Divine Kasyapa clearly doted on Huangâer, which had led to him taking a shine to Jiang Chen as well. He had an extended private conversation with the young lord to get to know the young man.
His expression changed when he heard that Jiang Chen had been trying to fight the demons.
âWhen I was young, I used to wish that Iâd been born two hundred thousand years earlier,â lamented the divine master. âIf I could fight in the demonic war of the ancient times, my life would be quite a saga for the ages.â
âThe demons will rise again. History repeats itself. If you want to be part of the war, the opportunity will come one day.â
Divine Kasyapa chuckled. âIâm afraid Myriad Abyss is going to fall into chaos long before then. Besides, that was a thought of youthful ignorance. The times have changed. I no longer have the same wish.â
âOh?â Jiang Chen was surprised. âMyriad Abyss will fall into chaos? Why is that?â
âFirst, a tremendous amount of security flaws have emerged in the Boundless Prison. According to this seatâs investigation, itâs not the result of a lack of maintenance, but intentional sabotage. In other words, the ten sacred landsâ rule is no longer as absolute as it was before.
âSecond, the offworld battles arenât looking good. The ten sacred lands have been weakened greatly and can no longer bear the high casualties and resources.â
Jiang Chen gaped. âYou know about the offworld battlefield as well, senior?â
âHmph, the Boundless Prison is a treasure trove of information,â the divine master declared haughtily. âThere are not only inmates from Myriad Abyss, but also powerful invaders from outside this plane. This seat knows a great deal about what even the ten sacred lands arenât aware of.â
Jiang Chen cursed under his breath. The demonic invasion couldnât be stopped and the offworld enemies threatened to break through their defenses. Would the world fall into chaos like in the ancient times? Was the Divine Abyss Continent doomed to enter another dark age?
âThe heavenly axis has deviated, revealing the coordinates of the continent. An age of senseless conflicts is coming. You may have reached a decent height with your cultivation, Jiang Chen, but if the Eternal Sacred Land sends you to the offworld battlefield, all your glory may come to an end.â Divine Kasyapa chuckled, his eyes boring into Jiang Chenâs soul.
âThe venerated forefather said he wouldnât send me to the offworld battlefield, not until I come to my full power.â
âTimes are different now. Things may not have been as bad when he made that promise to you, and you werenât as strong as you are now. You came out neck and neck with First Wind. Thatâs enough to make some contributions to the war.â
Jiang Chen fell silent, at a loss of what to say.
He wasnât afraid of going to war. At changing times like these, a man had to prove his worth in battles. Moreover, heâd never been the kind of person to sit and wait for things to happen to him.
âLeave the Eternal Sacred Land and follow me,â Divine Kasyapa intoned lonely, his eyes focused on Jiang Chen. âIâll find a way to help both you and Huangâer ascend to divinity. Once you do, youâll be my most trusted allies. Even when the world falls into chaos, weâll be able to protect ourselves. If things get too bad, we can even leave the plane of Divine Abyss Continent and enter a bigger stage.â
The invitation came out of nowhere.
Jiang Chen frowned but shook his head without hesitation. âI may be young, senior, but I know one should finish what they started. The human domain considers me their leader. They depend on me. I cannot abandon them. The Eternal Sacred Land may not have made me who I am today, but weâve been through hardships together. Moreover, I have a deal with the venerated forefather. Itâs against my principles to go back on my words.â
He spoke only the truth.
The godâs offer was in his best interests and it also made perfect sense. However, one couldnât think only about their own interests when making decisions. There were lines one shouldnât cross and principles one should adhere to.
Divine Kasyapa seemed to have foreseen Jiang Chenâs response. He smiled slightly. âYouâre a stubborn one. Arenât you afraid that you wonât be able to give Huangâer lifelong happiness?â
âWith all due respect, divine master, do you know what kind of life she wants?â Jiang Chen responded bluntly. There was no need to be coy in a conversation between two men.
Divine Kasyapa didnât have an answer to that.
âIf I run for my own safety when danger strikes, that will disappoint Huangâer. I donât want her to think that the man she chose is one without a sense of duty or responsibility.â His attitude was clear.
Divine Kasyapa closed his eyes without a word. Finally, he sighed softly. âSome people are born to achieve greatness. Perhaps youâre one of them, Jiang Chen. Fine, my offer still stands. If one day you change your mind, you may seek me out then.â
âSenior, didnât you say you once wished youâd been born two hundred thousand years earlier so that you could fight in the ancient demonic war?â Jiang Chen couldnât help but ask. âA storm is coming, and youâre a powerful man. Why have you lost your will to fight? Why do you think of nothing but running away?â
Divine Kasyapaâs eyes narrowed and flashed. He looked at Jiang Chen with a hint of anger.
Jiang Chen met his gaze without fear.
âYoung men are often hotheaded,â Divine Kasyapa said faintly. âIf you stay in the Boundless Prison for a few decades or centuries, you might think differently.â
âNo matter how terrifying a place it is, it shouldnât have dulled your ambition. Real power comes from the mind. Challenges and hardships make a true hero stronger and braver. They donât turn the hero into a coward who runs away from danger.â
Jiang Chen was growing frustrated. Someone as powerful as the divine master shouldnât have been so pessimistic.
Surprisingly, Kasyapa gave Jiang Chen a cool glance instead of defending himself.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âDo you know how many powerful cultivators have escaped the prison, young man?â
âHow many?â asked Jiang Chen.
âThere were as many divine cultivators among them as the ones in Myriad Abyss, or even more so. And some of them are more powerful than I am. If they stir up trouble in Myriad Abyss, they might destroy it. If they collude with the offworld enemies, their combined destructive power will be unimaginable. Under the circumstances, what good will our meager power do? What are the odds of us turning things around?â He scoffed, staring at Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen was shocked. He hadnât expected the Boundless Prison to have deteriorated to this point. Myriad Abyss Island would be plagued with threats from all fronts in the future. Evils of all kinds were entering the stage.