Chapter 1778: Two Realms Connected

At this moment, a golden Buddhist ring, formed from prayer beads, forcefully pushed against the soaring crimson light beam and descended onto the tenth level. The Buddha's light dispersed, then reformed into a string of prayer beads, which settled around Venerable Ancient Zen Buddha's neck. The figures of Demon Lord Nine Nether and High Priest of Tianzhou also appeared. Jiang Fan, with his hand gripping the Moonbright Pearl, also quickly emerged.

Gazing at the crimson light beam emanating from the altar, Jiang Fan's expression was exceedingly grim: "Asura Saint Son!" His greatest fear had come true! The Asura Saint Son not only sought the qualification of Realm Master but would also bring immense trouble to the Central Lands – the connection of two realms!

The Asura Saint Son retreated to the edge of the abyss, chuckling, "You should thank me. The Underworld is currently exhausted from dealing with the ancient giants. Your Central Lands could easily launch a sneak attack from behind and severely cripple the Underworld."

Jiang Fan's expression remained composed. The Underworld was a land filled with negative energy, utterly devoid of spiritual essence, making it practically useless to the beings of the Central Lands. What good would conquering it do? Moreover, was the Underworld really so easy to defeat? Even if the Underworld were caught in a pincer attack between the ancient giants and the Central Lands, with nowhere left to retreat, they would undoubtedly fight to the death with desperate morale. At that point, the Central Lands' limited forces would be completely depleted, ultimately benefiting the ancient giants. And once the ancient giants established a firm foothold in the Underworld, their next target would be to invade the Central Lands through this Pavilion Realm Artifact. What would the Central Lands use to defend themselves then?

But could the Central Lands simply remain indifferent? Evidently not! Because regardless of who emerged victorious between the Underworld and the ancient giants, the Central Lands would be their next target. The connection of the Pavilion Realm Artifact was an unsolvable disaster for the Central Lands! Unless, of course, this Pavilion Realm Artifact was uprooted!

"Heh heh, enjoy the gift I've given you," the Asura Saint Son laughed. "Farewell, I'm going to claim the Realm Master qualification now. Thank you again, Jiang Fan, for giving me a turn of fate, hahaha..." His body dissolved from solid to ethereal, entering the eleventh level.

Venerable Ancient Zen Buddha and the others also took action, teleporting Jiang Fan and the Moonbright Pearl to the eleventh level. The ground of the eleventh level resembled molten iron, with magma constantly churning and falling away in chunks, revealing a dark world bathed in crimson.

Demon Lord Nine Nether's expression shifted slightly: "Not good, the eleventh level is about to connect with the Underworld. We cannot stay long! Otherwise, we'll be trespassing into the Underworld, and if we attract powerful beings from there, we'll be in trouble!"

Venerable Ancient Zen Buddha said, "Stop him from getting the Realm Master qualification, then withdraw quickly!"

Jiang Fan's eyes flickered. He naturally wasn't worried about the Realm Master qualification, as it was already on him. What he was concerned about was the Ancient Saint Supreme's remains. If the Asura Saint Son couldn't obtain the Realm Master qualification, he would definitely take the Ancient Saint Supreme's remains.

However, when they reached the colossal tree, Jiang Fan was momentarily stunned. The lush green grassland had, at some unknown point, withered into a desert, and the towering tree had shed its leaves, clearly becoming a dead tree. What surprised Jiang Fan even more was that the Ancient Saint Supreme's remains were gone.

He had previously deceived the Asura Saint Son, claiming that the Ancient Saint Supreme's remains had been acquired by two Underworld Realm Masters. But how was it that upon their return, the Ancient Saint Supreme's remains were genuinely gone? After a moment's thought, he suddenly realized. It was Ancient Saint Cloud Wild! She had taken them in advance! She must have long seen through the Asura Saint Son's plan to distract her. Therefore, before leaving the continent, she took the most precious Ancient Saint Supreme's remains from the eleventh level.

