Chapter 1221: Giant Emperor's True Identity

Jiang Fan trembled as the Giant King's gaze locked onto him. He immediately felt as if he was stuck in quicksand, unable to move even a finger. His life felt like a candle in the wind, about to be extinguished at any moment.

Looking at the five remaining Great Yin Sect traitors, Jiang Fan sighed helplessly. He had wanted to kill all the traitors before he died, considering it a worthwhile gain. Unfortunately, the Giant Emperor wasn't giving him the chance.

The Great Yin Sect Master, however, cackled maliciously, "Jiang Fan! You've exhausted all your tricks and efforts. In the end, isn't it still a dead end for you? Take a good look around; this is your last time seeing this world!"

Jiang Fan remained silent. He quietly awaited death. In front of the Giant Emperor, any tactic was futile.

However, to his surprise, his body suddenly relaxed, and he regained the ability to move. Jiang Fan was slightly stunned and glanced at the Giant Emperor in surprise. Although he didn't know why, he wasn't about to miss this opportunity. He swiftly acted, beheading all five of the remaining Great Yin Sect traitors.

Thus, a total of twelve headless corpses floated coldly in the void. With the exception of the Great Yin Sect Master, all traitors who had surrendered to the ancient giants were slain.

"Ah!!!" The Great Yin Sect Master shrieked, "Lord Giant Emperor, why did you release him? You should have killed him!"

The Giant Emperor could have turned Jiang Fan into a bloody mist with a single thought. So why had he released him and even allowed him to kill his last five confidantes?

The Giant Emperor's eyes turned, looking down at the Great Yin Sect Master, and he said calmly: "Why would I kill such an excellent junior?"

All the human cultivators present suddenly widened their eyes. They looked utterly perplexed. Had they misheard? What did the Giant Emperor call Jiang Fan? A junior?

Even Jiang Fan frowned, looking at the Giant Emperor in confusion. This Giant Emperor hadn't killed him and was calling him a junior? Could it be... He suddenly remembered a possibility and gasped.

The Great Yin Sect Master was also caught off guard, his face stiffening as he stammered: "Giant Emperor, what... what are you saying? This person is a great enemy of us ancient giants!"

The Giant Emperor still looked down at him, a hint of disdain appearing in his otherwise indifferent eyes. "Of *your* ancient giants. Not of this Venerable One."

What... what did that mean? The Great Yin Sect Master considered a possibility, and his face gradually turned pale. Could it be that the Giant Emperor before them was actually...

The cultivators from the various sects also realized a possibility, their eyes wide with a mix of shock and excitement.

The Giant Emperor took a step, a terrifying surge of air accompanying his movement, and appeared before Jiang Fan. He crouched down. Even with his fifty-zhang body crouching, he still resembled a mountain, forcing Jiang Fan to look up.

Jiang Fan swallowed, vaguely understanding who the Giant Emperor in front of him was. He cupped his hands and asked, "Senior, are you one of the Great Sages of our Central Land?"

A hint of a smile appeared in the Giant Emperor's eyes. "What makes you say that?"

Jiang Fan's heart pounded wildly, and excitement gleamed in his eyes. If the other party asked that, then it had to be true! He respectfully replied, "To answer you, Senior, this junior was foolish not to have guessed sooner. Firstly, knowing that a Giant Emperor was still alive, our Central Land's Great Sages didn't kill him but merely sealed him on the battlefield. Isn't that akin to raising a tiger that will eventually harm you? Secondly, several Giant Kings have successively awakened, causing such massive disturbances, yet the Venerables outside the battlefield have not yet appeared. That doesn't make sense. Thirdly, if you were *the* Giant Emperor, I wouldn't have been able to kill any of these traitors. You would have erased my existence the moment I made a move."

It wasn't Jiang Fan's fault for not guessing earlier. After all, this involved the level of Sages and Giant Emperors. How could Jiang Fan dare to speculate in that direction?

Upon hearing this, the cultivators from the various sects had a sudden realization! They had also wondered why the Central Land's Great Sages would tolerate the existence of the Giant Emperor, a clear threat. It turned out that the Giant Emperor before them was not what they had expected at all!

