Chapter 1692: Sacrificial Love

"Father!" Revered True Word buried her head in his embrace, her cries tearing at the heart.

She had thought she would hate this man her entire life. But when he died, her heart was pierced as if by a knife.

Jiang Fan watched, his own heart heavy with sorrow. He looked around the Wenhau Academy grounds, then quietly retreated to the back of the crowd.

*Rumbling sounds*

Nine azure dragons, pulling a bronze chariot, sped forth from the depths of the void. It was none other than the Saint who had repelled the Nine-Sun Giant Emperor with a single blow and annihilated several One-Sun Giant Emperors!

The bronze chariot halted above Wenhau Academy. A young woman in a long black dress, alluring and graceful, with a captivating figure, leaped down. She held a bottle of green spiritual liquid. Her eyes instantly welled up as she gazed at Grand Venerable Star Abyss's remains.

"I'm still too late."

She was none other than Revered Qianjiao. After the Saint repelled the Nine-Sun Giant Emperor, he had taken her and Xiongxiong away from the Central Lands. Unexpectedly, Revered Qianjiao had returned, bringing spiritual liquid from outside, brimming with potent life force.

Seeing Revered True Word weeping inconsolably, Revered Qianjiao knelt and gently patted her back: "To hear you call him 'Father' before he passed, he had no regrets."

Revered True Word turned and glared at her with resentment. Revered Qianjiao paid no mind, sighing, "Don't you understand? I am not your father's wife. Xiongxiong, the Elder, and I, the three of us were being hunted by a certain entity and needed to hide our identities in the Central Lands. Your father agreed to harbor us on the condition that the Elder would act once. It was merely an unfortunate coincidence that it was around the time your mother passed away, which led to your misunderstanding. But he couldn't explain the existence of our Elder to you."

Revered True Word's delicate body trembled. The long-standing grudge in her heart instantly vanished. So, she had misunderstood her father all along.

Revered Qianjiao continued, "Your father also sought a wisp of the Saint's will from the Elder and had it imbued into your body. It ensures your safety and turns misfortune into good fortune. That's why you were able to return alive even after the Five-Star Giant King cast you into the astral winds in the Celestial Realm."

What? Revered True Word's pupils widened. No wonder when the three Divine Transformation experts and one Bodhisattva entered the Celestial Realm, King Black Sun targeted her specifically. Presumably, King Black Sun's premonition domain detected her extraordinary nature. And no wonder such terrifying astral winds, which could even erode the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, she passed through unharmed, transforming into a fireball and falling back to the Central Lands.

So, everything had a reason. She just hadn't thought deeply about it. Upon learning the truth, regret overwhelmed her. She looked at the cooling corpse in her arms, tears streaming down her face: "Father!!!"

*Sound of dragons moving uneasily*

The nine azure dragons seemed to sense something and suddenly stirred uneasily. Inside the bronze chariot, the elderly Grand Marshal, clad in armor, spoke: "Qianjiao, we should leave now. That entity has detected our presence."

Revered Qianjiao took Grand Venerable Star Abyss's remains from Revered True Word's embrace. Resting his head on her shoulder, her jade hand caressed his cold face, and with tears in her eyes, she softly said: "Elder, please take the Young Master and go. I... I will stay with him. He suffered too much; he lost his wife in middle age, his most beloved daughter abandoned him, and he still had to silently bear the fate of the entire Confucian cultivation path. Since I am his wife, I will accompany him."

A long sigh emanated from inside the bronze chariot: "You truly did fall for him after all. Very well, you must be tired of constantly fleeing. Thank you, Imperial Consort, for always looking after the Young Master. Farewell, then."

The nine azure dragons broke through the void and departed. In front of the chariot, Xiongxiong, weeping, continuously waved at Revered Qianjiao, urging her to follow quickly. Revered Qianjiao watched the bronze chariot disappear into the distance, tears streaming down her face: "Young Master, Elder, take care of yourselves!"

She slowly stood up, holding Grand Venerable Star Abyss, and walked to the boundary of Wenhau Academy's formation. Before leaving, she placed the jade bottle in her hand down and said: "This is the Life Spiritual Liquid, capable of healing all wounds. I leave it here for your Central Lands."

Revered True Word stepped forward, her eyes glistening with tears, and said, "Mother..."

