Chapter 1661: Middle-earth Strikes

Tian Jian chuckled in anger, pulling out the unused small divine ring. He scoffed, "Then what is this?"

Qi Qi's eyes widened in surprise. "Where did you get that?" she asked.

Tian Jian's face darkened. "Where else could it be from?" he retorted. "Who else but your black-hearted disciple? He tricked me into believing there were only two divine rings in the world, which is why I spent a fortune to buy it. And now, as soon as your disciple leaves, you, the master, come to continue the deception!"

"Disciple?" Qi Qi's mouth fell open. She stammered, "I don't have a disciple! And when did I ever say there were only two divine rings?"

Tian Qin's beautiful face was also covered in a cold expression. "Is it really interesting for Senior Qi Qi to hide it like this?" she questioned. "It was precisely under your coercion that your disciple was forced to sell the small divine ring at an exorbitant price. Do you think a simple 'I don't have a disciple' will make us deny it?"

Qi Qi opened her small mouth, wanting to retort, but the small divine ring in Tian Jian's hand could only have come from her. After much hemming and hawing, Qi Qi finally demanded, "What does my disciple look like?"

Tian Jian snorted. "How would he dare reveal his true face? He was invisible, accompanied by a ferocious creature in the Five Declines of Heaven and Man state. Plus, he was very young; he sounded like a teenager."

Qi Qi started counting on her fingers. Invisible? Jiang Fan could do that. A ferocious creature in the Five Declines of Heaven and Man state? The White Tiger she had beaten half to death? Jiang Fan was there. A teenager? Jiang Fan fit that description. Had a divine ring? Jiang Fan still fit. Dared to impersonate her disciple? That was something Jiang Fan would do. Black-hearted extortion at an exorbitant price? That, too, was something Jiang Fan was capable of. In summary, it was Jiang Fan!

Qi Qi laughed, exasperated. "Haha," she exclaimed. "No wonder no one wanted my divine rings when I asked around; it turns out Jiang Fan had already cornered the market! No wonder people were glaring at me; it turns out Jiang Fan had practically squeezed them dry!"

As she laughed, Qi Qi began to tremble. "You little rascal!" she fumed. "It's one thing for you to do your own business and leave me with none. But you even impersonated my disciple? You took all the benefits, and I'm left with all the blame!"

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, to the point her vision blurred, and she stumbled in mid-air. "Jiang Fan! Jiang Fan from the Central Lands!!!" She screamed at the sky, descending into utter madness. "Get out here! Get out here!!!"

At the other end of the battlefield, Jiang Fan smiled contentedly after trading the twenty-eighth small divine ring. "Business is really good today," he murmured. "A huge haul!"

He had exchanged countless resources from various realms: secret treasures to aid breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm, potent elixirs to enhance Nascent Soul cultivation. He even acquired rare treasures not found in the Central Lands, which could help late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators perfect their dao and increase their chances of awakening. Furthermore, he obtained the formula for a Seventh-Grade Grand Elixir! Yes, it was the formula for a Grand Elixir that improved one's cultivation from the First Decline to the Second Decline of the Soul Transformation stage. Not only that, he also gathered many of the necessary refining herbs. As long as he could consistently refine Seventh-Grade Grand Elixirs, he could produce them in large quantities. For the Central Lands, devastated after the great war, these valuable resources were nothing short of a timely rain, capable of rapidly revitalizing the land.

"These small divine rings are truly a gift from heaven," he mused. "Thank you, heavens, thank you, heavens..."

"Jiang Fan!!!" A faint, almost inaudible scream drifted from the distant battlefield, but it was quickly swallowed by the general clamor. Jiang Fan tilted his head, listening for a moment, then frowned slightly. "Was that a hallucination? Or is someone thinking of me?"

