Chapter 1701: Crossing the Heavenly Realm

Jiang Fan frowned, remembering only after a moment that in his excitement, he had kissed Lü Zhu's forehead.Could such a subtle action be detected?With a calm expression, he said, "How should I know? I'm not her shadow; it's not like I can watch her all the time."Hong Xiu glared deeply at Jiang Fan. "Then I'll just consider it a dog's lick.""You..." Jiang Fan secretly clenched his fist. This troublesome woman couldn't be fooled in the slightest.

He asked, "Are you coming with me to Sky Remnant City?"Hong Xiu bluntly refused. "No. A few ordinary demi-giants don't require my assistance.""Besides, going there to kill demi-giants would put me directly at odds with Sage Cixin. He might be wary of you as beings from the Middle Land, but not of me. If I go, he will certainly kill me to assert his power."Jiang Fan nodded. "Alright, then what are your plans? The Heaven-Connecting Black Pillar is about to dissipate. You'll need to hurry back to the Celestial Realm."He was still very grateful to Hong Xiu. Their initial agreement was for Hong Xiu to help stall King Black Sun, but ultimately, she participated in almost the entire war. This greatly benefited the Middle Land.Hong Xiu said, "I'm returning to the Celestial Realm now. Farewell.""Wait," Jiang Fan said. "Let me give you some Yin-infused vegetables to take back." Although Yin-infused vegetables weren't particularly valuable, they were one of the few things he had that Hong Xiu could use."No need," Hong Xiu replied, shaking her head before vanishing from the spot. She left without a trace of hesitation.Jiang Fan gazed in the direction she disappeared, lost in thought for a long time, before finally sighing: "Thank you, Fairy Hong Xiu."

Immediately, he turned to face everyone, his gaze serious. "Everyone, Hong Xiu has already explained the risks of going to Sky Remnant City. We would be digging up Sage Cixin's roots, and he will undoubtedly harbor murderous intent. If you come with me, you are highly likely to perish. Even if nothing happens today, there's no guarantee Sage Cixin won't secretly target you in the future."

Sage Cixin might show mercy to the Ancient Giants, but he was ruthless towards the people of the Middle Land. This was evident from how he erased the intelligence of the female Venerable, the sole witness of the Seven Cities of Heavenly Abyss, and gave her to a Law Manifestation realm demi-giant to be ruined as a toy. He had no compassion for the beings of the Middle Land. His heart held only the merits of the demi-giants! Anyone who dared to interfere would face destruction!

Venerable Heart Devil's face twitched with ferocity. "How much longer must we tolerate them? The demi-giants who devoured the people of the Seven Cities of Heavenly Abyss have incurred the wrath of both gods and men. With the decisive battle imminent, they even betrayed us, helping the main force of the Giant King cross the battlefield and causing immense destruction! These traitors, these beasts, I'll kill them even if it costs me my life!"His eyes were slightly red. It was clear that the death of Old Man Oblivion had deeply affected him. An obscure Grand Venerable had been killed by these demi-giants! They truly deserved to be cut into a thousand pieces!

"Hmph! That damned old Cixin is the one who deserves to die!" Grand Venerable Red Devil snorted coldly, his hands behind his back. "The Sages tolerated the demi-giants for the greater good, hoping to appease Sage Cixin so he would help sincerely against the Ancient Giants. But what was the result? Did that old scoundrel seriously fight the Ancient Giants?"Rat Nothingness asked in confusion, "Senior, why do you say that?"Grand Venerable Red Devil scoffed. "Can't you tell? Logically, Grand Wine Offering and the Sages all had Jiang Fan's Law-infused wine, allowing them to instantly recover their Law power. In their battle against the Giant Emperor and the Ten Evils of the Middle Land, they should have gradually gained the upper hand as time passed. Yet, until the battle ended, it remained a stalemate. Is that reasonable? There's only one explanation: one of the Sages was slacking off, causing the other Sages to face increased pressure, which is why they couldn't achieve a decisive advantage sooner. Among the current Sages, only that old scoundrel is a coward, needing to be forced onto the battlefield! If I'm not mistaken, he's the one who was dragging down his comrades!"What?! Upon learning the inside story of the Sages' battle, fury surged in Jiang Fan's eyes: "That damned old dog!! If he had fought with all his might, the Sage-level battle might have been decided long ago, and the war would have stopped, preventing so many sacrifices!"He clenched his fists and said, "Those who aren't afraid of death, wait for me at the teleportation array! I'll be right back!"

The group didn't wait long at the underground palace's teleportation array before Jiang Fan returned. But he wasn't alone. He was riding a White Tiger, accompanied by an ordinary-looking disciple of the Fire Worship Sect. It was Lin Zhenyu.A hidden murderous intent flickered in Jiang Fan's eyes. Going to Sky Remnant City meant not only slaughtering those beasts but also accomplishing one more thing!Lin Zhenyu, flattered, cupped his hands to the group. "Greetings, esteemed Venerables and Seniors."Jiang Fan concealed the unusual look in his eyes and said, "Zhenyu, stay close to me. I'll show you the world."Lin Zhenyu's heart was anxious, but his face was filled with joy. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior."Jiang Fan surveyed the group. Since they were all unafraid of death, he saw no point in trying to dissuade them further.He took Moon Bright Pearl's small hand. "Let's go, to avenge Senior Old Man Oblivion!"

The group stepped onto the teleportation array and arrived at the Imperial Astrological Bureau. No sooner had they appeared than Bai Xin hurried over. She was still clad in silver soft armor, her black hair coiled at the back of her head, with two strands falling by her ears. Seeing Jiang Fan, her usually expressionless eyes showed a ripple of emotion. "Where are you going?"Jiang Fan replied calmly, "Gui Xu Province."Bai Xin shook her head. "You can't go. The provincial-level teleportation array there has been destroyed."Jiang Fan's expression shifted slightly: "It seems these demi-giants knew their end was near and destroyed the teleportation array leading to Sky Remnant City."He believed it wasn't just the array from Taicang Great Province to Gui Xu Province that was destroyed. No province could currently reach Gui Xu Province.King Mingye Asura frowned. "These cunning beasts! What now? Without a provincial-level teleportation array, we can't reach Gui Xu Province at all."Everyone fell into a predicament.Jiang Fan sneered. "They think destroying the teleportation array will allow them to rest easy? Dream on!"He pulled out a map—the complete map of the Southern Celestial Realm that the Lord of Riverside Pavilion had given him earlier!"Mingzhu, where is the Heaven-Connecting Black Pillar in Gui Xu Province?"Moon Bright Pearl replied without hesitation, "It's near the Seven Cities of Heavenly Abyss.""What are you going to do?"Jiang Fan unrolled the map of the Southern Celestial Realm, searched it, and finally pinpointed the area above the Seven Cities of Heavenly Abyss in the Southern Celestial Realm. He chuckled. "What if we descend from the Heaven-Connecting Black Pillar? Wouldn't they be especially surprised?"Only then did everyone understand Jiang Fan's idea: he intended to cross the Celestial Realm and break into Sky Remnant City! For a moment, everyone was stunned by this audacious idea. But upon closer thought, it was a very feasible method. The Southern Celestial Realm was currently weakened and sparsely populated, so there was no need to worry about being discovered. As long as they were fast enough to arrive at Sky Remnant City before the Heaven-Connecting Black Pillar dissipated, there would be no problem."Let's go! We'll go to the Celestial Realm and make some trouble too!"