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Chapter 1764: Ancient Saint Divine Stele

He certainly hadn't forgotten the existence of the Asura Saint. As long as this poisonous snake remained, he would not know a moment's peace.

The Lord of Riverside Pavilion frowned and said, "The Sage Wan Yun has no apparent power, yet his influence is everywhere."

Jiang Fan wondered what he meant by this. He remembered Kui Xing once saying that the Asura Saint was highly esteemed in the Central Plains and revered by countless people. If he had no power, how could he be so highly regarded?

The Lord of Riverside Pavilion looked troubled and said, "Ever since Sage Wan Yun entered the Sage realm, he has continuously supported various sects that did not have a sage presiding over them. His reach extends across the eight provinces of the Central Plains. In Tianzhou especially, countless sects have benefited from his generosity. He often helps small and medium-sized sects resist powerful ones under the guise of 'aiding the weak and eradicating evil,' and he frequently provides assistance to those lacking resources, renowned for his benevolence. He is not physically present, yet he is omnipresent. Therefore, some call him the 'Sage of Eight Provinces!' No one can say for sure how much influence he has cultivated over the years."

Jiang Fan listened, secretly awestruck. The Sage of Eight Provinces! This was indeed the Asura Saint's modus operandi: winning people's hearts with a positive image. No wonder he was one of the four sages to attain the Sage realm within a millennium. Sage Tianluo achieved his sagely status through destiny under his manipulation. The Nine Nether Demon Lord advanced by enhancing his bloodline power. Ancient Zen Buddha Master, on the other hand, achieved his status by virtue of his vast Buddhist foundation. The Asura Saint's ability to enter the Sage realm through merit was unimaginable; he must have garnered the support of countless people, at least no fewer than the one hundred thousand half-giants in Tianyi City.

Only then did Jiang Fan realize that such a hidden malignant tumor existed in the Central Plains. If he secretly incited his followers to do something extreme, the consequences...

Pausing, Jiang Fan asked in surprise, "Wait, why is he called the Sage of Eight Provinces?"

The Lord of Riverside Pavilion replied, "Because he never comes to Taicang Province. I once complained why he didn't help my Riverside Pavilion expand its business to all nine provinces. It's a good thing he didn't come. Otherwise, just rooting out his followers within my sect would have cost me endless energy."

Jiang Fan wondered if the reason he didn't come was fear of the Ancient Saint Yun Huang on the continent. If he had known this earlier, Sage Wan Yun's suspicion could have been directly confirmed. Looking at the nearly two hundred Incarnation Realm cultivators present, and the nearly thirty thousand Nascent Soul Realm cultivators in Tianzhou, his heart sank. How many of them were followers of Sage Wan Yun? And how many, even knowing his true identity, would still obey him and cause destruction? He hoped the sages of Tianzhou would be vigilant.

Just then, auspicious clouds surged in the sky, swirling around the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, forming a colossal vortex. Nine ancient, weathered black stone tablets slowly descended from the vortex. The tablets seemed to have withstood eons of wind and frost, covered in mottled marks, exuding a profound, ancient aura of time. They also contained an essence that compelled worship. Even Jiang Fan, who usually showed no deference to sages and did not bow to saints, felt an urge to prostrate himself. Looking at everyone else, from those at the Five Decays of Heaven and Man stage down to the Nascent Soul realm, all bowed or knelt.

The Lord of Riverside Pavilion looked on with reverence and excitement, saying, "Those are the Divine Merit Tablets of the nine Ancient Saints. They possess their own consciousness and will bestow merit upon each person based on their own judgment."

Jiang Fan pondered this and understood. The Central Plains did not consist solely of humans, nor were all humans cultivators of magic. Some traditions and races had Ancient Saints presiding over them! They would naturally be more inclined to bestow merit upon those from their own traditions. If Jiang Fan became a saint, he would, of course, also give extra consideration to humanity; this was understandable. As long as it wasn't too biased, there was nothing wrong with it.

