Chapter 1260: Dark Night Black Snake Reappears

It took her a while to recover, then she said, "Enough talk! Give me back my totem!"

Jiang Fan had no intention of giving up something he'd already acquired. He said, "The Ginkgo tree must have told you not to bother me, didn't it? Why are you still pestering me?"

It was clear without a doubt that the Ginkgo tree had indeed warned the High Priestess. Unfortunately, the High Priestess was unwilling to give up.

"You're from an outer state, what do you want with their control? I can't let you take them back to Taicang State!" The High Priestess voiced her concern. A major war was imminent, and if six top Venerables were coerced by Jiang Fan to go to Taicang State, she would cry herself to death on the spot.

Jiang Fan shrugged and said, "If you insist on taking them back, then I'll just have to consult the Ginkgo tree." With that, he took a step towards the forbidden area.

The High Priestess stamped her foot, grabbed Jiang Fan, and said, "Wait! We can solve this ourselves, no need to bother the Ginkgo tree." Her eyes darted around as she thought of an idea. "How about this," she said, "we make a bet?"

She pulled out a piece of ice with a faint black snake frozen inside. Jiang Fan recognized it at a glance, his pupils contracting sharply. He gasped, "A Dark Night Serpent from the Heavenly Realm?"

He had relied on the venom of this very snake to poison and kill the heavily wounded Spatial Giant King! At the time, he had even hoped to acquire more Dark Night Serpents from the Heavenly Realm. However, the people of Black Cloud Fortress had said that Dark Night Serpents had been almost completely wiped out by the ancient giants, with very few mature ones remaining. Yet, here in the Great Desolate State, the High Priestess had produced one!

The High Priestess smiled charmingly. "As expected of someone who's encountered a Dark Night Serpent, you recognized it instantly. Since you know it, I don't need to explain its value, do I?"

Jiang Fan's heart pounded with excitement! With this snake's venom, he could have another chance to poison a Giant King! For Taicang State, which severely lacked Venerables, this was a potent weapon!

But soon, Jiang Fan grew suspicious. "It's not dead, is it?" Frozen like this, could the Dark Night Serpent still be alive? If it had only recently died, its venom might still be effective. If too much time had passed, the venom would have long lost its potency.

A glint flashed in the High Priestess's eyes. "Of course it's alive. Would I, a High Priestess, lie to you?" She tapped the ice block with her finger, and the Dark Night Serpent struggled faintly. It was indeed alive!

Jiang Fan was completely relieved and pondered, "What does the High Priestess want to bet on? If it's about competing in strength or anything similar, then count me out."

The High Priestess rolled her eyes at him. "What kind of person do you take me for? Is bullying a junior something I would do?"

Jiang Fan looked suspicious. Someone who tricked six demonic Venerables into the forbidden area couldn't possibly be a good person, could they? "First, tell me how you want to bet."

The High Priestess giggled, pulling out two pots of wine. "We'll compete in drinking capacity! You're a grown man, surely your alcohol tolerance isn't worse than a woman's, is it? Don't make me look down on you."

He knew she was full of mischief! She was a heavy drinker; how could he possibly have a better alcohol tolerance than her? And she was using a taunt! Would Jiang Fan fall for it?

He was about to refuse, but then his heart suddenly stirred as if he'd thought of something. His eyes subtly shifted. "Since you've raised the stakes to whether I'm a 'real man'," he said, "as a seven-foot man, how can I back down? Alright! We'll compete in drinking capacity!"

The High Priestess was overjoyed. "Hahaha, you little fool! No matter how you tricked the Giant Kings in the Heavenly Realm, didn't you still end up in my hands? Compete with me in drinking capacity? If I say I'm second, who in the Central Lands dares say they're first?" She struggled to stifle her laughter, then seriously divided the two pots of wine between them. She said, "Whoever gets drunk first loses. If you lose, you must accept your defeat and hand over the control. Conversely, I will give you the Dark Night Serpent."

Jiang Fan took the pot of wine and said, "No problem." After a pause, he took out a rusty, heart-shaped bronze lock and handed it to the High Priestess.

"This is a high-grade spirit artifact, isn't it? You're giving it to me?" The High Priestess was surprised, unsure of Jiang Fan's intention.

Jiang Fan looked embarrassed. "Regardless, I feel guilty for taking away the control you worked so hard to achieve, Senior. I acquired this bronze lock by chance, and it's useless in my hands. Consider it a small compensation, a gift for you, Senior. And I hope that, for the sake of this lock, if you lose later, you'll honor the bet and not dwell on it."

Such a good deal? The High Priestess was no fool. In Great Desolate State, if you didn't take advantage of a good deal, people would call you a silly goose. She happily accepted it, holding it dearly. "Then I won't be polite!"

Jiang Fan said sincerely, "It's my honor that Senior likes it. I have always held the Imperial Observatory and the High Priestess in great respect. It is thanks to your protection that the Nine Provinces have enjoyed a millennium of peace."

These words made even the thick-skinned High Priestess feel a little embarrassed. She thought to herself, "Jiang Fan is a good person. I won't let him lose too badly later."

She chuckled, "You're too kind. Let's start our competition." She tucked the heart-shaped bronze lock into her sleeve, planning to study the wondrous uses of this high-grade spirit artifact once she regained control.

Seeing her accept it and place it in her sleeve, Jiang Fan's suspended heart finally relaxed. This bronze lock was a defensive magical artifact given to him by Venerable Heart Demon. It was called the Luck Transfer Lock. When placed on a powerful individual, various damages suffered by the wearer would be transferred to that powerful individual. The intoxication caused by drinking was also a form of physical harm. Therefore, Jiang Fan would be drinking, but the High Priestess would be the one getting drunk.

"Alright, let's begin." Jiang Fan opened his wine gourd and tilted his head back, gulping it down.

The High Priestess was startled. "Wait! You can't drink it like that! This is my strongest liquor; even I don't dare drink it like that!"

Jiang Fan smiled. That's right! He paused, then said, "Please, High Priestess, I'll go first as a toast."

Gulp, gulp, gulp—

Watching Jiang Fan take huge gulps, the High Priestess gritted her teeth. "Am I really going to lose to you?" She immediately picked up her gourd and started chugging.

As the potent liquor went down, Jiang Fan instantly felt a burning sensation in his abdomen, making him extremely uncomfortable. A powerful wave of intoxication quickly surged towards his mind. Just as his consciousness began to blur, a mysterious force instantly cleared away all the drunkenness, making his mind completely lucid again. The burning sensation in his abdomen also vanished into thin air.

In contrast, the High Priestess, after drinking for a while, suddenly felt dizzy and couldn't help but stop. She mumbled, "What's going on? I've only had a few sips, and I'm already getting dizzy? Why is today's wine especially intoxicating?" She turned her head to look at Jiang Fan, who was still casually chugging his wine. This made her doubt her own alcohol tolerance for the first time.