Shaking his head, Jiang Fan stood up tall and gazed at the vast battlefield. After this period of intense fighting, the Ancient Blood Demon Tide and the sixty powerhouses from various realms were locked in a chaotic battle. Many Blood Demon Kings bore wounds. At this moment, his attention was drawn to a particular section of the battlefield. Dozens of Blood Demon Kings were chasing after one person, who was none other than Jiang Yitian. He wasn't struggling due to the outbreak of the beast tide; on the contrary, he seemed to thrive. Because of the high density of the beast tide, a single spread of his potent poison would often incapacitate a large area of Blood Demon Kings. Once they were mostly down, he would quickly return to finish them off. As a result, despite only being at the Second Decline of Heaven and Man cultivation, the number on the crown above his head had reached an astonishing 150! Jiang Fan had traversed the entire battlefield and had seen few who surpassed him. Moreover, he noticed that once Jiang Yitian's kills reached one hundred, a faint white light pillar, fifteen zhang tall, appeared above his crown, vaguely visible even from a great distance.

Looking towards Tian Jian, Liu Bianhuang, Yun Wanxiao, and Gongzi Xiang, their four light pillars were each taller and more dazzling than the last, indicating their increasingly formidable battle achievements. The most formidable was undoubtedly Gongzi Xiang, whose light pillar was a full hundred zhang tall, emitting a brilliant white light! Yun Wanxiao, second only to him, had a thirty-zhang tall light pillar that had solidified. Gongzi Xiang was truly in a league of his own, resembling a walking pillar of light on the battlefield; wherever he went, Blood Demon Kings fell in droves. His light pillar was also growing at a visible rate!

Jiang Fan looked at the number "four" above his own head, and a long-forgotten fighting spirit suddenly ignited within him. The last time this competitive spirit had surfaced was when he contended with powerful peers in the Nine Sects of the mainland. After leaving the Nine Sects, he had few rivals among his generation. Now, seeing various celestial talents from different realms, similar in age to himself, dominating the battlefield, a surge of heroic pride filled his heart. He gazed at the Blood Demon Kings gathered near Jiang Yitian, his eyes suddenly sharp, and he let out a long laugh. "It's time for us from the Central Lands to make our move!"

Deep within the celestial dome, in a majestic floating hall, a square crystal was embedded in the floor. It reflected the complete panorama of the Ancient Hunting Ground. Within the hunting ground, amidst dense red waves, there were dozens of white light dots. Each white light dot was marked with the origin and name of the individual, representing the surviving participants. The red waves, naturally, were the Ancient Blood Demon Kings. Several of these white light dots projected pillars of light into the sky, undoubtedly belonging to Gongzi Xiang and his companions.

A middle-aged man, with a smile playing on his lips, slightly disheveled hair, and an unkempt beard, leaned back on the throne at the highest point of the hall. On both sides of the hall stood Soul Transformation stage experts, so awed they barely dared to breathe. Their cultivation levels varied, but they shared a common trait: all had once presided over a Linglong Hunt. Among them was Ling Xuzi, who had presided over the Linglong Hunt in the Grand State of Taicang! However, his situation was even worse than before. At that time, Ling Xuzi's divine ring was dim, and his body was decaying and foul-smelling, having already entered the Heavenly Decay calamity state. Now, the decline was even more severe. His body continuously oozed pus, and his life aura was weak and dim.

He gazed at the light dot marked "Jiang Fan from the Central Lands" in the crystal projection, his eyes showing anticipation. Standing beside him was a female venerable in the Third Decline of Heaven and Man state. Her divine ring was bright, and her body emanated a subtle fragrance.

She glanced at Ling Xuzi beside her, frowning slightly. "Old Ling," she said, "didn't you tell him that the success or failure of the Ancient Hunt also concerned your life? Only if the Central Lands, which he represents, win, will you, as the one who presided over the Linglong Hunt for the Central Lands, receive a reward and break through the Heavenly Decay calamity."

Ling Xuzi smiled and shook his head. "Compared to the life and death of the Central Lands, what is my life worth mentioning?"

The woman looked at Jiang Fan's white dot, observing the number "four" on it, and shook her head. "But he can't bear the hope of your Central Lands," she stated. "The Ancient Blood Demon Tide will only last for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. No matter how great his supernatural powers are, he won't be able to turn the tide now."