Chapter 1631: Sweep the Square (Third Watch)

Five!

A full five Giant Emperors had fallen just like that, annihilated, body and soul, with a single gaze from the Old Commander!

Bathed in the golden rain of blood, the people of the Central Plains were stunned. The Central Tribe Emperor, the Slumbering Giant Emperor, and another Two-Sun Giant Emperor, who had luckily escaped, also stood frozen in place. This was still an attack infinitely close to that of a Saint, delivered by a Saint suppressing their realm! It was easier than crushing ants! To kill an ant, one still needed to step on it or press it with a finger. But a Saint only needed a glance to kill a Giant Emperor!

Suddenly, the Nine-Sun Giant Emperor's shrill scream echoed from the ends of the world. Soon, the scream ceased abruptly. No one knew if he was dead or alive.

Thump-thump—

Immediately after, the hoofbeats of the nine Azure Dragons resonated through heaven and earth once more. The Old Commander's indifferent voice also reverberated across the world.

“People of the Central Plains, tell Grand Master Star Abyss that the entrustment has been fulfilled. Now that I have acted, I cannot linger in the Central Plains. We shall not meet again.”

Tear—

The sky was torn open by the nine Azure Dragons, creating a massive hole, and the nine-colored world barrier was also breached. The ancient war chariot soared away through the hole, disappearing into the boundless void.

Once the void healed and the sky-full of blood receded, everyone remained immersed in immense shock, unable to recover for a long time. This was the closest any of them had ever witnessed a Saint taking action in their entire lives. They could no longer describe the feelings in their hearts. Any adjective used to describe what they had witnessed today would seem pale and powerless.

It was a long time later when Jiang Fan finally took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming with bright light: “The Central Plains is saved!”

Everyone gradually came back to their senses. Only then did they realize that a monumental reversal had occurred at the Sage level between the Central Plains and the Heavenly Realm! The Nine-Sun Giant Emperor's fate was unknown, and he was no longer able to fight. This meant that the eight Great Wine Sacrificers were completely free and could join the decisive battle! Five Sages and eight Great Wine Sacrificers totaled a full thirteen! On the Heavenly Realm's side, there were three Giant Emperors and three Inferior Sages from the Central Plains. This also totaled thirteen!

Coincidentally, the Heavenly Realm had the Six-Sun Giant Emperor and the Two-Calamity Inferior Sage, while the Central Plains had the Two-Calamity Great Wine Sacrificer and the Nine-Nether Demon Venerable! In terms of numbers, they were perfectly matched! More importantly, the Central Plains had Law Wine, which could heal injuries in time. The same might not be true for the Heavenly Realm!

The Six-Sun Giant Emperor also regained his composure from his initial panic. The Saint's intervention had caused enormous losses to the Heavenly Realm. However, the Heavenly Realm still held the absolute advantage! He said coldly, “All three armies, heed my command!”

The three well-organized armies, totaling a full 120 Giant Kings, simultaneously drew their golden maces, radiating killing intent.

“Kill every living being on this land! Leave no one alive, not even chickens or dogs!”

Since the Sage level was balanced, the final victor would be determined at the God Transformation realm level. If the final battle resulted in the Central Plains annihilating the Heavenly Realm's Giant King army, then further fighting between the Giant Emperors and the Central Plains Ten Sins would be meaningless. The ultimate decisive factor in this grand battle still lay with those at the God Transformation realm.

Jiang Fan's fighting spirit soared. Although they only had one hundred God Transformation realm cultivators, the Heavenly Realm had a full one hundred twenty or more Giant Kings. However, Grand Master Star Abyss's plea for the Saint's intervention had already created the greatest opportunity for them. If they still couldn't seize it, then the Central Plains deserved to perish!

Everyone's morale was also high. The Ice-Fire Demon Monarch approached Jiang Fan, the divine halo on the back of his head having recovered to three flame marks. One of them was restored by the Ice Origin Star that Jiang Fan had given him. The other should have been aided by the Nine-Nether Demon Venerable.

“Kid, did you think I ran away?” the Ice-Fire Demon Monarch said with a faint smile that wasn't quite a smile. He had promised Jiang Fan to help Tai Cang Prefecture resist the ancient giants. But he only arrived today.

Jiang Fan nodded and said, “Tai Cang Prefecture fought three consecutive battles, each more desperate than the last. I once wished you would return. But thankfully you didn't return alone; you returned with the Nine-Nether Demon Venerable. You didn't help Tai Cang Prefecture directly, but you helped the entire Central Plains.”

