Chapter 1559: Giant King Horde

"Shoes?"

Fanguzai looked at the old shoes in Jiang Fan's hand, a bewildered expression on his face. "Is this the reward? Impossible, right?"

Jiang Fan patted Fanguzai's head. "Don't underestimate these shoes," he said. "Once activated, they can unleash the movement technique of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man. Unless the Giant Emperor himself makes a move, you'll be able to escape with your life."

Fanguzai was ecstatic, bouncing with joy and reaching out. "Thank you, big brother, thank you!" he exclaimed. Such a life-saving treasure was more precious than anything.

Jiang Fan asked, "Do you like them?" Fanguzai nodded vigorously. "I love them!"

Jiang Fan then added, "The activation method is a bit unusual. You don't mind, do you?" Fanguzai quickly replied, "Of course not!"

Jiang Fan confidently tucked the shoes back into his clothes. Then, he picked up Fanguzai, placed him on his shoulder, and said, "You have to eat the shoes to activate their speed. If I encounter grave danger later, I'll be relying entirely on you."

"Wait!" Fanguzai's mind struggled to catch up. He asked blankly, "Didn't you say the shoes were a reward for me? Why did you put them in your own pocket, big brother?"

Jiang Fan explained, "They completely belong to you; I merely have the right to use them." Fanguzai looked utterly bewildered. "So you're still taking me to the battlefield?"

Jiang Fan shrugged, stating matter-of-factly, "You're the owner of the shoes, so of course I have to bring you along. How else could I activate them if you're not here?"

Fanguzai finally understood. Jiang Fan was tricking him into going to the new battlefield, intending to make him activate the shoes at a critical moment to save both their lives. And these shoes, of all things, had to be eaten to be activated. That scoundrel Jiang Fan couldn't stomach them himself, so he was making *him* eat them!

"Aaaargh!" Fanguzai thought. "This is outrageous! Bullying a demon like this!" He glared furiously at Jiang Fan, on the verge of loudly protesting.

The Evil Sword, larger than Fanguzai's own face, was placed against his neck. Jiang Fan said meaningfully, "Does the master's word make no sense?"

Fanguzai's expression instantly changed. He rubbed his small hands with a fawning smile. "It makes sense, it makes too much sense! More sense than even the Heavenly Dao!" he chirped. "I've never encountered such undeniable logic in my life!" Internally, he was gritting his teeth in utter hatred. He had never met anyone so utterly shameless!

Only then did Jiang Fan withdraw his sword, smiling. "You are indeed a good demon who can discern right from wrong," he said. "Now, let's joyfully head to the new battlefield together!"

He nodded to the Grand Libationer, signaling he was ready. The Grand Libationer waved his whisk. Instantly, he, along with True Word Venerable, Heart Demon Venerable, Bodhisattva, Jian Lanjiang, and Battle Corpse, vanished into thin air.

At the Fire Worship Sect, the once bustling marketplace was now eerily silent. All personnel had relocated inside the sect's main compound. Core Formation deacons nervously guarded various posts throughout the sect, while Foundation Establishment disciples were protected within secret chambers and grand halls.

On the roof of the Sect Master's grand hall, Immortal Ganlan and Venerable Yunhuo, the only two remaining Nascent Soul stage cultivators, were responsible for guarding the Fire Worship Sect.

Unlike the tense Venerable Yunhuo, Immortal Ganlan sat casually on the tiles. She cast a glance at him and said, "What's there to be nervous about? The battlefield is far away in the Forbidden Land of Misfortune. If they were truly coming here, the Sect Master and elders would have already notified us. Besides, if ancient giants actually showed up, we wouldn't be able to stop them anyway."

Venerable Yunhuo gave a bitter smile. He understood the logic perfectly well, yet he couldn't control his nervousness. Their enemies were ancient giants from a thousand years ago!

"I wonder how the battle is going," he said, sitting down uneasily. Immortal Ganlan, having accepted the situation, replied, "They've probably lost. How could we possibly defeat ancient giants?"

As she spoke, a hint of regret flickered in her eyes. "I should have been bolder and forced Yun Tianzhou to marry me," she mused. "Then, as the Pavilion Master's wife, I could have given Jiang Fan a severe beating. That way, I would have no lingering regrets, even in death."

Venerable Yunhuo's mouth twitched. She was still thinking about teaching Jiang Fan a lesson, yet he was now capable of slaying cultivators at the Soul Transformation stage. He tried to comfort her. "What if we win?" he suggested. "Then it wouldn't be too late for you to become the Pavilion Master's wife."

As they spoke, a tremendous tremor suddenly rippled through the air. It emanated from within the Fire Worship Sect itself. Both cultivators immediately stood up and looked towards the source.

From within the Fire Worship Sect's forbidden zone, a dazzling pillar of fire, accompanied by a tremendous roar, shot straight into the sky. The column of flame reached the heavens, burning through the clouds as it ascended and disappearing into the depths of the firmament, leaving a massive hole scorched in the sky.

Multicolored, strange fires rained down from the firmament, emitting terrifying heat waves.

Immortal Ganlan was startled. "How did the fire spring erupt?" she exclaimed. "It clearly erupted not long ago and should have released all its accumulated flames."

Venerable Yunhuo also looked surprised. "That's odd," he mused. "Could some powerful external force have caused this?"

As they watched, the fire pillar released vast amounts of smoke and dust from underground, which billowed outwards, engulfing their entire field of vision in a hazy gray. The pillar of fire did not last long, slowly receding thereafter.

The two exchanged bewildered glances. Just then, Immortal Ganlan's peripheral vision suddenly caught something, and she instinctively turned her head towards the Fire Worship Sect's mountain gate. "Brother, what is that?" she asked, pointing into the mist.

Venerable Yunhuo followed her gaze, his brow furrowing in confusion. Within the hazy mist, he saw two red stars suspended high in the air.

"Stars? Why are they moving?" he murmured. "And coming towards us? Wait, there are stars of other colors too."

Behind the red stars, numerous other stars of various colors appeared: white, purple, green. Some were solitary, a few were in pairs, and one cluster even showed three. They were densely packed, too numerous to count.

Thump-thump! Thump-thump-thump! As the stars drew closer, a series of muffled, earth-shaking thuds grew gradually clearer, moving from the distant to the near. It sounded like the dull thudding of an immense drum, or perhaps the footsteps of colossal beings.

Venerable Yunhuo seemed to realize something. He looked at the multitude of stars in the sky once more, and his entire body began to tremble violently. His pupils constricted sharply, and his body stiffened to the point where he couldn't lift a finger. Immortal Ganlan beside him was no better; she gasped, her mind completely blank.

They knew what they were. Giant Kings! One after another, colossal Giant Kings! Among them were Two-Star Giant Kings, and even Three-Star Giant Kings!

The hazy mist began to stir, displaced by the movement of the terrifying giants. As their footsteps grew heavier and heavier, the mist started to churn violently, like boiling water.

Then, with an earth-shattering stomp that reverberated at the Fire Worship Sect's mountain gate, the mist was violently dispersed. It revealed a Giant King over twenty *zhang* tall, entirely golden, with two red stars on its forehead! Beside him, one after another, similarly massive Giant Kings, also over twenty *zhang* tall, materialized. They stood shrouded in the mist, their bodies shimmering faintly. The aura they radiated made the very space around them tremble precariously, threatening to collapse!