Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Mysterious Giant

Ahead, a towering figure sat atop a distant mountain peak—a jutting rock, half exposed beyond the mountain’s edge, seeming as though it might tumble off at any moment. He was called a giant not merely for his presence but for his size, easily three meters tall, his body rippling with powerful muscles that promised explosive strength.

His skin was dark, and his piercing gaze struck Iceflame with considerable force. With a light step, Iceflame tapped his feet on the ground, soaring to land beside the giant. Up close, the disparity was even more startling; standing side by side, they looked entirely mismatched, the difference in stature immense.

“Senior, may I ask why you summoned me?” Iceflame greeted the giant with a customary gesture of cultivators, respectful and composed. Addressing him as “senior” felt natural; anyone who could bring him here in an instant clearly possessed far greater power. Iceflame knew he faced someone whose cultivation surpassed his own.

Inside, he was deeply shocked. As a newly ascended Celestial Emperor, he found it hard to believe that this unremarkable “wild man” was an even stronger presence—was the title of Celestial Emperor losing its value?

The giant watched the shifting expression on Iceflame’s face with amusement, his gaze lingering with interest. He was handsome enough, especially those eyes, which seemed to hold the complexity of countless stars, bright and lively; and his cultivation—Celestial Emperor, at that—how had this young man achieved such heights?

“Shouldn’t you be the one explaining yourself? Wasn’t it you who caused such a commotion?” The giant squinted, asking calmly.

Iceflame was taken aback, at a loss for words. He had trespassed first, and now he was asking the host why he’d called him? It was indeed a bit audacious. Realizing this, he hurriedly apologized, “I was rude. Please forgive me, senior.”

The giant saw the polite manner and straightforward admission of fault, and his eyes flickered with surprise. He nodded inwardly: a Celestial Emperor willing to face his mistakes so directly was rare. Such openness of heart was uncommon and promised boundless future fortune.

The giant never saw Iceflame as a mere child; anyone at the Celestial Emperor level had spent millions of years cultivating, and though Iceflame looked young and tender, who could say what his true age was? If Iceflame knew the giant’s guess, he might well faint from anger.

With a grand wave of his hand, the giant said, “No need for all these formalities—I don’t care for that. But you seem agreeable enough, so I’ll forgive your trespass. Now tell me, why exactly are you here?”

Iceflame, struck by the giant’s hearty manner, felt the earlier tension vanish. He hesitated, unsure whether to reveal his quest for the Nine Provinces Divine Dragon Cauldron, uncertain whether the giant would hand it over. Gathering his resolve, he chose to trust his instincts. “My intrusion was unintentional, senior. I am searching for a cauldron—one crucial both to me and to this world. If my actions have offended…”

The giant cut him off with a wave, “Didn’t I say not to bother with that? Just speak plainly—I hate these pretentious gestures.” Iceflame smiled awkwardly; the giant certainly had character. “Wait, you said you’re here for a cauldron—which one?”

“The Divine Dragon Cauldron—the Nine Provinces Divine Dragon Cauldron,” Iceflame replied, each word delivered with utmost seriousness.

“The Nine Provinces Divine Dragon Cauldron?!” The giant’s eyes widened, the shift in demeanor dramatic. He immediately asked, “Is it forged by the Three Sovereigns?”

Iceflame nodded, uncertain what the giant meant.

“Tell me, what do you want the cauldron for? And how did you know it was in my space?” The giant’s tone was stern, brooking no opposition.

“Tell him,” came Ziling’s voice in Iceflame’s mind. When he asked why, Ziling said, “Don’t worry, he won’t mean you harm. Trust me.” Iceflame trusted Ziling implicitly, so he spoke without reservation: “I seek the Nine Provinces Divine Dragon Cauldrons to reestablish the Nine Provinces Barrier. This will replenish Earth’s spiritual veins, restoring vitality soon. But things are unstable now, so for safety, my grandfather tasked me with resetting the barrier, to safeguard the land of Huaxia. As for how I knew a cauldron was here...” Iceflame paused, then reached into a spatial rift and produced a palm-sized golden cauldron.

“The Nine Provinces Divine Dragon Cauldron!” The giant’s pupils contracted, then relaxed in understanding. No wonder Iceflame knew he had a cauldron here—another cauldron’s aura was drawing him in.

The giant quickly composed himself, smiling. “Indeed, I have a Divine Dragon Cauldron here as well.” He reached out, producing a cauldron identical in size and color before Iceflame. The cauldron in his hand began to hum and tremble violently, both cauldrons resonating together.

Iceflame was secretly delighted—here was the second cauldron. He straightened, asking, “Senior, would you be willing to give me your cauldron? I need it to set up the Nine Provinces Barrier, it cannot be done without it.” Though abrupt, he could only steel himself and make the request.

“Oh?” The giant was noncommittal, merely questioning lightly, then burst into hearty laughter: “You’re truly amusing, boy. Should I call you naive, or simply muddled? You know how precious the Nine Provinces Divine Dragon Cauldron is, and yet you think your mere words can persuade me to hand it over?”

Iceflame was momentarily speechless, but persisted, “Then what must I do, senior, for you to give it to me?”

The giant waved his hand, displeased. “I don’t know your strength yet—how could I hand over the cauldron to someone whose depths I haven’t seen?”

“What must I do, then, senior?”

The giant grinned widely, shaking his head. “I haven’t exercised in ages, and my body’s grown stiff. Why don’t you spar with me? If you satisfy me, I’ll give you the cauldron.” He began flexing, eager and impatient, his fists pounding together with a crackling sound.

