The Vermilion Bird was still in closed door cultivation. It was determined to ascend to G.o.dhood. Jiang Chen speculated that it wouldn’t end its cultivation until then.
To his surprise, the bird emerged on the second day after Jiang Chen’s breakthrough. It hadn’t reached divinity yet.
“Young Master Chen, I’ve improved myself in all aspects to the best of my ability. Now I just need the final push. The sacred land is a great cultivation ground with abundant spirit energy, but it doesn’t suit my purpose. I want to return to h.e.l.l King Island, which will be most conducive to my ascension.”
Jiang Chen readily agreed. “Attaining G.o.dhood is a crucial matter. I wholeheartedly support any decisions you make.”
The more powerful the bird was, the better. After all, the divine beasts were his closest and mightest companions. Their strength was his a.s.set.
“The sacred land is about done with tying up loose ends, isn’t it?”
“It is. Lately, they’ve devoted themselves to restoring Eternal Divine Nation. While things have settled down here, the other nations in Myriad Abyss are still unstable. The uprising was pre-planned. Factions from each nation conspired to launch an attack simultaneously. However, due to issues in coordination of manpower, rebels in some nations were subdued before they could stage a proper uprising. Meanwhile, some nations are still trying to eliminate the uprisers. The Ten Divine Nations have suffered a great blow.”
The Vermilion Bird wasn’t at all surprised. It smiled faintly. “If the human race could remain united, you’d be able to gain a foothold even among the heavenly planes. However, it seems to be human nature to fight among yourselves no matter the occasion, as if the short-term gain of an individual always outweighs the greater good.”
Jiang Chen couldn’t argue with that. The bird was right about their biggest weakness.
“Sir Jiang Chen, the venerated forefather requires your presence,” a voice called out, interrupting the conversation.
The venerated forefather?
Jiang Chen didn’t expect to hear from the old man. The forefather had been recovering lately. He’d been tricked and trapped in a formation by the two forefathers from the rebel alliance, which had taken a great toll on and weakened him. Thus, he’d entered closed door cultivation to restore his power. Why had he emerged so quickly?
Jiang Chen didn’t waste any time before visiting the forefather. He respected the old man who had been quietly, selflessly defending Myriad Abyss and Eternal Divine Nation in battles outside the plane. Jiang Chen would have made the same sacrifice, but he might not have been able to persist as long as the forefather had.
The forefather seemed close to making a full recovery.
“Jiang Chen, I hear that you’ve progressed another level in cultivation? You’re breaking the sacred land’s record with your efficiency! Who would’ve thought a super genius like you would grace the sacred land! You won’t be upset with us for not officially commending your deeds this time, will you?”
Jiang Chen snorted. “Why would I be?”
“Haha, I feared that you would think too much. It’s natural for young people to let their pride get the better of them. However, you don’t seem at all like most of your peers.”
“Haha, if the sacred land wants to award me, I’ll be happy with actual resources. I don’t care much about rank and status. That’s all window dressing. What I need are practical rewards.”
They’d met once already, so Jiang Chen wasn’t as formal as he’d been before.
“Go to the first prime for resources you need, kid. She won’t turn you down.” The forefather chuckled. “The sacred land is a home to you now. Whatever you want, you’ll receive. You don’t need me to give you the permission.”
Jiang Chen shrugged, changing the subject. “Venerated Forefather, what is the situation in Myriad Abyss like now?”
“Difficult. Very difficult! Among the ten nations, seven were hit by an uprising, while the other three managed to suppress unrest before anything could really happen. Out of the seven nations, we eliminated the usurpers the fastest and therefore suffered the least damage. Three of the other six are close to vanquis.h.i.+ng the rebels, while the other three are still in the heat of civil war with no end in sight. There’s no telling if they’ll emerge victorious. They’ve issued a request for aid, which we received as well.” The forefather gave Jiang Chen a meaningful look.
Jiang Chen smiled wryly and rubbed his nose. “What are you looking at me for, Venerated Forefather?“
“What do you think?” The forefather quirked his lips into a half smile. “It’s too harsh for you to go to the offworld battlefield for now. It suits you more to take on a mission to help.”
“Where to?” A jolt of curiosity hit Jiang Chen.
“Radiance Divine Nation, Martial Divine Nation, and Sunrise Divine Nation. The rebels are unstoppable and dominate the sacred lands in these three nations. Without outside help, it’s unlikely to the rebellion will be resolved successfully.” The forefather threw an expectant glance at Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen scratched his head. “Venerated Forefather, it’s a stroke of luck that I was able to help the Eternal Sacred Land win the civil war. You don’t really believe that I can easily do the same for other nations, do you? That’s beyond my ability.”
Truthfully, he wasn’t that interested in the task. He was the sacred land’s disciple, but he didn’t want to be its p.a.w.n and be sent to wherever it needed him to be. “Oh, I forgot to mention that Martial Divine Nation produces an abundance of Taiyi Dragonscale Fruit,” the forefather added out of the blue.
Taiyi Dragonscale Fruit was the main ingredient for the Taiyi Skymender Pill, and was rare even in the Ten Divine Nations.
“Ah, the holy girl of Radiance Divine Nation is the famous Yao Guang from the sixteen golden hairpins.”
Jiang Chen shrugged. “What does that have to do with me?”
Beautiful women didn’t appeal to Jiang Chen. He cared more about material resources. Therefore, the Taiyi Dragonscale Fruit alone wasn’t enough to change his mind.
The forefather clapped his own forehead with a coy smile. “I forgot you’re a loyal one who loves only one. Alright, I don’t want Miss Huang’er to come after me. How about this. I’ll let you choose between Martial and Sunrise.”
“Sunrise Divine Nation has nothing but resources. If you can help them put down the rebellion, you can ask for anything you want. They’ll gladly satisfy your requests.”
Jiang Chen shook his head. “Venerated Forefather, can I not go?”
The forefather shook his head. “No, you can’t. Actually, I suggest you pick Martial Divine Nation. Formations are very popular there. Maybe you’ll be able to find the clues you’ve been looking for!”
The old man shamelessly hit Jiang Chen over the head with repeated incentives, clearly trying to lure him into taking on the task.
Jiang Chen smiled wryly. “Venerated Forefather, it’s all part of your plan, isn’t it? Do you really trust me to take on this task? Any divine realm forefathers will be able to easily kill me.”
“There aren’t that many divine realm experts. Besides, don’t you have the Vermilion Bird acting as your bodyguard? Don’t fret, I’ll compensate you for your troubles and give you the means to protect yourself. This is an easy mission that will win you great glory. You aren’t going to encounter much difficulty. I’m not sending you to your death knowing you won’t be able to succeed,” the forefather spoke earnestly.
Jiang Chen watched him questioningly. “Really?”
“Boy, if you don’t trust even me, who are you going to trust? Besides, you’re the future leader of the sacred land. It’ll help you build connections in the future to make appearances now.”
That Jiang Chen had to admit, but it still wasn’t a good enough reason for him to take the risk.
“Fine, you aren’t going to move without any benefits, are you? You may take anything you want from the spirit herbs vault, until your arms are sore. