Chapter 1303: Stubborn and Unyielding

Jiang Fan lowered his head and looked at his feet.

An old woman, her body wreathed in demonic energy, floated up unhurriedly from below.

Who else could it be but Grand Venerable Wugou?

"You didn't expect this, did you? That I would be waiting for you in the Sky-Connecting Black Pillar." Grand Venerable Wugou, with her hands clasped behind her back, approached Jiang Fan, speaking with a sardonic smile.

The four-zhang-wide spatial passage left Jiang Fan no room to retreat, forcing him to confront this former Great Sage at close quarters.

Jiang Fan took a deep breath and said solemnly:

"Senior, you were once a Great Sage of our Central Plains. Why do you persist in aiding evil? Now, with a catastrophe impending in the Central Plains, far worse than a thousand years ago, if Senior is willing to return, you will surely be welcomed by all."

Although hope was slim, Jiang Fan still wanted to try and persuade her.

Grand Venerable Wugou smiled faintly:

"I, too, ascended to the Great Sage realm after experiencing the Five Decays of Heaven and Man. Do you know what that means?"

Jiang Fan nodded.

It meant that Grand Venerable Wugou was once a highly virtuous and respected person, beloved by all beings. Only in this way could she gain merit and enter the Great Sage realm.

A flicker of nostalgia flashed in Grand Venerable Wugou's eyes as she said:

"I, too, once loved the Central Plains, just like you. Because on that homeland, there were people I loved, and people who loved me. There were people I silently protected, and people who gently accompanied me through the years. I also thought I would protect it forever. But... as I kept going, I was left all alone. As a Sage, I had a lifespan of over a thousand years. But the people I loved did not, nor did the people who loved me. Can you understand what it's like to emerge after centuries of seclusion, only to find your dearest junior brother lying in a small mound overgrown with withered grass, and the one who once loved you deeply, sleeping forever with regret? Time is truly the most merciless blade in the world. It cruelly severs all bonds, leaving you in eternal solitude. I bid farewell to one old friend after another, watched beauties turn to dust, and saw bright youths who once looked up to me and said they wanted to be like me, grow old and die. They all left, leaving behind only cold tombstones engraved with their names, reminding me that they were once here. So, you tell me. What else in this Central Plains is left for me to protect?"

Jiang Fan was speechless.

Immortality is a dream pursued by countless people throughout history. But it is also a curse. Those who achieve immortality are destined to walk alone.

However, some can maintain their essence while walking alone, and still fight for their beliefs. For example, Sage Tianmu fought the remnant soul of a Giant Emperor for a thousand years. But some people lose themselves. For example, Grand Venerable Wugou.

Jiang Fan said, "Senior Wugou, if you no longer wish to protect the Central Plains, I won't force you, nor will I blame you. But could I ask you to remain neutral and not aid evil?"

Grand Venerable Wugou said faintly:

"The ancient giants can give me eternal life. What can the Central Plains give me? Having witnessed countless births and deaths, joy and sorrow, reunions and separations; having experienced the mercilessness of time and the cruelty of the ages... I've become afraid. I also fear that one day, I will be caught by time's blade and shoved into a small mound of earth. Therefore, I must move forward, step by step, towards eternal life, no longer fearing time, no longer a slave to the ages!"

Having spoken, her gaze shifted to Jiang Fan as she said, "Don't hold onto false hope. Hand over the Nine Phoenix Dao Hairpin, and return Grand Venerable Xingyuan and Imperial Daughter Zijiang. In consideration of the fact that you once bore my shadow... I will let you live."

Perhaps it was a rare moment of nostalgia for the past, as long-forgotten distant memories deep within her heart softened. This allowed her cold heart to soften slightly.

Jiang Fan sighed inwardly.

