Jiang Chen!
These words elicited endless terror from the people of Tritalent like a nefarious curse.
Horror and regret filled them, the emperor included as well. They were frankly unqualified to defy him at all. To put it more bluntly, they were too insignificant to be considered an enemy in the first place.
If Jiang Chen wanted to deal with Tritalent – destroy it, even – he could do so with comically minimal effort. What had ensued was living proof of that.
“Zhao Situ, why didn’t you say anything earlier!” The emperor’s tone was full of misery. His emotions were a complex mixture of fear, concern, and despair.
He wasn’t thinking of how to resist, but rather how to preserve a sliver of Tritalent before Jiang Chen’s wrath. He was worried that the young man would cause a massacre here thanks to his anger.
Such things weren’t uncommon in Myriad Abyss. Several houses from Polylore had done just so with their old rival Rejuvenation.
There was no justice to be found after the fact for something like that.
The fault was attributed to the victim for aggravating a faction they were too strong to handle.
In Myriad Abyss Island, the Ten Divine Nations’ factions were naturally higher than the rest. Jiang Chen’s status as a true disciple of a sacred land aside, even a normal disciple from an average first rate faction would be able to rampage through here.
Moreover, the young man’s very name was a very common topic these days. Who among the younger generation could rival his fame?
This wasn’t someone Tritalent could think about opposing.
The ease with which Jiang Chen slew the more stubborn Tritalent cultivators gave Imperial Prince Huo and the others from Rejuvenation immense satisfaction. Tritalent had been contentious for all these years, a tremendously annoying nail in their side.
Unfortunately, Rejuvenation hadn’t had the energy to teach their long-time rival a lesson for several years now. Seeing rival experts crushed again and again was therefore delightfully gleeful.
Jiang Chen radiated a frightening aura with his God’s Eye, its rays scattering across the Tritalent cultivators beneath. They hung their heads wherever he looked.
It was obvious that their fighting spirit was no more. They didn’t have the courage to meet his eyes, much less battle on. The difference between them was far too great. Jiang Chen could kill them as easily as stepping on a few ants.
“Listen up, you of Tritalent.” Jiang Chen’s voice was cool. “I didn’t intend to spill too much blood today. But if you must continue to provoke me with your obstinacy and ignorance, I don’t mind making the Tritalent Isles part of history. I trust you won’t doubt my ability or resolution to do so.”
Everyone from Tritalent collectively trembled, but were somewhat cheered up afterwards. There was still room for negotiation then?
The emperor took a step forward, prostrating himself on the earth. “Young lord Jiang Chen,” he cried out, “we were blind to your presence! If we knew you were here in the flesh, we wouldn’t have dared disobey you. Pray charitably excuse our foolishness.”
“If I wasn’t inclined to do so, do you think you would still be talking to me?”
“Yes, absolutely. We thank you for your magnanimity. In our rudeness, we made only trouble for ourselves,” the emperor wailed, taking a very low posture.
“I don’t want to kill, but that doesn’t mean I won’t. I hold no enmity for the Tritalent Isles. Nevertheless, some of your men dared ambush me when I was a guest of Rejuvenation. If the Eternal Sacred Land caught wind of this atrocity, you would be annihilated within the month.” Jiang Chen spoke true.
Tritalent hadn’t known that he was on Imperial Prince Huo’s airboat. If they had, they wouldn’t have dared ambush him.
However, the Ten Sacred Lands didn’t care for ignorance as an excuse. The very act was a challenge to their authority, and destruction was assured.
When the Tritalent emperor heard these words, his face only grew paler.
If young lord Jiang Chen decided to pursue this, the Tritalent Isles would have no peace for the rest of its days.
Imperial Prince Huo on the other hand, was secretly impressed. As expected of a sacred land’s young lord, Jiang Chen had taken care of everything flawlessly. If he had said he was here solely to help Rejuvenation, he would be suspected of being uncharitably biased. An overly strong faction bullying the weak was never good for optics.
This excuse of being ambushed by Tritalent, on the other hand, made everything completely different. Any harsh treatment Jiang Chen doled out was completely reasonable then.
“Young lord Jiang Chen,” the emperor begged, “we do have a few conflicts with Rejuvenation, it’s true, but we would never dare disturb you with them. If we knew of your presence, we would only have given you the utmost respect. For what reason would we want to harm you?”
“Hmph!” Jiang Chen snorted. “I hear you’re after those islands that Rejuvenation has? Haven’t they told you that I own half of them? Do you covet my property?”
What?
The Tritalent emperor was bewildered. Young lord Jiang Chen owned half of the islands? Had they been opposing him all along?
He wanted to die on the spot.
However, he quickly realized what had actually taken place: Rejuvenation had sought out young lord Jiang Chen when it grasped the hopelessness of its own situation, giving him half the islands’ ownership in exchange for his protection.
That had to be the reason!
For Tritalent, though, the reason didn’t actually matter. At the end of the day, they could never think of coveting the islands. Otherwise, that really would be suicide.
The emperor knelt and kowtowed several times. “We were blind and foolhardy,” he begged, “but we promise we won’t do anything of the sort ever again. Please, allow us to live. The whole of Tritalent will thank you for your mercy.”
Jiang Chen harrumphed. “You’ve raised a hand against both my property and myself. If I forgive you with only a few words, what awe would the Eternal Sacred Land inspire in the future?”
Though he didn’t want to engage in a slaughter, he couldn’t let Tritalent go easily, either. It had to be taught a lesson.
“As long as you’re satisfied, we’re willing to do whatever it takes,” the emperor promised hurriedly. “We would be happy to comply with anything that is within our power.”
Jiang Chen waved a hand. “Easy enough, then. Tritalent should submit to the Eternal Sacred Land henceforth. If you become my subjects, I see no reason why I shouldn’t pardon you.”