But had she not considered that the Asura Saint Son would connect the two realms? No, the Ancient Saint Supreme's remains were precisely what suppressed the Pavilion Realm Artifact's ability to penetrate. Since she took the remains, how could she not have considered this? Then why did she not take precautions, allowing the Asura Saint Son to succeed? There was only one answer: the connection of the two realms was something she desired. Jiang Fan's heart trembled. What was Ancient Saint Cloud Wild trying to do? Would the connection of the two realms benefit the Central Lands?

As he pondered, a loud crunch echoed. It was the Asura Saint Son who had snapped the withered tree. His face, which should have been excited, was now as dark as water, and he roared like a madman. "Where is the Realm Master qualification? Where is my Realm Master qualification?" When he saw the tree withered, he knew the Realm Master qualification was no longer there. If it had been there, the tree would not have withered.

He had spent hundreds of years infiltrating and becoming a Sage of the Central Lands. He had even sacrificed all his accumulated loyal followers and used the incredibly precious attack of the Nine-Hell Asura Emperor, finally succeeding in making Ancient Saint Cloud Wild leave the continent. Yet, despite all his elaborate schemes, in the end, it was all for naught. He had gained nothing but his cultivation! How could he, who prided himself on controlling everything from behind the scenes, accept such an immense defeat?

High Priest of Tianzhou snorted angrily, "You fiend, stirring up trouble in my Central Lands and even attempting to seize our Realm Master qualification?" He decisively activated the Law of Wrath, intending to kill the Asura Saint Son before the eleventh level collapsed, eradicating future troubles.

But just as the power of the law radiated out, a deep, angry snort came from the Underworld below: "When did it become the Central Lands' turn to run wild in the Underworld?" A surge of furious aura, no less powerful than that of the High Priest of Tianzhou, emanated from the Underworld. Then, a colossal, blood-red demonic claw, large enough to obscure the sky, suddenly pierced through the realm barrier, emerging from beneath the churning magma ground. This demonic claw was nearly identical to the one the Asura Saint Son had used when pursuing Jiang Fan and others in the void. Immediately after, another demonic claw also entered the eleventh level. Then, with both hands bracing against the ground, a terrifying, massive head slowly emerged from the Underworld. Its face resembled a goat's, with a pair of sharp horns on its head, yet its features were similar to a human's, and its blood-red eyes radiated a ferocity no less than that of the ancient giants. Its body then broke through the world barrier, emerging from the magma ground. A terrifying body, a hundred zhang tall, with magma churning within it and vast black smoke rising, appeared before everyone. This was, astonishingly, an Asura Emperor even taller than the Six-Sun Giant Emperor!

With a swing of its massive demonic claw, it shattered the High Priest of Tianzhou's law. Scorn flickered in its eyes: "A Two-Calamity Realm expert of the Central Lands is nothing more than this." Everyone looked towards its head, their expressions grave. Seven swirling vortexes of different colors could be seen rotating above its head. This meant its power had reached the Seven-Hell Asura Emperor realm!

Venerable Ancient Zen Buddha's gaze flickered as he slowly said, "Retreat." The three of them, working together, were not afraid of the Seven-Hell Asura Emperor before them; they might even be able to kill it. The problem was, they might not have come alone, with only one high-level Asura Emperor.

Jiang Fan also cast a glance at the Asura Saint Son with deep regret. If this viper wasn't eliminated, the Central Lands would never know peace. However, they couldn't continue to risk themselves for the sake of the Asura Saint Son. As the eleventh level continued to collapse, it was on the verge of merging with the Underworld. It would be even more dangerous then.

The High Priest of Tianzhou lifted Jiang Fan, who in turn tightly gripped the Moonbright Pearl. The group immediately dissipated, turning from solid to ethereal.

But at this very moment, an aura even more terrifying than that of the Seven-Hell Asura Emperor suddenly emanated from behind them. A massive silver horn pierced through the ground, and a terrifying hundred-zhang-tall body burst forth, exuding an overwhelming aura of ferocity. Its head was tiger-shaped, and its eyes blazed with man-eating malice. Above its head were no less than eight vortexes! This was an Eight-Hell Asura Emperor!

However, this was not the end!