Chapter 1713: Great Battle of Compassion

Although the two female Sages were mere remnant souls, they wielded powerful magical artifacts renowned from their past. Their combined power was astonishing!

Seeing the nine colossal phoenixes approaching, he redirected the laws he used to attack others, aiming them instead at the incoming phoenixes. Under the law of time reversal, the nine phoenixes visibly shrank, eventually turning into green light specks. The tall phoenix tree also rapidly dwindled, returning to its original state. The time law, its momentum unabated, enveloped the two individuals.

The Benevolent Sage scoffed, "So it was just a bluff, you startled me!" He continued, "You two old crones, the ancient giants from a thousand years ago couldn't completely kill you, but I'll finish the job!"

Red Devil Overlord and Lustful Sage were, after all, only remnant souls; their combined attack merely reached the peak of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man. They might have been able to injure the Benevolent Sage by surprise, but in a direct confrontation, they had no chance of winning. Now, enveloped by the law of time, their remnant souls visibly diminished. The soul power they had painstakingly recovered over a millennium rapidly dissipated.

Just as they fell into a grave crisis, the Calamity Divine Tablet suddenly appeared above the Benevolent Sage's head and slammed down fiercely.

The Benevolent Sage sneered, "A mere remnant soul dares to attack this Sage? Die!" He pointed a finger, and a terrifying force pierced through the stone tablet, entering it. However, the stone tablet let out an angry roar. The Calamity Sage's blood on the tablet's surface quickly condensed into a blood-red character, "厄," which then detached from the tablet and imprinted itself onto the Benevolent Sage. The latter's pupils sharply contracted, and he exclaimed, "This tablet contains a Sage's strike?" He tried to dodge, but it was too late.

The character "厄" quickly imprinted itself on his forehead, emitting a deadly misfortune that began to corrode his body. His qi and blood surged in reverse, the laws he had concentrated in his palm became chaotic, and his body stumbled uncontrollably. He had completely lost his combat capability.

Seeing this, Red Devil Overlord quickly said, "Quick, again!" Holding the Jade Paper Celestial Tome, she once again activated the Nine Phoenixes Paying Homage Hairpin. The nine phoenixes swiftly glided over, all passing through his body.

"Get away... all of you, get away..." he roared, "You ants..."

But the nine phoenixes were seen seizing his soul, forcibly dragging it out. However, the opponent was a Sage, one who had achieved Sagehood through merit. After half of his soul was pulled out, it could no longer be moved.

Jiang Fan's eyes flashed, seizing the opportunity. "Go!" The Nine Dragon Demonic Cauldron flew rapidly, smashing fiercely towards the Benevolent Sage. The Benevolent Sage, currently afflicted by misfortune, merely glared, intending to swat away the Nine Dragon Demonic Cauldron. A miraculous scene unfolded. The Nine Dragon Demonic Cauldron was indeed struck away, but it then arced back, precisely hitting the Benevolent Sage on his chest. This was precisely the effect of misfortune.

Seeing this, everyone attacked. To their surprise, despite being Overlords, they should have found it difficult to harm the Benevolent Sage. Yet, their attacks strangely managed to hit the Benevolent Sage's weak points, for instance, his eyes, neck, and even "by chance" landed inside his mouth. Ice Heart Overlord's strike, even more unexpectedly, landed between the Benevolent Sage's legs, eliciting the most painful cry he had made since the battle began. Ice Heart Overlord's face flushed, and she spat, "Using such a vulgar spot to take my move, you old pervert!"

The Benevolent Sage was filled with shame and indignation. Their damage was not great, but their insult was extreme! "You're seeking death!!" he roared, his eyes bloodshot, veins bulging on his neck. The terrifying might of a Sage swept across all directions like a torrent. Although, under the influence of misfortune, it failed to unleash its full destructive power, it still sent the five Overlords, Red Devil, Lustful Sage, and others flying beyond the heavens. Wretched groans accompanied streaks of blood, scattering everywhere. In an instant, they were all severely wounded. The gap between a Sage and a Transformation God was truly immense. Even if he stood still, they would struggle to take his life.

What terrified everyone even more was that the Benevolent Sage, thoroughly enraged, manifested a resplendent golden stone tablet behind him. It was precisely the most powerful aspect of a Sage, the Merit Divine Tablet, just as the strongest aspect of the Transformation God realm was its domain. By activating the power of merit within the divine tablet, a Sage could gain supreme combat power.

The Benevolent Sage glanced at the "厄" character above his head and snarled, "Begone!" The Merit Divine Tablet burst forth with golden light, and its immense power of merit forcefully dispersed the "厄" character. Immediately, his gaze turned sinisterly towards Jiang Fan, who was the only one still in place. In front of Jiang Fan was a ten-foot-tall pure white bell, which had absorbed most of the Benevolent Sage's previous attack. Furthermore, the pure white shield protecting him blocked most of the residual shockwaves. As a result, Jiang Fan was only shaken to the point of spitting blood.

"You little beast! You deserve to die the most!!!" the Benevolent Sage said venomously. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this situation today! Starting with you, I'll kill all of you!!!" The Merit Divine Tablet behind him once again burst into golden light. The overwhelming power of merit surged towards the Immortal King Undying Bell in front of Jiang Fan. No matter how invincible this bell once was, it was ultimately damaged. How could it withstand a strike of merit?

However, Jiang Fan, utterly unfazed, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "Old dog! Look at your chest first!"

The Benevolent Sage looked down and saw a nine-colored crystal, somehow adhered to his chest by a misty demonic fluid. He remembered now: it was when Jiang Fan had activated the Nine Dragon Demonic Cauldron to ram him earlier. The Nine Dragon Demonic Cauldron was secondary; the crucial part was the nine-colored crystal attached to it. Because it was enveloped by the misty demonic fluid, the crystal's aura had been concealed and did not leak out. Only upon closer inspection now did he detect the terrifying aura contained within the nine-colored crystal. Before he could react, Jiang Fan's indifferent voice reached his ears. "Explode!"

Then, in his rapidly dilating pupils, the nine-colored crystal burst apart. The nine-colored tribulation lightning, powerful enough to destroy Sages, descended like a divine punishment, instantly engulfing him. Jiang Fan's heart pounded. It succeeded!

He had lost count of how many times he had taken out this nine-colored crystal, intending to use it, but had been unable to for various reasons. Ultimately, it wasn't used on the ancient giants' battlefield, but on the Benevolent Sage. It was as if everything was predestined. The white-robed skeleton had once said that once this crystal was activated, few Sages in the Central Plains could withstand it. How could the Benevolent Sage, a wounded Sage recovering in the Central Plains, possibly resist?

However, what made Jiang Fan's pupils sharply contract was this: the nine-colored tribulation lightning that had engulfed the Benevolent Sage was shrinking!! Massive streams of time reversal laws, unprecedentedly strengthened by the continuous power of merit, were actually suppressing the nine-colored tribulation lightning, forcing it back to its original state. Soon, the Benevolent Sage's face emerged from the nine-colored tribulation lightning.

His face was distorted with a grotesque grin and excitement. "Hehehe, you have such a good thing! That's just great! No one can stop this, except for the Grand Wine Sacrifice of your Taicang Great Prefecture and the Buddhist Venerable of Tianzhou! Since you've given me such a grand gift, I'll take it to kill a Sage and incidentally loot their belongings before leaving. Otherwise, leaving the Central Plains empty-handed like this would be truly disheartening."