The two celestial demon forefathers felt like the sky was caving in. They knew that humans made for difficult enemies, but their knowledge prior to now had only been tangential.
Though they had absorbed many of the demon forefathersâ strengths, the energies from their feast remained unrefined within them, contributing almost nil to their current prowess.
The four sacred beasts alone gave them a hard time. Jiang Chenâs participation exhausted and terrified them.
The two attempted to call for help using their raceâs secret method.
âDaoist Jiang Chen,â Bloodreed called out, âtheyâre trying to summon other celestial demons. You need to take care of them fast, or youâll have more of them on your hands to deal with!â
âI donât need you to tell me that,â harrumphed Jiang Chen.
The True Dragon Rope of Water and Fire was already in motion as he spoke, nimbly weaving itself between the sacred beastsâ attacks to fly toward the fifth forefather.
Fifth was already quite busy from having to dodge the four beastsâ blows; he failed to notice the rope that crept up beneath his nose.
Whoosh!
The rope enclosed him in like two agile serpents, wrapping itself around his limbs eight times.
âHuh?â Fifth realized the problem too late. âHelp me, Ole Fourth!â
The fourth forefather wanted to help him, but he was in enough trouble as was. He had no energy to spare for aiding his comrade.
It was nearly impossible for the fifth celestial forefather to escape the True Dragon Rope once captured. A single hand seal from Jiang Chen called the rope over, its prisoner dragged in tow. The celestial demon was dumped at the young manâs feet like a dead dog.
Jiang Chen slammed a palm down without ceremony, crippling the forefatherâs cultivation.
Then, he cast his golden bell at the fourth forefather. The instrumentâs ancient runes glowed with a threatening light.
Aghast, the fourth forefather was trying to evade when the sacred beastsâ assaults finally found their mark. With a resounding boom, he was completely destroyed, both body and soul. Not a single mote of dust was left of him.
Jiang Chen knew how adept celestial demons were at reviving and regenerating. It was mandatory when dealing with them to eradicate every trace of their soul and consciousness, so as to leave them no room for future recovery.
He didnât want future problems down the line.
Jiang Chenâs swift smackdown dispatched two celestial forefathers in mere blinks of an eye. Bloodreed was shaken by the sheer spectacle.
He hadnât expected such fearsome strength from humanity. It seemed that the demonsâ crushing defeat wasnât necessarily due to poor leadership after all.
Jiang Chenâs methods were endless. Was an opponent like him really beatable? The blood demon could only sigh.
He considered himself no longer part of the demons, however, and cared only for the celestial demonsâ demise.
âCongratulations, Daoist Jiang Chen. Unfortunately, the celestial demons have four forefathers left. If they canât be stopped from cultivating, they will be a significant threat in due time. Thatâs the nature of their secret method, alas.â Bloodreed offered both laudation and warning.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. âYou neednât be concerned. The celestial demonsâ delinquency will spell their own doom.â
âHeh, I wouldnât celebrate so early if I were you. If Forefather Celestial survives, your victory will ring hollow regardless.â Bloodreed did his best to ground the young manâs view.
âOpen your eyes and watch me. Shouldnât you be worrying about your own fate instead?â
Bloodreed laughed miserably. âIn my current state, I can only hope to witness the celestial demonsâ misfortune. If you will allow me to leave Divine Abyss, I promise to never return.â
âYouâre so naïve,â Jiang Chen smiled coolly.
âYou intend to kill me then? Right after Iâve helped you?â Bloodreed darkened.
âEither die, or be my slave.â
âYour slave? Impossible! I would rather die than face such humiliation.â Bloodreed flew into a rage.
âThen let me fulfill your desire. Youâve done your part already. I suppose I can burn some paper money for you when I do get rid of the celestial demons.â Jiang Chen flashed a peculiar grin.
âIs there no room for discussion?â Bloodreed said in a low voice.
âWhy should you be ashamed to be my slave?â Jiang Chen sneered. âCountless people will kill to be in your position in the future, but I wonât have any reason to accept them.â
His statement was almost overbearingly imperious.
Bloodreed wanted to reply, but the young manâs consciousness had already shot into his own.
A nearly sixth level god, Jiang Chen was already every bit Bloodreedâs equal. The fact that the latter was gravely injured and weak was an enormous disadvantage. The humanâs consciousness was also on par with advanced divine realm.
Success in implanting the enslavement brand was almost instantaneous.
âWhether you agree to it or not, Iâve already made my seal upon your consciousness,â Jiang Chen chuckled. âYouâll praise your good fortune in the future, I assure you. Your freedom hinges on how much you impress me with your performance!â
The nonchalance in his tone belied his casual arrogance.
Initially boiling with fury, Bloodreed tamped down his snide remarks when he noticed that Jiang Chenâs youthful consciousness rivaled Forefather Celestialâs.
He was secretly shocked. If the young man was this strong already, how great would he become when he was fully mature?
He would be able to conquer the heavenly planes, would he not?
In fact, he was already worthy of fighting among them.
âTake him back. Iâm making another trip out,â Jiang Chen instructed Xia Tianze and the others.
He was no longer concerned with the blood demon. After all, Bloodreedâs life was now fully in his grasp.
âWhere are you going, young lord Chen?â An Kasyapa asked curiously.
âThe celestial demons havenât yet found their footing. This is a good time to catch them by surprise. I wonât have a chance like this in the future.â
Jiang Chen had refrained from taking the fifth forefatherâs life intentionally. He called the four sacred beasts to him, then summarily disappeared in the sky above Winterdraw.