"No!" Revered Qianjiao's act of martyrdom broke the barrier in Revered True Word's heart, leading her to acknowledge Qianjiao as her stepmother.

Revered Qianjiao turned around, a gentle smile of contentment gracing her alluring face. "Buyu, thank you. Mother also wishes you and Jiang Fan a happy and harmonious life together. Goodbye."

She gently leaned backward, carrying Grand Venerable Star Abyss's remains, and fell into the void.

Everyone present felt a profound sadness. Grand Venerable Star Abyss was no longer alone after all. At his end, his daughter was by his side. After his death, his wife also sacrificed herself to join him.

Revered True Word knelt on the ground, her heart aching so much she could barely breathe. How wonderful if she had known the truth sooner?

Just then, a hand rested on her shoulder, and a familiar yet husky voice spoke. "Don't be sad... they might find new life..."

Revered True Word turned around, startled, "Jiang Fan?"

The Jiang Fan before her had an aged face, and the hand on her shoulder was like dry tree bark, as if he had overdrawn his own life force, just like Grand Venerable Star Abyss. She instantly understood something and asked in surprise, "You... you made a wish?"

Jiang Fan nodded, his voice hoarse, "I wished for Grand Venerable Star Abyss's soul to be immortal. I don't know if it succeeded." As he spoke, his body swayed weakly. Looking at his aged appearance, he said: "It seems the wish was activated, so it should have succeeded..."

Revered True Word's mind went blank. Seeing her sorrow, Jiang Fan actually didn't hesitate to expend his own life force to make a grand wish to preserve her father's soul? An ineffable emotion filled her heart. It was like when her mother was still alive and her father was by her side, full of warmth. Yes, that was the feeling of family.

"Jiang Fan..." Revered True Word, her voice choked with sobs, threw herself into Jiang Fan's embrace: "Why are you so foolish?"

Jiang Fan stumbled but managed to steady himself, gently stroking her long hair, and said: "Who else would I be, if not half of your family?"

Revered True Word was deeply moved. She hugged Jiang Fan tightly: "No, from now on, you are my family."

At this moment, Revered True Word was completely touched. Both her body and heart were conquered by this 'little rascal'.

"Cough, cough..." Jiang Fan coughed heavily a few times. Revered True Word then came back to her senses and said, "Your body..." Just then, she remembered the green spiritual liquid Revered Qianjiao had left before departing. She quickly grabbed it through the air and poured a mouthful for Jiang Fan.

A miraculous sight appeared. His aged body visibly reversed, and in an instant, he returned to his youthful appearance. Not only that, but many hidden injuries from the battle, and even his depleted domain, were restored! One must know, that mysterious small divine ring, which could restore a person's domain, came from a special sage! What was the origin of this Life Spiritual Liquid, to be so heaven-defying?

"Don't stop, drink more," Revered True Word continued to pour, her eyes full of concern.

Jiang Fan quickly took the jade bottle, saying, "Enough, enough, don't be wasteful!" His eyes brimming with excitement, he called out from a distance, "Pavilion... Senior Nameless? Fellow Daoist Mingye! You two should also try this spiritual liquid."

One of them had his flesh and blood drained by a Giant Emperor's spear. The other had his crown shattered. Such a heaven-defying spiritual liquid might just work. The two rushed over and each took a sip. What was exciting was that King Mingye Asura's crown was easily restored. And the Pavilion Master of Jiangshan Yipin's flesh and blood had also recovered!

"Hahaha, I've finally recovered to my peak state." The Pavilion Master of Jiangshan Yipin laughed heartily: "Being suppressed and beaten by the Five-Star Giant King earlier was truly humiliating! Unfortunately, there are no Five-Star Giant Kings left to settle scores with now!"

Hearing this, a cold light flashed in Jiang Fan's eyes. "What's so difficult about wanting another battle? Go wait for me in Heavenly Relic City! When I return from the Primordial Hunting Grounds, we'll undertake something big together!"

A hint of cold light also appeared in the Pavilion Master of Jiangshan Yipin's eyes: "Indeed, certain tumors must be eradicated!" However, he looked warily at the sky and said, "What if that old geezer obstructs us?"

Jiang Fan fiercely declared, "Then we'll kill him too! Before the expedition to the Celestial Realm, the tumor of the Half-Giants must be eradicated! Whoever stands in the way will be killed!"