Chapter 1775: Qualification of the Boundary Master

“What?!” Nine Nether Demon Venerable exclaimed in surprise. “Isn’t the continent forbidden to Soul Transformation cultivators and off-limits to Sages?”

“How could he go there…” His voice abruptly trailed off.

Ancient Zen Buddha Venerable’s long eyebrows shot up, and his normally peaceful eyes surged with tumultuous waves.

The Grand Libationer of Heavenly State cried out in shock, “Ancient Saint Yunhuang… just left!”

The prohibition existed because Ancient Saint Yunhuang was guarding the continent. Other than Jiang Fan, anyone who violated the prohibition would be eliminated by her. But once she left the continent, the so-called prohibition would become nothing more than a scrap of paper!

The Grand Libationer of Heavenly State stared intently at Jiang Fan and asked, “Could it be that the Asura Saint Son’s relentless pursuit of you was for this very reason…?”

Jiang Fan’s voice was gravely serious. “That’s right. He wasn’t trying to get anything from me. Instead, he wanted to put me in danger to lure Ancient Saint Yunhuang, who was guarding the continent, away. Only then could he safely reach the continent!”

The three Sages’ expressions changed drastically. The ultimate destination of the Asura Saint Son’s elaborate schemes was actually to set foot on the continent! And what could be on the continent that was worth the Asura Saint Son’s pursuit? Ordinary beings might not know, but they certainly did! The remains of the Grand Ancient Saint on the eleventh floor of the underground world! And that world-connecting artifact that linked the Infernal Realm and the Middle Earth Realm!

The Asura Saint Son’s expression solidified slightly. He squinted at Jiang Fan, a murderous glint in his eyes. “Before, my desire to kill you was feigned. Now, however, I truly wish to eliminate you.” Based on mere clues, Jiang Fan could infer his plan. If such a person became an enemy in the future, he would undoubtedly be a formidable opponent. Fortunately, the Asura Saint Son had already achieved his objective.

“Jiang Fan, actually, I should thank you,” the Asura Saint Son said faintly, with his hands clasped behind his back. “Many years ago, I wanted to enter the continent, but Ancient Saint Yunhuang was stationed there, and I dared not approach a single step. I didn’t even dare to easily set foot in Tai Cang Great State, for fear that she would discover my intentions.”

Jiang Fan and the three Sages suddenly understood. No wonder the Asura Saint Son, known as the Shared Sage of the Eight States, never went to Tai Cang Great State; he was evidently afraid of Ancient Saint Yunhuang.

The Asura Saint Son rubbed his brow. “To lure Ancient Saint Yunhuang away, I thought of many methods. I had Sage Tianluo devour the fate of Tai Cang Great State, but she remained unmoved. I incited the Sages of Heavenly State to explore a mysterious ruin outside the heavens, putting them in danger, but she was still unmoved. I tore open the interlayer world of Ten Thousand Demon Great State, causing disaster, yet she remained indifferent. Sometimes, I truly suspected that she had seen through my existence long ago, which was why she refused to fall for any of my traps. I even thought of giving up my plan to reach the continent and returning directly to the Infernal Realm. But…”

The Asura Saint Son looked at Jiang Fan, a smile spreading across his face. “I suddenly learned that when you were being bullied by that old scoundrel Ci Xin in Tianyi City, the Ancient Saint, who never leaves the continent, actually appeared for you. And she even reprimanded Sage Ci Xin for your sake! So, I knew that I still had a chance to go to the continent.”

Jiang Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly. Sage Tianluo’s entry into Sagehood by devouring fate—was that also part of the plan? And the entrance to the underground world in Ten Thousand Demon Great State, that boundless claw mark that tore through the world barrier—it was indeed from the Asura Saint Son! His purpose was still to lure Ancient Saint Yunhuang away! Later, his two attempts to capture Jiang Fan were deliberate acts to create danger for him, hoping to draw Ancient Saint Yunhuang away from the continent. After two failures, he used his years of accumulated followers to set up the current chaotic situation. And by sacrificing the immense power of a single strike from a Nine Hell Asura Emperor, he successfully lured Ancient Saint Yunhuang away. With the continent now unguarded, the Asura Saint Son could finally step inside.

