Forefather Celestial perked up.
As long as Jiang Chen was out of the picture, Winterdraw wouldnât be able to withstand the demonic army, no matter how resilient their defenses were.
The human race was able to survive to this day only because of Jiang Chen. Without him, the human domain would be still as weak as theyâd been a hundred years ago.
Their intelligence reports painted a clear enough picture.
Forefather Celestial felt the key to conquering the Divine Abyss Continent wasnât the territories they claimed, but the pivotal human leaders they took out.
That was where the demons had gone wrong in the ancient war.
Since their invasion, theyâd allowed greed to get the better of them when they glimpsed the wealth of the continent.
Theyâd formulated the wrong strategies, concentrating on expanding their territory as much as possible. The enlarged battlefield resulted in insufficient manpower and control.
Troubles followed in turn.
The continent was too vast for them to take over with their limited forces. Their focus in the ancient war had been wrong from the beginning. They couldnât repeat the same mistake this time.
There was no need to expand the battlefield, nor did they need to occupy too many regions.
They simply had to seize key human strongholds and conquer the race step by step.
Without their leader, the human race would end up destroying itself. The demons wouldnât even have to do anything then.
That was the conclusion that Forefather Celestial had come to while heâd been sealed over the past three hundred thousand years. Rather than pitting all of their forces and resources into attacking the human domain, it was better to eliminate the domainâs leader - Jiang Chen.
With him dead, the human domain would fall apart without a fight. Of that, the forefather was certain of.
There might be a few stragglers refusing to give up the fight, but they wouldnât be able to achieve much without Jiang Chen.
Forefather Celestialâs brain flitted rapidly between thoughts.
He swept his solemn gaze over everyone in attendance and proclaimed slowly, âIt is unlikely for Jiang Chen to have returned to the human domain in such a short period of time. This is our best opportunity to eliminate him. If we allow him to return to the human domain, our fight against the humans will drag on, which is something we donât want given our lack of numbers.â
They were the invaders. They had no roots on the continent. Their remaining forces were limited to begin with after the ancient war. It wouldnât be easy for them to complete their conquest.
If they fought the human domain with no regards for casualties, what were they going to do afterwards even if they did take over the domain? Would the remaining demons be enough to reign over the entire continent?
Highly unlikely!
That was why they had to minimize casualties.
âPlease give the order, Forefather Celestial. I volunteer to lead the charge against the Eternal Sacred Land!â Forefather Goldenhowl was the first to speak up.
His hatred for Jiang Chen ran bone-deep. The young man had tricked him into allowing the total annihilation of the golden tribe. This was the worst possible humiliation he couldâve suffered!
He would never be able to hold his head high if he didnât take his revenge. He had to kill Jiang Chen himself to resolve the knot in his heart.
âCount me in.â The remaining divine forefather from the titan tribe stood up as well.
âCount the winged tribe in!â
âThe fire tribe too!â
The volunteers were the main troops who had come from the desolate wastelands. Their comrades had been taken out after entering Myriad Abyss. Naturally, they had more personal grievances against Jiang Chen.
Soon, eight divine forefathers had taken a stand, eager to join the fight. It was clear from their grit teeth how deep their hatred for Jiang Chen ran.
Pleased, Forefather Celestial nodded. âThe young man is cunning. You might be strong enough to overpower him, but Iâm still worried. Ole Third, accompany them on this mission. Youâre the leader of this skirmish.â
Forefather Celestial turned to one of the celestial demon forefathers behind him. The demon ranked third among the forefathers in the tribe, which gave him the title âthe third forefatherâ.
The third forefather served as Forefather Celestialâs tactician. He was intelligent and cunning, and a good judge of situations. He was also adept at formulating battle plans.
Among the demonic race, he was one of the few clear-headed individuals. With him spearheading the team, the demons would be even more difficult to deal with.
The third forefather cupped his hands. âUnderstood.â
No one other than Goldenhowl had any objections to the third forefather being assigned to lead the charge. He was displeased, but also wasnât strong enough to oppose the celestial tribe. He could only put aside his grievances after considering his own level of strength.
At the moment, what mattered to him the most was revenge. Everything else came second.
Eight divine cultivators, the third forefather included, set out with tens of thousands of elites for Myriad Abyss via four demonic airboats.
With the third celestial demon forefatherâs leadership, this troop of demons was not to be underestimated.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The celestial forefather unfolded a map and surveyed Myriad Abyss. After a while, he spoke up, âPass down my orders. Tell the other three airboats to halt. I have some words for our men.â
He was in charge of the mission. The others dared not defy him.
The four airboats gathered together once again. The eight divine forefathers convened again.
âAfter studying the map, itâs clear to me that Jiang Chen will have to pass through the Bluesmoke Isles on his way back to Winterdraw. Why should we travel all the way to the sacred land if thereâs a closer target?â
âHe has to pass Bluesmoke? Is there no other route back to Winterdraw?â
âThere is, but itâll be a long detour,â the third forefather said gravely. âI wouldnât waste the time if I were Jiang Chen.â
âWhat do you propose?â Goldenhowl asked nonchalantly. He wouldnât listen to the celestial demonâs nonsense if not for his revenge.
âWe may not be able to find him if we go to the Eternal Sacred Land now. Accidents may happen that will result in us missing him. Itâs better to wait for him to come than us making the long journey.â The third forefather made a reasonable speculation.
However, Goldenhowl snorted. âWhat if he doesnât show up?â
âThen that tells us heâs returned to the human domain, or he hasnât departed. As long as heâs going to return to Winterdraw, he will pass through Bluesmoke.â