Chapter 1624: Sage's Protection Assures the Kill

The Tianyi City Lord noticed this scene, his face changing drastically. "Where did you get so many Soul Transformation Realm experts? And even an Asura King! Stop! Everyone, cease your attack!"

He grew anxious, activating five Dharma Idols simultaneously behind him, attempting to force back the Lord of Jiangshan Yipin.

"I just told you not to be presumptuous. You, relying on your numbers and power, aggressively insisted on attacking," the Lord of Jiangshan Yipin said indifferently. "Now that you find yourself at a disadvantage, you want to stop? I told you, you would regret it." He also activated his domain to continue holding the City Lord back.

The Tianyi City Lord was both shocked and enraged, calling for help across the long sky. "Fellow Daoists, quickly stop these lawless ruffians! With a great war imminent, they are bullying the weak. Do they have no regard for the safety of Zhongtu?"

His plea was met with cold stares.

Not to mention that Tianyi City had instigated the conflict in the first place, then tried to shift the blame. Even if Jiang Fan truly was bullying them, so what? The matter of the Half-Giants eating people from the Three Cities of Tianyuan, though suppressed by Benevolent Sage, had gradually spread throughout the Nine Provinces. Who would sympathize with such man-eaters?

Now that they had brazenly kicked an iron plate, did they still have the nerve to ask for help? If not for their fear of Benevolent Sage, they would have gladly helped Jiang Fan.

Seeing everyone feigning ignorance, the Tianyi City Lord grew anxious and called out names directly: "Venerable Iceheart, you and I are both Venerables of Zhongtu. Surely, you won't refuse to help?"

Venerable Iceheart, as if she hadn't heard, held a wish paper, pretending to examine it. "This wish paper is truly beautiful. How can it be so lovely? How is it made?"

A vein throbbed on the Tianyi City Lord's forehead. The wish paper was just a purple talisman paper with some complex patterns. Beautiful my foot!

"Venerable Myriad Arms, are you also going to stand by and watch us perish?" The Tianyi City Lord then looked at another Venerable.

Venerable Myriad Arms cupped his hand to his ear. "I've been blacksmithing for too long; my hearing's bad. What did you say you saw?"

"Standing by and watching us perish!"

"What 'perish'?"

"Standing by and watching us perish!!"

"What 'perish what'?"

The Tianyi City Lord gritted his teeth. This feigning deaf old man!

He cast his gaze around, but everyone he saw avoided eye contact! He finally understood that the matter of Tianyuan City had been exposed, and they had lost popular support.

He could only glare furiously at Jiang Fan, threatening with killing intent: "Dare to harm even one person from my Tianyi City, and I will destroy your entire sect!"

Jiang Fan's eyes gleamed with coldness. "I understand! Everyone heard him, the Tianyi City Lord said that harming his people is not allowed, but killing is fine! Attack!"

He was the first to act, directly targeting the Two-Phased Half-Giant on the left. "Soul Hook!" Without the slightest hesitation, he decisively used the deadly divine ability he had just mastered.

From between his eyebrows, a dark gray chain suddenly shot out, with an iron claw at its end. The soul of the targeted Two-Phased Half-Giant lurched violently. His face changed drastically, and he immediately activated his Dharma Idol.

Two towering giant phantoms appeared behind him. One roared and raised its foot to stomp on Jiang Fan. The other stood in front of its main body.

Soul Hook was a soul art; by the time the enemy could see it, they were already hit. The iron claw passed through one Dharma Idol without hindrance, silently pierced into his body, and firmly grasped his soul.

As the chain yanked sharply, a half-black, half-transparent soul was pulled and gradually detached from its physical body. First the neck, then the waist. Half of his body was instantly dragged out.

Upon leaving the body, his half-black soul immediately dispersed black smoke, vanishing into nothingness. This was exactly like the Giant King's soul leaving its body, just without the exaggerated explosion.

