Chapter 1558: Great War Resumes

The Hellish Beast chuckled, "As the weakest of the great prefectures, Taicang Great Prefecture is a crucial springboard that the ancient giants must secure. Once Taicang Great Prefecture is occupied, they can use it as a base to launch attacks on the other eight prefectures! That's why, in other great prefectures, only two Hellish Beasts were deployed: one overt, and one hidden as backup. But Taicang Great Prefecture had a total of three Hellish Beasts deployed! After I was suppressed, the second one awakened. Therefore, both it and I successively released the Sky-Reaching Dark Pillars."

Jiang Fan's heart sank. There truly was a second Sky-Reaching Dark Pillar! He urgently asked, "Where is the second Sky-Reaching Dark Pillar?"

The Hellish Beast let out a mocking laugh. "I would have told you even if you hadn't threatened me. Because by the time you find out now, it's already too late. I can feel that something has already descended through the second Sky-Reaching Dark Pillar." It raised a claw and pointed eastward. "The second Sky-Reaching Dark Pillar is in the farthest east!" After pointing the way, it watched Jiang Fan mockingly: "With two Sky-Reaching Dark Pillars, attacking from both sides, I truly can't imagine how your Taicang Great Prefecture will win. Hahahaha... Hahahaha..."

As it laughed, the Hellish Beast suddenly froze. It saw the ground covered with corpses, the corpses of ancient giants, including a Giant King! It exclaimed in shock, "You... annihilated the giants from one of the Sky-Reaching Dark Pillars? Impossible! How many troops does your Taicang Great Prefecture have? How could you possibly wipe out so many giants?" The countless ancient giant corpses were unbelievable and unacceptable to it. Jiang Fan had actually won a battle! This felt worse than being killed itself! "Jiang Fan, you can't possibly win against the giants from the second Sky-Reaching Dark Pillar, you can't possibly..." Its words were still hanging in the air. A Soul-Stabbing Thorn shot from Jiang Fan's brow, utterly obliterating its lingering soul into specks of spiritual light that scattered into the void.

"What's wrong, Jiang Fan?" Venerable True Word noticed the unusually somber expression on Jiang Fan's face and instantly appeared by his side. It was the first time she had seen such a grave look from Jiang Fan. Not even when he rescued Grand Venerable Star Abyss, facing the five-star Giant King and Grand Venerable Immaculate alone, had he looked like this. Jiang Fan's throat felt constricted. "There's a second Sky-Reaching Dark Pillar. And ancient giants have already descended."

"What?" Venerable True Word's beautiful eyes widened, and she stood rooted to the spot like a block of wood. Venerable Heart Demon, Bodhisattva, and Jian Lanjiang, who had heard the news, also rushed over. All three stood frozen, speechless and numb. It wasn't that they didn't want to say anything; their minds were simply blank, unable to utter a single word.

After a long silence, Bodhisattva clasped his palms together, looked up at the sky, and a look of resignation appeared in his eyes: "This humble monk's calamity, after all, cannot be escaped." At the moment of Taicang Great Prefecture's great victory, he had thought his fate of death had been rewritten. It turned out, it had been there all along.

Venerable Heart Demon took a deep, shaky breath, then slowly exhaled, a bitter smile on his face. "Suffering is relentless. The war belonging to our Taicang Great Prefecture is not yet over."

Jian Lanjiang was also stunned for a long time before forcing himself to speak with renewed resolve: "So many have already sacrificed themselves. No matter how great the calamity, we must grit our teeth and continue to fight! Fellow Daoist Jiang, where is the second Sky-Reaching Dark Pillar?" Pairs of eyes turned to look at him.

Jiang Fan's mind was also slightly chaotic. He took a deep breath and said, "In the farthest east."

The Fire Worship Sect Master's expression subtly changed. "Could it be the Eastern Wilderness?" Journeying east from here, one would sequentially encounter Mount Qingli, the Fire Worship Sect, and then the Barbarian Lands in the farthest east. That was where the owner of the Jade Paper Heavenly Book and a Sage had engaged in a fierce battle. It was a desolate land spanning thousands of miles, uninhabited and filled only with endless silence. Apart from a few disciples who occasionally ventured there in search of the Primal Chaos Nine-Colored Marrow, no one else went. It was entirely possible for a Sky-Reaching Dark Pillar to exist there without being discovered. The Fire Worship Sect Master's face hardened. "This is bad! The Fire Worship Sect is in danger!" When the giants descended, their first target would undoubtedly be the Fire Worship Sect! He frantically ascended into the air and declared, "Fire Worship Sect disciples, follow me!"

