The Demon Emperor linked up telepathically with the two Insectoid Saints, indicating that they should press the issue—even adding that the Gods and Demons could ally with their race, hence sharing their fate.
Even so, the Insectoids’ two Saints were apprehensive.
After all, True Lord of Morality and Pure Nothingness’s display of power was vivid in their minds, and they were afraid that he would vaporize them at the drop of a hat if they incurred his displeasure.
***
Meanwhile, Jiang He was not far from them.
He was hidden on a dried-up planet at the edge of the Insectoid’s domain, wiping sweat off his face as he cursed, “That was close…”
“Do the God Emperor and the Demon Emperor have so much free time? They would come after me if a wind blew on a blade of grass?’
“Wretches… when I get stronger and I have power to match you, I’ll be causing trouble in your territories!”
Jiang He could vaguely sense the God Emperor and the Demon Emperor meeting the two Insectoids’ Saints at their territory, along with Taishang Laojun’s presence.
“Neither the God Emperor nor the Demon Emperor would go out of line with Taishang Laojun in their way. Maybe I should seize this moment to visit the Gods and Demons’ realms?”
“No way!”
Jiang He shook his head and dispelled his bold thought. “The Gods and Demons have many Saints. Aside from top Saints like the God Emperor and the Demon Emperor, they would have more Saints who are equal in abilities to the Grandmaster of Heaven or the Primeval Lord of Heaven. I’d just be offering my head on a silver platter if I got to their territory now.”
“That said, I could bother their vassal races even if I can’t go to their realms. It’s hard for me to come out for a visit, and the God Emperor and the Demon Emperor might be more wary against me after this… it would be hard to attempt plundering resources then!”
He whipped out a star map at the thought and started studying it.
At the moment, he was at the edge of the Insectoid’s domain, which in turn neighbored the Bloods’ domain.
Still, the latter’s continent that contained their divine city was moved into the world within Jiang He’s body. That was equal to destroying their most prosperous region, and returning there would not yield him much resources.
“But the Sky Horses’ domain is just a hundred and seventy light years away…”
“They were once the strongest races in the universe and once had a Saint, but he had not returned ever since he headed into the depths of Chaos 3.2 million years ago.”
“After that, the Sky Horses swore fealty to the Gods and became their vassal races…”
Jiang He’s eyes lit up at the summary of various factions in the star map.
There was no question that the race which once had a Saint was much stronger than the Bloods. They would undoubtedly also be richer!
“The Sky Horse’s domain is further away from the Bloods… it would be safer if I cultivated Esoteric Word: Dimension.”
At Jiang He’s very thought…
[Ding!]
[-100 billion Farm Points.]
[Congratulations, Host. You have mastered ‘Dimension’, one of the Esoteric Nine.]
Jiang He tested it, and…
Whoosh!
He disappeared, appearing hundreds of lights years away in the next instant.
“What the hell!?”
Jiang He was shocked because he could feel the pausing and draining of time after casting Esoteric Word: Dimension.
It was a mystical and unfathomable sensation, but the feeling was certainly there.
Jiang He felt was as if distances were shortened infinitely when he casted Dimension, and that time became so still that covering several hundred years in a single breath was not the limit.
After that, Jiang He tested it a few more times and realized that if he pushed Esoteric Word: Dimension to the limit, he could travel up to a thousand light years in an instant.
The Insectoid’s domain was close to the Celestial Battlefield and around half a planetary system. In other words, Jiang He would reach the edge of the Celestial Battlefield from the edge of Insectoid’s domain in one minute if he travelled at top speed now.
And with the Three Realms now holding a monopoly over the Celestial Battlefield, returning to the edge of it was equal to returning home.
Moreover, his speed would not lose out to most Saints.
Of course, it was a notch below peak-level Saints such as Taishang Laojun, the God Emperor and the Demon Emperor. After all, individuals of their level had almost complete control over space and time, allowing them to cross entire planetary systems.
And the known galaxy spanned around 100,000 to a120,000 light-years.
Meanwhile, Jiang He continue striding forward with Esoteric Word: Dimension.
He noticed in shock that the more he used it, the stronger he could sense time.
In fact, he could accelerate time within a small area around himself.
“When I revamped the Esoteric Nine before, I adjusted Power and Dimension… I remember writing that mastery of the world Dimensions grants the power to travel across the past and the present, which in turn is an application of temporal ability…”
Of course, the System adjusted the Esoteric Word while it was planted, and even Taishang Laojun would have trouble travelling across the past and the present.
