Chapter 1404: Heavenly Relic City Lord

Marshal Zhengtian’s expression froze, and his eyes revealed deep terror. His mouth gaped open, but fear rendered him speechless. He could only feel the cold steel of the purple sword pressing into his neck. This was the first time he had felt death so close. He had never imagined this day would arrive so suddenly!

From a distance, the Young City Lord's pupils also constricted, but he was too late to intervene. His heart pounded in his throat. Was a Dharma-form Realm expert about to fall in Tianyi City?

“Stop!”

Just then, a powerful, majestic voice resonated, spreading in all directions. Even the Young City Lord, a Dharma-form Realm expert, trembled violently as the sound swept over him. All eight generals present simultaneously knelt to the ground. Jiang Fan’s body stiffened, and the sword strike aimed at Marshal Zhengtian’s neck could not continue.

His heart raced. What kind of person could possess such immense divine power with just a single shout? Only one type of being existed: a Venerable of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man. In Tianyi City, this would correspond to a Five-Phase Realm Body Refiner. There was only one expert of such power in Tianyi City: its ruler, the Tianyi City Lord!

The surrounding space suddenly vibrated, as if on the verge of collapse. Following the source of the tremor, a colossal giant, nine zhang tall and massively built, led a group of other massive giants, all over five zhang tall, charging across the ground. By their sheer size, the nine-zhang giant was almost comparable to a true ancient giant. However, his facial features were indistinguishable from a human's. He was a Half-Giant!

The nine-zhang Half-Giant, accompanied by seven other marshals, swiftly approached, their strides creating cracks of nothingness in the space around them. He glanced at Marshal Zhengtian, whose chest was shattered, neck half-severed, and Dharma-form damaged. A deep regret appeared in his eyes. Then, turning to Jiang Fan, his eyes filled with coldness: “Release him now!”

Marshal Zhengtian, realizing what was happening, quickly urged: “Jiang Fan, this is our Tianyi City Lord, a peak expert of the Five-Phase Realm! He’s equivalent to your cultivators’ Grand Venerable of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man! There’s no need to explain what his words mean, is there?”

In any province, the words of a Grand Venerable of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man were akin to a sacred decree. Those who dared to defy them were few and far between. Under normal circumstances, Jiang Fan might have deliberated carefully. However, knowing his death was imminent, Jiang Fan was fearless. He let out a long laugh, saying, “You didn’t show up earlier, nor later, but only now, when this beast is about to be executed! Tianyi City Lord, you still can’t bear to part with this animal, can you?!”

The Tianyi City Lord, with his hands clasped behind his back, looked down indifferently at Jiang Fan and said, “Those of my Tianyi City are not for you to deal with!” As his voice fell, Jiang Fan was suppressed and could not move.

Seizing the opportunity, Marshal Zhengtian painfully pulled the purple sword from his neck. Then, enduring the intense pain, he ripped off the Nine-Dragon Demonic Cauldron, which was stuck to his body with flesh and skin. Freed, he flashed behind the Tianyi City Lord, his eyes showing surprise as he said, “Thank you, City Lord, for saving me!”

The Tianyi City Lord nodded slightly. His gaze, as he looked down at Jiang Fan, grew even more authoritative and indifferent, stating, “No one can act wildly in my Tianyi City.” As his words ended, the authority in his eyes intensified.

Jiang Fan, already suppressed and unable to move, suddenly felt as if several giant cities were pressing down on his body. His body creaked under the immense pressure. His knees buckled repeatedly. The Tianyi City Lord intended for him to kneel! Jiang Fan had come with the spirits of Kaiyang City’s deceased to demand blood debt from Tianyi City! If he knelt, where would that leave the departed souls?

“Three Idols, activate!”

Jiang Fan gritted his teeth and held on, the veins on his neck bulging. Three divine statues were successively summoned, forcibly resisting the Tianyi City Lord’s oppressive power.

“He’s actually a Body Refiner too, and has cultivated to the peak of the Golden Body Realm,” the Tianyi City Lord remarked, a hint of mild surprise on his face. Throughout the Nine Provinces of the Central Land, Body Refiners were a very rare group. Those capable of refining their physique to the peak of the Golden Body Realm were even rarer. Only their Half-Giants in Tianyi City, relying on the bloodline of ancient giants, found it somewhat easier. Even then, in the current era, there were only about a hundred generals at the peak of the Golden Body Realm. He had not expected that someone, besides their Half-Giants, could cultivate their physique to such an extent!

After a moment of thought, he said, “Considering your rare talent in body refining, I’ll offer you a path. How about joining my Tianyi City? I, the City Lord, will find a way to cultivate you to the Dharma-form Realm, and should the opportunity arise in the future, even help you break through to the Soul Transformation Venerable Realm. Thus, you would become the only Dual Cultivator (Magic and Body) Venerable in the Central Land.”

A flicker of expectation appeared in his eyes. It wasn’t unheard of for individuals to achieve Venerable status in both magic and body cultivation. However, every single one of them was a prominent figure in history, unparalleled in their respective eras, leaving a lasting impression for a thousand years. Jiang Fan's physique had reached the peak of the Golden Body Realm, and his cultivation had reached the Eight-Orifice Nascent Soul stage. He had the potential to become a Dual Cultivator Venerable. If he could have his son control a Dual Cultivator Venerable and secure their allegiance, he could confidently entrust Tianyi City to his son.

Jiang Fan laughed, his face full of scorn: “You want me to associate with a group of man-eating beasts? I cannot do that!”

The Tianyi City Lord calmly stated, “Who said the incident in Kaiyang City was the doing of our Marshal Zhengtian? Do you have any evidence?”

He still wants to deny it? Jiang Fan produced the four-zhang Half-Giant and demanded, “Tell them, who was responsible for what happened in the Seven Cities of Sky Abyss?” The four-zhang Half-Giant’s soul trembled as he looked at the Tianyi City Lord, who was standing nearby. He stammered, “I… I don’t know.”

The Tianyi City Lord said indifferently, “Did you hear that? This matter has nothing to do with us Half-Giants.”

Fairy Ziwei could no longer bear to listen. Angrily, she pointed at Kaiyang City: “What about this city? The ground is littered with severed limbs and broken bones; what else could have caused it if not consumption?”

The Tianyi City Lord crossed his arms over his chest and said indifferently, “Isn’t it common for you cultivators to kill each other? As for the missing limbs, perhaps wild dogs bit them off. Don’t blame our Tianyi City.”

Fairy Ziwei gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing with fury: “I had thought that as the Tianyi City Lord, you would possess at least a semblance of fairness and objectivity. I never imagined you’d be just like them!”

The Tianyi City Lord’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint appearing within them. “Fairy Ziwei, you are the successor of Mount Qunxing, and currently represent Mount Qunxing. Some things should not be said carelessly; it could affect our alliance. If you have evidence, I will uphold justice for the deceased of Kaiyang City. If you have no evidence, then be silent…”

No sooner had he finished speaking, than an old, coughing voice came from above Kaiyang City. It was the old woman they had rescued. She had regained consciousness on the way there. Witnessing Jiang Fan risk everything to seek justice for the horrific deaths in several cities, she hadn't expected the Tianyi City Lord to go so far as to damage Tianyi City's reputation just to protect that beast! Therefore, she stepped forward.

“I, the City Lord of Kaiyang City! I can testify!”