Chapter 1327: Confrontation

The younger generation, who had been in long-term seclusion, knew nothing of Jiang Fan's deeds, but others were well aware of his reputation. His journey to the Celestial Realm shook the Nine Provinces. At the Tianshan battlefield, his fame spread across the land. Each of his accomplishments could be passed down as a legend through the long history of Taicang Great State. In terms of merit, Jiang Fan had long surpassed not only the younger generation but also most of the older generation.

"How dare you be so rude! Do not offend Sect Master Jiang!"

"You can watch the show, but don't get involved easily."

"You've been in seclusion for too long; if you knew some things, you wouldn't have said what you just did."

Several elders immediately warned their juniors. This, however, only piqued their curiosity and confusion, making them scrutinize Jiang Fan together. How formidable could a mere nineteen-year-old youth be? As the Eighteen Sons of Taicang, they had all once been famous figures throughout the Taicang Great State. Who among them was inferior to Jiang Fan?

"Ha! What a joke! You don't even know my foster father?" The crowd parted.

The West Sea Crown Prince, with a bruised face, walked over with his hands clasped behind his back. He looked disheveled, yet the way he held his hands behind his back conveyed a sense of pride. The clash of these two extreme expressions made him seem somewhat comical.

He strode to Jiang Fan's side, head held high, and declared: "Standing before you now is the Nine Provinces' foremost explorer of the Celestial Realm. He is the Grand Yin Sect Master, personally bestowed by the Sage of Heavenly Sight. He is a close friend of the Six Great Demon Venerables of the Great Barren State. He is the human envoy most revered by the Asura Clan! He is my foster father, Jiang Fan!"

The entire place fell silent. Both those who knew and those who didn't were completely silenced. The same deeds, when recounted by the West Sea Crown Prince, had their prestige elevated countless times over. Titles like "Nine Provinces' foremost," "personally bestowed by a Sage," "Six Great Demon Venerables," and "human envoy" sounded truly exceptional, stirring a sense of zealousness for grand era struggles and the mission of humanity.

The Eighteen Sons of Taicang were all stunned, their jaws agape. Each of these titles sounded incredibly explosive. In comparison, their own achievements seemed like mere child's play. In the few years since they had withdrawn from the stage of the Taicang Great State, had such an astonishing and brilliant figure emerged?

Some were shocked, while others were skeptical. And some were even envious.

Reverend Dust Mirror said indifferently, "These are merely achievements gained through schemes and tricks. If I were in your position, I could do the same!"

The West Sea Crown Prince squinted at him. "Then why didn't you go show off? No one stopped you from proving yourself."

Reverend Dust Mirror raised his hand, clenching his fingers tightly, making the air crackle. "I disdain such demonic tricks. I, Dust Mirror, believe only in strength. This world may have once been turbulent, and times may have changed. But only one truth remains constant through the ages. That is: strength reigns supreme!"

His clenched fist pointed directly at Jiang Fan. "In any era, there can only be one king! Now that I have returned, it is time for your curtain call!"

As his voice fell, he opened his palm, and a golden talisman pulsed within it. It formed into a line of large characters. "Ascend to Heaven, Guide the Sages, Enter the Immortal Palace!"

The eight characters flew forth from his palm simultaneously, growing larger as they met the wind. In an instant, each character became as vast as a mountain. The eight characters flew together, descending like mighty heavenly might.

The Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secrets' expression shifted slightly. "The Six Immortal Remnant Seals!"

Reverend Dust Mirror had used this when he first visited the continent, against Jiang Fan, who had just broken through to the Nascent Soul realm. Its power was not negligible, but it had been shattered by a full-force attack from Jiang Fan, who possessed a two-orifice Nascent Soul. Much time had passed since then. Now, as Reverend Dust Mirror cast it again, its power was incomparable to before.

Under the shroud of the eight characters, the people of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion felt their bodies becoming light, their souls uncontrollably detaching from their bodies and gravitating towards the eight character seals. It was as if they were truly about to be drawn into the Immortal Palace by the very words "Ascend to Heaven, Guide the Sages, Enter the Immortal Palace." This talisman seal was, surprisingly, a soul-level attack!

