among them. And soul masters, to some extent, would cultivate some soul secret techniques, which might include methods to unlock memories.

"Thank you for the information, senior."

The Icefire Demon Lord glanced at the True Word Venerable, then teased, "Why insist on waking her up? Isn't this good? A beautiful female Venerable throwing herself at you – imagine how many others would envy that?"

Jiang Fan gave a wry smile. "Senior, you're still joking with me. If she wakes up one day, everything that happened between us might become a dark past she wants to erase. It's entirely possible she'd kill me."

The Icefire Demon Lord was amused and said, "If I were you, since she's going to kill me anyway, I might as well 'eat' her first. Once the deed is done, perhaps she won't have the heart to act."

Jiang Fan's face immediately darkened. "Thank you for your guidance, senior. You've helped me take another step towards my own demise."

"Hahaha!" The Icefire Demon Lord laughed heartily. "Then may you be blessed with good fortune." He then turned and entered the secret chamber.

Jiang Fan sighed bitterly, looking at the True Word Venerable, who was practically plastered to him. He looked helpless.

Just then, everyone present's identity tokens vibrated. It was the Heaven Monitoring Guard issuing a message to all sects in the Tai Cang Grand State. Jiang Fan's heart sank. Could something important be happening? He picked up his identity token and saw a line of text: "In seven days, the Tianshan Battlefield will open. All cultivators above the Nascent Soul Realm from various sects may participate."

Jiang Fan looked puzzled. "Tianshan Battlefield? What is that place?"

The Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master held his sect master token, his palm trembling slightly. "Is Tianshan, sealed for a millennium, finally going to open? Historical records state that a thousand years ago, the Tai Cang Grand State and the ancient giants fought a decisive battle here! The last remaining powerhouses of the Tai Cang Grand State gathered here for a desperate fight, engaging in an unprecedented war with the ancient giants. In that battle, the Tianshan Mountain Range, one of the ten great mountain ranges of the Tai Cang Grand State, was leveled. Nascent Soul experts died in droves, like blades of grass. Even Venerables could not escape, perishing within. There were even Great Sages who self-detonated, dying tragically."

Jiang Fan was utterly shocked by what he heard. Great Sages were forced to self-detonate? How desperate must the inhabitants of the Tai Cang Grand State have been in that battle? This Great Sage was the second Great Sage Jiang Fan knew of who had self-detonated. The previous one was the one who self-detonated with the Jade Scroll of Heavenly Books. Now there was another. Besides that, there were also Moon Venerable, Red Demon Great Venerable (the owner of the hairpin), and Beixuan Sword Venerable. These three, with "Venerable" in their names, he wondered if they were true Venerables or Great Sages. But the ferocity of that battle long ago could barely be conveyed by words.

The Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master said, "After that battle, Tianshan was sealed off, and outsiders were forbidden from entering. It still preserves many cultivation techniques, divine weapons, spiritual treasures, and so on. Even with bad luck, one can gain something by entering. Our Heavenly Secret Pavilion cannot miss this opportunity either!"

Jiang Fan understood that the Grand Wine Sacrifice had foreseen the unprecedented strength of the ancient giants. Therefore, opening the Tianshan Battlefield would provide an opportunity for the Nascent Soul experts of the Tai Cang Grand State to strengthen themselves. This battlefield was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. To gain more, it would require both luck and a test of strength. If precious treasures were found simultaneously, they would inevitably have to be contended for by force.

Jiang Fan said, "Everyone, cultivate well."

He coaxed the True Word Venerable away and then came to the secret chamber. He carefully checked, confirmed there were no issues, and was about to close the stone door. Just then, a fragrant breeze accompanied by a beautiful, unparalleled figure arrived. Fairy Yunshang followed him into the secret chamber, her face flushed, and shyly closed the stone door. Jiang Fan naturally knew what she intended, and couldn't help but smile wryly: "I still need to cultivate."

Fairy Yunshang bit her red lips slightly and said, "I want to improve too."

Looking at her shy demeanor, like a demure flower waiting to bloom, Jiang Fan's eyes burned with desire. He scooped her up by the waist, carried her to the bed, and said, "Even a succubus isn't as tempting as you."

Fairy Yunshang stretched out a small hand and shyly covered her face. "I'm doing this for cultivation. By using you to slightly enhance my cultivation, combined with the resources you brought back, I'll try to break through to Four-Aperture Demon Empress. I'm not thinking anything improper."

Jiang Fan pulled open her dress and chuckled, "But you're making me think improper thoughts!" After speaking, he blew out the candle in the room and began their intimate activities. After an extensive and intimate exchange, both fell asleep exhausted.

When Jiang Fan groggily woke up, half a day had already passed. His hands were wrapped around two smooth, jade-like figures, and he listened to two gentle breaths beside his ears. A look of enjoyment appeared on his face. The next moment, the expression on his face froze.

Wait! Why were there two?

He abruptly sat up, flicked his finger to conjure a flame, and illuminated the room. He looked to his right. It was Fairy Yunshang, slowly waking up; she rubbed her eyes and sat up. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders, concealing her partially exposed chest, and she softly said, "What's wrong, my Jiang?"

Jiang Fan gasped. If this was Yunshang, then... Who was on the other side?

The sound of a quilt sliding down was heard. Immediately after, his arm was embraced by her, and a naked body pressed tightly against him. A voice, mimicking Yunshang's tone, entered Jiang Fan's ears. "What's wrong, my Jiang?"