"No! Don't!" He desperately reached for his physical body, wanting to remain within it. But the iron claw, hooked onto his soul, irresistibly dragged him outward. "I don't want to leave my body, City Lord, save me quickly!" His soul cried out in terror.

The Tianyi City Lord's eyes were bloodshot, and he roared furiously: "Jiang Fan! Stop at once!"

Jiang Fan's gaze turned cold, and his soul power suddenly activated. The Two-Phased Half-Giant's soul was completely pulled out by the iron claw and flew before Jiang Fan.

Almost simultaneously, another Two-Phased Half-Giant's shrill scream rang out. It was Venerable Heart Demon, Bodhisattva Pingtian, Asura King Mingye, and Imperial Daughter Zijiang, who had jointly shattered his physical body. His soul was trapped mid-air by a wisp of Buddhist light from Bodhisattva Pingtian.

Imperial Daughter Zijiang grasped it, turned her head, and smiled: "Brother Jiang Fan, how should we deal with him?"

Jiang Fan replied without hesitation: "Kill..." Before the word "kill" fully left his mouth, an indifferent voice echoed from the depths of the azure sky: "Release him."

Those two short words revealed an undeniable, majestic heavenly might. Venerable Heart Demon and the others shuddered violently, their blood surged, and a sweet, metallic taste filled their throats. Asura King Mingye's crown trembled, and the Buddhist light from Bodhisattva Pingtian's golden lotus seat became chaotic, both showing signs of shattering. This was the power of a Sage! What was said became law! Those who defied could even lose their cultivation realms!

Both of them revealed expressions of horror, realizing who it was: Benevolent Sage! He must have arrived long ago, remaining silent when Tianyi City was aggressively bullying others. Only when his own side faced backlash did he appear.

Imperial Daughter Zijiang's body trembled, a hint of discomfort on her face as she looked at Jiang Fan, seeking his instruction. Jiang Fan, however, remained unaffected by the Sage's pressure.

He coldly stared at the remnant soul of the Two-Phased Half-Giant before him. After a brief internal struggle, he decisively stated: "Kill him!" The painful lesson of Venerable Evil Crow was still fresh in his mind; one less of these Half-Giants, who were in Zhongtu but whose hearts were in the Celestial Realm, meant one less hidden danger!

"Impudent!" From the azure sky, Benevolent Sage, caught off guard, his tone suddenly accelerated. This voice, filled with heavenly might, was like a sudden clap of thunder. Bodhisattva Pingtian and Asura King Mingye were instantly shaken, spitting blood, and cracks appeared in their divine halos.

Without another word, Jiang Fan decisively shot out a Soul-Shocking Spike from between his eyebrows. "Perish!" The spike, condensed from the soul power of the Heavenly-Mortal Two Decays, was more than enough to kill a soul without physical defense!

"Ah!!!" The Two-Phased Half-Giant let out a shriek, his soul exploding on the spot. The translucent part became specks of spiritual light, while the black half turned into smoke, absorbed by some unknown entity in the void.

Under the oppression of the heavenly might, Imperial Daughter Zijiang also spat out blood. Yet, she chose to follow Jiang Fan, clenching her five fingers. With a *snap*, the soul inside, along with the Buddhist light, was crushed. The soul didn't even have time to scream before it utterly perished.

This action completely enraged Benevolent Sage. "Junior, you are challenging the dignity of a Sage! We Sages will never condone..."

Jiang Fan had successively killed Half-Giants under his protection, and precious ones who had reached the Dharma Idol Realm, causing Benevolent Sage's killing intent to surge again. However, a rough, cold snort echoed:

"It's *your* Benevolent Sage's dignity being challenged, don't drag me into this! He respects me greatly!" His strong, resonant voice was like a heavy hammer, shattering the pressure that enveloped the Soul Transformation Realm cultivators of Taicang Great State.

At the same time, a figure in front of Jiang Fan solidified from ethereal to real. A short old man with dark red skin and a visibly irritable temper appeared. It was precisely the mysterious old man who had been forging artifacts for sixty years in the underground palace of the Fire Worship Cult!