“Hold on…”
“Didn’t Taishang Laojun mention that his control over time is reaching the extent of what’s possible? That he could even reverse time…”
“If time was a straight line, the present would be the midpoint, whereas the past and the future exists on different ends… is Taishang Laojun incapable of moving about that line?”
Or perhaps there was some other limitation?
For example, Taishang Laojun mentioned that he could not leave this universe…
At the time, he even looked up the stars.
Jiang He could not help stirring at that thought.
He looked up at the stars then, which had nothing aside from the bleak oceans of cosmic bodies!
“Eh? I’ve reached the Bloods’ domain already?”
“With my current speed, I need at most four hours to cross an entire constellation…”
“The Sky Horses’ domain is next to the Bloods’, and a sea of stars that’s around 800,000 light-years wide…”
“I’ll reach there in five hours.”
***
Meanwhile, Taishang Laojun was arguing endlessly against the God Emperor and the Demon Emperor back at the Insectoid’s domain.
The atmosphere was charged and killing intent brewed in the air. With hundreds of light years around them, the stars were quaking endlessly and about to be reduced to oblivion.
Sandwiched between the superior Saints, the Insectoid Saints were shaking in their boots.
“Give up Jiang He! He broke the agreement between Saints, and should be dealt with accordingly!”
The God Emperor said flatly. “All the Saints in the all worlds came together to set that agreement. If you protect Jiang He now, do you not fear that the Saints would all come at you? That the Celestial Will shall bring its punishment down upon your head?!”
Nonetheless, Taishang Laojun appeared calm and flatly answered, “The Saints would come for my head? Let them do so.”
“As for the Celestial Will?”
He looked up at the stars and chuckled. “All of you may fear it, but I don’t.”
Ooom.
That was when a bright sword light tore through the air, reaching them.
The Grandmaster of Heaven arrived by riding his Immortal-Slaying Sword, snapping angrily, “What’s going on, Senior Brother? Are those two wretches up to no good again?”
Behind them, the Greater Saint of the Western Sect was holding the Rank Twelve Golden Lotus of Virtue as he landed beside Taishang Laojun.
The Primeval Lord of Heaven arrived as well, Pan Gu’s Banner in hand, while the Chaos Pearl hovered over his head even as he shot the God Emperor and the Demon Emperor an impassive look.
At the same time, the Saints of the Gods and Demons all rushed to the scene, and even the neutral Saints came.
Soon, the God Emperor and the Demon Emperor exposed Jiang He’s behavior.
They also asserted that Jiang He’s fighting ability did not lose out to an average Saint’s. And since he could fight one directly, the Saints’ agreement dictated that every Saint must not attack cultivators beneath their tier without reason.
Taishang Laojun countered that Jiang He was no Saint as he did not control Temporal Dao, and his ability to punch above his weight and fight Saints was developed thanks to his prodigious talent.
“What a joke!”
The Demon was laughing coldly and shaking in rage. “No cultivator can punch above their weight and fight Saints since the beginning of time!”
“Perhaps you are under the impression that we don’t know about Jiang He? He cultivates martial arts aside from immortal arts, and he himself founded that discipline… It is likely that becoming Saint with it doesn’t even require Temporal Dao!”
The Three Realms hence wrangled with the Gods and Demons, while the Saints of other races kept trying to calm things down.
Though a war between Saints appeared as if it might ignite at the drop of a hat, it did not actually happen while the quarrel lasted for hours… until Taishang Laojun said, “Surrendering Jiang He? Dream on.”
“That said, I’m not that unreasonable—I will give you my assurance that Jiang He would not attack lesser races in the future, but neither the Gods nor the Demons are allowed to make a move on him either.”
The God Emperor and the Demon Emperor after conferring for a long while.
They communicated telepathically that since Jiang He had the advantage, fighting him is unwise.
On the other hand, both their races needed to rest and recuperate.
But in that very moment, the look on all the Saints’ faces changed.
They could sense an overwhelming power erupting in distant space.
“Jiang He!”
The Demon Emperor roared furiously, gritting his teeth.
Even Taishang Laojun was speechless.
I just gave my word that you wouldn’t start trouble, kid! So what are you doing just that in just the blink of an eye?!