The Asura Saint Son chuckled, his eyes full of triumph, as if the success of his century-long plan made him want to share his story with someone. “Do you know why I needed to go to the underground world?”

Jiang Fan instinctively thought of the Grand Ancient Saint and that pavilion-like world artifact. But then he reconsidered; those two items had no direct use for the Asura Saint Son. He was already a Sage; why would he need the Grand Ancient Saint’s remains? And the artifact connecting the two realms had no practical purpose for him either. There was only one possible objective that would make the Asura Saint Son invest so much effort: the World Master qualification! He still hadn't given up; he still wanted to seize Middle Earth’s World Master qualification. But was the World Master qualification in the underground world? Why hadn’t he discovered it last time he was there? And why hadn’t World Master Tong Yuan or World Master Bi An discovered it?

Jiang Fan shook his head. “I know. What you want is Middle Earth’s World Master qualification. But after all this scheming, aren’t you afraid that thing isn’t even in the underground world?”

The Asura Saint Son was surprised, his gaze turning even colder as he looked at Jiang Fan. “To even know about the World Master qualification, you truly are quite extraordinary. Unfortunately, you only know one thing, not the other. Your Middle Earth once had a Grand Ancient Saint fall, but he isn’t truly dead. He will return in another form in the near future. Therefore, his World Master qualification has always been on his remains.”

“What?!” Jiang Fan’s heart seized with anxiety. The World Master qualification was on the Grand Ancient Saint’s body? Wouldn’t that mean it was about to fall into the Asura Saint Son’s hands? This scoundrel had killed so many people in Middle Earth; to let him take Middle Earth’s World Master qualification, that was outrageous!

With a flicker in his eyes, he half-truthfully scoffed, “Then you’re too late! The Dark Asura Clan from the Heavenly Realm, bringing the remnant soul of World Master Tong Yuan left behind in the Heavenly Realm, arrived at the eleventh floor of the underground world. And World Master Bi An has also been here! If there were truly a World Master qualification, it would have already fallen into their hands. What share would be left for you?”

The smile on the Asura Saint Son’s face froze, his pupils constricting as if shaken by an earthquake. He exclaimed, “What did you say? Those two World Masters’ remnant souls and avatars arrived? They took the Grand Ancient Saint’s remains?”

The sudden news caused the Asura Saint Son to panic.

Jiang Fan said, “They’ve already taken it.”

The Asura Saint Son let out a long hiss, gritting his teeth. “They only took the Grand Ancient Saint’s remains, right?”

Jiang Fan’s eyes subtly shifted, and he nodded. A hint of joy, however, appeared between the Asura Saint Son’s brows. “Then they didn’t take the divine tree behind the Grand Ancient Saint?”

A divine tree? Jiang Fan recalled the towering green tree. He had thought it was nourished by the Grand Ancient Saint’s lingering holy power. Was there anything special about this tree? He nodded his chin. “The tree is still there. What about it?”

The Asura Saint Son let out a long sigh of relief, chuckling. “Then they didn’t get anything from the tree, did they?”

Jiang Fan was secretly astonished. What could be on the tree? Wait! Jiang Fan’s heart suddenly pounded, his blood instantly quickened, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably with excitement. When he was about to leave back then, a mysterious, nine-colored leaf had fallen from the tree! He had tried to replicate it with his dog bowl but found it impossible. Other than that, it had no spiritual pressure or spiritual energy; its color was just very unique. Jiang Fan had tossed it into his Heavenly Lightning Stone. Could this… could this be the World Master qualification the Asura Saint Son had worked so hard to find?