Seeing the giant’s enthusiasm, Iceflame sighed inwardly—there was no avoiding this fight. He steadied his expression, readying himself.

He extended one hand, grasping the floating Purple Sword, standing sword in hand, blade pointing downward. “Senior, let us begin.” With that, Celestial Emperor’s aura poured forth, causing the surroundings to tremble.

“Oh… not bad!” The giant made no effort to hide his admiration, praising Iceflame. Then he suddenly floated away, settling several hundred miles distant, where he took up his stance. His aura surged, far more formidable than Iceflame’s—a comparison that made Iceflame’s own seem like a child’s play. The giant laughed heartily, exuding heroic energy: “Wonderful, at last I can stretch my muscles.”

Iceflame’s heart tightened, his focus sharpening to face the looming attack.

The giant waved his massive hand, murmuring a few words. In an instant, he formed a hundred and twenty ancient seals, completing them in the blink of an eye. To Iceflame, it seemed a casual gesture, but he knew that in that moment, the giant had executed over a hundred complex hand seals. The space’s energy responded, surging and condensing, reaching skyward and then descending vertically.

Iceflame dared not be careless, raising the Purple Sword and forming a defensive barrier with his own seals. The opposing seals collided, unleashing thunderous force and flashing clouds, enveloping a radius of thirty miles in terrifying, raging winds.

A sudden hurricane erupted, ferocious and wild. Iceflame’s strength paled before the giant’s—no, the gap was immense. But facing the violent heart of the storm, Iceflame felt no fear. Perhaps it was thanks to the Grand Star Reversal Array; through its ancient trials, his will had been tempered.

He grasped the Purple Sword, swinging it toward the storm’s core. Violet sword light blazed like the noonday sun, sword energy rippling outward, each stroke spreading magnificently.

The giant’s eyes brightened—he hadn’t expected such boldness. To strike directly at the heart of the storm, whose power equaled a full-force attack from either combatant, was audacious. A surge of battle spirit welled up in the giant’s heart, and he unleashed a series of intricate seals.

Iceflame, cutting through the raging energies, felt the strain. Perhaps he’d overestimated himself. Fortunately, the sword in his hand was no ordinary blade—it surpassed the rules of the heavens, and though not at its peak, it remained formidable.

Suddenly, a tremor shook his heart—a premonition. He had never felt such anxiety before. Steeling himself, he guarded his territory fiercely; this was his personal space, and he could not allow it to fall.

A dazzling rainbow—a brilliance like the blazing sun—flashed as the giant completed his complex seals. Spanning hundreds of miles, the seal’s power crashed down beside Iceflame from the sky, brimming with overwhelming, sovereign force.

Iceflame finally understood his unease. As the blazing white fire surged toward him like a furious beast, calm settled within. After a moment, his eyes opened, deep as a tranquil pool, filled with composure. He let out a thunderous shout, his right foot striking the air—not retreating, but advancing. He met the oncoming flames with a sweeping stroke of the Purple Sword.

The sword’s violet light flashed, energy separating from the blade and shooting forward. Like slicing through soft tofu, the violet light parted the blazing fire without pause, splitting its power in two. Only the giant, knowing the fire’s true might, could appreciate the strangeness of this feat.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions thundered together in the sky, the force echoing across the entire space.

With a single strike, Iceflame’s figure wavered and vanished. In the next instant, he appeared beside the giant, repeating the same move—but this time, his target was the giant himself.

The fierce blade, the rampant violet light, the powerful slash aimed straight for the giant’s arm. Unexpectedly, a metallic clang rang out—Iceflame felt his arm go numb and realized he’d lost the advantage. He retreated a hundred miles away.

Looking at the giant, Iceflame saw a small flag in his hand—at some point, the giant had used it to block Iceflame’s killing blow. “The Ninefold Netherworld Banner!” the Purple Sword trembled, and Ziling’s voice boomed in his mind.

“What is the Ninefold Netherworld Banner?” Iceflame asked quietly.

“It’s a supreme treasure of the Ghost Realm, a pinnacle artifact. Legend says that even an ordinary immortal wielding it could instantly defeat opponents much higher in cultivation. More importantly, the Ninefold Netherworld Banner is directly connected to the cycles of heaven and earth, the six realms—it can send one straight into reincarnation. Killing with it leaves no trace, no karmic entanglement. I never imagined such a treasure would be in this giant’s possession. My suspicions are confirmed.”

“What suspicions?” Iceflame was startled by the phrase “no karmic entanglement.” The cycle of heaven, cause and effect, good repaid with good, evil with evil—every act is a cause, every outcome a consequence. But this banner defied those laws. What did it mean to be untainted by karma? Did it mean one could kill without fear of heavenly retribution?

“You’ll understand in time,” Ziling said mysteriously, smiling but revealing nothing.

“Does killing with you incur karma?” Iceflame asked curiously.

Ziling rolled her eyes. “If one artifact can escape karma, do you think my treasure, which is above even holy artifacts, would be any different?” So it doesn’t? Iceflame was delighted. But Ziling quickly poured cold water on him: “But that’s only in my peak state. Right now, the power I can muster is at best a middle or low-tier artifact.”

“Oh,” Iceflame said, disappointed, interest waning.

Just then, another shockwave rippled through the air. The giant floated overhead, laughing heartily, “Hahaha! I haven’t moved like this in ages. Boy, your strength is impressive! You’re worthy of my full power. Come now—let me show you what I’m truly capable of!”