Chapter 1614: Old Friend

It was a supreme being, looking down on all living things, transcending the level of life itself. The mere aura it exuded made all creatures feel insignificant, as if facing the mighty wrath of heaven.

Several nine-aperture giants showed signs of fear. Their long tongues, previously shot out, recoiled, and they looked up at the white clouds in anxious dread.

A gust of wind swept by, revealing a young man in black standing within the clouds. Hidden by the mist, the bright full moon on the back of his head was exceptionally striking.

The Grand Old Matriarch gasped, hastily knelt down, and clasped her hands in prayer: “The Guwang family reverently welcomes the Divine Transformation Venerable!”

All the members of the Wang clan knelt in worship, filled with awe. Although the Guwang family had produced Nascent Soul cultivators with nine apertures, not a single Divine Transformation cultivator had appeared in a thousand years. In fact, their generation had never seen a Divine Transformation Venerable. To them, it was a legendary existence. They had only heard the name, but never seen the person.

Now, they had actually seen a true Divine Transformation Venerable! And the Venerable had personally arrived at the Guwang family!

Jiang Fan's gaze fell upon the nine-aperture giants. With a casual wave of his hand, a bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, swiftly striking the bodies of several giants. Pffft, pffft, pffft— Several ancient giants exploded into a mist of blood on the spot, not even having time to let out a scream.

Jiang Fan withdrew his gaze and said calmly, “Continue.”

He turned and stepped into the void, heading into the distance, the white clouds behind him swirling. Only then did the Wang clan members realize with surprise that a group of Nascent Soul cultivators were traversing the sky behind him! They included men, women, old, and young, all of them powerful Nascent Soul cultivators! Among them was also a tall, purple female giant!

They advanced majestically, following the young man in black eastward. It was as if gods were passing through!

The Wang clan members remained kneeling in shock for a long time before slowly recovering. Wang Li, clutching her belly excitedly, said: “Grand Old Matriarch, my son is fortunate enough to have brushed shoulders with a Divine Transformation Venerable even before his birth. He is bound to achieve great things in this life!”

The Grand Old Matriarch also beamed with joy. Watching the nine-aperture giants, who had devoured the entire Qingling Mountain, instantly perish, she felt both delight and shock: “Your Grand Patriarch often said that Divine Transformation Venerables are true dragons walking among mortals. Without seeing it with one's own eyes, it's hard to grasp its meaning. Today, I truly understand what a true dragon is.” She looked at the fetus in Wang Li's womb and said, “It was saved by the Divine Transformation Venerable to be born into this world, so it is destined for greatness!”

Suddenly, she noticed Wu Manyue nearby, staring intently at the departing Divine Transformation Venerable. Her eyes were filled with emotions that were hard to decipher: there was surprise, gratitude, wistfulness, and regret.

“Manyue, what's wrong? Do you know any of them?”

Wu Manyue withdrew her gaze and shook her head gently: “How could I be so fortunate as to know them?” She chuckled self-deprecatingly in her heart. When she left the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion and traveled thousands of miles to her mother's maiden family, she had fortunately broken through to the Nascent Soul realm, believing it to be a wise choice that would change her destiny. Now, however, she saw that everyone from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion had broken through to the Nascent Soul realm. Ren Guhong, whom she once knew, was already a three-aperture Nascent Soul cultivator. Ye Banxia had reached the four-aperture Nascent Soul realm. And that person had even broken through to the Divine Transformation realm, becoming an existence far beyond her reach. How could she dare to consider herself an old acquaintance?

The Grand Old Matriarch nodded casually, “Such beings are indeed not someone we can aspire to befriend. Come, help me tidy up the formation.”

Wu Manyue nodded, and with mixed emotions, bent down to pick up a piece of the formation. But her vision blurred, and a pair of feet appeared out of thin air in front of her. Puzzled, she looked up. A young man's face, with a full moon on the back of his head and a faint smile, was clearly reflected in her eyes.

“It truly is you. I thought I sensed it wrong.” Jiang Fan looked at the charming and graceful woman before him, feeling a strong sense of familiarity.

Wu Manyue hastily straightened up. She tidied her hair, smoothed her wrinkled skirt, and stammered, unsure of what to say. She had imagined a reunion with Jiang Fan, but she never imagined she would be so disheveled, or that the disparity in their statuses would be so vast.

After a while, she recovered herself, formally knelt, and saluted, saying: “This junior greets Venerable Starfire.” It turned out she had also heard the ancient sage's proclamation. She knew that her old acquaintance was now the world-renowned Venerable Starfire.

Before her knees touched the ground, a wisp of clear breeze lifted her up. Jiang Fan said, “Senior Sister Wu, there’s no need for such formality.”

Hearing the long-unheard words “Senior Sister Wu,” Wu Manyue felt both relief and sorrow. She was relieved that Jiang Fan still acknowledged her as his former Senior Sister from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. But she was sorrowful that the two of them, who had once played tricks on each other and been both rivals and friends, were now left with only the mark of 'senior and junior sibling'.

Jiang Fan also felt a profound sense of estrangement. The enchanting, manipulative, and cunning Senior Sister Wu from before was gone. At least, that version of her would never appear before him again.

Without another word, he took out many celestial resources and placed them in her hand, saying: “Senior Sister Wu, take care. May we meet again if fate allows.” With that, he teleported away. Wu Manyue remained standing stiffly, staring blankly as the white clouds vanished at the horizon.

“Man... Manyue, do you... do you know that Divine Transformation Venerable?” The Grand Old Matriarch was the first to snap out of the deathly silence among the Wang clan members, her lips trembling as she spoke.

Wu Manyue looked down at the spatial storage device in her hand and whispered: “That is already in the past.” Two tears trickled down her cheeks. She understood that this was their final intersection in life.

Within the white clouds. Watching Jiang Fan return, Xu Youran asked, “Whom did you see, husband?” A smile flashed in Jiang Fan's eyes. He said, “An old acquaintance.”

The disparity in their statuses meant that he and Wu Manyue could never return to their former relationship. If Wu Manyue could have stayed by his side like the others from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, it would have been different. Once she left, she was destined to become an increasingly distant acquaintance. From “may we meet again if fate allows” to “daring not to meet again.” He held Xu Youran's soft hand and said, “Let's progress together. Let neither of us leave the other behind.”

Half a day later, they arrived at the market town surrounding Wenhai Academy. The once bustling, noisy, and prosperous market town had been reduced to ruins. The roof where the mischievous child used to lie, eating pears and spitting at him, had been trampled by giant feet. As far as the eye could see, there was devastation and destruction.

By the time they arrived, forces from various states had already arrived one after another, clearing out the ancient giants in the vicinity. Notably, the forces from Sacred Spirit State had also arrived. Leading them was none other than Ice Heart Grand Venerable! Her robes were somewhat damaged, as if she had been through a major battle.

Noticing the arrival of Jiang Fan and his group, she cast a glance and immediately saw Jiang Fan. She involuntarily looked at Jiang Fan's divine halo, and her small mouth slightly curved into a sneer: “You actually managed to achieve Divine Transformation. And some kind of Ancestral Dao, it's just not fair.”

A vein pulsed on Jiang Fan's forehead. He pointed to his divine halo and said, “You know I'm a Divine Transformation now. When you're complaining about me, could you perhaps stand a little further away?” A Divine Transformation Venerable's perception was more than ten times stronger than that of a Nascent Soul cultivator. Such whispers were no different from speaking directly into his ear.

Ice Heart Grand Venerable's cheeks flushed slightly. She pretended to look casually towards Wenhai Academy and said: “Do you know where Grand Venerable Star Abyss is?”