How smoothly things had gone was beyond Jiang Chenâs expectations.
Meng Qianqiu was a clever and pragmatic man. As soon as he realized the rebels wouldnât win, he cut his losses without any hesitation. He also smartly didnât mention the raid of their vault. The Dreamhaze Sect had once been part of the rebels. It was a reasonable price to pay to be pardoned for their deeds.
After an understanding had been reached, Meng Qianqiu gave Jiang Chen an odd smile and couldnât help but ask, âPrime Puresmoke, Iâve willingly submitted to you, but I have a question. Who is this young man?â
Prime Puresmoke smiled slightly. âJiang Chen, the rising genius from the Eternal Sacred Land. Havenât you heard of him?â
âHim?!â Meng Qianqiu broke into a cold sweat. Of course heâd heard of the name. Heâd heard the genius mentioned one too many times lately.
Jiang Chen was the main reason the Eternal Sacred Land had quelled their uprising. Someone at Meng Qianqiuâs level had naturally been informed. It was astounding that this young man was the Jiang Chen who had saved Eternal!
He considered Jiang Chen curiously, shocked, but also relieved that heâd made the smart decision. Otherwise, if a fight had broken out, he wouldâve ended up just like Forefather Goldenbell.
Heâd heard about Jiang Chenâs companion, the ancient Vermilion Bird, and how it was powerful enough to rival a god.
Meng Qianqiu was haughtily confident in himself, but he didnât think heâd be able to fight the divine bird. Besides, Forefathers Goldenbell and Yuchi had mostly likely died at their hands. He struggled to contain his nerves.
âForefather Qianqiu, thereâs no time to waste. Martial Divine Nation canât afford to be at war for a moment longer. The rebels must be eliminated quickly. Make your announcement to the nation as soon as you can.â
âThat wonât be a problem. Iâll do it now.â
âAh yes, youâre one of the leading figures in the rebel alliance. You must know it well. Do you have an idea how we can break it up without a fight?â Prime Puresmoke asked.
Meng Qianqiu thought for a moment. âThe alliance has been unstable since Forefather Yuchiâs departure. News about Forefather Goldenbell and Yuchiâs death have reached it. Our sectâs further drove them into panicking. They are at their most vulnerable.â
âIf thatâs the case, now is the best time for us to strike?â asked Prime Puresmoke.
âNo, not yet,â admitted Meng Qianqiu. âThe alliance is wavering, but it hasnât fallen apart yet.â
âHow do we make that happen?â Prime Puresmoke wasnât too proud to ask.
âForefather Goldenbell and Yuchi have to be proven dead. Then if we can kill the last demigod forefather, leaving the alliance directionless, its members will naturally lose their will to fight. My sect will be able to push some people into defecting as well. Then the alliance will absolutely break apart on its own.â
Prime Puresmoke listened with rapt attention. The sect head had spoken earnestly, proposing a plan from the bottom of his heart.
âWhat do you think, Sir Jiang Chen?â
Jiang Chen chuckled. âForefather Qianqiu lives up to your reputation as a heavyweight. Youâve deftly identified the problems and provided the most efficient solution. I think your plan will work.â
His compliment made Meng Qianqiu see him in a more positive light. Although the young man had raided the sectâs vault and kidnapped the forefatherâs grandson as leverage, heâd at least refrained from cutting off all possibilities.
Theyâd merely been on opposing sides. The young manâs previous actions were completely reasonable.
Prime Puresmoke looked around rapidly. âIf so, letâs execute the plan.â
âI think we can even take it one step further,â Jiang Chen suggested with a crooked smile. âForefather Qianqiu, if you take your group back to the alliance now, but help the sacred land kill the last demigod forefather at the last moment, what do you think itâll do to the rebelsâ morale?â
Prime Puresmoke perked up, looking at Meng Qianqiu expectantly.
âThe Dreamhaze Sect will follow Prime Puresmokeâs orders,â Meng Qianqiu expressed obediently.
Prime Puresmoke was thrilled. This was their chance to win. It was the perfect opportunity to use the Dreamhaze Sect to catch the rebels off guard.
As soon as the last demigod forefather fell, the rebels would collapse. Then Meng Qianqiu would be able to easily convince many of them to change sides. Thatâd be the best case scenario.
Meng Qianqiu thought for a moment. âPrime Puresmoke, the demigod forefather is a little weaker than I am. I can suppress him on my own without much difficulty, but it wonât be easy to kill him right then and there.â
Prime Puresmoke smiled slightly. âYou donât have to worry about that. Am I right, Sir Jiang Chen?â
Jiang Chen chuckled. âIf we can catch him off guard, it wonât be that hard to kill a demigod forefather. We did the same to Forefathers Goldenbell and Yuchi.â
The three of them brainstormed a plan.
Knowing the Vermilion Bird would be going with them gave Meng Qianqiu a boost in confidence. With the divine beastâs help, it wouldnât be difficult to kill the demigod forefather.
Meng Qianqiu wasnât a merciful man. Although he was familiar with the demigod forefather by virtue of them being in the same alliance, he wouldnât hesitate to take out the other when necessary.
He knew the forefather wouldnât surrender. The man was stubbornly against the sacred land, while Meng Qianqiu was much more flexible in his stance.
In the end, they concluded that Meng Qianqiu should return to the rebel alliance. Jiang Chen and Prime Puresmoke would disguise themselves as members of the Dreamhaze Sect. As for the Vermilion Bird and Long Xiaoxuan, they could both reduce themselves to easily hide among the troops.
Meng Qianqiu gathered the elites of the sect and exclaimed, âYou are all the sectâs bravest warriors. I donât want you to lose your lives in this civil war. For the greater good of the sect, Iâve decided to return to the sacred landâs side. The sacred land is now our friend rather than our enemy. Do you understand?â
âUnderstood!â Many of them never wanted to be a part of the rebellion. Therefore, their responses were more enthusiastic than Meng Qianqiu expected.
The sect head hadnât realized that those heâd personally trained would be so against the rebellion that they would be visibly relieved when they no longer had to be part of it.