Chapter 1709: Half-Giant Extinction

Jiang Fan cast a sidelong glance at her, knowing he couldn't trust anything she said. At the same time, a sense of surprise and suspicion arose within him. This woman had pledged allegiance to the Asura Holy Son, so what was she doing here? Scanning his surroundings, Jiang Fan felt a surge of unease. As long as the Asura Holy Son remained, he would be in danger.

"Alright, then you first eliminate all the Half-Giants," Jiang Fan responded to the witch.

The witch chuckled, "Hehe, my little gentleman is still so hard to fool."

"I advise you, little gentleman, to leave quickly and not to even think about touching the formation," she said. "This formation contains the laws of the Benevolent Sage, and if it's attacked, the Benevolent Sage will sense it."

Hearing this, the Black Dragon Grand Venerable said in a deep voice, "Why tell him that?" He was still hoping these people would ignorantly attack the formation, thus luring the Benevolent Sage.

The witch giggled, "He's my most beloved male companion; I wouldn't want him to die at the hands of the Benevolent Sage. Little gentleman, go on. Your sister will come find you when she's free."

Jiang Fan's eyes narrowed. It was indeed fortunate that the witch had reminded him. This formation either shouldn't be touched, or if it was, it needed to be broken quickly. Otherwise, if the Benevolent Sage was alerted, eliminating the Half-Giant remnants would become an impossible task.

He scanned the vast Sky Relic City. Half-Giants were hidden everywhere—in houses, fortresses, and underground passages. Their numbers were easily over a hundred thousand! If they weren't eliminated today, Half-Giants of the Golden Body and Dharma Form realms would continuously emerge from among them in the future, remaining a persistent blight upon the Central Plains.

He no longer hesitated, retrieving the nine-colored crystal. If it could permanently eradicate a malignant tumor from the Central Plains, then the nine-colored crystal would not be wasted.

However, just as Jiang Fan prepared to use the nine-colored crystal, powerful fluctuations of the Five Declines of Heaven and Man erupted simultaneously from all four directions of Sky Relic City. Four terrifying attacks slammed into the Sage-level formation. The immense formation immediately trembled violently.

The Black Dragon Grand Venerable's expression changed dramatically as he stared at the immense demonic energy surging from the east. "Golden Scale Grand Venerable, how dare you defy the Benevolent Sage?" he roared.

From the east, a voice, as if speaking through a pinched nose, replied, "I'm not the Golden Scale Grand Venerable; I'm just passing by." From the other three directions, similarly disguised voices echoed.

"I'm also just passing by.""Me too.""Me too."

Jiang Fan paused, then recognized the voices belonged to the Golden Scale Grand Venerable, Myriad Weapons Grand Venerable, Starry Mountain Master, and Rivers and Mountains Pavilion Master. His eyes lit up with joy! He had assumed this group of Grand Venerables wouldn't show up. To his surprise, they, like Jiang Fan and his companions, had crossed the Heavenly Realm with the intention of eradicating the Half-Giants. However, they weren't acting openly but were secretly striking from the shadows, concealed. But were only these four here? Had Ice Heart Grand Venerable not come?

Just as he mused, a weak, guilty voice came from directly above the formation: "I, I was just passing by too." Immediately after, a steel needle artifact, imbued with a Sage's aura and designed to counteract formations, was thrown from nothingness, piercing the grand formation. The already trembling formation, assaulted by such a potent anti-formation artifact, could no longer hold. It shattered with a bang on the spot.

Jiang Fan's eyes gleamed with delight as he shouted to the surrounding cultivators of the Soul Transformation realm, "Everyone, act now! Time is short!" Everyone's hearts tightened. The Benevolent Sage might already be on his way back. Sages could tear through spatial barriers to travel, and no one knew when he might arrive. Perhaps in the very next moment.

"How dare you!" the Black Dragon Grand Venerable roared furiously. "I, the Black Dragon Grand Venerable, guarantee the Half-Giants' safety! Whoever dares to kill a Half-Giant, I will nev—"

Boom! A golden serpent shadow descended from the sky, violently slamming into the Black Dragon Grand Venerable and sending him flying a thousand miles away.

The Black Dragon Grand Venerable was startled. "Golden Scale Grand Venerable! Have you also undergone ancestral awakening?"

