Chapter 1627: Demon Lord's Arrival

To the anger and sorrow of the Central Plains’ people, among the Ten Sins of the Central Plains, the mysterious despicable elder in the center actually had two black steles.

He was clearly in the Second Calamity Elder realm, comparable to the Grand Libationer of Taicang Great State!

The reason he was able to advance was by absorbing enough resentment from the Central Plains. This meant that a thousand years ago, he had committed heinous acts that enraged both humans and gods in the Central Plains. It was incredibly difficult for Elders of the Central Plains to advance further, yet it was easy for a traitor. Was this not ironic?

Including them, the Giant Emperor's side now boasted eighteen powerful figures! Their auras were restrained, not deliberately unleashed, yet even so, space continuously warped around them. It was feared that once the great battle began, their mere auras could tear vast swathes of nothingness.

The towering ninety-zhang figure of the Central Tribe Emperor looked down upon the strong cultivators of the Central Plains opposite him. With his hands clasped across his chest, his vertical eye scornfully surveyed the vast expanse, and he said indifferently: “Central Plains, are there no more Elders left?”

His substantial gaze swept across, leaving faint, almost imperceptible cracks in the void. Elder Tianluo, Elder Wanyun, Elder Cixin, and Elder Honglian were all shaken out of their forms. Dazzling golden light illuminated their faces, clearly revealing their solemn expressions.

Four against eighteen. How could they fight now? A profound sense of suffocation made it hard for them to breathe.

The leader of the Ten Sins of the Central Plains, in the Second Calamity Elder realm, leaned on a staff and spoke faintly: “A thousand years later, has the Central Plains fallen so low? You truly disappoint me.”

Rage burned in Elder Wanyun’s eyes: “You still have the audacity to show your face? In the battle a thousand years ago, the Central Plains was on the verge of a great victory! It was your betrayal, you Ten Sins of the Central Plains, that led to our crushing defeat! I hate that I wasn’t born a thousand years earlier to eradicate each and every one of you!”

Elder Tianluo’s already small eyes narrowed into a slit: “Your Second Calamity realm cultivation – did you gain it by personally killing Sword Venerable Beixuan and absorbing the hatred of the Central Plains? Now that you Ten Sins of the Central Plains have reappeared, do you intend to reignite the Central Plains’ resentment towards you, hoping to replicate your breakthroughs?”

What? He was one of the traitors who participated in the siege of Sword Venerable Beixuan? And he personally killed Sword Venerable Beixuan?

Jiang Fan’s eyes flashed with killing intent, his gaze falling upon the staff in the elder’s hand. It was a staff wrapped in vines, but within it was a quasi-world artifact sword, containing terrifying prestige! What made Jiang Fan clench his fists was this: the spirit of the Snow Listener Sword within him had reacted when this despicable elder appeared!

Could it be that the sword in his hand was once one of Sword Venerable Beixuan’s nine swords? Rumor had it that the other swords were all destroyed, but their whereabouts were not recorded. Since this person personally killed Sword Venerable Beixuan, it was entirely possible that he took a relatively intact sword back to the Heavenly Realm for repair and nourished it into a quasi-world artifact. That damned wretch!

The Second Calamity realm despicable elder, his eyes hidden beneath his black hood, gazed at them indifferently, without the slightest emotional fluctuation. His hoarse voice was filled with apathy: “Heaven creates all things to nurture humanity, yet humanity offers nothing in return to Heaven. Humans, by nature, are selfish beings. So-called nobility is merely a mask worn by hypocrites who dare not confront their own selfish and ugly nature. You are even worse than I am. At least, I dare to face my true nature.”

These words made the people of the Central Plains laugh in anger. To brazenly whitewash himself to such an extent!

