Chapter 1766: Refusing to Enter the Palace

The Star Abyss Grandmaster alone occupied seven stone tablets. Everyone's gaze held no doubt, only profound admiration. Fourth place: The Star Abyss Grandmaster was truly deserving.

Venerable Zhenyan's tears flowed like a spring, her delicate body trembling slightly as she murmured, "Father, you have received the affirmation of seven ancient sages." Jiang Fan stepped forward and gently embraced her, saying, "The Star Abyss Grandmaster is a role model for everyone in the Central Lands." Venerable Zhenyan remained silent, leaning on his shoulder and weeping quietly.

At this moment, seven large merit feathers descended from the divine tablet. It's worth noting that the merit feathers for fourth place were noticeably larger than those for fifth place, implying a greater possibility of entering the Sage Realm. They circled once in mid-air, and finding that the Star Abyss Grandmaster was not present, they vanished into the void, going to seek him out. Venerable Zhenyan looked up, watching the direction of the feathers, deeply wishing she could go with them. But how could she cross the void? She could only sadly watch them disappear into nothingness. Jiang Fan saw her expression, and silently held her tighter. A slight pang of pain shot through his heart; he knew Venerable Zhenyan would leave him.

Soon after, the divine tablet vibrated again. The third-place names were about to appear!

"Ancient Sage Merit Ranking of the Monster Race, third place: Young Emperor.""Ancient Sage Merit Ranking of the Buddhist Path, third place: Young Emperor.""Ancient Sage Merit Ranking of the Confucian Path, third place: Young Emperor.""Ancient Sage Merit Ranking of Cloud Wilds, third place: Samsara Mountain Master.""Ancient Sage Merit Ranking of Immortals, third place: Young Emperor.""Ancient Sage Merit Ranking of Heaven-Protectors, third place: Samsara Mountain Master."

Under the calm gaze of the crowd, the third-place rankings were decided. The Young Emperor alone held six stone tablets, while the Samsara Mountain Master received three. Besides these two, no one else competed. Jiang Fan was somewhat puzzled; what merit had the Young Emperor accumulated to rank higher than the Star Abyss Grandmaster?

At this moment, three even larger merit feathers floated out. These merit feathers were now as large as a quilt. They landed on the young man from Samsara Mountain who was experiencing the Five Signs of Decay. He had also received one during the fourth-place ranking, so in total, he now had four merit feathers. Under everyone's watchful eyes, his divine halo melted into golden liquid, successfully forging a divine merit tablet behind him, with some golden liquid still remaining. The Lord of Jiangshan Yipin Tower and the other Sages immediately stepped forward to congratulate him. Today, another Sage was born in the Central Lands.

However, what everyone anticipated more was the other individual: the Young Emperor! The strongest Nascent Soul cultivator in the Central Lands, widely considered the foremost figure below the Sages. This exceptional monarch, known for his domineering and ruthless nature, a figure who was both righteous and wicked. Now, with six merit feathers in hand, what kind of Sage would he become? And what astonishing inscriptions of merit would be left on his divine merit tablet?

Six large merit feathers flew out from the divine tablet, heading towards Young Emperor Mountain. But, under the gaze of tens of thousands, a giant hand formed of lightning suddenly grasped all six merit feathers. Then, with a clench of the five fingers, the six large merit feathers were squeezed into a merit divine pearl the size of an apple. A trace of a domineering and indifferent voice then emerged from Young Emperor Mountain: "When I enter the Sage Realm is not for the Sages to decide!" Immediately, holding the merit divine pearl, he returned. A profound silence fell over the world, with only the Young Emperor's voice echoing continuously.

Venerable Zhenyan was stunned: "The Young Emperor... refused to enter the Sage Realm?" Jiang Fan was also caught off guard and began to ponder. Did the Young Emperor refuse to enter the Sage Realm because he was injured, or because he was angered by ranking third? Yet, this person had been so eager to eliminate him just for a bit of the Five Elements Divine Monarch's merit. It was clear he greatly yearned to become a Sage. There was no logical reason for him to refuse six large merit feathers right before him, which were enough to allow him to enter the Sage Realm.

