Chapter 1285: Red Demon Grand Master's Remains

Qianjiao Venerable's forehead veins throbbed. Suppressing the urge to strangle her foolish son, she strode forward, shoved open the palace doors, and glared inside with fiery eyes.

Inside the cool, silent hall, a handsome middle-aged man in a Confucian robe sat cross-legged before an ancient chessboard. Within the chessboard was the lingering soul of an old woman. The man and the soul were playing chess. From the look of the board, the Dean was losing disastrously.

"Husband! We have distinguished guests!" Qianjiao Venerable said, gritting her teeth in annoyance.

The middle-aged man in the Confucian robe was the Dean of Wenhai Academy, the foremost Confucian cultivator in Hunyuan Province, an Earthly Sovereign of the Five Heavenly Decays, and the Great Venerable Xingyuan!

Hearing this, Great Venerable Xingyuan shuddered in fright, quickly stood up, and said, "Wife, you're back?"

Qianjiao Venerable then glared at the lingering soul playing chess. The latter's old face also trembled, and it quickly retreated back into the chessboard.

Jiang Fan was surprised. So Qianjiao Venerable was a tigress! Even Great Venerable Xingyuan was afraid of her! Ancient Giants and Five-Star Giant Kings were nothing compared to her! The tigress was truly the most dangerous malevolent spirit in the Three Realms!

Qianjiao Venerable put her hands on her hips and snorted, "Didn't you say you'd stay at the academy to strategize? You asked me to go to Young Emperor Mountain for you, and no sooner had I left than you were back to playing with that old chessboard!"

Great Venerable Xingyuan noticed Jiang Fan and Venerable Lianjing, two outsiders, were present. Venerable Lianjing, in particular, was a renowned powerful figure of her generation. He quickly cleared his throat several times and gave Qianjiao Venerable an imploring look, asking her to save him some face.

Qianjiao Venerable suppressed her anger and decided to give Great Venerable Xingyuan some face, saying, "Venerable Lianjing has come to see you about something."

Great Venerable Xingyuan sighed in relief, looked at Venerable Lianjing, and upon noticing her unusual state, his expression became serious. "Was it a Sage who injured you?"

As an Earthly Sovereign of the Five Heavenly Decays, he immediately saw the anomaly. Venerable Lianjing had been at the Fourth Heavenly Decay for many years; her domain was as solid as rock and unbreakable by those of the same realm. Only an Earthly Sovereign of the Five Heavenly Decays could possibly break it. However, her son, the Young Emperor, was also a Great Venerable at the Five Heavenly Decays. Moreover, he was self-important and incomparably domineering. Other Great Venerables avoided him, so how would they dare injure his mother? It could only have been a Sage who acted!

Venerable Lianjing did not conceal anything, saying, "It's a long story. Since it involves a Sage, I should not speak further. Please forgive me, Great Venerable Xingyuan."

Great Venerable Xingyuan quickly waved his hand. "Don't say it! I don't want to know either!" He would only get involved in a Sage's karma if he had a death wish.

"So you came to see me to restore your domain and cultivation?" Great Venerable Xingyuan sat on the main seat, his face showing helplessness. "If that's the case, then there's no need to speak. If my Wenhai Academy is severely weakened, the other academies in Hunyuan Province alone might not be able to stop the Ancient Giants."

Venerable Lianjing was not surprised. After a moment of contemplation, she said, "I heard that you discovered the remains of Great Venerable Hongmo in the Heavenly Realm. She was the demonic body of the Twin Sages back then, and she killed so many Giant Kings a thousand years ago; she should have accumulated much merit. If you could bring her back, it would surely help you break through to the Great Sage realm, wouldn't it?"

