On this day, Jiang Chen summoned the four sacred beasts and Goldbiter Rat King for a meeting.
Hearing that they were going to leave the Divine Abyss Continent and venture into the heavenly planes lit the fires of excitement. The rat seemed especially eager. The peace of the continent was making it antsy. One couldn’t improve when there was no conflict to be had.
The Goldbiter Rats had been complacent for too long. It was their truest calling to venture into the heavenly planes and announce to the world that the Goldbiter Kingrats had returned.
The four sacred beasts didn’t particularly like the peaceful life either. They were getting bored with Divine Abyss. A new challenge sounded perfect.
“When do we set out, young master Chen?” asked the rat with an eager expression.
“There’s no timing like the present! Why not today?” The Astral White Tiger voiced a series of excited roars.
Anticipation brimmed in the eyes of the other three sacred beasts as well.
“We leave in a couple of days. However, this quest may be a dangerous one. It’s a heavy task that I’m taking on. You’ll be at risk as well.”
The Vermilion Bird chuckled. “How long have we known each other, young master Chen? We weather death together, there’s no need for such words as these. To be honest, it feels better to follow you into life-threatening scenarios than to live a serene, but boring life.”
Long Xiaoxuan nodded lightly. “That’s right. We’d rather die a meaningful death than live an uneventful life! We’re still hale and hearty. It’ll be a waste to not strive for something great.”
The Black Tortoise was more level-headed, but it wished to enter the heavenly planes and explore the vast world as well.
It was more than obvious that there wasn’t much to see on the Divine Abyss Continent anymore. They were frogs at the bottom of a well, eager to know how far the sky stretched.
Jiang Chen waved a hand with a smile. “The heavenly planes are indeed impressive, but don’t worry, there won’t be that many who can bully us given our strength. Divine cultivators are as common as muck in the heavenly planes, but we’re advanced gods. Only godkings are stronger than us, and they aren’t that common even in the heavenly planes!”
“Does that mean that we can throw our weight around even in the heavenly planes?” The tiger grinned, its eyes shining brightly.
“You can say that. Even in the heavenly planes, there won’t be that many who pose a serious threat to us. In fact, there may not be anyone. We’re still growing stronger. The speed at which we progress will make the heavenly planes tremble!”
Jiang Chen was half joking, but it was effective in lightening the mood and further rousing the sacred beasts.
“That’s right. We may come from humble origins, but we have the ability to intimidate the heavenly planes!” The Goldbiter Rat King licked his snout, his eyes glowing faintly.
The Vermilion Bird smiled. “Even a rack of old bones like me is getting excited, young master Chen.”
Jiang Chen laughed heartily. “You aren’t old, Brother Vermilion. There are countless individuals much older than you are in the heavenly planes. You’ll realize what a young whippersnapper you are once you get there.”
Everyone burst out laughing.
Due to Jiang Chen’s intentional omission of the truth, the farewell wasn’t a melancholic one.
He told his parents that he was going on an adventure to see the outside world. It was in his parents’ nature to remind him to be careful.
Nevertheless, a man should have their eye on the bigger world. Jiang Feng didn’t protest his son’s. He too felt the continent wasn’t big enough for his son.
Jiang Chen was a dragon that shouldn’t reside in a small pond.
Xu Qingxuan worried her lips as she sent Jiang Chen off. She watched until he was far, far away and put in prodigious effort to stop her tears from falling.
She was more sensitive than the others. She could tell from Huang’er’s behavior that her brother hadn’t departed simply for a jaunt.
Nonetheless, she didn’t push for an answer. Deep down, she had faith in her brother. No matter what he was going to do, he would return. That was the only thing that mattered.
……
“You sure are popular in Divine Abyss, young master,” Jiang Yuan said with a smile. “They’re all so reluctant to see you off.”
“It’s fortunate that the demons have been eliminated, and the world is at peace again.” Jiang Chen replied in lieu of a response.
They reached the fringe of the continent. This was where Jiang Chen had established the spatial currents.
“There’s no interdimensional portal on the continent, young master,” explained Jiang Yuan. “We’ll have to fly through the space in between worlds ourselves. It’s going to be a challenging journey, but you should be fine given your level of cultivation.”
Jiang Chen waved a dismissive hand. “Let’s not waste time. Should we fly in an airboat, or just ourselves?”
“Better not use an airboat. There’s no guarantee that you airboat will be strong enough to withstand the currents. It’s also easier to dodge an unexpected storm if we just fly. Inside an airboat, we’ll be less agile.”
They made some simple preparations. The four sacred beasts attached themselves to Jiang Chen, while the Goldbiter Rats took their position in the Millionditch Stonenest.
The rats couldn’t travel through realms at the moment.
Although Jiang Yuan had warned him, it wasn’t until Jiang Chen entered the currents that he realized how difficult the trip would be.
At first, everything was quiet. The vast universe was a deep blue, and the view intriguing.
Over time, though, the environment changed as quickly as a child’s mood. The deep blue turned to grey, and storms emerged out of nowhere.
Then the environment turned red with random jets of spatial flames.
Every once in a while, something would happen to test Jiang Chen’s reflexes. He kept his guard up as he carefully traveled through space and stopped treating this as a joyride.
One month, two months, three months…
It wasn’t until six months later that Jiang Yuan took Jiang Chen to a small realm to refuel.
After half a year of nothing but flying, Jiang Chen’s attitude had changed. He’d become more composed as it was more than apparent they were no longer on the Divine Abyss Continent. His glory was all in the past. It was time for him to enter a new phase in life.
