Chapter 1514: Sparks can start a prairie fire

The character that even a Grand Venerable couldn't look at directly had vanished from the cloth. Only a faint, indistinct imprint remained, barely suggesting that a character had once been there. Even so, the divine power it emanated still sent shivers down Grand Venerable Bingxin's spine.

"Grand Venerable, are you sending things to Tai Cang Great Province again?" A'Luo, her personal maidservant, grumbled with dissatisfaction. "We don't even have enough good treasures for our own Holy Spirit Province, and the Grand Venerable keeps sending them away. It's as if that place is your husband's family."

What was meant as a casual complaint made Grand Venerable Bingxin agitated. She exclaimed sharply, "Don't speak nonsense! Send it over immediately!"

A'Luo, startled, shrank her neck, her face showing an unfamiliar expression. The Grand Venerable had always been slow and steady, never getting upset even when joking. What was wrong today? Just one mention of "husband's family," and she got agitated instantly? Could it be that she was really... taken by "Give Me A Good Name" in Tai Cang Great Province? That fellow was notoriously good at flirting with women. She had even reminded the Grand Venerable not to fall for "Give Me A Good Name's" tricks. The Grand Venerable had said they wouldn't even meet, so how could he flirt with her? But then, the Grand Venerable went to Tai Cang Great Province and was really "taken"? Absentmindedly, she reached out to take the cloth.

"Be careful, don't remove the seal on it, or it will crush you to death!" Grand Venerable Bingxin glared at her gently, reminding her. Although the cloth had lost its power to collapse the Central Land barrier, she had found it under a ruin while clearing debris near a rift. That ruin had once been a thousand-zhang mountain. The cloth had crushed the mountain and sunk into the earth. Its weight was unimaginable. Even if it were suddenly thrown onto a Grand Venerable, they might not be able to bear it.

A'Luo snapped back to attention and said respectfully, "Yes, Grand Venerable!"

Watching her leave, Grand Venerable Bingxin murmured, "I hope it can help you."

She picked up her Moon Mirror and re-examined the information provided by Hong Xiu. Her eyes were full of admiration. "This Asura named 'Glasses' is truly intelligent and perceptive," she mused. "Even in desperate straits, she was able to grasp the bigger picture and make the wise decision to continue helping Tai Cang Great Province. She also reminded me back then that the Ancient Order Master is not to be trifled with. I really should have listened to her."

A bitter smile touched her lips. If she hadn't insisted on seeking the Ancient Order, she wouldn't have been hit by Jiang Fan for no reason, nor would the embarrassing incident with her undergarment have occurred. Thinking of this, she awkwardly covered her face.

*Beep, beep, beep*. Her Moon Mirror chimed. She looked down and saw a message from Jiang Fan."Give Me A Good Name: With Sister Fugui around, I can save twenty years of effort."

Grand Venerable Bingxin rolled her eyes and angrily typed, "Silver-tongued, outwardly proper..." But then she reconsidered, deleted it, a mischievous glint in her eye, and rewrote:"Blossoming Wealth: This old woman doesn't have many years left to live. Come and keep me company. When I die, all my inheritance will be yours."

Far away in Tai Cang Great Province, Jiang Fan's face immediately turned green. "No way," he thought. "I was just joking, why is the rich lady taking it seriously? And 'Blossoming Wealth' is older than I imagined? She's not a rich lady at all, but a rich old woman?"

*Beep, beep, beep*."Never A Buzzkill: If I may ask, how old is Sister Fugui?""Blossoming Wealth: Not very old, just an 800-year-old girl.""Never A Buzzkill: I support this marriage with both hands and feet! Whoever opposes it, I'll fight them!"

Heaven had eyes; Jiang Fan, who had enjoyed a lifetime of romantic encounters, was finally going to have it all ended by an old woman."Main Wife: Support! Let him skip a hundred years of detours!""Death Diary: Must support! I also wish you two to be together for all eternity, never to be separated!""Flower Bush: Have to support! Uncle-Master has finally found true love."

Only Hong Xiu looked at her Moon Mirror and shook her head. From "Blossoming Wealth's" words, it was clear that this person was a simple, young woman, inexperienced in the ways of the world. These people actually thought she was an old woman and were enthusiastically trying to set them up. Wasn't this just doing Jiang Fan a favor? After thinking for a moment, she still raised her finger and wrote:"Glasses: Support! May you have a child soon."

Jiang Fan almost spat blood as he looked at the barrage of replies. These people couldn't stand to see him doing well. He immediately put away his Moon Mirror and played dead where he stood. Even though the Moon Mirror kept chiming incessantly, he dared not look at it again.

A long time later, Grand Venerable Bingxin was already holding her Moon Mirror, giggling endlessly, feeling very satisfied. "Look how unpopular you usually are?" she chuckled. "Everyone wants you to make a fool of yourself! You should be glad that the catastrophe is coming, so we won't have a chance to meet again. Otherwise, I would definitely pretend to be an old woman and expose you, making you so ashamed you'd want to crawl into a crack in the ground! Hmph!"

She imagined herself transforming into an old woman and scaring Jiang Fan's face green. She couldn't help but cover her mouth and snicker.

Time flew by. As the identity tokens of all disciples in Tai Cang Great Province began to chime, everyone's heart felt as if it was gripped by a large hand. This day had, after all, inevitably arrived!

Four sesame-seed-sized halos orbited in front of Jiang Fan. All of them emanated the aura of elemental origins: Wind, Fire, Thunder, and the newly cultivated Earth.

"I hope these origins will all be useful during the great battle," he thought. With a thought, the four origins returned to his body. He then picked up his token. It finally no longer displayed just simple numbers. Instead, it contained Grand Wine Sacrificial's message to all cultivators.

"A thousand-year catastrophe, an ancient misfortune. Beings of this era, the catastrophe belonging to your time has arrived. I hope you are prepared for death, and I hope you have few regrets. Because this will be the most arduous catastrophe yet; no one can stand aloof, and no one will be spared. Anyone might fall, including myself."

Reading this, Jiang Fan's mood became incredibly heavy. Grand Wine Sacrificial, the strongest individual in Tai Cang Great Province, explicitly stated he might fall. What about everyone else? He took a deep breath and continued reading.

"The path ahead is dark and without light, but we cannot stop! Because we are the only beacon of fire in the eyes of all beings. We must press forward, to forge a path for the common people amidst despair, and to ignite a flicker of light for them in the darkness! I, Grand Wine Sacrificial of Tai Cang Great Province, vow to burn my body and live or die with all beings! May all of you accompany me on this journey. And please believe that a single spark can indeed start a prairie fire!"

Jiang Fan slowly stood up. His gaze, strong and steady, looked upwards. He wasn't feeling a surge of passion or grand emotion, because this was how he had always thought and acted: as a human, and fortunate to be a strong one, it was his duty to carry his longsword and defend his homeland against all odds.

He tightened his grip on the purple sword in his hand and pushed open the stone door. His eyes gleamed with cold resolve. "Ancient Giants, I've been waiting for you for a long time!"