Chapter 1771: The Opportunity to Act

Moon Venerable covered her red lips, her beautiful silver eyes widening in unconcealed shock. "He actually dealt with the Asura Empress's entire family without any difficulty!" "If he were in Tianzhou, I believe he would undoubtedly rank first among the Nine Monuments." "No one could compare to him."

Silver Moon Great Venerable found her words jarring. He wanted to retort, but seeing the Asura Empress's humiliated expression as Jiang Fan pinched her face, he found himself speechless. He couldn't imagine when he would be able to assert such control over an Asura Empress. It might not even be easy even after reaching the Sage realm. A profound sense of crisis surged within him. To attack the Celestial Realm, he must quickly advance to the Sage realm and form a dao-partner relationship with Moon Venerable before Jiang Fan.

Upon learning she had been captured alive, everyone's eyes widened, and they eagerly surrounded her. The intense gazes made the Asura Empress flush with shame and indignation. She lifted her pale neck and declared, "Do with me as you please, whether you kill me or dismember me!"

Jiang Fan asked, "Why would I kill you? Wouldn't keeping you alive be more useful?" "Tell me, what is the full strength of your Dark Asura clan?"

The Asura Empress's eyes blazed with fury. "Do you think I'd tell you?" Jiang Fan held the Purple Lightning in his palm, pointing it at Tianjian's forehead, and scoffed, "Madam, you wouldn't want to see your children die one by one before your very eyes, would you?" With her weakness exposed, the Asura Empress immediately surrendered.

Her eyes welled with tears. Humiliated, she said, "I'll do whatever you say, anything at all, just don't harm my children." She lowered her proud head, her beautiful face now etched with resignation and obedience.

"Uh..." The expressions of the Tianzhou powerhouses turned peculiar. "Wait a minute, is this supposed to be a serious interrogation?"

Jiang Fan's face reddened slightly, and he cleared his throat. "Then be honest." He raised a hand and, with a flick, released the Asura Empress from her restraints, leaving her in the open while the others were sent back into the spatial mirror. He planned to cross-reference her statements with Tianjian and the others later; he couldn't rely solely on the Asura Empress's account.

"Our Dark Asura clan has one Asura Realm Lord." The Asura Empress's opening statement was a bombshell. All the Sages present instantly looked extremely solemn. The Dark Asura clan had actually cultivated their own Asura Saint?

Fortunately, the Grand Wine Priest of Tianzhou said, "Do not worry, an Asura Saint will not act easily, unless he intends to perish with us all." Only then did everyone breathe a slight sigh of relief.

The Asura Empress continued, "My husband is the Nine Hells Asura Emperor." "Besides him and me, there are ten other Asura Emperors: two from the Sixth Hell, three from the Third Hell, and five from the First Hell." "There were originally four hundred Asura Kings; two hundred of them came to your Tianzhou, and I don't know how many are still alive." "As for the Awakened Asuras, there should be around ten thousand."

Hearing this, everyone was horrified. Twelve Asura Emperors, four hundred Asura Kings, ten thousand Awakened Asuras? This force was no less formidable than that of the Ancient Giants!

Jiang Fan was also stunned by the Dark Asura clan's strength. He had anticipated that they wouldn't be weak, but he hadn't imagined them to be so terrifying. No wonder the battle between Tianzhou and the Dark Asura clan had been so devastating!

But then, he grew suspicious: "If that's the case, why didn't you deploy your full forces against Tianzhou?" With Tianzhou's current few Sages, it would have been impossible to withstand a full-scale offensive from the Dark Asura clan's twelve Asura Emperors.

The Asura Empress hesitated for a moment, then explained, "Because our Dark Asura clan must divide our forces: some for invading the Central Lands, and others for guarding against the Northern Celestial Realm taking advantage of any weakness." That explained it. The Angelic Race had been driven into the Northern Celestial Realm by the Dark Asura clan and the Ancient Giants and could launch a counterattack at any moment. How could the Dark Asura clan dare to leave the Southern Celestial Realm vulnerable?

