Chapter 1148, Those Who Court Death

Translator: Silavin

 

This was the Slaughter Ancient God’s means of offering both Lu Fan and himself a graceful exit.

 

It was also proof that he genuinely had no desire to fight, at least not now. Even with the Jiang Family Mountain God and the Bronze Qilin slain at Lu Fan’s hands, he was willing to set the matter aside temporarily, in exchange for the freedom to continue biding his time.

 

One could not deny it: the Slaughter Ancient God possessed a depth of patience and a breadth of strategic vision that surpassed most of his kind.

 

In matters of resolve, he had made his willingness to yield clear to Lu Fan. Yet in matters of force, he had demonstrated the capability to cut Lu Fan down without hesitation, undaunted by the prospect of an open war.

 

At every crossroads, he had chosen the path that served him best.

 

That quality, more than any other, distinguished him from other Ancient Gods who, upon being discovered, knew only blunt coercion and hollow promises.

 

It was little wonder the Slaughter Ancient God had twice claimed the throne of God King and created two Eras.

 

Among all the Ancient Gods, his strength and his capacity for destruction ranked, without question, in the top three.

 

Precisely because of this, precisely because he was such a formidable enemy, Lu Fan could not permit the Ancient Gods Struggle For Supremacy to begin with the Slaughter Ancient God holding his advantages.

 

Particularly so, given that if the Slaughter Ancient God won, the next Era would be one of unrelenting slaughter, a world without light.

 

As for the offer the Slaughter Ancient God had made, a sanctuary carved out for him and those he cared for, it was not without a certain appeal. But he could not gamble on it.

 

What if the Slaughter Ancient God reneged on his words? What if he simply erased them all in the end?

 

It was a God King at that point. Against a being of that tier, what leverage did any of them have?

 

Lu Fan refused to surrender the initiative to another person, least of all to something as obviously dangerous as the Slaughter Ancient God.

 

The initiative had to remain in his own hands. Only then could he move with any certainty.

 

And so, after no more than a moment’s reflection, his voice rang out. It was clear, unhurried, carrying the weight of finality. “The Slaughter Ancient God’s terms are generous. But regrettably, I cannot accept them. I will not entrust the lives of every person in this era to him. Nor will I gamble on whether he is capable of keeping his word. What I can confirm is this: if I kill every last Ancient God and claim their Divine Seats for myself, this era will be able to continue. So, the Slaughter Ancient God must die.”

 

The words landed, and Jiang Baihe’s expression darkened. He gave a slow nod, the cold smile on his face sharpening into something brittle. “Very well then. Since negotiation is no longer possible, this becomes a simpler matter. I know you are strong. We likely cannot stop you. But we were given a second life by the Slaughter Ancient God. Even if you kill us here, it matters little. We swear to die for the Slaughter Ancient God!”

 

The declaration rang from his lips, and the Players assembled behind him answered in a single voice, their shout splitting the air. “We swear to die for the Slaughter Ancient God!”

 

Lu Fan let out a long, slow breath. “There is no need for any of this. You could have walked away from here. Why throw your lives away for someone who does not see you as anything more than expendable tools?”

 

“It seems the entire Sacred Jiang Family, from top to bottom, has surrendered all reason. None of you can turn back now. Fine then. I will send you on your way. Whatever was done to you once, however you were wronged, broken, left with nothing but hatred for every living soul, creating this undying devotion to the Slaughter Ancient God, meant that you all have died back then.”

 

“All of you are basically walking dead, moving only for destruction and chaos. In that case, I’ll let your resentment vanish alongside the lives you carry now.”

 

As the final word fell from his lips, Lu Fan extended a hand and from his palm, flames bloomed. It spread outward, lengthening, condensing, resolving into the form of Refined Undefiled.

 

In the same instant, he surged forward, and beneath him, a Summoning Array flared to life. From it emerged Xiao Ye, receiving him into their Riding State without pause.

 

Upon Jiang Baihe, the golden light blazed with renewed ferocity. He roared, loud enough for his voice to carry over the field. “To battle! Kill our enemies! Guard the Slaughter Ancient God’s peace with your lives! Do not allow these vile rats to disturb the Great God’s rest!”

 

His foot swept down against the earth, and he launched himself at Lu Fan in a hurtling charge. Behind him, the assembled Players roared in answer, the light of Buff Skills blazing and flickering across six hundred bodies as they surged forward in his wake.

 

Jian Ying and the others moved without hesitation. Not one of them would allow Lu Fan to bear six hundred enemies alone. They surged up to stand beside him, shoulder to shoulder.

 

In an instant, the two forces crashed together. The light of Skill strobed and cascaded in every direction. The battle was ferocious.

 

Lu Fan disregarded everyone else entirely. The moment Jiang Baihe activated his Skills and flooded his body with golden radiance, two brilliantly gleaming Slaughter Hearts became visible, pulsing at the left and right of his chest.

 

He, like the Jiang Family Mountain God, carried two Slaughter Hearts.

 

And as the Deputy Sacred Master of the Sacred Jiang Family, his strength and intellect definitely far surpass that of the Jiang Family Mountain God.

 

This man represented a threat level that exceeded anything the Jiang Family Mountain God had possessed.

 

The other Players present each carried Ancient God power to varying degrees, but that power was derivative, granted to them by the Slaughter Ancient God. It lacked the regenerative, self-sustaining nature of a Slaughter Heart, a wellspring of Ancient God Power.

 

As a consequence, none of the others could approach Jiang Baihe’s level of Combat Power. Lu Fan naturally claimed the responsibility of engaging him directly.

 

As for the others, he left them to Ouyang Bai Ge and the rest.

 

To be clear, the Combat Power of the others being inferior to Jiang Baihe did not mean they were anything less than formidable. Far from it.

 

Who among those present could be called weak?

 

Every one of them stood at Level 120 or above. With Ancient God Power layered atop that foundation, any one of them could sweep through the forces of an ordinary nation in the outside world without difficulty.

 

Several among their number even rivalled or outstripped Yei Xiu in terms of raw capability.

 

A single Yei Xiu had been enough to bring about the annihilation of a Supreme Tier Ancient Noble Family like the Situ Family.

 

This many Players from the Sacred Jiang Family could effortlessly overrun every Ancient Noble Family along the Western Border. Only Sacred Lands could hope to endure them, drawing on the depths of their actual forces.

 

Such a massive force was not to be underestimated.

 

Even with Ancient God Power of their own, Jian Ying and the others could not afford to be complacent.

 

But that was not Lu Fan’s concern to carry.

 

So many High Level enemies would, in fact, serve Ye Wuxian and the others exceedingly well. They would be whetstones against which their edges could be honed.

 

With Ouyang Bai Ge present, they would not fall here.

 

What Lu Fan had to do was focus entirely on one man, Jiang Baihe.

 

As that figure came hurtling toward him, Lu Fan drove his spear forward. Dragon Fang Strike activated, and a Dragon Head materialised in the air, aimed squarely at Jiang Baihe.

 

Jiang Baihe let out a low roar. His fingers wove through a set of rapid hand seals, thrusting forward. From empty air, a golden Talisman manifested, colliding head-on with the incoming spear.

 

The two forces met.

 

The instant they did, Lu Fan felt the tip of the Refined Undefiled plunge into something akin to a bog. His momentum was absorbed and dissolved, every ounce of driving force neutralised before it could carry forward.

 

He moved to withdraw the spear. And found that even that was denied to him. The very act of pulling the spear back was constrained, and the weapon was held firmly in place, refusing to answer to his Will.