Chapter 1517: Doomsayer Sage

After a long contemplation, she took out the head given to her by the Grand Libationer. With a soft sigh, she murmured, "I can only give it a try."

If the Five-Star Giant King had truly wanted to kill her, he would have long since extinguished her through that wisp of soul power. The fact that she was still alive indicated that the Five-Star Giant King had no lethal intent.

She silently followed the Sky-Connecting Black Pillar. As soon as it stopped, she would pretend that she had just ascended along with it.

The heartland of the Central Lands.

Shrouded in black mist, the ruins of a thousand-year-old ancient city appeared faintly.

Looking intently, several skeletons, smooth and clean as jade, lay quietly scattered throughout the ruins.

Jiang Fan, holding the Sky-Connecting Black Pillar, stopped before the ruins.

Staring at the black mist before him, he took out a damaged low-grade spiritual artifact from his spatial storage device, which originated from the Mount Tian battlefield. He casually tossed it inside.

The calm black mist suddenly came alive like a beast, enveloping the spiritual artifact. Sizzle!

Even a powerful spiritual artifact was rapidly discolored by corrosion and gradually melted away!

Jiang Fan clicked his tongue in amazement. "Grand Libationer, how did this forbidden zone form?"

Although he had anticipated that a forbidden zone would be quite perilous by its very definition, the fact that it could corrode even a low-grade spiritual artifact still exceeded his expectations.

With such powerful corrosive force, even a Soul Transformation realm expert could not stay inside for long! If they didn't die, they would be severely wounded by the corrosion. As for Nascent Soul realm cultivators, it went without saying.

They would easily be corroded into a pool of blood.

The Grand Libationer's eyes showed emotion. "This is where the Calamity Sage fell. His remains caused a drastic change in the surrounding environment, creating this forbidden zone. Those who enter, even if their bodies aren't corroded, will be affected by the residual laws of calamity."

Calamity Sage? Jiang Fan recalled Princess Ji Qingxuan of the North Sea. Before she left, he had given her a piece of broken bone of calamity. She had said it was obtained from the most perilous place in Taicang Province.

Could that broken bone of calamity have come from the Calamity Sage's dharma body?

At this moment, the Grand Libationer continued, "Place the Sky-Connecting Black Pillar at the center of the forbidden zone. This will force the ancient giants to descend within the forbidden zone, while we confront the enemy outside!"

Jiang Fan quickly began to analyze. The forbidden zone was not large, encompassing only the area of an ancient thousand-year-old city. Given the ancient giants' terrifying physique, they could escape in at most a dozen breaths. But those dozen breaths would be enough to corrode their skin and flesh, leaving them severely injured.

If they were unlucky enough for their eyes to be corroded, they would become disoriented and wander aimlessly within, eventually rotting into a pool of blood. Those who managed to escape would also be wounded. Meanwhile, Taicang Province's martial artist army would face them in full strength. Furthermore, they had over five hundred mid-stage Nascent Soul realm experts, and even the early-stage ones were equipped with powerful offensive weaponry. Under such a siege, it was not difficult to imagine the course of the battle.

Jiang Fan's eyes grew brighter. What he had originally thought would be an extremely difficult battle now held infinite hope!

"Grand Libationer, your strategic planning is admirable! I am deeply impressed!" Jiang Fan said, cupping his hands. He was genuinely filled with admiration.

A seemingly hopeless situation had been brought back to life by the Grand Libationer.

"Hahaha..." The Grand Libationer chuckled in surprise. "If we win this battle, the people of Taicang Province should thank you the most. Your ability to move the Sky-Connecting Black Pillar is the key to turning the tide. Without it, even with the offensive weaponry from a thousand years ago, the outcome would be hard to predict. But with this forbidden zone, we have gained a crucial advantage."

Jiang Fan's heart surged with excitement. He said, "There's no time to lose. I will move the Sky-Connecting Black Pillar inside at once. I also ask for your assistance, Grand Libationer."

The Grand Libationer, holding his horsetail whisk, stepped into the forbidden zone. Wherever he walked, the black mist automatically parted. Without looking back, he said, "You possess the essence of thunder and fire, which can temporarily resist the black mist and the invasion of calamity. However, you cannot stay for too long."

Jiang Fan was surprised. Could the essence of thunder and fire truly provide temporary protection? His eyes flickered. Jiang Fan secretly made a note of it, then closely followed the Grand Libationer into the forbidden zone.

He keenly noticed that as soon as they entered, the smooth, jade-like skeletons began to move.

This startled Jiang Fan. "Are they still alive?"

The Grand Libationer sighed softly. "They were the trusted companions of the Calamity Sage. After the Calamity Sage fell, they came to guard his remains until they too passed away here one after another. Now, only some lingering obsessions remain. As long as you don't touch the Calamity Sage's remains, they won't attack anyone."

Hearing this, Jiang Fan felt a profound sense of reverence. The Calamity Sage must have been a highly respected figure in his lifetime, right? That's why his trusted companions would remain loyal until death, guarding his remains to their last breath.

"Why didn't they allow the Calamity Sage to rest in peace by burying him?" Jiang Fan asked again.

The Grand Libationer replied, "It was the Calamity Sage's own wish not to be buried. He left his sage's body and his most prized possessions from his lifetime, intending to benefit future generations. Later, if you are fated, you may take his treasures."

Jiang Fan felt admiration in his heart. Even at the brink of death, the Calamity Sage had still thought of future generations.

He thought of the owner of the Jade Paper Heavenly Tome, of the Heavenly Eye Sage, of the Twin Sages, of the Northern Profound Sword Venerable, and of the fallen human heroes on the Mount Tian battlefield.

The ancient sages had paved a path that lasted for a thousand years, with their bodies and their blood. They, too, should emulate these sages and carve out a path for their own descendants!

Jiang Fan's gaze grew even firmer. As he pondered, he had already followed the Grand Libationer into the center of the forbidden zone.

The black mist here was even denser. Jiang Fan strained his eyes until he could finally discern an upright ancient corpse hovering above the ancient city!

A thousand years had passed, yet his flesh and blood remained. His tattered cloak flapped fiercely in the chilling winds. His thick black hair billowed wildly. His eyes were wide open, looking disdainfully into the distance. His left hand pointed distantly, while his right hand rested on an ancient, jet-black stone tablet. Boundless battle intent swirled around him. It was as if he had traveled through time from a battlefield a thousand years ago, still locked in a fierce battle with a formidable foe!

A blood-red spear, ten zhang long, had pierced through his chest. That blood-red spear contained an extraordinary aura of destruction.

Jiang Fan merely glanced at it and felt countless negative emotions surge within him. Emotions such as tyranny, slaughter, and greed wildly proliferated, causing his eyes to quickly turn red.

This scene was exactly like when he first saw the blood pond! Was there any need to ask what the blood-red spear was?

The Grand Libationer waved his sleeve, blocking off the blood-red spear, and warned, "Don't look at that spear. Stare at it too long, and you, too, will transform into an ancient giant."

Jiang Fan's aura calmed down, but he felt a secret chill. He wasn't afraid of the object itself, because he possessed a Saint's Crystal Sheath, whose holy power could purify the spear's influence. What chilled him was that this spear actually had the power to kill a Sage.

"Who attacked back then?" Jiang Fan asked.

The Grand Libationer remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "The Nine-Sun Giant Emperor."

Jiang Fan's pupils sharply constricted. The Giant King whose body was possessed by the remnant soul of the Heavenly Eye Sage only had two suns on his forehead. Wouldn't the so-called Nine-Sun Giant Emperor be the strongest existence among the Giant Emperors? Just one step away from becoming a Realm Lord?