Chapter 1518: Battle Arrival

Jiang Fan swallowed hard and asked, "Then how exactly did our Middle-earth win a thousand years ago?"

He couldn't imagine how, in an era when Sages did not appear, a Nine-Sun Giant Emperor, nearly a Sage himself, descended upon Middle-earth. Who could possibly stop him? Even powerful figures like the Sage of Misfortune were pierced through by a single spear.

The Great Libationer turned his head to look at Jiang Fan, his gaze profound as he simply said, "Luck."

Luck? Jiang Fan didn't understand. How could a life-or-death battle of annihilation, where one side would surely be wiped out, be won simply by luck?

Gazing deeply at the remains of the Sage of Misfortune, Jiang Fan clasped his hands together and said, "Senior, forgive my intrusion."

He carried the Sky-Connecting Black Pillar and placed it in the center of the ruins. The dark mist here was the densest and most lethal to the ancient giants.

However, as he approached the Sage of Misfortune, Jiang Fan suddenly frowned. He stared at the Sage of Misfortune's neck and furrowed his brow, asking, "Great Libationer, what is that?"

On the neck, he saw two deep puncture marks, as if bitten by some animal.

The Great Libationer glanced at it and said, "The Asura Saint, whom you've been looking for."

What? Jiang Fan's expression drastically changed. The Asura Saint had drained the Sage's vital blood from the Sage of Misfortune?

That's right! The Sage of Misfortune belonged to the bloodthirsty Asura lineage. Like that Kui Star Asura, he survived by consuming the blood of living beings!

As a creature from Hell, the Asura Saint found Middle-earth's cultivation resources largely ineffective. However, the vital blood of a Sage would be enough for him to make rapid advancements in strength and break through multiple bottlenecks!

Jiang Fan was consumed by rage. The Sage of Misfortune's remains were meant for the people of Middle-earth, yet the Asura Saint had taken his vital blood!

He looked at the Great Libationer and complained, "No major event in Taicang Province can escape your notice. Then why did you stand by and do nothing when the Asura Saint absorbed the Sage of Misfortune's vital blood and seized the destiny of Taicang Province?"

Taicang Province, once among Middle-earth's three strongest provinces, had fallen to its current lowest rank. This was due to the seizure of its destiny centuries ago. As a Sage-level cultivator, why hadn't the Great Libationer intervened? Why had he instead allowed the Asura Saint to act so wantonly?

The Great Libationer calmly replied, "Indeed, no major event in Taicang Province can escape my notice. But what if someone had obscured my vision?"

Jiang Fan's heart pounded. Someone capable of shielding the Great Libationer's senses... Could it be one of Middle-earth's Sages?

"Could it be that among the Nine Sages, someone..." He glanced warily at the sky, his meaning clear.

The Great Libationer understood his implication. He shook his head and said, "If the Nine Sages were to betray Middle-earth, why would they go through such trouble?"

Jiang Fan was stunned; that was true. They were the ancient Sages who created Middle-earth. Their every word and action could influence the destiny of Middle-earth. If any of them wished to betray, a single thought could wipe out all living beings. Why would they secretly collude with the Hell realm?

"Then what was their purpose?" Jiang Fan was puzzled.

The Great Libationer sighed, "I don't understand it either. The human heart is hard to fathom, let alone the heart of a Sage. However, I believe they must be plotting something monumental that will affect all of Middle-earth."

Jiang Fan slowly nodded. Sacrificing the destiny of an entire Taicang Province for hundreds of years... What they sought could not be small.

He felt a sense of relief and said, "Alright, if it was arranged by a Sage, then I have nothing more to say. I only hope the sacrifice of Taicang Province won't be in vain."

Suddenly, he thought of the Bone of Misfortune. Pondering, he took it out.

Staring at the bone fragment in his hand, he couldn't help but mutter, "This can't possibly be the Sage of Misfortune's actual bone, can it?"

