Jiang Chen smiled when he noted the same eagerness to fight in the others.
“Gentlemen, the war is a long term effort. It won’t be over in a day or two, so don’t be in such a hurry. Protecting Myriad Abyss Island will also contribute to our future success. You will have chances aplenty to battle demons and prove yourselves. But first, you must focus on cultivation. One drop of sweat shed now will mean one less drop of blood spilled in the future.”
The crowd responded, “We will heed your orders, young lord. Rest assured, we won’t let our greed for merit get the better of us.”
They envied An Kasyapa for obtaining the Divine Veluriyam talisman, but not excessively so. After all, with great rewards came great risks.
“Alright, gentlemen. Just keep in mind that Winterdraw is a cornerstone to the success or failure of the demon-subduing war. I hope you fully realize the weight of the responsibility on your shoulders.”
It was paramount to keep the island safe.
But with the help of such formidable formations, defense shouldn’t be too arduous a task. More importantly, the demons had yet to mobilize for a large-scale offensive on the island.
A single demon tribe or two didn’t constitute too great a threat.
The young lord didn’t tarry after putting the island’s affairs in order. He immediately turned his attention to the maps, preparing for the imminent rescue of the Immortal Sacred Land.
“Young lord, Immortal is closest to us, so the demons will expect you there. This trip might be highly dangerous,” warned the Vermilion Bird.
How would Jiang Chen be unaware?
He simply had no choice. He couldn’t lose Immortal to the enemy.
“Old Brother Vermilion, out of all ten sacred lands, Immortal is the best at treasuring refining. In the Eternal Sacred Land, I possess a spirit vein containing pentacolor crystals. They can be the basis for weapons with innate anti-demon properties. It’ll be invaluable help to the war effort if I can turn all of them into demon-slaying weapons!”
“Young lord, how many weapons can you refine with these crystals?”
“If we’re talking divine weapons, then no more than fifteen. But if used to forge empyrean weapons instead, I can make three thousand at least. And that’s a conservative estimate!”
“Three thousand??”
“What? Do you think that isn’t much? If I can assemble an empyrean battalion, each member armed an empyrean weapon crafted from pentacolor crystals, can you imagine how mighty a force it will be?”
One or two empyrean cultivators posed no threat whatsoever to divine cultivators. Even ten or twenty were of little concern. But one hundred, each equipped with an anti-demon weapon, against a single demonic god? Then the odds were no longer so certain.
A brigade three thousand strong, everyone at advanced empyrean realm, would boast astonishing potential.
This had been a long-standing plan of his. The timing had simply never been right, due to the lack of personnel.
“So you have no choice but to rescue Immortal?” sighed the Vermilion Bird.
“Yes, I must have them on my side. We must venture into the lion’s den, despite fully knowing the dangers lurking inside.
“It’s true the golden demons are fearsome in combat. The fight against Silveredge could’ve been hairy without your intervention.”
They’d defeated shadow and winged demon forefathers in that fight. Silveredge of the golden demon tribe had been the only one they’d failed to take down, and not for lack of trying. Jiang Chen had ended up resorting to his father’s treasure, the True Dragon Rope of Water and Fire, in order to capture his demonic foe.
That spoke volumes about the fierceness of golden demons.
But Jiang Chen added, “The golden demon physique is admittedly strong. But that was your first experience against them. You all weren’t used to their style. Believe me, the blood of the four sacred beasts is in no way shape or form inferior, especially if all four bloodlines were to act in concert. Very few in the heavenly planes would be confident going against all four of you then.”
The four sacred beasts were Jiang Chen’s greatest weapon. Even better, this trump card could be played time and time again, and even strengthen itself over time.
His sights were set beyond the demons, at the heavenly planes, and at his former life!
The four sacred beasts hadn’t fully matured yet. They were all at initial divine realm. Close to the fourth level, the Vermilion Bird and the Black Tortoise led the pack, while Long Xiaoxuan was second level, and the Astral White Tiger only first.
But each of them had great potential after partaking the Amaranth Clouddew Fruit. They would reach advanced divine realm sooner or later, or even higher.
By then, Jiang Chen would surely launch an expedition in the heavenly planes to solve the riddle of his former life.
For him, the demons on Divine Abyss Continent were nothing but a momentary obstacle.
He didn’t want the four beasts to suffer from a feeling of defeat whenever they had to face golden demons.
“Old Brother Vermilion, your skyfire is in fact the golden demons’ bane. You probably aren’t aware of it yourself. Among the five elements, the southern fire restrains the western gold. In all of the heavenly planes, golden demons fear fire-based abilities the most.”
Ordinary water or fire attacks wouldn’t dent them, but it wasn’t so for the divine bird. Carrying the bloodline of Vermilion Birds, its fire carried an innate power blessed by creation.
Only, his bloodline power wasn’t fully developed yet. Otherwise, the bird could have subdued Silveredge all by himself.
With a grin, the Astral White Tiger shouted, “It’s nothing but golden demons. Why should we four sacred beasts be afraid?”
“Let’s go then and play with that golden demon tribe.” Long Xiaoxuan’s fighting spirit was roused as well. He’d gained quite a lot after fighting Silveredge, including new insights, and would certainly not be so passive his second time against a golden demon forefather.
Jiang Chen smiled leisurely. “Everyone, don’t forget that apart from the four of you, I still have a card to play against them.”
“Ah? What is it?”
With a chuckle, Jiang Chen made a hand seal and called, “Old Gold, come on out and meet everyone.”
The Goldbiter Rat King cackled and darted out from thin air.
It wasn’t the rat king’s first time meeting Long Xiaoxuan. They’d seen each other often before for various missions. The rat king had simply always kept a low-profile, hence why they weren’t too familiar with each other.
The rat’s sense of inferiority was to blame. His bloodline seemed far too lackluster compared to sacred beasts.
But thanks to Jiang Chen’s repeated tales of the ancient Goldbiter Kingrats and the legacy of their bloodline, the king’s confidence had increased in spades.
He no longer felt so ashamed. Instead, he now brimmed with a deep-seated sense of self-assurance.
