On this day, Jiang Chen summoned the four sacred beasts and Goldbiter Rat King for a meeting.
Hearing that they were going to leave the Divine Abyss Continent and venture into the heavenly planes lit the fires of excitement. The rat seemed especially eager. The peace of the continent was making it antsy. One couldnât improve when there was no conflict to be had.
The Goldbiter Rats had been complacent for too long. It was their truest calling to venture into the heavenly planes and announce to the world that the Goldbiter Kingrats had returned.
The four sacred beasts didnât particularly like the peaceful life either. They were getting bored with Divine Abyss. A new challenge sounded perfect.
âWhen do we set out, young master Chen?â asked the rat with an eager expression.
âThereâs no timing like the present! Why not today?â The Astral White Tiger voiced a series of excited roars.
Anticipation brimmed in the eyes of the other three sacred beasts as well.
âWe leave in a couple of days. However, this quest may be a dangerous one. Itâs a heavy task that Iâm taking on. Youâll be at risk as well.â
The Vermilion Bird chuckled. âHow long have we known each other, young master Chen? We weather death together, thereâs no need for such words as these. To be honest, it feels better to follow you into life-threatening scenarios than to live a serene, but boring life.â
Long Xiaoxuan nodded lightly. âThatâs right. Weâd rather die a meaningful death than live an uneventful life! Weâre still hale and hearty. Itâll be a waste to not strive for something great.â
The Black Tortoise was more level-headed, but it wished to enter the heavenly planes and explore the vast world as well.
It was more than obvious that there wasnât much to see on the Divine Abyss Continent anymore. They were frogs at the bottom of a well, eager to know how far the sky stretched.
Jiang Chen waved a hand with a smile. âThe heavenly planes are indeed impressive, but donât worry, there wonât be that many who can bully us given our strength. Divine cultivators are as common as muck in the heavenly planes, but weâre advanced gods. Only godkings are stronger than us, and they arenât that common even in the heavenly planes!â
âDoes that mean that we can throw our weight around even in the heavenly planes?â The tiger grinned, its eyes shining brightly.
âYou can say that. Even in the heavenly planes, there wonât be that many who pose a serious threat to us. In fact, there may not be anyone. Weâre still growing stronger. The speed at which we progress will make the heavenly planes tremble!â
Jiang Chen was half joking, but it was effective in lightening the mood and further rousing the sacred beasts.
âThatâs right. We may come from humble origins, but we have the ability to intimidate the heavenly planes!â The Goldbiter Rat King licked his snout, his eyes glowing faintly.
The Vermilion Bird smiled. âEven a rack of old bones like me is getting excited, young master Chen.â
Jiang Chen laughed heartily. âYou arenât old, Brother Vermilion. There are countless individuals much older than you are in the heavenly planes. Youâll realize what a young whippersnapper you are once you get there.â
Everyone burst out laughing.
Due to Jiang Chenâs intentional omission of the truth, the farewell wasnât a melancholic one.
He told his parents that he was going on an adventure to see the outside world. It was in his parentsâ nature to remind him to be careful.
Nevertheless, a man should have their eye on the bigger world. Jiang Feng didnât protest his sonâs. He too felt the continent wasnât big enough for his son.
Jiang Chen was a dragon that shouldnât reside in a small pond.
Xu Qingxuan worried her lips as she sent Jiang Chen off. She watched until he was far, far away and put in prodigious effort to stop her tears from falling.
She was more sensitive than the others. She could tell from Huangâerâs behavior that her brother hadnât departed simply for a jaunt.
Nonetheless, she didnât push for an answer. Deep down, she had faith in her brother. No matter what he was going to do, he would return. That was the only thing that mattered.
......
âYou sure are popular in Divine Abyss, young master,â Jiang Yuan said with a smile. âTheyâre all so reluctant to see you off.â
âItâs fortunate that the demons have been eliminated, and the world is at peace again.â Jiang Chen replied in lieu of a response.
They reached the fringe of the continent. This was where Jiang Chen had established the spatial currents.
âThereâs no interdimensional portal on the continent, young master,â explained Jiang Yuan. âWeâll have to fly through the space in between worlds ourselves. Itâs going to be a challenging journey, but you should be fine given your level of cultivation.â
Jiang Chen waved a dismissive hand. âLetâs not waste time. Should we fly in an airboat, or just ourselves?â
âBetter not use an airboat. Thereâs no guarantee that you airboat will be strong enough to withstand the currents. Itâs also easier to dodge an unexpected storm if we just fly. Inside an airboat, weâll be less agile.â
They made some simple preparations. The four sacred beasts attached themselves to Jiang Chen, while the Goldbiter Rats took their position in the Millionditch Stonenest.
The rats couldnât travel through realms at the moment.
Although Jiang Yuan had warned him, it wasnât until Jiang Chen entered the currents that he realized how difficult the trip would be.
At first, everything was quiet. The vast universe was a deep blue, and the view intriguing.
Over time, though, the environment changed as quickly as a childâs mood. The deep blue turned to grey, and storms emerged out of nowhere.
Then the environment turned red with random jets of spatial flames.
Every once in a while, something would happen to test Jiang Chenâs reflexes. He kept his guard up as he carefully traveled through space and stopped treating this as a joyride.
One month, two months, three months...
It wasnât until six months later that Jiang Yuan took Jiang Chen to a small realm to refuel.
After half a year of nothing but flying, Jiang Chenâs attitude had changed. Heâd become more composed as it was more than apparent they were no longer on the Divine Abyss Continent. His glory was all in the past. It was time for him to enter a new phase in life.