Chapter 484: Incarnation of Thunder

After freeing himself, Jiang Fan didn't stop for a moment. Half an hour later, he finally reached the foot of Boundary Mountain. Seeing Li Qingfeng on the hillside, frowning as he gazed into the distance, Jiang Fan’s heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled. He had narrowly escaped death and reclaimed his life.

His gaze shifted. Before Li Qingfeng could notice him, he stealthily retrieved the living corpse from the Heavenly Thunder Stone and concealed it under an iceberg. Only then did he swiftly head towards Boundary Mountain!

“Jiang Fan?” Spotting Jiang Fan’s return from a distance, Li Qingfeng immediately went to greet him. “My boy, how could you be so reckless? How could you dare to venture into the demon territory alone? What if something had happened to you? How would I explain it to the Sect Master and the Supreme Elders?”

Ever since he learned that Jiang Fan and Wu Manyue had gone to the demon territory, he had been constantly on edge. He had been waiting there the entire time. If Jiang Fan hadn't returned, he had intended to enter the snowy plains to search for him.

Supreme Elders? Jiang Fan was puzzled. The only two Supreme Elders of the Azure Cloud Sect he had ever met were Zhuang Yuanyin from Sect Master Peak and Shi Kaitian from Sky Sword Peak. Would they truly care about a junior disciple like him?

Without time to ponder, Jiang Fan said, “Elder Li, please quickly gather all the personnel guarding Boundary Mountain and the Great Wall. I have urgent news to convey to them.”

Li Qingfeng was surprised. However, seeing Jiang Fan’s solemn expression, he replied, “They are already gathering. Come with me.”

Already gathering? Pondering this unexpected development, Jiang Fan arrived at the summit of Boundary Mountain and saw a dense crowd. There were over two hundred people. Besides Core Formation disciples, there were also many Foundation Establishment disciples at the seventh or eighth layer. Furthermore, many powerful elders were present. Several elders from the Azure Cloud Sect were among them.

“Elder Wen, Elder Zhao?” Jiang Fan immediately spotted two familiar elders. Wen Hongyao and Zhao Wuji looked over at the sound of his voice. Their faces lit up with joy.

“Jiang boy, I was wondering where you were!” Wen Hongyao hurried over. Pinching Jiang Fan’s cheek, she said with a teasing smile, “You quiet kid, you actually took first place on the Merit Ranking List!”

Zhao Wuji, beaming, patted his shoulder and said, “When the news reached the sect, no one could believe it. Everyone was trying to figure out how a young lad like you managed to top the list. This old man knew back then I hadn’t misjudged you; you are indeed no ordinary talent. Now, given the chance, you’ve soared to prominence, making a name for yourself across the Nine Sects. Is there anyone in the land of the Nine Sects who doesn’t know your name, Jiang Fan? Our sect shines because of you.”

At that moment, two other elders from the Azure Cloud Sect also hurried over. After exchanging greetings, they began proudly introducing Jiang Fan to the elders from the other sects. “Come, come, Elder Chen, this is Jiang Fan, a disciple of our Azure Cloud Sect. Old Huang, I doubt your Heavenly Sound Sect has a disciple as remarkable as him, do you?”

With Jiang Fan’s arrival, all eyes in the crowd turned towards him. Both the elders and the disciples new to the front lines were immensely curious about Jiang Fan, who topped the Merit Ranking List. After all, the last time they heard Jiang Fan’s name was half a year ago, when the Azure Cloud Sect Master took in a disciple with no spiritual roots. Back then, Jiang Fan’s reputation wasn't exactly favorable. Yet, when his name resurfaced, he had already become a top talent, overshadowing Xia Chaoge and Jin Zhongming, single-handedly dominating the Merit Ranking List and looking down on all other prodigies. The stark contrast was nothing short of a monumental leap. Who wouldn’t be curious?

“Junior Brother Jiang.” Yi Lianxing parted the crowd of disciples, her eyes full of delight as she rushed forward with a surprised cheer.

Jiang Fan looked at her, a hint of surprise on his face. “You’ve broken through to the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment? Congratulations!”