What cultivation level was Ji Qingxuan? She couldn't even enter the Forbidden Zone! And to tamper with the Sage of Misfortune's remains in front of a pile of Divine Transformation realm skeletons... That was even more unrealistic, wasn't it?

However! The moment the bone fragment was taken out, the Sage of Misfortune's remains seemed to react. His cloak flapped, revealing his chest. His abdomen was cut open, and two ribs were missing. One of them was precisely the one in Jiang Fan's hand.

"This... this..." Jiang Fan looked bewildered. How did Ji Qingxuan do it? And were a Sage's bones so easy to break?

The Great Libationer, sensing something, looked over. He said, "That must have been given to you by the Princess from the Northern Sea, right? Only she could enter the Forbidden Zone as if it were an uninhabited place."

Jiang Fan didn't know what to say. That woman who loved reading, sought knowledge from all corners of the world, always claimed it was raining from the sky, and therefore always carried an umbrella—she turned out to be someone of such importance?

He couldn't help but rub his temples and said, "Next time I meet her, I'll definitely ask her about this properly. Let's go out."

He glanced at the stone tablet that the Sage of Misfortune was pressing on, without any greed. That must be the Monument of Misfortune the Great Libationer mentioned. Even the Asura Saint, after draining the Sage of Misfortune's blood, hadn't bothered to take this treasure. This showed it harbored deadly perils. At such a critical juncture, it was best not to be greedy.

The Great Libationer, meanwhile, gazed at the divine monument, sensing it for a moment. He said, "Indeed, the time is not right. This stone tablet seals a strike from the Sage of Misfortune. It's not advisable to disturb it for now."

Jiang Fan's scalp tingled slightly. He knew it! This stone tablet must have been left by the Sage of Misfortune for future generations to deal with the Giant Emperor. If used correctly, it could eliminate a powerful ancient giant!

The two of them left the Forbidden Zone. Experts from various sects had already arrived successively. The Great Libationer immediately began making arrangements. Based on the strength, numbers, and cultivation characteristics of each sect's experts, he deployed their forces with the Forbidden Zone as the center. He aimed to ensure that the decisive battle with the ancient giants could take place near the Forbidden Zone, preventing them from spreading throughout Taicang Province.

The Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets was stationed in the due east, with Qingli Mountain directly behind them. If their position was breached, the ancient giants would advance unimpeded, slaughtering their way to Qingli Mountain.

In addition, to the east were the Fire Worship Sect and several small to medium-sized sects. Their sects were also located in the east. Even if not for the common people, they would fight with all their might for their own sects.

Taking advantage of the lull in troop deployment, Jiang Fan seized this last bit of time to start refining spirit elixirs. He simply set up an isolation array, then took out the ingredients for the Reversion to Void Elixir and Heavenly Garment Divine Water, and began refining on the spot.

After more than half a day, only three hours remained until the ancient giants' arrival. The experts from all sects had been fully deployed. But some crucial individuals were still missing!

Suddenly, all the Eight-Aperture Nascent Soul experts present felt a surge of agitation in their hearts. The madness within them showed faint signs of becoming uncontrollable. Looking intently, beside the Great Libationer, a burly middle-aged man had appeared at some unknown point. With lightning coursing over his body, it was none other than the Heart Devil Venerable!

Everyone's hearts trembled slightly. Taicang Province's first Venerable had arrived!

"Heh, I thought I'd be the last one to arrive," the Heart Devil Venerable grumbled, "Those others, each one puts on a bigger show than the last!"

No sooner had he spoken, the heavens and earth were suddenly bathed in Buddhist light, rendering the entire view a brilliant gold. A colossal Buddha's phantom, reaching to the sky, floated into view, seated cross-legged. A deep, resonant, and slow voice serenely drifted over: "May my Buddha's mercy bless all living beings."

Everyone was invigorated once more! Taicang Province's most powerful Divine Transformation Venerable had arrived!