"Between Heaven and Earth, there is a righteousness, which imbues varied forms!" In this critical moment, Jiang Fan's clear voice, imbued with spiritual power, stabilized the souls of the people that were trying to leave their bodies.

The Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secrets was secretly astonished and quickly urged, "Everyone, step back!" The confrontation between Reverend Dust Mirror and Jiang Fan was no longer something they could get involved in.

Reverend Dust Mirror frowned slightly. "You're actually unharmed!" Even an eight-orifice Nascent Soul cultivator would not be able to withstand this seal. Yet, Jiang Fan was completely fine.

Jiang Fan's eyes narrowed. "What a domineering high-tier Earth-grade cultivation technique." Its power was not much inferior to the True Spirit Sutra of Brahma Sage. He decisively made his move, forming seals with both hands simultaneously: "Divine Lord Vastness!"

Immediately, a thirty-meter-tall, eight-armed divine statue, clad in golden armor, appeared behind him. All eight arms struck out simultaneously, sending world-shaking golden radiance soaring upwards, shattering the descending eight characters of "Ascend to Heaven, Guide the Sages, Enter the Immortal Palace." The talisman seals transformed into shimmering light and scattered.

The Eighteen Sons of Taicang wore expressions of shock. "He actually managed to directly withstand one of Dust Mirror's Six Immortal Remnant Seals!"

"The Six Immortal Remnant Seals are an extraterrestrial cultivation method, its power infinitely close to Heaven-grade."

"The elder truly wasn't wrong; Jiang Fan's strength cannot be underestimated."

"However, this is only the first seal. Each subsequent seal is more powerful than the last; Jiang Fan might not be able to endure them all."

Reverend Dust Mirror was also slightly surprised. "What a powerful body-refining technique. No wonder he dared to challenge me! Good. If you were too weak, winning wouldn't truly be a king's return."

"Divine Rainbow Descends, Gazing Back Upon the Human Realm." From his palms, eight more talisman seals erupted and shot into the sky above.

Immediately, the sky suddenly became multicolored, and vibrant rainbows, like beams of light, descended from above, shooting directly towards Jiang Fan. Where the rainbow beams passed, space rippled and long sparks flew. If hundreds of such long rainbows struck a person simultaneously, even a Nascent Soul realm body would explode on the spot.

Jiang Fan remained calm and unhurried. "Origin of All Things!" "Heaven and Earth, Only I!"

Before him appeared a Human Emperor statue, wearing a nine-tasseled crown and holding an emperor's sword. Next, an ancient, majestic yellow bell appeared above his head. As the bell rang, a segment of the universe froze. The rainbows shooting from the sky froze in place, like a paused painting. The Human Emperor statue then raised its emperor's sword and swept across the sky. A colossal sword gleam severed the vast sky, cutting all the rainbows, which then transformed into colorful specks of light scattering across the land.

Reverend Dust Mirror's expression changed, and he once again performed a hand seal. "Stars and Moon Pay Homage, Ten Thousand Palaces Rise and Fall!" The eight-character seal once again merged into the sky. The high heavens instantly gathered golden clouds, and ethereal images of immortal palaces, hidden within the clouds, plummeted like meteors, wildly smashing down towards Jiang Fan on the ground. Each immortal palace carried immense power. Even before they struck, the sky rumbled and the earth trembled.

Several elders stared at the scene, instinctively swallowing hard. "This attack possesses the power of a nine-orifice Nascent Soul!"

"Reverend Dust Mirror's strength has not diminished in the slightest since then."

"This, truly, is a king's return!"

Jiang Fan looked up at the seemingly world-ending scene, his eyes burning with fighting spirit. "Excellent!" He was just about to test the might of the True Spirit Sutra of Brahma Sage, whose 'Three Forms' were said to be invincible among Nascent Soul cultivators!