Chapter 1290: Great Menace

However, it must be admitted that the Great Venerable of the Five Decays possesses terrifying power!

That day, it took Jiang Fan and others in the Nascent Soul realm five days to ascend to the Heavenly Realm. Under Great Venerable Xingyuan's full-speed travel, it only took an hour!

If this trip goes smoothly, it won't take long at all. Jiang Fan would simply be along for the ride and still get three wish-granting papers for free.

The group exited the passage. Jiang Fan once again set foot on the soil of the Heavenly Realm.

Above the sky, the nine colossal suns appeared before his eyes. An incredibly abundant spiritual energy rushed towards him. It was truly a long-lost sensation.

He looked around; the area was a flat plain, offering an unobstructed view of the surroundings.

“The ancient giants didn't even send anyone to guard the Heaven-Connecting Black Pillar,” he thought. “According to the timeline, the Great Hunt of the Southern Heavenly Realm is in a few days, and the Asura tribes in the villages are about to face a nightmare. Aren't the ancient giants worried that the Asura tribes might escape by following the Heaven-Connecting Black Pillar?”

Great Venerable Xingyuan also narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, “Last time we came, there were still ancient giants guarding this place. This time, there isn't a single patrolling ancient giant. There must be something strange going on. Zixiao, Lianjing, and Wang Chongxiao, the three of you will come with me. The other two will stay near the Heaven-Connecting Black Pillar. If anything unusual happens, send word immediately and be ready to receive us.”

The two venerables bowed and assented.

While Great Venerable Xingyuan was putting on a show, he undeniably demonstrated the powerful capabilities of a leader. Jiang Fan's hanging heart settled considerably. With such an incredibly powerful leader, both in strength and intellect, he could simply coast through the entire mission. This was likely the easiest adventure he had ever experienced, bar none.

“Let's go!” Great Venerable Xingyuan swept his sleeve, enveloping the three and instantly teleporting away.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they had already arrived at their destination. While the time seemed short, this was Great Venerable Xingyuan traveling at full speed! The distance he covered in that short time was equivalent to what a Nascent Soul realm cultivator could travel in a full day without rest! If they encountered trouble here and got separated from Great Venerable Xingyuan, it would be a huge problem. Fortunately, the area remained flat and open, with no sign of the ancient giants.

It was a lush green grassland—more precisely, within a forest. The grass in the Heavenly Realm was more than ten times taller than that in the Middle-earth Realm. Looking out, it resembled a dense forest!

In the center of the grassland, there was a scorched, barren patch of earth where no grass grew. Tendrils of demonic energy lingered, rendering that area desolate. A decrepit old woman's corpse, enshrouded in demonic energy, was moving back and forth in the center of the scorched land! She was the source of the demonic energy, and also the remains of Great Venerable Red Demon they were searching for. As the intelligence stated, Great Venerable Red Demon was controlled by an evil spirit and capable of simple movement. She was, after all, a Great Venerable-level existence, so it was no wonder the scouts who discovered her didn't dare to act rashly.

Great Venerable Xingyuan squinted his eyes slightly and said, “The ancient giants' military camp is a thousand miles to the north. We must retreat quickly! My plan is as follows: I will subdue her, and Wang Chongxiao will destroy the evil spirit within her. Lianjing will use her domain to lead us in a swift retreat. Zixiao will monitor the surroundings during this process.”

Venerable Zixiao nodded, “Understood.” He took out a wish-granting paper and gently exhaled a breath of righteous energy. “I observe the world for a thousand miles.” Instantly, a map of the thousand-mile radius appeared in his mind. “Within a thousand miles, there are no anomalies.”

Hearing this, Great Venerable Xingyuan said no more. He acted decisively! Without needing a wish-granting paper, with just a command, his words became law. “The remains of Great Venerable Red Demon, stand unmoving!” The moving corpse of Great Venerable Red Demon immediately ceased its movement. Her eyes twitched violently, and demonic energy rapidly emanated from her body, revealing the struggle within.

It was Jiang Fan's turn to destroy the evil spirit within her. Without hesitation, Jiang Fan decisively shot out his Dark Sky Eye, striking it into Great Venerable Red Demon's skull. Immediately, plumes of black smoke billowed out. Her violently twitching eyes quickly became still, indicating that the evil spirit within her had been extinguished.

Next, it was Venerable Lianjing's turn to act. She activated her inherent wish, and a massive mirror appeared above everyone's heads. “Go!” Great Venerable Xingyuan reached out with a grab from a distance, lifting Great Venerable Red Demon's remains and leaping towards the mirror above. Venerable Zixiao and Venerable Lianjing also retreated decisively.

Jiang Fan felt a little out of place. Was that it? It was too smooth, wasn't it? Are missions led by Five Decays realm powerhouses always this seamless? It felt like eating a dumpling that, upon entering his mouth, slid down on its own. His extensive experience made Jiang Fan sense a subtle anomaly. Furthermore, he already had doubts about Great Venerable Red Demon's remains. Therefore, instead of immediately following into the mirror, his gaze flickered, and a Soul-Stirring Thorn shot from his glabella into Great Venerable Red Demon's remains. If the evil spirit within Great Venerable Red Demon had truly been extinguished, she would not have reacted at all.

On the Hunyuan Continent, the powerhouses of the various great sects, watching the group's collective retreat, felt somewhat disappointed. “Is that... it?” “What about the promised grand battle between Great Venerable Xingyuan and the Five-Star Giant King?” “While successfully retrieving Great Venerable Red Demon's remains is good, it would have been better with a bit more drama.” “This was too easy; I could have done it too.”

In the courtyard of Wenhai Academy, Venerable Zhenyan chuckled in exasperation, “That's it? Was that Wang Chongxiao fellow just there for show? He just shot out a Dark Sky Eye, and it was over?” She had been hoping Wang Chongxiao would make a fool of himself, or better yet, die up there. Yet, they got the remains, and not a single ancient giant appeared! It was unbelievably smooth!

“But isn't the Dark Sky Eye a unique skill of the Myriad Tribulations Sacred Temple?” she mused. “Also, I remember that little rascal Jiang Fan was impersonating someone named Wang Chongxiao in the Heavenly Realm, wasn't he? This person is also called Wang Chongxiao? Is it a coincidence?”

Just as she was pondering this, her peripheral vision suddenly caught something: Jiang Fan's perspective hadn't followed the others leaping into the mirror. Instead, he remained stationary. “What is he doing? Does he want to check if Great Venerable Red Demon is truly dead? How unnecessary; with Great Venerable Xingyuan right there, why would he need to worry?”

However, the next moment, her expression froze on the spot! Because, as Jiang Fan's Soul-Stirring Thorn struck Great Venerable Red Demon's remains, those lifeless eyes actually turned and coldly slanted a gaze at Jiang Fan! That single glance, even through the screen, made her heart suddenly skip a beat! Great Venerable Red Demon... wasn't dead!!! There was something else inside her besides the evil spirit! Something terrifying, capable of deceiving even Great Venerable Xingyuan!

The powerhouses from various sects all noticed that gaze, and an inexplicable panic rose in their hearts. It was as if they had been targeted by a great evil, making them afraid to breathe. Even they felt this way.

In the Heavenly Realm, Jiang Fan's own feelings were unimaginable! He was being stared at obliquely by those eyes from close range, his heart pounding wildly, his blood surging as if boiling. However, his hands and feet were unbelievably cold! Because that gaze was identical to the one the Five-Star Giant King had given him when looking down from high above.