Chapter 1234: Misfortune Breaks the Bone

Jiang Fan’s brows subtly rose, a trace of shock appearing in his eyes.

Ji Qingxuan smiled, observing Jiang Fan’s expression. It was always easy to talk to him; he consistently grasped the core of any issue.

“You’ve noticed it too, haven’t you?”

“Each time the ancient giants descended, it was exactly a thousand years apart—not eight hundred, not twelve hundred.”

“Precisely a thousand years!”

“The signs of manipulation are too obvious!”

This was exactly what had shocked Jiang Fan! The descent of the ancient giants was orchestrated by a powerful, hidden hand! Who could wield such influence, using the Heavenly Realm and Middle-earth as pawns to set up such an immense scheme across millennia? It was truly astonishing!

He asked, somewhat absently, “Have you found out who the mastermind is?”

Ji Qingxuan shook her head. “This is something I saw on a tortoise shell within the Great Yin Sect. The text on it was limited and only recorded this matter.”

Jiang Fan couldn’t calm the turmoil in his heart for a long time. He took a deep breath and said, “Your discovery is no less significant than what I found in the Heavenly Realm.”

Hearing this, Ji Qingxuan’s eyes curved in a smile. She loved the feeling of exploring the unknown, and often felt lonely due to having no one to share her discoveries with. The first time she met Jiang Fan, she had felt a sense of camaraderie. Now, that feeling was even stronger.

“Oh, and by the way, the tortoise shell recorded only one instance where the ancient giants did not descend according to the thousand-year sequence,” Ji Qingxuan continued. “That was the last descent of the ancient giants!”

“It was a full two thousand years after the one before it.”

“I suspect something must have happened during the great battle of the previous descent, causing a thousand-year gap in the ancient giants’ arrival. Middle-earth thus gained two thousand years to recuperate.”

Jiang Fan profoundly agreed. The previous seven times had been so precise. How could the eighth time deviate? It could only be that some major event had occurred, affecting the mastermind’s plan. However, three thousand years had passed. There was no way to verify what happened back then.

He let out a long breath and smiled, “Listening to you talk is better than ten years of study. Every time I speak with you, I gain something valuable.”

Ji Qingxuan smiled. “You exaggerate. I, too, gain a lot.”

Jiang Fan asked, “Is there anything else you wish to know about the Great Yin Sect? I am the Sect Master now; I can fulfill any request.”

Ji Qingxuan covered her mouth and chuckled softly. “Then I thank you, Sect Master Jiang. However, I’m preparing to leave the Great Yin Sect and travel to other states.”

Jiang Fan looked surprised. “You’re leaving?”

Ji Qingxuan gently nodded her snow-white chin. “I’ve learned pretty much all I need to know about the Tai Cang Great State, so it’s time to explore other great states.”

Jiang Fan felt a sense of loss. Although his interactions with Ji Qingxuan were few, each time he felt a profound connection. He thought for a moment, then took out a prime-grade spirit stone.

“A small gift, for you.” To use a state-level teleportation array, a prime-grade spirit stone was essential.

Ji Qingxuan gasped in surprise, covering her red lips. “This is too valuable, I can’t accept it!” All known prime-grade spirit stones were in the hands of the Sect Masters of the Three Divine Sects and Seven Great Cults; they didn’t circulate externally at all. She had gathered countless materials and only found one in a secluded ancient ruin. Finding a second seemed impossible. She never expected Jiang Fan to casually give her one.

Jiang Fan smiled, pushing it towards her. “Since you’ve decided to go to other states, you probably already have one prime-grade spirit stone. But what about for returning? Take it. I don’t want this to be our last meeting.”

Ji Qingxuan’s eyes flickered, and gratitude welled up within them. After a long pause, she accepted the prime-grade spirit stone and said, “Thank you. Then I’ll give you a gift too.”

She took out a jade box, sealed with numerous talismans. Even so, a subtle, unsettling aura still emanated from it.

Jiang Fan frowned. “What is this?” This aura shared a peculiar similarity with the “misfortune” unleashed by the Giant King of Fortune.

Ji Qingxuan said, “It’s a broken bone fragment obtained from the Tai Cang’s most perilous land, imbued with potent misfortune. If you encounter an unpredictable and powerful enemy, try to get it into their body. The misfortune will kill them.”

Tai Cang’s most perilous land? Jiang Fan looked astonished. He had never heard of such a place, yet Ji Qingxuan knew it intimately. And she had even brought out a bone fragment from it. However, he still refused.

“You’re going on a long journey and will encounter many dangers. It’s better for you to keep it for self-defense.”

Ji Qingxuan shook her head. “As a delicate woman, how could I attract excessive danger? Unlike you, you could be killed by the Heart-Demon Venerable at any moment.”

Jiang Fan’s pupils constricted. “What do you mean by that?”

Ji Qingxuan calmly stated, “I heard that before you left for the Heavenly Realm, the Heart-Demon Venerable publicly questioned you about possessing Void Flow Thunder Energy. Then, I investigated your cultivation progress of the Six Chapters of Heavenly Thunder. I found that using the same cultivation method, you are much more powerful than the Myriad Tribulations Sacred Palace. It’s not hard to deduce that you are the person the Heart-Demon Venerable is looking for.”

Jiang Fan’s heart was greatly shaken! Ji Qingxuan had actually known his secret for a long time! He wasn't worried about Ji Qingxuan betraying him; if she wanted to, she would have reported him to the Heart-Demon Venerable already. She certainly wouldn’t have frankly told him her deductions. What worried him was that if Ji Qingxuan could deduce it, then the Heart-Demon Venerable, if he had even a little more suspicion about Jiang Fan and sent people to investigate his past, could also make the same deduction!

Ji Qingxuan’s beautiful eyes showed a hint of worry. “I don’t know how you managed to deceive the Heart-Demon Venerable that day. But deceiving him for a moment is easy; deceiving him indefinitely is very difficult. You need to make plans soon. This misfortune bone fragment could also affect the Heart-Demon Venerable, but getting it into his body would be incredibly difficult.”

A Venerable at their peak could easily suppress and kill Jiang Fan with a single thought. How easy would it be to implant such a conspicuous bone fragment into their body?

“If it really comes down to it, return to the mainland,” Ji Qingxuan pondered for a moment. “The Heart-Demon Venerable would absolutely not dare to set foot on the mainland.”

Jiang Fan’s eyes showed surprise. If he remembered correctly, Old Man Six Paths had also reminded him that if pursued by the Heart-Demon Venerable, he should either seek refuge in an outer state or return to the mainland. He didn’t quite understand what was on the mainland that could make a Venerable fearful. Last time, Old Man Six Paths had seemed hesitant to speak, but this time he would ask clearly.

“Have you heard any rumors about the mainland?”

Ji Qingxuan nodded gently. “It’s a very old rumor. That rumor consists of only four words.”

“Deity Transformation Forbidden Entry.”

Jiang Fan was startled. He asked, “Who made that rule?” Who had such audacity, forbidding Deity Transformation Venerables from entering the mainland?

Ji Qingxuan said, “I don’t know. But indeed, no Venerable dares to set foot on the mainland. The Heart-Demon Venerable, presumably, wouldn’t dare to enter either.”