Jiang Fan was secretly astonished. Great Venerable Hongmo? He was very familiar with her! In the secret realm of the Northern Lands of the Continent's Demon Race, there was a cenotaph of Great Venerable Hongmo! Inside it were half of the Nine Phoenixes Worshipping Dao hairpin, a blood-red skirt, and a coffin that preserved a corpse. All of these were currently in his possession. But he never expected that, upon hearing about Great Venerable Hongmo again, her remains were actually in the Heavenly Realm. He had always thought that the reason only a cenotaph remained of Great Venerable Hongmo was because her body had been completely obliterated. It turned out her remains were in the Heavenly Realm!

Great Venerable Xingyuan said, "Venerable Lianjing is truly well-informed, to know even this. However, bringing back her body is easier said than done. The Twin Sages were born with two souls and cultivated both demonic and Confucian paths, thereby achieving sagehood. During the ancient war a thousand years ago, they encountered an ambush by several Giant Emperors. Left with no choice, they had to split their body into two, each soul controlling half to escape. The Confucian body perished at the hands of the Giant Emperors, while the demonic body successfully escaped, becoming the later Great Venerable Hongmo."

Venerable Lianjing nodded slightly at this. The history she knew was also similar.

Great Venerable Xingyuan sighed. "Finally, as the war was nearing its end, Great Venerable Hongmo's whereabouts became unknown. It wasn't until we last sent scouts to investigate the Heavenly Realm above us that we discovered she had perished there."

Jiang Fan listened, engrossed. Born with two souls? And cultivating both Confucian and demonic paths? Even more bizarrely, they could split their body in two, with each soul controlling a separate body? It sounded like a myth. The Sage realm was truly an astonishing realm!

However, Jiang Fan was somewhat confused. Since Great Venerable Hongmo's Nine Phoenixes Worshipping Dao hairpin broke on the continent, it suggested that she had suffered a near-fatal injury or even died on the continent. But why would her remains be in the Heavenly Realm above the distant Hunyuan Province? He felt that Great Venerable Hongmo's death was peculiar. Retrieving her remains might not be a good idea.

Venerable Lianjing's eyes flickered slightly as she asked, "Since you discovered Great Venerable Hongmo's remains, but haven't brought them down, have you encountered trouble?"

Great Venerable Xingyuan nodded gently and sighed. "Her demonic energy went out of control, nurturing an evil spirit within her body, which is now controlling her remains. But that's a minor issue; the evil spirit can be eradicated with thunderous divine abilities. The real trouble is that there's an Ancient Giant military camp near the remains. Our scouts confirmed that a Five-Star Giant King is stationed there. I'm worried that retrieving the remains will draw their attention."

Hearing this, Venerable Lianjing's expression became serious. If they alerted them, the Ancient Giants from the entire camp would swarm out. No matter how many people went up, it wouldn't be enough to handle them. No wonder Great Venerable Xingyuan was troubled by this. Merit was within reach, yet they couldn't take it. That feeling must be unpleasant.

After a brief contemplation, Venerable Lianjing's eyes flashed as she said, "My domain can silently transfer the remains near the Heavenly Black Pillar. This would minimize the risk. After it's done, could you help me recover from my injuries?"

Great Venerable Xingyuan's eyes gradually brightened. Venerable Lianjing's unique domain truly held the promise of great help. He deliberated for a moment, then said, "Helping you fully recover would be difficult. Consuming so much righteous qi would surely lead to the destruction of Hunyuan Province when the great catastrophe arrives. The merit would be useless then. I can only help you restore your cultivation, but your domain cannot be repaired."

Venerable Lianjing couldn't help but feel disappointed. The Five Heavenly Decays brought on by her damaged domain were her true major concern. The drop in her realm was secondary.

Jiang Fan watched, deep in thought. He had so much Time-Space Dust, and if he had Wishing Papers, he should be able to help Venerable Lianjing recover completely, right? His eyes flickered slightly, and he said, "Venerable Lianjing, go. If this succeeds, your domain will recover." As long as the remains were successfully retrieved, he would get three Wishing Papers from Qianjiao Venerable. Using one on her would be repaying her kindness.

Venerable Lianjing looked at Jiang Fan with confusion. "You are...?"