Chapter 1418: Rules Loophole

Jiang Fan cupped his hands and asked, "Senior, do you know something? I humbly request you to tell me."

The Mountain Master of the Stars was about to speak when she suddenly sensed something and looked towards the depths of the sky. She then retracted her words, saying, "I'm only speculating; I have no evidence. This concerns the reputation of the half-giant race, and I cannot make reckless conjectures."

Jiang Fan noticed her unusual behavior and glanced at the sky, feeling a chill in his heart. There was no doubt that the Mountain Master of the Stars had been warned by Sage Cixin! That old scoundrel was afraid that the half-giants' disgraceful deeds would be exposed! However, while the Mountain Master of the Stars revered him, Jiang Fan, a dying man, couldn't care less!

He said in a deep voice, "Even if you don't say it, Senior, I've already guessed some things. Your collaboration with Senior Wildman Wangqing to kill the Heavenly Relic City Lord wasn't an impulsive act of vengeance, was it? You must have realized there was an undeniable reason to eliminate the half-giants. That's why you went to any length to get rid of him, to prevent future troubles."

Those at the Nirvana Five Declines stage are not easily swayed by emotions. Just like the Heavenly Relic City Lord, who clearly wanted to tear Jiang Fan to pieces, but calmly let him go when Fairy Ziwei agreed to continue the marriage alliance. If even the half-giants acted this way, there was no reason for the Mountain Master of the Stars and Wildman Wangqing to have acted impulsively.

The Mountain Master of the Stars remained silent. She raised her hand and clutched, causing the space beside her to ripple. A beautiful female Venerable floated out. The Mountain Master of the Stars then pointed a finger at her forehead. The female Venerable regained consciousness, but her eyes were dull, and she looked around motionlessly. She didn't even recognize the great Venerable of Nirvana Five Declines standing before her.

Jiang Fan's pupils constricted. "Her memory was erased? And completely wiped clean!" Hongxiu had once said that it wasn't easy to completely erase the memory of a God Transformation Venerable. So, it was obvious who had erased the memory of the female Venerable before him! This also explained a small question Jiang Fan had: how General Zhentian alone could conquer three cities and capture the female Venerable guarding the Seven Cities of Heavenly Abyss alive. It was because General Zhentian wasn't the only one present; Sage Cixin was also there! That old bastard!

Enraged, Jiang Fan asked, "Why does he protect the half-giants so much? Could he be a half-giant himself?"

The Mountain Master of the Stars shook her head. "He is human, an indigenous human from Guixu Province."

Jiang Fan frowned, perplexed. "Then why is he so biased towards the half-giants? He's not as benevolent as the rumors claim. In fact, he's been ruthless towards our human race." He continued, "A thousand years ago, if he hadn't intervened to protect the half-giants, they would have been annihilated by the combined forces of all races long ago. They would never have been left to become a scourge, nor would they have caused today's tragedy."

The Mountain Master of the Stars calmly said, "You've met Sage Tianmu, who fought the remnants of the Giant Emperor's soul for a thousand years. And you've also met the Immaculate Venerable, who betrayed humanity out of fear of death and joined the ancient giants, haven't you?"

Jiang Fan nodded and said, "Senior, what do you mean?"

The Mountain Master of the Stars glanced cautiously at the sky and said meaningfully, "What I want to say is that in the battle a thousand years ago, not all great Venerables of Nirvana Five Declines dared to fight the ancient giants."

Jiang Fan pondered, what did that mean? There must have been many who didn't dare to fight the ancient giants to the death, so why did the Mountain Master of the Stars specifically mention those at the Nirvana Five Declines? Suddenly, Jiang Fan understood, and uncontrollable anger surged onto his face. The Mountain Master of the Stars was telling Jiang Fan how Sage Cixin had attained his Sage Realm!