Jiang Fan sent her back into the spatial mirror, then retrieved the three siblings and the two Asura captives. After cross-referencing their accounts, he found that both sides' statements were largely consistent. Instantly, everyone's expressions turned solemn.

At the Sage level, the Celestial Realm had eleven more Asura Emperors than the Central Lands. Advancing now would be akin to hitting a rock with an egg; they would very likely all perish there, just as Ancient Zen Buddha Venerable had warned.

Jiang Fan's expression was also very solemn. Fortunately, he possessed the Truce Monument, which introduced a significant variable at the Sage level. He declared loudly, "Give me one month, and I will do my best to secure enough reinforcements." "If the reinforcements don't meet our requirements, we will re-evaluate our plans for the Celestial Realm expedition!" His goal was to conquer the Celestial Realm, not to sacrifice the Central Lands. If the disparity in strength remained too great, they would have no choice but to abandon the plan to counterattack the Celestial Realm.

Sage Lei Mie took a deep breath and stated, "I will also travel beyond this realm to seek reinforcements." "For this momentous undertaking, we Sages bear an undeniable responsibility."

The other Sages all expressed their resolve. Ancient Zen Buddha Venerable clasped his hands and announced, "The general strategy is settled. For the next month, all sects and powers should swiftly use these meritorious rewards to enhance their strength, in preparation for the future conflict."

The powerhouses from various states immediately felt the urgency. They bade their farewells and converged towards the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. The Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master looked hesitant. He approached Jiang Fan, who was descending, his expression slightly solemn. "Should we temporarily remain in Tianzhou, or return to Taicang Great State?"

Jiang Fan replied without hesitation, "Continue to stay in Tianzhou." As long as the Asura Saint Son is not eliminated, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion will not be safe. In Tianzhou, you have the Grand Wine Priest of Tianzhou overhead and Sages all around. If the Asura Saint Son dares to come, he won't leave alive.

The Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master frowned deeply. "I truly don't understand what he's pursuing, still clinging to you even after his identity has been exposed." "Once he is discovered, it will be impossible for him to leave the Central Lands."

Jiang Fan reassured him, "There's no need to worry; he wouldn't dare remain in the Central Lands for long." "For the time being, I'll stay in Tianzhou, denying him any opportunity to find me. After some time, he will naturally depart."

At this moment, the area above the Imperial Astronomical Bureau was overflowing with people. When personnel from various states had arrived in Tianzhou, they had come in batches, making the process relatively orderly. But now, with everyone departing simultaneously, they were all crowded around the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. A dense mass of people, like a dark cloud, hung over the temporary palace.

Jiang Fan chuckled, "With this many people, aren't they afraid their clothes will be squeezed right off?" As he spoke, the smile suddenly vanished from his face. He had realized something. If there were any fanatical followers of the Asura Saint Son among these people, and they suddenly went berserk, wouldn't everyone nearby be unable to escape? Realizing this, his expression drastically changed, and he urgently called out to the nearby Pavilion Master of Jiangshan Yipin, "Senior Wuming, please separate them quickly!"

The Pavilion Master of Jiangshan Yipin didn't understand, but he complied nonetheless. With a flick of his sleeve, a vast Sage power surged into the dense crowd, splitting it in two. Simultaneously, he softly commanded, "Spread out, no crowding!" His voice, imbued with the might of the Sage realm, immediately awed the Spirit Transformation and Nascent Soul realm cultivators, who promptly dispersed in all directions.

However, strangely, about ten Spirit Transformation realm powerhouses from various states stood rooted in place, their eyes slightly dull, utterly motionless. Jiang Fan spotted their abnormality at a glance, and his heart skipped a beat. He immediately shouted, "Watch out for those individuals!" As he spoke, he decisively summoned the Five Magnetic Yuan Mountain, allowing it to expand with the wind into a thirty-meter-tall peak, shielding the Heavenly Secret Pavilion members beneath it.