Prime Gao wasn’t fond of Jiang Chen to begin with, so the naysayers made him even more hesitant.
Fortunately, most remained clear-headed. Not many caused a scene. It was impossible for Flora to resolve the demons’ encirclement on their own.
How wonderful would it be if Jiang Chen could help lift the siege! It was an option worth exploring, no matter if the price was astronomical.
An elder clamored, “Prime Gao, we already wrote off our enmity with the Eternal Sacred Land after the alliance. The situation in Myriad Abyss is clearly no longer the same. Against the demons’ wanton aggression, sticking to old bias and sectarianism is nothing but self-destructive.
“Even if young lord Jiang Chen has his own agenda, it’s still better than letting the demons overwhelm us and erase our heritage. Let me ask you, can Jiang Chen possibly commit anything more destructive than a demonic invasion?”
In fact, when put in such simple terms, the choice didn’t seem all that difficult. The answer was obvious to all.
Master Shi Xuan added calmly, “Prime Gao, ladies and gentlemen, I’ve said enough. Are we to cling to prejudices when the survival of our sacred land is at stake? Even if we disregard what he’s doing for us right now, can he possibly be more terrible than the demons? If he abandons us now, do you think our enemies won’t have the strength to deal with us once they come back to their senses?”
Indeed, those who disliked Jiang Chen harbored a fantasy that the demons’ internal strife signaled the end of the siege.
Alas, reality was cruel. The young lord was the sole instigator of the present situation, for one thing. If he were to stop and leave now, the infighting would certainly tail off. The demons would then jointly launch a full-strength assault on Flora. The sacred land’s downfall would be a foregone conclusion by then.
“Lord Prime, let us observe on the sidelines for now. If the kid wants to deal with the demons, then let him seek all of the glory and shoulder all of the risks.”
“Lord Prime, it’s time to decide. We ought to join hands with him and strike the enemy from both within and without!”
Both sides stuck firmly to their positions.
But on the whole, more were in favor of partnering with the Eternal genius, while their opponents were in the minority. Not to mention, their reasons were far-fetched.
Little by little, the combat outside eroded the sacred land’s defense perimeter, gradually breaking the formation runes and shattering the fortifications.
Flora would be badly injured if it ever came to be involved in a fight of this level.
“To think the demon leaders would lose their minds from all this fighting! If not for the excessive casualties, I’d even suspect a deliberate trap.”
“That’s right. Demons are too eccentric to judge by human standards.”
“Eh, everyone, look, what’s going on?” shouted someone in surprise. The battle outside had taken a new turn.
Ironclad slashed at Grimhead, an attack the latter should’ve dodged with ease. But in that instant, what transpired with Lionheart repeated itself.
Grimhead’s figure abruptly seemed bound by a mysterious force.
A tiny pause was enough to decide the outcome in a fight between powerhouses. Not to mention, Ironclad’s strength was already greater to begin with, after going berserk from the power of his bloodline.
The monster demon’s fearsome attack broke through space and distance. With a flash of white light, his blade forcibly removed Grimhead’s skull from his neck with a spray of blood and unbridled resentment. A crimson rain of blood filled the monster demons with renewed vigor, itching to nab the severed head for themselves.
After losing its head, the forefather’s body slumped dismally on the ground, vanishing into the vegetation.
Oakhead also wondered if he was hallucinating. Grimhead shouldn’t have fallen so easily, given his strength. Not even a berserk Ironclad possessed this kind of power.
An abrupt realization suddenly arrived. With a vicious sweep of his Giant Spirit Hammer, he yelled, “Old Ironclad, pause a moment and hear me out!”
Felling Grimhead had sated only a fraction of Ironclad’s bloodlust, so when he saw Oakhead distance himself from the radius of combat, he sneered with a cold, unforgiving smile on his lips. “Oakhead, what are you scheming now? Let me tell you, your tricks are won’t be any use today!”
In actuality, Oakhead wasn’t afraid of Ironclad. He’d simply smelled something fishy.
Both Grimhead and Lionheart had died under strange circumstances. In particular, neither of them had been killed by ultimate trump cards.
“Old Ironclad, do you think I’m really afraid of you? Use your brain. Don’t Lionheart’s and Grimhead’s deaths seem strange? Didn’t you notice them suddenly lose their ability to protect themselves the instant before they died?”
Sure enough, these words gave Ironclad pause. A subtle frown appeared on his brows.
“Oakhead, what on earth are you trying to say?” he growled.
“Isn’t that obvious? Someone’s playing tricks on us. Our two tribes have been deceived!” shouted Oakhead in fury.
“Deceived? By who? Is the Flora Sacred Land this bold? Do they have what it takes?”
His expression livid, Oakhead swept the surroundings with his enormous eyes that were like bronze bells, counting many details cementing his suspicion.
“Stop, all of you bloody well stop!” Ironclad suddenly felt antsy as well. If they truly had been manipulated, then this fight would turn out to be a regrettable, disastrous mistake.
He took a deep breath and stared seriously at Oakhead. “Oakhead, did your demons kill my tribe’s Commander Fei Yao, yes or no?”
“Commander Fei Yao? Who’s that?” The giant demon forefather was baffled. “You think I’d lower myself to deal with a mere commander of yours?”
Ironclad sneered. “Knock it off! Just answer yes or no, stop acting so vague and beating around the bush.”
Oakhead suddenly exploded with anger. “Bullshit, I didn’t do it, there’s nothing to admit!”
“Dare you swear an oath?” Ironclad followed-up gravely.
“What f*cking oath? You think I’d lie about that? Plus, we killed your Lionheart, but you also killed a forefather of ours. You have no right to complain,” Oakhead snarled in frustration.
Nevertheless, the more the two analyzed the situation, the more the feeling of being duped pricked at them. Someone had been running circles around them..