Seeing this, the other sects also ascended into the air one after another. "Great Yin Sect, assemble and support the Fire Worship Sect!" "Mount Sanqing, gather quickly and head to the farthest east!" "Myriad-Form Empty Realm, prepare for battle once more!" After a brief moment of panic, everyone quickly adjusted their states. Supporting Hunyuan Prefecture was a battle, and facing the giants descending upon Taicang Great Prefecture again was also a battle. There was nothing to fear!

"Wait." The Grand Wine Offering's calm voice echoed across the entire area. "Venerables, Jiang Fan, and Clan Leader Jian, you will accompany me." Jiang Fan's head snapped up. Was the Grand Wine Offering going to act? No wonder he hadn't made a move during the previous difficult battle. It turned out he had anticipated a possible new turn of events and had been holding back. Now, with the giants' ultimate army descending, he had no more reservations. With a Sage acting, those in the Nascent Soul realm indeed wouldn't need to participate. They would only need to clean up the battlefield and eliminate the remaining ancient giants afterward.

The Grand Wine Offering continued, "Those in the Nascent Soul realm should return to their respective sects and take charge, just in case. If our expedition goes unfavorably, you should rely on your sect's foundations to resist for as long as possible, awaiting aid from other great prefectures. If the operation goes smoothly, I will inform you to act."

Every sect had been preparing for the war against the ancient giants for many years, possessing some means of resistance. Even the Heavenly Secret Pavilion had three formations capable of resisting a Giant King. How could the Three Divine Sects, the Seven Great Cults, and other older sects with much longer histories than the Heavenly Secret Pavilion not have such defenses? Of course, those were only for temporary resistance, serving as a last resort. The Fire Worship Sect Master was anxious, but with the Grand Wine Offering's command, he could only say, "Very well, then we will temporarily remain in the Heavenly Secret Pavilion."

The contingents from various sects headed towards the nearest teleportation arrays, each returning to their own sect to await further orders. An aura of grim determination once again permeated the entire Taicang Great Prefecture. The Heavenly Secret Pavilion departed last. Fairy Yunshang's eyes were filled with worry. She could sense that the danger of the second battlefield might far exceed that of the first. Even with the Grand Wine Offering taking action, Jiang Fan's safety was not necessarily guaranteed. "My love, you must return." Jiang Fan nodded, watching them leave.

Suddenly, he caught sight of Little Rebel and the little tiger. Little Rebel, with his neck craned and both small hands clasped behind his head, said smugly, "I saved Big Brother Jiang Fan's most beloved woman this time, so I've performed a great service. He'll definitely reward me handsomely later." The little tiger looked on enviously.

Indeed, when Fairy Yunshang was about to be crushed, Little Rebel and Liang Feiyan had teamed up to kill two giants and save her. Given Jiang Fan's principle of rewarding merit, Little Rebel would certainly be rewarded. "Little Rebel, come here. You did well this time; I'm going to reward you." Jiang Fan's gaze shifted, and he suddenly called out to Little Rebel.

Little Rebel beamed with joy and laughed heartily, "What did I tell you? Master will reward me handsomely, won't he? Wahahaha." Under the little tiger's envious gaze, Little Rebel scurried on two legs to Jiang Fan, saying in a childish voice, "Big Brother, I just did what I was supposed to do. There's no need for rewards or anything." Jiang Fan nodded. "Yes, there is, there is."

He took out a shoe; it looked a bit old, as if someone had worn it before. It was precisely the one harvested from the purple crystal mine within Grand Venerable Black Dragon's cave. It grew on a mysterious plant and granted powerful teleportation abilities. The one he held was the largest of the shoes. Once activated, it could unleash movement techniques akin to a Grand Venerable undergoing the Five Decays of Heaven and Man. It was absolutely an invaluable item for saving one's life. However, it needed to be eaten to take effect. Little Rebel would surely love this reward.