Although outside prognosis seemed to be getting grimmer and grimmer by the day, Jiang Chen and his companions worked steadily toward their goals. All seemed to be proceeding smoothly.
On this day, Divine Kasyapa sought out Jiang Chen.
âYouâre leaving?â Jiang Chen was rather surprised.
âHaha, Eternal isnât my home. Why should I stay here as their watchdog?â An Kasyapa was half joking. âThey arenât paying me anything.â
âBut...â Jiang Chen trailed off. âLightford must hold a grudge against you after his last defeat. If you leave and he finds your home base, what will you do then?â
Kasyapa laughed. âOh, you donât know that old bastard. He does hold a grudge against me and wants to tear me to pieces, but I can assure you that heâs not going to come after me anytime soon.â
âWhy not?â asked Jiang Chen.
âHeâs not a short-sighted man. The situation in Myriad Abyss isnât looking good for him. What he needs to do now is to gather his subordinates and attack the sacred lands again. He wonât set his sights on me before things are settled in Myriad Abyss. Besides, he wonât necessarily know that Iâve left the sacred land. Even if he does, he may not be able to locate me. Itâll also take time for him to break into my secret realm. Itâs not like Iâll stay idle and do nothing during that time.â
As a divine cultivator, An Kasyapa had his ways of surviving.
Given what his grandfather-in-law had said, Jiang Chen wasnât going to keep arguing. Otherwise, itâd seem like he didnât trust the god. Kasyapa was a divine cultivator, not a child who needed hiâs protection.
âI wonât be taking Huangâer with me this time. I donât think sheâll be willing, and I donât want her to be in danger. Perhaps I even have to admit that being with you is safer for her.â
Divine Kasyapa was more open-minded than Jiang Chen had anticipated. He was even more so when facing the man his granddaughter loved and was generous with his compliments.
Jiang Chen didnât take that for granted and humbly shook his head.
âYouâve been staying in the sacred land for the past few days, Jiang Chen. It may be a safe choice, but not the best choice.â Divine Kasyapa spoke up There were certain things he had to point out to the young man before he left.
Jiang Chen paused thoughtfully.
âI know we should be more proactive, but if I leave the sacred land, itâll be at the mercy of our enemies. The two primes arenât enough to deter them. If Lightford comes back, Eternal will fall into his hands.â There was a reason why Jiang Chen couldnât just leave.
He knew the smart thing to do was to meet up with the ten forefathers and eliminate the fugitives from the Boundless Prison together, but he was worried about the Eternal Sacred Land in that development.
âSometimes, sacrifice is inevitable,â Divine Kasyapa remarked faintly. âWhich is more important, the Eternal Sacred Land or the big picture? Besides, are you worried about the foundations of the sacred land, or just some of its members?â
That, Jiang Chen had a clear answer to. He didnât care that much about the sacred land itself. He stayed only because there were people he had to protect.
âIf youâre just worried about some of the members, you can always take them with you via airboats. With your current strength, youâre powerful enough to fight Lightford head-on. I can tell that the true dragon is about to ascend to divinity as well. With three sacred beasts by your side, even Lightford wonât be able to defeat you. Therefore, you donât need to play safe. Itâs not a bad thing to want to protect everyone, but youâve let it cloud your judgement.â
As Jiang Chenâs senior, Kasyapa hadnât sugarcoated his words.
The young genius didnât get defensive. Instead, he ruminated on the seniorâs words.
He had to admit the god had a point. His eyes lit up. âDivine Kasyapa, if Iâm going after Lightford, will you join me in this madness?â
Divine Kasyapa laughed like heâd been waiting for the offer.
âI was always a risk-taker in the Boundless Prison, but very few have been able to make me want to do so. Jiang Chen, Iâve decided to take this leap of faith with you!â
It was more than apparent that the god was indulging in a bit of youthful recklessness in his old age.
Jiang Chen encountered quite a bit of challenges with his decision. Firstly, the two primes were vehemently against the idea.
The second prime was especially vocal. âThe venerated forefather sent you back to protect the sacred land, Jiang Chen. If you take the risk and leave now and we come under enemy attack, youâll be blamed by generations to come.â
This manâs words had always bothered Jiang Chen. He smiled coolly. âLightfordâs subordinates have all either been captured or killed. They donât have enough people to attack the sacred land.â
âLightford himself still lives. Given his level of power, no one in the sacred land will be able to stop him if he returns.â The second prime was insistent.
âLightford is ambitious. His goal is to destroy all ten of the sacred lands. Heâs not going to waste time on Eternal.â Jiang Chen shook his head. âIf I dawdle around while the elites of the ten sacred lands are losing the battle or if they fall when Iâm not there, then Myriad Abyss is doomed!â
He wasnât being an alarmist.
If the elites of the ten sacred lands were killed, the ten sacred lands were as good as destroyed. Without the ten forefathers and the elites, they would be left with only thirty percent of their forces. What were they going to do then? How were they going to fight Lightford? How were they going to deter the offworld invaders?
Ziju Min was of one mind with Jiang Chen. Even from his consideration of the big picture, he felt Jiang Chen was right.
The Eternal Sacred Land had become Lightfordâs worst nightmare. He wasnât going to attack it without gathering enough manpower.
Besides, his priority wasnât to defeat the Eternal Sacred Land, but to gather an army for a rematch. Under the circumstances, it didnât make sense for someone as powerful as Jiang Chen to remain in Eternal.
âJiang Chenâs analysis makes sense, Second Prime, Third Prime. Lightford must be after the ten sacred landsâ elites. Eternal is no longer his priority.â