Jiang Fan scoffed: “This set of despicable fallacies, designed to mislead people, actually comes from the mouth of an Elder! Have you no shame, stooping so low to whitewash yourselves? Did you turn a blind eye when the Elders a thousand years ago self-detonated to save all beings? Not to mention Elders, a Bodhisattva from our Taicang Great State ingested Rest-Earth to feed the demons with her own body, all to save everyone! The Nine-Aperture and Eight-Aperture Nascent Souls of our Taicang Great State sacrificed themselves, plunging into hordes of ancient giants in suicidal attacks to annihilate the enemy. Can you, and the nine traitors behind you, compare to them? Are you worthy of the Elder realm? Are you worthy of the Central Plains sacrificing its fortune to help you achieve the Elder realm? You are not worthy! No matter how much you whitewash yourselves, it won’t change the fact that you are the Ten Sins of the Central Plains! Nor will it change the fact that you will forever be nailed to the pillar of shame!”

Immediately, thunderous applause and cheers erupted on the field. Many Soul Transformation realm cultivators applauded and cheered for Jiang Fan. “Well said, Venerable Xinghuo! Do you think your twisted heresies can still deceive us?” “Sinners are sinners, and they will never be able to redeem themselves!”

Elder Wanyun chuckled, approvingly saying: “Well said! To a butterfly, all is fragrance; to a fly, all is filth! Selfish people naturally only see selfishness; how can they perceive those who are magnanimous and sing heroic laments?”

Grand Venerable Bingxin couldn’t help but glance at Jiang Fan, muttering softly: “How did this fellow speak right to my heart?” Earlier, the despicable elder’s statement about human nature being inherently selfish had left her speechless. Jiang Fan’s words, however, brought her sudden enlightenment, preventing her from being drawn into his sophistry.

The eyes beneath the despicable elder’s black robe turned towards Jiang Fan, still filled with indifference. “A mere Soul Transformation cultivator, ignorant of the nature of heaven and earth, yet looking up to question it—ridiculous, truly ridiculous…” He leaned on his staff, slowly took a step forward, and said hoarsely: “Let the great decisive battle begin with your blood.”

As his voice fell, a layer of destructive void cracks spread in vast swathes from beneath his staff, extending all the way to Jiang Fan’s front. Terrifying, immense heavenly might instantly enveloped the area.

Elder Wanyun and the red-faced elder’s expressions shifted slightly, and they simultaneously moved to protect Jiang Fan. The despicable elder looked on indifferently, and said hoarsely: “Ants trying to shake a tree; you overestimate yourselves.” He took a step, and the heavenly might instantly doubled. Elder Wanyun, the red-faced elder, and Elders Cixin and Tianluo suddenly felt as if Mount Tai was pressing down upon them. Their Elder bodies trembled violently, and expressions of pain appeared on their faces. With his power alone, the Second Calamity despicable elder suppressed the four Elders of the Central Plains!

The Second Calamity despicable elder looked indifferently at Jiang Fan, his gaze like a tangible spiritual artifact piercing his body. Before all the strong cultivators of the Central Plains, killing Jiang Fan would be as easy as taking something from his pocket.

However, Jiang Fan showed no fear. Nor was he suppressed by the so-called heavenly might. With a relieved smile on his face, a nine-colored crystal quietly appeared in his palm. He had anticipated this moment even before he began to retort to the elder. He thought silently to himself: “You Ran, your husband is about to break his promise. I won’t be able to return.”

However, just then, the Second Calamity despicable elder suddenly recoiled, raising his staff and pointing it at the space in front of Jiang Fan. The staff easily shattered the space, revealing a void black hole. From within the hole, a hand covered in green scales casually grasped the staff. A chilling voice emerged from the hole. “The sinner from back then, dare you return to the Central Plains?”

Crack! With a squeeze of the green-scaled hand, the green vines on the staff were completely shattered, revealing a slender longsword, like moonlight. The Second Calamity despicable elder’s eyes narrowed, and he instantly teleported back to stand beneath the Six-Sun Giant Emperor, his expression subtly grave: “Green Scales? Demon Venerable? Could it be the former Azure Dragon Demon Venerable?”

The void of the black hole silently tore open further. A handsome youth, slender of build, with a paper-pale complexion, delicate features, and narrow eyes, slowly walked out. Behind him, respectfully following, was a demon beast in the Demon Lord realm. The divine halo behind his head shimmered with both ice and fire. It was none other than the long-missing Ice and Fire Demon Lord!