During the great war of ancient giants a thousand years ago, Sage Cixin, then at the Nirvana Five Declines stage, was cowardly and hid until the war was won. Since he hadn't participated in the battle, he gained no merit and couldn't advance to the Sage Realm like other meritorious Nirvana Five Declines. So, he turned his attention to the half-giants, who, like him, were clinging to life and betraying their own race. At that time, the half-giants were facing a bloody reckoning and desperately needed protection. Sage Cixin raised his arm, naturally winning their faith. He then protected their entire race from the slaughter of myriad races, saving countless lives, which was considered a great merit. Thus, the Central Plains bestowed merit upon him, allowing him to become a Sage! This clearly explained how a "benevolent" Sage came to protect the half-giants. It turned out that behind a seemingly unreasonable act lay a vast network of self-interest.

Jiang Fan thought of the ancient sages who detonated the Jade Scroll Heavenly Book to perish with their powerful enemies, of Sword Venerable Beixuan whose sword fell all around, and of the Central Plains powerhouses who died on the Tianshan battlefield. He also remembered the martyrs' tombstones that stretched for miles in the boundless cemetery next to the Seven Cities of Heavenly Abyss. An uncontrollable surge of grief and indignation filled his heart. Those who fought for the Central Plains were left with only a name and a tombstone, having gained nothing. Yet, a petty person like Sage Cixin shamelessly became a Sage. Was this fair?

Jiang Fan said in a deep voice, "Are the ancient sages blind? How can protecting half-giants also count as merit? The so-called half-giants are a group of cowards who, fearing being hunted by ancient giants, willingly drank the ancient giants' blood and evolved into traitors. It's hard to say how much evil they committed for the ancient giants during that chaotic war, or how many of their own people they harmed. Surely, eliminating them all would be considered a meritorious act? Why is protecting them also seen as such?"

The Mountain Master of the Stars looked at Jiang Fan's enraged face and suddenly understood why everyone was so fond of him. Both the Grand Wine Sacrificers of various provinces and Venerable Lianjing had taken great care of him. It was because they saw in Jiang Fan their past selves and the future of the Central Plains.

She patiently explained, "Merit is a rule jointly established by the nine ancient sages, and it doesn't change because of any single one of them. Although half-giants possess half the bloodline of ancient giants, they also have half the bloodline of the Central Plains. Therefore, the Central Plains still classifies them as beings of this land. And saving the beings of the Central Plains is considered a meritorious act. A certain Sage simply exploited this loophole in the rules."

Jiang Fan angrily said, "Does such a person even deserve to be a Sage?"

The Mountain Master of the Stars secretly clicked her tongue. Only Jiang Fan dared to speak such blasphemous words directly to Sage Cixin's face. With the protection of ancient sages, Sage Cixin could only endure it. Anyone else who dared to slander him in such a way would have been eliminated long ago.

The Mountain Master of the Stars cautiously sent a telepathic message: "Don't be too angry. You managed to destroy five Law Manifestation stage half-giants and escape unscathed; that should be a bitter lesson for him."

Jiang Fan was surprised and replied, "How so?"

The Mountain Master of the Stars explained, "Just as the God Transformation realm faces the Calamity of Nirvana Five Declines, Sages also face their own trials. The calamity of the Sage Realm is known as the Three Calamities. These are far deadlier than the Nirvana Five Declines, normally occurring once every thousand years. If one can overcome the Three Calamities, they can become a Saint. If not, at best, their laws will be damaged and their dharma body injured; at worst, they will perish. According to calculations, Sage Cixin's first calamity should have appeared only after the ancient giants' war ended. However, for some unknown reason, his first calamity struck a year ago. He failed to successfully overcome it; though his life was saved, he was severely injured, and his laws were damaged. This explains why the bit of Sage Tianmu's law within you could shatter his Time Reversal law. Under normal circumstances, this would be impossible."

Jiang Fan nodded in realization. "That's good news. He brought it upon himself! But what does this have to do with me killing five Law Manifestation stage half-giants?"