The Ice-Fire Demon Monarch's eyes showed apology as he said, “I was beyond my control. Back then, thanks to your intervention, anchoring Yuan-Mixing Prefecture during spatial teleportation, I managed to survive. Afterward, I left Yuan-Mixing Prefecture and went to Tian Prefecture.”

Jiang Fan was surprised, a look of confusion in his eyes. What did he go to Tian Prefecture for?

The Ice-Fire Demon Monarch then said, “I was almost killed by the Asura Saint Son; how could I swallow that indignity? So I rushed to Tian Prefecture to gather my old subordinates and investigate suspicious individuals connected to the Asura Saint Son.”

Jiang Fan realized. No wonder he hadn't returned; he had gone for revenge. Moreover, the Ice-Fire Demon Monarch was originally from Tian Prefecture; he had come to Tai Cang Prefecture to pursue the Evil Crow Venerable.

“And then?” Jiang Fan's heart stirred slightly. Could the Ice-Fire Demon Monarch have already found out who it was?

Unexpectedly, the Ice-Fire Demon Monarch said gravely, “I underestimated the Asura Saint Son. His prestige is astonishing now, and his followers are spread throughout the entire Central Plains. Even among my old subordinates, he has his people.”

Jiang Fan's expression also changed. Is the Asura Saint Son's prestige so strong now? He looked at Sage Tianluo, whom he had initially suspected the most. Could this person, dressed in patchwork robes, disheveled, and reeking, possess such great prestige? Then he looked at Sage Wanyun; he was certainly a possibility. However, he had previously led a suicidal charge towards the giants; would an Asura Saint Son do such a thing? The only one he hadn't met, Ancient Zen Buddha Venerable, now seemed to be the biggest suspect! This person was not only in Tian Prefecture but also a Buddha Venerable of the Buddhist sect, with a widespread reputation and countless followers. Furthermore, Grand Master Golden Scale's wife, Holy Mother Golden Snake, had gone to Tian Prefecture to find someone and was then ambushed and killed by the Asura Saint Son. The suspicion on this Ancient Zen Buddha Venerable was simply boundless. After the war, it would be necessary to make a trip to Tian Prefecture and thoroughly investigate this mysterious Buddha Venerable.

He pulled back his thoughts and asked, “So, were you betrayed by your old subordinates later?”

The Ice-Fire Demon Monarch nodded, “When I went out, the Asura Saint Son targeted me and orchestrated a plan to send me into the void. It seems my destiny wasn't to perish. I drifted in the void for over half a month, thinking I was surely going to die. Who knew that the Nine-Nether Demon Venerable, who was traveling in the void, would sense me! He was leading a group of powerful demon cultivators, nurtured in the void, back to the Central Plains and happened to encounter me.”

Jiang Fan suddenly understood. For years, the Nine-Nether Demon Venerable claimed to be traveling in the void, but in reality, after the last millennium-long war, the Central Plains' resources had been depleted, making it difficult to produce strong cultivators. Therefore, he went beyond the realms to cultivate powerful individuals using external resources. This was how he managed to bring back over thirty powerful Demon Monarchs. It was precisely this force that prevented the God Transformation realm level on both sides from being utterly crushed.

Recalling Jiang Wuya, who trapped and killed three hundred ancient giants with his own body, winning a crucial advantage for Tai Cang Prefecture in its first battle. Bodhisattva Tian Ting sacrificed herself to the demons, turning a certain defeat into victory with her lone strength. The Lord of Jiangshan First-Class Pavilion entered the fray himself, luring three Giant Emperors down to the lower realm and successfully slaying them, laying the foundation for today's balanced Sage level. Grand Master Star Abyss endured humiliation and burdens for many years, securing a single intervention from a Saint, turning the tide of the entire situation. Even the Nine-Nether Demon Venerable had begun planning for this day years ago, securing a hope of victory for the God Transformation realm. Every single one of them had silently contributed precious opportunities for the fate of the Central Plains. If even one of them had been missing, the Central Plains would have faced a completely different outcome. It was precisely their sacrifices that earned the Central Plains the dawn of this day!

Jiang Fan clenched his fists. With so many carrying the fate of the Central Plains forward, how could they possibly lose this battle? Even if they had to die, they would take their enemies with them!