Yi Lianxing bowed and replied, “It’s all thanks to your care, Junior Brother, for allowing me and Junior Sisters Qin and Chu to qualify for precious resources from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. Thanks to you, Junior Brother Jiang, I successfully broke through to the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment.”

The surrounding elders exchanged glances. They had heard about three low-level Foundation Establishment disciples suddenly appearing on the Merit Ranking List, surpassing seasoned prodigies like Xue Wanzhong and claiming three of the top ten spots. It was rumored that Jiang Fan had led them to complete a Heaven-tier mission, which earned them such high rankings. It now seemed to be true.

“I am Chu Xingmeng’s master.” A female elder from the Grand Supreme Sect approached, her face beaming with smiles. “I always believed Xingmeng was a child blessed with good fortune. It appears my judgment was sound. On her very first outdoor training expedition, she encountered a benefactor who guided her throughout. Thanks to you, she has already broken through to the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment, making her the fastest cultivating among the new disciples. I thank you on Xingmeng’s behalf. Here’s a small token of appreciation for you.” She presented Jiang Fan with a valuable spiritual ginseng.

Witnessing this, Qiu Shengnan, Qin Caihe’s master, also hurried over. Her face was filled with affection. “Young man, you’ve truly looked after Caihe so well. With the aid of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion’s treasury resources, she has already broken through to the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment. She will be coming to the front lines soon. When she arrives, I’ll make sure she properly thanks you.”

Although Yi Lianxing’s master wasn’t present, an elder from the Spirit Beast Sect, who was there, stepped forward to express his gratitude. Jiang Fan cupped his hands and replied, “You three seniors are too kind. I simply felt a connection with the three senior and junior sisters, and helping them out was no big deal.”

This casual remark left the disciples present utterly speechless. With a mere ‘casual help,’ he had propelled them to the top ten of the Merit Ranking List. They had each acquired rare resources unavailable even to the Nine Sects, and all had achieved significant cultivation breakthroughs! If that was just ‘casual help,’ what would a full effort look like? Would they then ascend to heaven?

Seeing Jiang Fan so widely admired, the smiles on Li Qingfeng and the other two elders’ faces never faded. Their backs unconsciously straightened with pride. “Boy, once we return to the sect, I’ll make sure to gather all the disciples and have them learn from your example!” Li Qingfeng laughed.

Jiang Fan smiled faintly and asked curiously, “Why have so many elders and disciples suddenly rushed to the front lines? Could they have already known about the approaching army of living corpses? If that were the case, his journey would have been a waste. He had almost lost his life to the demon priest.”

Li Qingfeng replied, “Didn’t the defense line break last time? The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion feared the war would escalate beyond the disciples’ capacity to handle, so they urgently mobilized half of the elders from various sects, along with all disciples at or above the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, to reinforce the front lines. In addition, the Sect Master of the Righteous Thunder Sect has also personally come to oversee Boundary Mountain.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Fan was ecstatic. The reinforcements had arrived just in time. With over thirty elders and more than two hundred disciples at or above the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, they might not need to retreat from the front lines after all. While the army of living corpses was vast, their power was limited by the fact that they were reanimated bodies. Their strength was only a tenth of what it had been in life. The strongest among them, the nine-headed giant python, had been at the Nascent Soul realm in life, but after transformation, its power was far from that level. The other living corpses were even weaker. Those at the ninth layer of Core Formation, if they could even retain the strength of a fourth-layer Core Formation practitioner after transformation, it would be impressive. As for those at the first or second layer of Core Formation, they would likely only possess the strength of a fifth or sixth-layer Foundation Establishment practitioner after transformation. Moreover, the human forces were fortified behind the immense Great Wall and stationed at Boundary Mountain. They would be able to defend and await the enemy’s advance. In a real battle, the army of living corpses might not be as unstoppable as it seemed.

Jiang Fan was about to reveal the situation with the army of living corpses. With a thunderous boom, a bolt of lightning, seemingly from the highest heavens, crashed down forcefully amidst the gathering. The explosive crackle of thunder caused some disciples with lower cultivation to feel their qi and blood churn. Even the elders near where the lightning struck were jolted backward repeatedly. Everyone looked on in astonishment. At the point where the lightning had struck, a majestic figure, enveloped in blue-white lightning, suddenly appeared!