Grand Venerable Wugou was determined to serve the ancient giants and pursue that illusory eternal life, hoping to escape death through it. But does true eternal life exist in this world? Birth, old age, sickness, and death are natural; nature is the Dao. Can the ancient giants break the shackles of the Heavenly Dao and grant eternal life to people? Probably not. If they could, the ancient Sages of the Central Plains should have been able to as well. Yet, has anyone in the Central Plains ever lived eternally? Throughout the ages, the natural law of birth, old age, sickness, and death has always been followed; no immortal has ever been born.

It's just that Grand Venerable Wugou had already succumbed to the fear of death. She was filled with fanatical zeal for the illusory eternal life, and nothing could make her see reason.

"Hand it over!" Grand Venerable Wugou said faintly.

Jiang Fan snapped back to reality. He nodded and said, "Okay. Since Senior has commanded, this junior dares not disobey." His hand, hidden behind his back, stealthily slipped into his sleeve, grasping the broken bone of the Five-Star Giant King.

But before he could activate it, Grand Venerable Wugou said faintly, "Before you can activate the essence of the Blood-Devouring Giant King, I can kill you ten times. Don't waste my scarce mercy."

Jiang Fan's expression changed. In front of such a powerful being, and at such close proximity, none of his actions could escape her notice.

Helplessly, he could only lower his hand, revealing the mirror in his palm.

Imperial Daughter Zijiang stared coldly at Jiang Fan, a sardonic smile playing on her lips.

"You humans have a saying: 'If the mountain doesn't turn, the water will.' You didn't expect our roles to reverse so quickly, did you?"

Just moments ago, Imperial Daughter Zijiang was the lamb awaiting slaughter; now it was Jiang Fan's turn.

Jiang Fan said sheepishly, "Imperial Daughter Zijiang, whether you believe it or not, I merely wanted to invite you to the Central Plains for a friendly exchange."

Imperial Daughter Zijiang clenched her fist and fiercely hammered it against the mirror's surface.

"Exchange? Weren't you just planning how to sell me for a high price? Kidnapping the Giant Emperor's daughter! In the entire Central Plains, only you would dare do such a thing! Let me out! I promise I won't tear you to shreds!"

Grand Venerable Wugou also stared at Jiang Fan and extended her hand.

"Hand it over."

Jiang Fan was helpless; facing an existence of such caliber, he had no room for resistance. He could only first hand Grand Venerable Xingyuan to her. Then he handed over the mirror as well, saying, "If Grand Venerable Xingyuan recovers, I won't be afraid of you anymore."

Grand Venerable Wugou seized Grand Venerable Xingyuan and couldn't help but chuckle, "In the end, didn't he still return to my hands?" Next, she reached out to take the mirror Jiang Fan handed over.

Imperial Daughter Zijiang glared fiercely at Jiang Fan, wishing she could immediately emerge and rip Jiang Fan into shreds!

But just at this moment!

Grand Venerable Xingyuan, who was under the Five Senses Seal, suddenly had a glint in his eyes. Without any warning, he struck, landing a close-range palm strike on Grand Venerable Wugou's body.

A muffled, explosive sound echoed.

This sudden attack caught Grand Venerable Wugou completely off guard, instantly leaving a palm-shaped bloody hole in her chest! Grand Venerable Wugou herself was sent flying backward, crashing into the strong winds of the Wind Origin. Just as she was about to be shredded by the fierce winds, the demonic energy behind her erupted, creating immense propulsion that pushed her back from the winds. Even so, her back was still a bloody mess from the fierce winds, deep enough to reveal bone!

She was a Grand Venerable who had undergone the Five Decays of Heaven and Man. In a mere breath, she was actually injured so badly by the fierce winds!

But she had no time to check her injuries; instead, she stared in astonishment at Grand Venerable Xingyuan, who had regained his ability to move.

"How did you break the seal?"

In Grand Venerable Xingyuan's severely injured state, it was impossible for him to break it himself! Unless Jiang Fan helped, but Jiang Fan didn't do anything...

Wait!

She remembered Jiang Fan muttering earlier, "If Grand Venerable Xingyuan recovers..." She immediately glared coldly at him: "Did you use a wishing paper?"