Jiang Chen was immensely taken aback and peered at the statue with shock. Its surface glittered with a muted radiance, enshrouding it in an aura of mysticism. The statue’s solemn bearing cast a shadow of the living man’s authority.
“Senior, are you… Great Divine Veluriyam?” the young man blurted out.
“Indeed, that is I. What is your name, young man? Whence do you come from? Do you bear any karmic ties to another past?” The statue moved and spoke with surprising vigor. Had it really been an inanimate object seconds prior?
Jiang Chen affixed his gaze upon the statue in awe and consternation. Suddenly, he realized the truth of the matter. Great Divine Veluriyam had no doubt left a small shred of his consciousness upon the statue in ancient times, allowing him to manifest his will in the present.
“Your junior Jiang Chen greets you, o great divine.” He showed an utmost amount of respect. He admired both the ancient master’s cultivation and ethics.
“Jiang Chen, Jiang Chen…” the great divine sighed softly. “Only destiny could bring someone to this place. I am glad that you were able to traverse the Six Palaces of Heritage. Truly, truly glad.
“I am sure that Tianze has explained more than enough about the crisis ahead. My time is limited, so I will not waste it thus. I only want to know this: has the demonic invasion occurred yet?”
Jiang Chen blinked. “Senior Xia Tianze is your subordinate, sir. Did you not hear our discussion within the sixth palace?”
“My consciousness can’t manifest for long,” the great divine sighed. “If you hadn't come into Veluriyam Palace, I wouldn't have woken in the first place. My prevailing awareness means oblivion is not far off.”
“Have… have I murdered you, then?” the young man gasped.
The great divine smiled with great wisdom and understanding. “Not at all. Neither you nor demonkind are responsible for my death. Fate decreed that I should perish. Thankfully, I was able to sabotage the demonic invasion for a time before I did so… a life well spent, I should think.”
It was obvious from the great divine’s tone that he had long since come to terms with his death. There was no sorrow in his voice. He was every bit as discerning as a senior of his stature ought.
Jiang Chen swelled up with reverence. “Your noble nature is something to be honored, sir. As someone many generations your junior, I have nothing but the highest praise.”
“Haha, I didn’t wait all this time to hear your compliments. Tell me about how the human domain is doing, young man. Let me see whether the choice I made back then was worthwhile.”
The decision to seal away the spirit veins and the leading factions’ heritages hadn't been an easy one. The great divine himself hadn't been certain where it would take the human domain. Therefore, he most wanted to know how things had turned out.
Jiang Chen related the human domain’s present circumstances in painstaking detail, going into further depth than in his earlier discussion with Xia Tianze.
“Senior, I heard Senior Tianze say earlier that you intended to do this. I misunderstood at first, confusing your altruism with selfishness, but I see now that you made it with great foresight. Humanity’s propensity for squabbling in peacetime without wise leadership would have meant utter chaos.”
The young man spoke these words sincerely, having seriously considered the problem. Humans were better at internal strife than any other race.
Starting from the Eastern Kingdom to the sixteen kingdom alliance, then the Regal Pill Palace, Jiang Chen had seen countless quibbles and quarrels between various factions everywhere.
Things had been no different in Veluriyam Capital or Myriad Abyss, after his conquest of the former and journey to the latter later on.
In fact, tensions had culminated in the rebellion of the sacred lands’ subordinate factions. The concerted effort at overthrowing the incumbent governments had been alarmingly explosive.
Without his wildcard interference, it was difficult to say how things would’ve turned out in the end.
The ten sacred lands definitely wouldn’t all have survived. In fact, it was quite possible some of their heritages would be eradicated entirely by their former vassals.
Most Myriad Abyss factions were descendants of deserters from the ancient demon-sealing war. A portion were emigrants who felt the human domain was a hopeless endeavor.
These people largely inherited their ancestors’ greed and self-indulgence. The odd paragon of virtue did appear once in a while, but they were egotistical narcissists for the most part.
They wouldn't have fled the human domain in ancient times otherwise, choosing self-preservation or opportunistic profit above the greater good.
It was hard to fault Great Divine Veluriyam for making the choice he had made. He had managed to protect the leaders’ respective heritage and ensured the human domain’s survival.
If the selfish factions had gotten their hands on what the best of the human domain had to offer, the world would’ve only become a worse place.
After listening to Jiang Chen’s account, Great Divine Veluriyam beamed with approval.
“The human domain is in a difficult place,” he sighed, “but it’s within the range of our expectations.”
He glanced at Jiang Chen with apparent delight, examining the youth up and down. “You managed to unify the human domain in so short a time, eh? A vast improvement and tangible increase in strength!”
Jiang Chen was very humble. “Things only went so smoothly because the human domain is weak overall. I kept the situation under control by using a mix of incentives and penalties, keeping dissident voices to a minimum.”
“A good strategy. The human domain needs a powerful force to control and oversee its operations. If not, it will surely descend into anarchy. I’m surprised that you managed to build up the forces of man without the ancient resources. Stealing Myriad Abyss’s strength to bolster the human domain is especially exceptional. Well done!” Great Divine Veluriyam gave Jiang Chen his unabashed commendation.
After he and his comrades hid the ancient heritages and sealed the spirit veins, the human domain had been in a terrible spot.
A young genius that could rise above the poverty of his situation didn't depend on luck, but brute strength alone – or perhaps insurmountable fortune.
Someone like this was a blessing from heaven. He could rest easy if his heritage was to pass into such hands.