The Golden Scale Grand Venerable, still pinching his nose, retorted, "You're the Golden Scale! Your whole family is Golden Scale!"

At that moment, the Big Dipper constellation descended from the Nine Heavens, crashing down upon the Black Dragon Grand Venerable. Next, a finely forged iron hammer, radiating the power of a top-grade spirit artifact, came smashing down. A strangely shaped, poisoned scimitar also seized the opportunity to strike at the Black Dragon Grand Venerable. All four Grand Venerables collectively launched sneak attacks on the Black Dragon Grand Venerable. The Black Dragon Grand Venerable's face paled in alarm. Even with his immense pride, he dared not face four Grand Venerables simultaneously.

Glancing at Sky Relic City, he gritted his teeth and teleported away. At this point, let alone protecting the Half-Giants, he couldn't even look after his own clan members who were Demon Monarchs and Demon Emperors.

"Ahem, Jiang Fan, none of you saw anything, and none of us were ever here," the Golden Scale Grand Venerable said, still pinching his nose, before quickly fleeing. The Benevolent Sage would be back in a matter of breaths; if they didn't leave now, there would be no way to deny their involvement. The Starry Mountain Master, Rivers and Mountains Pavilion Master, and Myriad Weapons Grand Venerable all made their escape.

The Ice Heart Grand Venerable also hurriedly fled, glancing at Jiang Fan before leaving. "I wasn't here either, got it? Don't you dare expose me!" she said.

The Grand Venerables were different from Jiang Fan and his group. Jiang Fan and his companions were ordinary cultivators of the Soul Transformation realm, their actions and words only representing themselves. However, the Grand Venerables were the leaders of their respective states, and their every action represented their entire state. If discovered by the Benevolent Sage, it could easily implicate their entire territory.

Jiang Fan was speechless. Did he really need a special reminder for that?

Without time to think further, Jiang Fan pulled Yue Mingzhu and charged into Sky Relic City. With a flick of his hand, the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron appeared. Inside lay countless pearl-sized, concentrated lava droplets. These were condensed lava from the Fire Well of the Fire Worship Cult. Each droplet could easily kill a late-stage Nascent Soul Realm martial artist. For anyone below the Nascent Soul Realm, they were a complete disaster.

He waved his hand, and as he flew, the lava pearls rained down across Sky Relic City. Upon landing, the lava pearls burst open, transforming into a sea of molten fire. When hundreds of these lava pearls were scattered, a significant portion of Sky Relic City became a lava lake, leaving none safe, whether they were hidden in houses, bunkers, or underground.

Several Demon Monarchs, along with other powerful demons, urgently ascended into the sky to escape, their scalps tingling with fear. "These methods are too ruthless; they are clearly aimed at the complete annihilation of the Half-Giants."

The witch chuckled, "My little gentleman is becoming more and more manly; I like it." She took out a jade talisman, flicked it towards Jiang Fan, and then teleported away from the slaughter. She showed no mercy towards the Half-Giants, nor any intention of saving them.

It wasn't just Jiang Fan who was ruthless; every Soul Transformation Venerable who came was equally merciless. Even Yue Mingzhu was consumed by bloodlust, her dark steel wires reaping countless Half-Giant lives with every strike. In just ten breaths, the vast Sky Relic City was transformed into a sea of fire, a living hell, with no survivors visible anywhere.

However, for absolute safety, the Crimson Demon Grand Venerable, in collaboration with Jiang Wuya and his Monument of Misfortune, unleashed the immense power of the Three Declines of Heaven and Man, causing the entire Sky Relic City to sink deeper and deeper. It continued to descend until it pierced through the earth and entered the magma layer. As Sky Relic City was slowly submerged by lava, some Half-Giants who had feigned death or miraculously survived rushed out in terror. Their response was the duo's merciless slaughter.

Finally, when Sky Relic City was completely submerged in lava and melted into molten rock, the two ceased their actions. Thus, the Half-Giants who had existed in the Central Plains for a thousand years were completely eradicated. Not a single one remained!

Jiang Fan let out a long breath. This malignant tumor had finally been removed. Perhaps some might find their actions cruel and inhumane. But if it paved the way for future generations, they were willing to bear the infamy!

Jiang Fan dared not relax. He said, "Let's quickly head to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, repair the state-level teleportation array as soon as possible, and withdraw from Guiyu State." The Benevolent Sage was coming!