Once again, Jiang Chen had saved the day.
It was far from the first time that Eternal’s cultivators had experienced such an event. Every time crisis erupted or when the sacred land fell into despair, it was Jiang Chen who showed up with the force of a heavenly army and turned the tides around.
Wreathed in smiles, they flooded out of the establishment to welcome Jiang Chen. The two primes holding down the fort in the sacred land also showed great enthusiasm for his arrival.
The second prime, once biased against Jiang Chen, didn’t dare bring up past grievances. Their power dynamic had been reversed, with the prime now occupying the lower ground.
Jiang Chen’s status, power, and influence made even the first prime pale in comparison, let alone the second prime. To take it one step further, even the venerated forefather had to keep Jiang Chen happy.
The genius’ performance just now far exceeded their imaginations. Even the venerated forefather would’ve had trouble wrenching the situation around, and yet, the young man had succeeded!
Seeing a smiling Huang’er emerge from the sacred land, Jiang Chen finally allowed himself to relax. She was the one he’d been most worried about, and why he’d charged back in such a rush.
The others considerately gave them some privacy.
Even Divine Kasyapa kept his distance with a smile, watching over his granddaughter reunite with Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen didn’t lose himself in expressing affection. After spending some time with Huang’er, he sought out Divine Kasyapa.
“Tsk, so you’re the reason why they escaped from Sandplain,” marvelled Kasyapa.
“I only did what I had to do,” Jiang Chen said humbly. “The ten forefathers were the ones who fought our enemies off at the exit of the Sandplain secret realm.”
“Hmph, they’ve received enough benefit from you. It’s only right that they do the dirty work. Besides, they weren’t just fighting to protect you, but also to protect themselves. I recognize your strength, Jiang Chen, but if you weren’t so important to my granddaughter, I wouldn’t lay everything out for you. Since Huang’er considers you as her one and only, I treat you as family as well and tell you only the truth.”
“You can be frank with me, senior.” Jiang Chen might not be willing to step down on the hierarchy for anyone else, but Divine Kasyapa was undeniably his senior, and one who was generations older than he was.
“You’ve taken down the two enforcers. Lightford would’ve gotten the news immediately, which can be a good or a bad thing. If Lightford grows furious and comes for you himself, do you think you and the sacred land can take him?”
There was no love lost between Divine Kasyapa and Lightford. The two had been hostile towards each other back in the Boundless Prison.
Lightford had arrived at Myriad Abyss after breaking out because he wished to accomplish something for himself. He wanted to create an empire of his own.
Kasyapa didn’t like the way Lightford did things at all. He had nothing but contempt for the old man for stirring up trouble at this critical time in the grand picture of things.
Kasyapa might not be attached to Myriad Abyss, but he believed that everyone had to keep the big picture in mind for the sake of the human race.
All of Lightford’s actions proved that he didn’t care about the big picture at all. He was just an opportunist.
Jiang Chen knew Kasyapa must have asked the question for a reason. It made sense that Lightford would be able to tell immediately when his two confidants had been captured.
If it’d been Jiang Chen, he wouldn’t have stayed idle either. He would’ve taken matters into his own hands.
Ziju Min and the others met up with the two primes and came their way. The elder couldn’t help but ask, “Divine Kasyapa, Lightford had been brought up many times on our way here. Just how powerful is he?”
“More powerful than I am! It’s believed that he’s at fourth level divine realm, entering mid divinity. That’s my speculation as well and why I can’t rival him at the moment.”
Divine Kasyapa wasn’t someone for needless humility. If he said so, Lightford’s cultivation was indeed terrifying.
Jiang Chen didn’t respond with anything as he contemplated Kasyapa’s words.
He still remembered Kasyapa estimating that three of him was required to rival Lightford, and five of him for a chance to win.
The Vermilion Bird and the Black Tortoise were as powerful as Kasyapa, and Jiang Chen could rival an initial divine realm cultivator with the help of Long Xiaoxuan and Little White. All of them combined had a chance to defeat Lightford.
Once Eternal’s forefather returned, their chances would be even better.
Of course, Lightford wouldn’t come on his own. It would be troublesome if he attacked with a team of divine cultivators.
At the moment, Jiang Chen could only pray that the ten forefathers could work together and win some battles, weakening their enemies.
Anyone could end up tipping the scales between the two opposing forces. It would be a close fight. Therefore, it was imperative to weaken the enemies at any possible opportunity.
“What do you plan to do with the four captives?” Kasyapa asked Jiang Chen.
After some consideration, Jiang Chen shook his head, admitting that he hadn’t made up his mind yet.
He’d tamed a group of empyrean cultivators before, but that was because he exercised full control over them with his consciousness. He could kill them with a single thought, making them submit.
However, his manipulations might not be effective on divine cultivators. The key issue was that Jiang Chen himself was an advanced empyrean cultivator. Although his consciousness could rival a divine cultivator’s, it was risky for him to attempt to mentally control the four.
If they struck back with their minds and caught him by surprise, it could end badly for him.
He was confident in the strength of his mind, but he didn’t want to purposefully put himself in danger. He couldn’t afford the risk.
With some difficulty, Jiang Chen would be able to manipulate a couple divine cultivators. With four of them though, if they’d agreed to resist together, if they were willing to risk their lives to fight back, they might seriously injure Jiang Chen, if not kill him outright.
The two enforcers were especially tricky. They were very likely to be under Lightford’s control. Jiang Chen would have to pay an even higher price to turn them.
He had to first wipe Lightford’s mental brands. Then he had to enter the enforcers’ minds with his consciousness. Every step involved was fraught with danger.
Jiang Chen didn’t want to take on such a risk before ascending to divinity. Once he did, his consciousness would be incredibly more powerful. It’d then be a piece of cake for him to control the divine realm captives.