The giant smiled and nodded gently, saying, "A thousand years ago, the Giant Emperor and I fought to a mutual destruction. It didn't die, and neither did I! My physical body was destroyed, but my soul survived. To completely annihilate the heavily injured Giant Emperor, my remnant soul entered its body and continued the battle."

Jiang Fan understood completely. That explained it. The Giant Emperor's body still contained the remnant soul of a Central Land Great Sage. That was why the Central Land couldn't bear to destroy the Giant Emperor. They didn't want to kill their comrade in arms along with it. However, they were also worried that the Giant Emperor's remnant soul might win, so just in case, they sealed the Giant Emperor in this void.

The Central Land Sage's remnant soul and the Giant Emperor's remnant soul had been battling for a thousand years. Now, the outcome was clear. The Central Land Sage had won. He had also successfully taken over the Giant Emperor's body. It was akin to a successful body snatching!

Jiang Fan was filled with immense admiration. How agonizing must a thousand-year battle have been? During that time, even a fleeting thought of giving up would have led to him being slain by the Giant Emperor's remnant soul. He couldn't imagine what kind of willpower this Sage had relied on to persevere.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but ask, "Senior, you must be very tired, aren't you?"

A touch of warmth appeared in the Giant Emperor's eyes. "A thousand years is long enough to turn oceans into mulberry fields. How could I not be tired? However, seeing such excellent juniors makes me feel that it was all worth it." He looked at Jiang Fan with satisfaction. Whether it was Jiang Fan's desperate efforts to prevent his emergence or his willingness to die to kill the traitors, everything made him exceptionally pleased.

Jiang Fan modestly replied, "Senior, you flatter me. This junior was merely fulfilling the duty of a being from the Central Land." At this point, he remembered how he had used up a Sage's Inscription and a Divine Transformation Strike to prevent the Giant Emperor from escaping. He couldn't help but feel a bit dejected, saying, "Senior, why didn't you reveal your identity sooner? We juniors were truly terrified."

The Giant Emperor chuckled softly, pointing to the headless corpses on the ground. "If it weren't for that, how could I have exposed the traitors hidden among us? A thousand years ago, we suffered greatly because of them. This time, we couldn't make the same mistake again."

Jiang Fan and everyone else were startled. They only just understood. The so-called search for resources on the battlefield was actually a test arranged by the Grand Libationer. To defeat external enemies, internal stability must first be achieved. Whether it was several Great Sages being betrayed and falling a thousand years ago, or the recent ambush of three Divine Transformation cultivators and one Bodhisattva whose whereabouts were betrayed to a five-star Giant King, eliminating potential traitors before a major war was essential! And didn't the Giant Emperor's phrase, "Those who follow me prosper, those who defy me perish," expose so many traitors?

"That old guy! He actually set up such a massive scheme!" Jiang Fan cursed inwardly.

Then, he pointed to the four Giant Kings' corpses, a realization dawning on him. "Was the Hellbeast reviving them also within the Grand Libationer's predictions?" Given the Grand Libationer's profound insight into the world, it seemed too unreasonable for the Hellbeast to slip into the battlefield right under his nose. Now that he thought about it, it was simply too illogical. It could only be that the Grand Libationer had long since perceived its objective and allowed it to enter.

The Giant Emperor glanced at the four Giant Kings and nodded gently. "Giant Kings possess the ability to regenerate from a single drop of blood. Their existence is ultimately a potential threat. That Hellbeast has a connection with the Giant Kings; it can locate hidden Giant Kings. However..." He smiled, looking at Jiang Fan, "Perhaps the Grand Libationer worried too much. You were capable of destroying them yourself; there was no need for me to act."

Jiang Fan gave a wry smile. "Senior, I really pulled out my last resort treasures. If I had known you were going to act, I would have saved them."

"Hahaha!" The Giant Emperor laughed. "So, you're blaming me now. It's just a Divine Transformation Strike and a Sage's Inscription, isn't it? I'll compensate you for them."