Chapter 1470

Moon Pearl clicked her tongue in surprise, guessing whose it was. "This... this couldn't belong to Grand Venerable Ice Heart, could it?" Based on the color and embroidery of the undergarment, it appeared to be for a young person. Among young, revered women who were also in the vicinity, there was no one else but Grand Venerable Ice Heart.

"Jiang Fan, quickly, you must return it," Moon Pearl urged, her heart pounding with anxiety. "No matter how much she admires you, she can't possibly tolerate you doing something like this to her." Even though Grand Venerable Ice Heart was known for her gentleness and kindness, she was, ultimately, a supreme venerable. How could she possibly permit such an offense?

Jiang Fan gave a wry smile. "Return it? How would you even begin to explain?" Moon Pearl was speechless; there was no way to explain such a thing. After a moment's thought, she looked around at the emptiness. "Then we'll just have to throw it away," she suggested, "to avoid bringing trouble upon ourselves."

Jiang Fan nodded, then immediately sighed with regret. "After all, it's a top-grade defensive spirit artifact, extremely rare in the world," he said. "It would be a real pity to simply discard it. How about you wear it instead?" Moon Pearl burst out laughing, exasperated. "Give me another woman's undergarment to wear? Jiang Fan, I can't believe you even suggested that!"

"The Ancient Giants are coming," Jiang Fan explained. "As a disciple of the Oblivion Elder, you will undoubtedly be a target for them in the future. Having more defense on you means more protection." Realizing Jiang Fan was concerned for her safety, Moon Pearl felt a little better. She caressed the undergarment in her hand, still feeling a touch of hesitation.

"This is probably the most valuable artifact I've ever given away," Jiang Fan added. Moon Pearl's eyes immediately brightened upon hearing this. "Really?" she asked. Jiang Fan chuckled. "I haven't even given Chu Ran a treasure of this level." Moon Pearl's eyes curved into crescent moons as she giggled. "Hehe, then I'll accept it."

She made to place it into her spatial storage, but Jiang Fan stopped her. "You can't use a Grand Venerable's item so directly," he explained. He then produced a bottle of spiritual liquid, pouring it onto the undergarment. He rubbed it vigorously a few times, thoroughly cleansing it of its original aura. "There," he said, "now you can wear it right in front of Grand Venerable Ice Heart, and she won't sense a thing."

Moon Pearl was even happier; with its aura washed away, it was as good as new. Still, she felt a slight unease about taking something from Grand Venerable Ice Heart, especially since the Grand Venerable had been kind to Jiang Fan. Jiang Fan also felt a pang of guilt. "I'll find a suitable opportunity to compensate her," he promised. Moon Pearl nodded in agreement and finally accepted the item.

"Oh!" Moon Pearl exclaimed, looking down. She suddenly noticed the Tianshan silk in her hand had gone slack. This meant the Black Lotus of Tribulation had stopped, and the silk was no longer taut. "The Black Lotus of Tribulation isn't moving," she said. Jiang Fan's expression shifted, and his heart sank. "The void rift must have closed," he murmured. And indeed, it had.

As they drifted forward, they suddenly encountered an invisible barrier. This had to be the legendary spatial barrier of the Central Continent. It was unseen and intangible, yet undeniably real. While it protected the Central Continent from external intrusions, it also blocked Jiang Fan and the others' path back home. He and Moon Pearl exchanged a glance, both seeing a wry, helpless smile reflected in the other's eyes.

Just when they had finally glimpsed a sliver of hope for survival, they were once again plunged into despair. Jiang Fan's face showed his defiance. His own death wouldn't matter, but Moon Pearl couldn't be allowed to perish here. They now had the Black Lotus of Tribulation protecting them from the void's spatial forces; all they needed was a void rift.

With this thought, he decisively unleashed the Great Evolution Sword Array. Three-colored divine rainbows fiercely struck the invisible spatial barrier. However, despite the barrier being directly in front of them, the strike, comparable to the first heavenly decay, was like a clay ox entering the sea. It was as if he had struck thin air, yielding no reaction whatsoever. He did not give up, subsequently deploying the Nine Dragon Demonic Cauldron and even the Divine Wood. Yet, there was still no discernible effect.

"It's no use," Moon Pearl said, gently tugging his sleeve. "Tearing open a void rift is a capability only sages possess. Even Grand Venerables of the Five Heavenly Decays can merely create faint traces in the void; they cannot completely tear it open. How easy do you think it is to create a void rift?"

Jiang Fan sighed, looking up. The Central Continent was right before them, yet they couldn't return? Gazing at Moon Pearl, who was so close, Jiang Fan was filled with deep reluctance.

How exactly could the void be torn open? Suddenly, he remembered the tattered piece of cloth Grand Venerable Black Dragon had discarded. Its casual descent had caused the Central Continent's spatial barrier to collapse, creating a ten-thousand-foot void rift. The reason for its immense power was a single character inscribed on the tattered cloth—a character so ancient that even Grand Venerable Golden Scale couldn't recognize it. Jiang Fan couldn't recognize it either, but he knew its origin.

It was one of the eight characters from the remnant seal found within the purple crystal mine pit. He didn't possess the tattered cloth, but he did have the black profound ice from the bottom of that pit. Grand Venerable Golden Scale had mentioned that it was imbued with unusual power. Given that it had been exposed to the eight-character seal for such a long time, could it possess the ability to breach the Central Continent's world barrier?

Deep in thought, Jiang Fan retrieved the enormous, coffin-shaped black profound ice. He dared not touch it directly and encased it with spatial magic. Moon Pearl stared at the ice, sensing its unusual properties, and asked, "What is that?" "If even this doesn't work," Jiang Fan replied, "then we truly will be exiled to the void forever."

With that, he willed it, and spatial power enveloped the profound ice, slamming it fiercely into the spatial barrier before them. A muffled hum reverberated, and the invisible barrier rippled from the impact. Jiang Fan's face lit up with joy, and Moon Pearl's almond-shaped eyes widened in astonishment. All their previous attacks had been utterly absorbed, like striking thin air. Yet, this black profound ice was capable of creating waves!

Their joy, however, was short-lived. The black profound ice only created ripples, and Jiang Fan's repeated attempts yielded the same result. It seemed the black profound ice did possess a trace of the seal's power, as Jiang Fan had anticipated, but it wasn't quite enough. Jiang Fan offered a wry smile and embraced Moon Pearl. "It seems we're destined to be a pair of ghost mandarin ducks," he said. Moon Pearl leaned gently into his embrace, closed her eyes, and whispered, "To die alongside you, in a way, is fate's blessing upon me."

But just as the two were about to give up, the Black Lotus of Tribulation suddenly stirred! It slowly drifted to the black profound ice, circling it twice as if in thought. A moment later, its lotus stem gradually coiled around the profound ice. Then, its lotus pod spewed out a vast amount of Yin energy, accelerating rapidly as it charged towards the spatial barrier. It was clearly intending to ram the barrier, carrying the black profound ice with it.

As the lotus stem continuously tightened its grip, the unusual energy within the black profound ice began to overflow. Even before reaching the spatial barrier, it triggered intense ripples and fluctuations. Seeing this, Jiang Fan's heart pounded wildly. "Get ready!" he urged. "There's a chance this time we might break open a rift!"