Jiang Chenâs strong presence immediately raised the hackles of the middle-aged man from Heavenlight. He looked at the young man with guarded eyes. He had a bad feeling about this. There must be a reason why Imperial Prince Huo had been so brazen, and the young man was very likely to be it.
Was he someone very important? Most who called themselves young lord had the influence to back that up.
Master Han cautiously toned down his arrogance.
âWho might you be?â He stared at Jiang Chen carefully.
Jiang Chen scoffed. âWhy do you ask? Are you trying to see if Iâm someone you can afford to offend?â
Jiang Chenâs mocking expression angered Master Han greatly. For the longest time, it had been him looking down on others. When was the last time someone from Heavenlight had been subjected to such scorn?
An elder looking bodyguard transmitted with a solemn expression, âMaster, from the way he holds himself, itâs obvious heâs no small fish. The deaths of Azure Tiger and Azure Ox are very likely his doing as well.â
Master Han managed to contain his anger and swallowed a curse. âIf youâre someone I canât afford to offend, Iâll get out of your hair. In Myriad Abyss, strength is law.â
âGet out?â Jiang Chen huffed out a laugh. âThatâs easy for you to say. Youâve trespassed into my property and tried to steal whatâs rightfully mine. Do you think Iâll just let you off the hook?â
âWhat else do you want?â The middle-aged man believed heâd made enough compromises. If the young man refused to back down, he would tolerate things no further.
âYou donât have the right to know. You better pray that you havenât laid a finger on the spirit vein or extracted any stones. Otherwise, none of you will be leaving here alive.â Jiang Chenâs forceful tone allowed no room for argument.
The air thickened with tension.
Imperial Prince Huo silently praised Jiang Chen for his assertion of dominance. Heavenlight was nothing compared to the Eternal Sacred Land!
Master Han boiled with rage. Heâd met his share of arrogant men before, but none as arrogant as this young man. None of them will be leaving here alive? Did the young man honestly think heâd be able to capture all of them with so small a force?
How ludicrous!
Jiang Chen clapped his hands, ignoring the manâs reaction. âBrother Vermilion, letâs give them a show.â
Without missing a beat, the Vermilion Bird shrieked and emerged from the void. It expanded its wings, its body growing in the howling wind until it was a hundred times bigger. The sun was obscured by its wings and the airspace shrouded by its enormous body. Fire spread and dyed the firmament red.
The bird exerted its power over the area like it had capped a lid on the skies. The surrounding space was sealed off, making everyone from Heavenlight feel infinitely stifled and sick. Blood boiled and they almost collapsed.
Even the bodyguards, the most powerful of them all, felt a bone-deep terror they couldnât describe. Fear turned all of their faces ashen.
Shocked, the old bodyguard turned to the middle-aged man, âMaster, this is the power of a god!â
Master Han was already trembling under the birdâs might. His mind went blank with explosive shock when he heard the old manâs words.
A god!
He never expected to run into a god in Rejuvenationâs territory! How was this even possible? The middle-aged man broke into a cold sweat.
âFrom this moment on, none of you are allowed to move,â Jiang Chen said faintly. âWhoever takes even a single step will be killed without prejudice!â
His tone wasnât particularly vicious, but there was an undeniable killing intent to it. Those from Heavenlight cowered and lowered their heads reflexively, too afraid to meet his gaze.
âImperial Prince Huo, take your men and look for Rejuvenationâs members stationed here,â said Jiang Chen. âFind out whatâs happened.â
Imperial Prince Huo sighed softly. âIâm afraid there may not be any survivors.â
Jiang Chen nodded. âAn eye for an eye. If all of them were killed, Heavenlight will pay for it in kind.â
Imperial Prince Huoâs eyes lit up with gleeful delight.
Without Jiang Chenâs support, itâd be impossible for them to kill those from Heavenlight to avenge their people. With the young lord here, Heavenlight wouldnât dare resist at all.
If they angered Jiang Chen, their own deaths would be the least of their worries. The entirety of Heavenlight Isles would be in danger.
The middle-aged man rushed out, âGentlemen, gentlemen, please listen to me. The ones stationed here are still alive...â
âWhere are they?â Jiang Chen asked sharply.
âThey... they...â stammered the middle-aged man. He gritted his teeth and admitted, âWe made them our slaves and planned on having them excavate the mines.â
Imperial Prince Huo flew into a rage. âHow dare you! This is ridiculous!â
The middle-aged man had lost all his air of superiority. There was no place for pride when faced with a god. He had no power to back his arrogance up.
Although he hadnât guessed the young manâs identity, it was unquestionable the young man must be from a faction at least ten times more powerful than Heavenlight.
A god could easily destroy Heavenlight ten times over!
The old bodyguardâs expression changed when realization dawned on him. He leaned closer to his master and transmitted, âThis subordinate has figured it out, master. The young man... is young lord Jiang Chen from the Eternal Sacred Land!â
âThe Eternal Sacred Land?â A shiver ran down the middle-aged manâs spine. Heâd made the connection too. He looked at Jiang Chenâs proud stance, then at the enormous Vermilion Bird blotting out the sky.
That was Jiang Chen, whose reputation was far-reaching and growing exponentially.
He couldnât believe his eyes; his mind swirled with a mass of unanswered questions. Young lord Jiang Chen was a prominent figure from the Eternal Sacred Land. Why would he have anything to do with a third-tier faction like Rejuvenation?
What had Rejuvenation done to deserve Jiang Chenâs support?
Or did the young lord truly own half of the spirit stones here?
Seized by panic, Master Han finally realized what an enemy heâd made for himself.
Heâd offended the most well-known young genius in Myriad Abyss, and the Eternal Sacred Land behind him! If he did nothing to control the damage, their heads would roll, and Heavenlight was doomed to total destruction.