What surprised him even more were the discussions among the Sages. "Lei Mie, has your Young Emperor gone mad?" Sage Lengyue asked, pained. "He compressed the merit feathers bestowed by the Sages into a merit divine pearl, directly losing more than half of their merit!" Grandmaster Silvermoon of the Moon Palace couldn't even obtain a bit more merit, yet the Young Emperor directly caused half of the merit required for entering the Sage Realm to be lost. This made Sage Lengyue's blood pressure skyrocket. Sage Wuchen also blew his beard and glared, saying, "That scoundrel! The merit for properly entering the Sage Realm was wasted by him!" The Sages were all visibly annoyed. No one had expected the Young Emperor to pull such a stunt!

Jiang Fan asked in surprise, "Compressing merit feathers into a merit divine pearl halves their value? Why is that?" Venerable Zhenyan wiped away her tears and recalled, "I heard my father say when I was little, 'Merit belongs to oneself; it cannot be transferred to outsiders. Unless one willingly damages one's own merit by compressing it into a merit divine pearl.'" Jiang Fan suddenly understood. No wonder the merit inside the little Qilin's belly and that left by Grandmaster Wutong were both merit divine pearls. But the merit he himself had obtained had always appeared as feathers. This measure was likely to prevent stronger individuals from plundering the merit of weaker ones. For example, if a Sage demanded the merit of someone experiencing the Five Signs of Decay, would the latter dare to refuse? But if it were given, the merit would be halved, forcing the Sage to consider whether it was worth doing so. While it couldn't completely prevent such incidents, it certainly restricted them to a certain extent.

At this moment, the divine merit tablet vibrated once more. The second-place names were coming.

"Ancient Sage Merit Ranking of the Monster Race, second place: Grand Libationer of Taicang Great State.""Ancient Sage Merit Ranking of the Buddhist Path, second place: Grand Libationer of Tianzhou.""Ancient Sage Merit Ranking of the Confucian Path, second place: Grand Libationer of Hunyuanzhou.""Ancient Sage Merit Ranking of Cloud Wilds, second place: Grand Libationer of Wan Yao Great State.""Ancient Sage Merit Ranking of Immortals, second place: Grand Libationer of Shenbingzhou.""Ancient Sage Merit Ranking of Heaven-Protectors, second place: Grand Libationer of Shenglingzhou."

The second-place rankings were also completely within everyone's expectations. The nine Grand Libationers were the ballast of the Central Lands; this battle against the Giant Emperor relied entirely on them to sustain the battlefield. Otherwise, there would have been no battle at the Nascent Soul realm level at all. What was slightly amusing was that the nine stone tablets, almost as if by tacit agreement, each nominated one Grand Libationer. No Grand Libationer received more than one nomination. It was so evenly distributed, as if it had been pre-arranged. However, the Grand Libationers receiving merit was something they were glad to see.

Nine even larger merit feathers, like carpets, each flew towards the Qintianjian observatories in the Nine Provinces. Inside the Qintianjian observatory in Tianzhou, a terrifying aura subsequently erupted. As one divine merit tablet slowly ascended, the phantom of a second divine merit tablet beside it completely solidified under a cascade of golden liquid! Venerable Gu Chan Fo's eyes shone brightly, and he clasped his hands together, saying, "Amitabha, congratulations to the Grand Libationer of Tianzhou, who, after enduring the baptism of disaster, has broken through to the Two Tribulation Realm!" From this point on, the Central Lands gained another powerful force comparable to the Six-Sun Giant Emperor!

At this moment, the divine tablet vibrated again. The first-place name was about to appear! Many people instinctively looked towards Jiang Fan, their gazes remarkably complex. If the Star Abyss Grandmaster and the Grand Libationers were truly deserving, then Jiang Fan's position was even more unquestionable. From before the war to during it, he had several times turned the tide of the entire situation, possessing glorious achievements that repeatedly stabilized the world. Even the Sages present felt inferior. If all of this still couldn't firmly secure him the first place, then winning first place in the Primordial Hunt on behalf of the Central Lands and acquiring the War-Exemption Stele, thus averting disaster for the next millennium — who could possibly compare to such an immeasurable act of merit? It would be strange if he weren't first. The only question was how many stone tablets would list him as first. Each merit feather for first place was incredibly vast. Three pieces could forge a divine merit tablet. If there were nine pieces, wouldn't that allow a Grandmaster to ascend to the Three Tribulation Sage Realm in one leap, becoming the foremost figure below the Saints?