Chapter 1347: True Words Within (First Update)

Chen Jing is not afraid of death. He follows the path of rebellious will, fearing no death. Killing him would not cause him pain. Only one thing would make him wish he were dead.

"Zhen Yan, your father betrothed you to me, didn't he?" Jiang Fan asked.

Chen Jing's smile immediately vanished upon hearing this. His gaze turned cold as he snorted, "Don't try to provoke me! My master said she only has admiration for you, no romantic feelings! She won't obey her father's command to marry you!"

Venerable Zhen Yan glared at him but didn't deny it. She indeed wouldn't listen to Grand Venerable Xing Yuan. She truly had no romantic feelings for Jiang Fan; their relationship was far from the point of marriage.

Jiang Fan then said meaningfully, "What if I help her restore her domain?"

"What?" Chen Jing was startled. "Impossible! Once the Heavenly Human Decay descends, one either breaks through or a sage intervenes to reverse it. Are you a sage?" Venerable Zhen Yan also looked at Jiang Fan in surprise, doubt in her eyes. Was Jiang Fan saying this just to provoke Chen Jing?

Jiang Fan said, "Just tell me, if I help you restore your domain, would you obey Grand Venerable Xing Yuan's arrangement and marry me?"

Venerable Zhen Yan avoided Jiang Fan's gaze and lightly chided, "Dream on!" However, after a pause, she wistfully added, "But our scandal is known throughout all of Hunyuan Province. Unless I never marry in this life, if I do marry, it can only be you."

Jiang Fan smiled slightly. "That statement is enough," he said. Holding the Wish Paper in his hand, he added, "Then, I will wait for you to marry me."

Swallowing hundreds of particles of Temporal Dust, Jiang Fan decisively activated the Wish Paper, stating, "Venerable Zhen Yan's domain restored."

Venerable Zhen Yan was greatly alarmed and hastily said, "Don't mess around! Reversing the Heavenly Human Decay is going against the Heavenly Dao. Even my father would never dare make such a heaven-defying wish! Stop it quickly!"

The wish had already been made. Jiang Fan's body rapidly aged, turning into a white-haired old man in the blink of an eye. However, some of his youth was immediately restored by the powerful life force of the Temporal Dust. This incessant back-and-forth of aging and rejuvenation continued until all one hundred particles of Temporal Dust were consumed. The Wish Paper finally activated, transforming into a ball of light. Immediately after, a unique rhythm descended from the heavens and earth, landing on Venerable Zhen Yan. The missing portion of the divine halo on the back of her head miraculously reshaped, and the putrid aura emanating from her body rapidly dissipated. This meant her domain was restored.

Venerable Zhen Yan had no time to focus on herself. Instead, her eyes filled with an indescribable emotion as she gazed at Jiang Fan, who now had a few strands of white hair. Even a fool would understand that Jiang Fan must have paid a price beyond her imagination to fulfill the wish. "Was it worth it?" she asked, repeating the same question the Bodhisattva had once asked her.

Jiang Fan shook off the ashes of the Wish Paper from his hand. He looked at Venerable Zhen Yan's perfectly intact divine halo and smiled slightly. "You are the one who will marry me," he said, "so of course, it was worth it!"

Listening to Jiang Fan's half-joking words, Venerable Zhen Yan's gaze was complex. After gazing at Jiang Fan for a long time, she lightly nodded. "Alright," she said. "If both you and I survive the ancient giant catastrophe, I will marry you."

Jiang Fan was startled. Looking at the divine halo on the back of Venerable Zhen Yan's head, he said, "Senior Zhen Yan, don't take it seriously! I was just provoking Chen Jing! There aren't that many romantic feelings between us!"

At this moment, Venerable Zhen Yan's domain had already been restored. What she said must be the truth from her heart. Venerable Zhen Yan said seriously, "Romantic feelings are needed for love, not for marriage. Consider it... me offering myself in gratitude."

Jiang Fan was momentarily stunned. He had never imagined that he and Venerable Zhen Yan would reach this point. After all, they had always been in a state of mutual hostility. He never expected that, due to a twist of fate, Venerable Zhen Yan would eventually become his future wife.

"Jiang Fan!!!" A vicious roar interrupted Jiang Fan's daze. Jiang Fan fixed his gaze and saw Chen Jing's features twisted with rage, his eyes filled with immense malice. Not only would Venerable Zhen Yan not die from the Heavenly Human Decay, but she had actually agreed to marry Jiang Fan! How could he possibly accept this?

Jiang Fan smiled and took Venerable Zhen Yan's hand. She subconsciously wanted to pull back but then reconsidered: since she had already agreed to marry Jiang Fan, what did holding hands matter? So, she allowed Jiang Fan to hold her smooth, jade-like hand.

Jiang Fan said, "Chen Jing, I have you to thank for repeatedly pushing us, which brought your master and me together. Without you causing trouble at the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, Zhen Yan wouldn't have sought to reconcile with me. Without your tattling to Venerable Xin Nie, Zhen Yan wouldn't have come to save me today. Without your aggressive words, I wouldn't have restored Zhen Yan's domain right now. Zhen Yan and I, two people who would have had no future interactions, were forcefully brought together by you. On Zhen Yan's behalf, I'd like to thank you, her good disciple. When Zhen Yan and I marry, I will absolutely reserve a seat for you."

Venerable Zhen Yan listened and couldn't help but ponder the cause and effect. Upon closer thought, it was true! If it weren't for Chen Jing's continuous actions, she and Jiang Fan would never have established a connection. If, after her return from Hunyuan Province, Chen Jing had simply cultivated in Washing Moon Lake without bothering Jiang Fan, then she would have remained in seclusion there until the ancient giants descended. She would then have joined the battle against them, with almost no further interaction with Jiang Fan. However, Chen Jing's actions had subtly changed everything, miraculously bringing them together. If Chen Jing had taken just one step less, none of this would have happened. One could only say that fate, driven by cause and effect, was truly astounding.

"No! It's not like this!" Chen Jing screamed hysterically. He couldn't accept that his master had actually promised to marry Jiang Fan! What broke him even more was that he had facilitated everything! He, himself, had personally delivered the woman he cherished most into Jiang Fan's arms!

Suddenly, he saw Green Pearl's composed face, and his gaze immediately turned malicious. "Asura King, weren't you going to kill Jiang Fan?" he shouted. "Hurry, kill him! He is highly valued by the Grand Wine Sacrifice, and he has several Devil Path Venerables as peers. If you don't kill him now, you'll never get another chance!"

Green Pearl merely glanced at him, her eyes showing disgust. With a casual wave, she struck his abdomen with a muffled thud. The Nascent Soul in Chen Jing's abdomen burst apart, and countless streams of Nascent Soul power dissipated from his pores. "Ah! You... you crippled my cultivation!" Chen Jing howled in pain, rolling on the ground repeatedly.

"I am helping you!" Green Pearl said indifferently. "A disciple who bullies their master deserves to be punished by everyone! Besides, what happens between Jiang Fan and me is none of your business!"

Having dealt with the incessant noise, Green Pearl slowly looked towards Jiang Fan, her eyes filled with complexity. "Chen Jing, I have dealt with him for you," she said. "Now, it's time to resolve matters between us."