At this moment, Jiang Fan saw names engraved on all nine stone tablets. Even after ten thousand years, the inscriptions remained clear and striking. There weren't many names; some tablets had a dozen or so, while others only had a few. On one of the tablets, Jiang Fan saw a familiar name.

"Sword Master Beixuan." Jiang Fan murmured softly.

The Lord of Riverside Pavilion said, "The nine tablets will each record those who performed extraordinary deeds in the ancient giant wars. After ten thousand years, only over twenty people have made it onto these lists."

Jiang Fan secretly clicked his tongue in amazement. In the ten millennia that followed, how many peerless geniuses were born in the Central Plains, and how many moving historical figures emerged during the successive ancient giant wars? Yet, fewer than twenty individuals managed to have their names inscribed on the tablets. It could only be said that those whose names were inscribed on the Saint's tablets must be historical heroes who altered the destiny of the Central Plains. He wondered if anyone in the contemporary Central Plains would be able to leave their name.

As the tablets appeared, several sage auras flickered into existence. They were none other than Ancient Zen Buddha Master, Sage Leimie, Sage Lengyue, Sage Wuhen, as well as Sage Tiangong from Divine Weapon Province and the Nine Nether Demon Lord from Myriad Demon Province. The six sages bowed to the tablets, looking at the names inscribed upon them with both respect and undisguised envy in their eyes. To have one's name on the tablets, shining for eternity. No sage could resist such an honor. However, they had no hope; Tianzhou's performance in this battle was utterly unremarkable. It was nowhere near the level required to have one's name inscribed.

At this moment, the nine stone tablets gently trembled, and streams of golden light emerged. The Grand Venerables at the Five Decays of Heaven and Man stage present were all visibly excited. The Master of Heavenly Secret Pavilion clenched his fists, unable to calm his nervousness, and said, "The merit ranking is about to begin."

Jiang Fan also looked on with curiosity, but saw that the names on the nine stone tablets had all faded, leaving a blank white surface. And simultaneously, a line of text appeared.

"Fifth place on the Ancient Saint of Demon Race Merit List: Nine Nether Demon Lord.""Fifth place on the Ancient Saint of Buddhist Dao Merit List: Ancient Zen Buddha Master.""Fifth place on the Ancient Saint of Confucian Dao Merit List: Anonymous.""Fifth place on the Ancient Saint Yun Huang Merit List: Anonymous.""Fifth place on the Immortal Ancient Saint Merit List: Grand Venerable Silver Moon.""Fifth place on the Heaven-Protecting Ancient Saint Merit List: Sage Leimie."

Jiang Fan finally understood why there were nine stone tablets; their criteria indeed varied greatly. The Demon Race supported their own, the Buddhist Dao supported their own, and the Confucian Dao supported their own. And Ancient Saint Yun Huang supported Jiang Fan's people. In total, three of the nine Divine Merit Tablets ranked the Lord of Riverside Pavilion in fifth place. Even powerful sages and Grand Venerable Silver Moon of Tianzhou only received one nomination. This showed that the assessment of merit was generally fair. The Lord of Riverside Pavilion's immense contribution — immersing himself in the situation, luring three Giant Emperors to descend, and personally killing one — would not be overlooked.

After the rankings were determined, from each of the nine Divine Merit Tablets, a feather descended. These feathers were ten times larger than the small feathers that appeared when Jiang Fan performed soul salvation. They flew down to their respective strong individuals. One of them landed on Grand Venerable Silver Moon, the broad feather draping over him like a feather robe. A divine halo behind his head emitted a golden glow, and the faint outline of a miniature Divine Merit Tablet appeared behind him. However, after flickering for a while, the outline dispersed due to a lack of sufficient merit. The failure to condense a Divine Merit Tablet meant an inability to enter the Sage realm.

Grand Venerable Silver Moon's face turned pale, and he staggered, supported by Sage Lengyue.

"Alas, it was too far off." Sage Lengyue sighed deeply in disappointment.

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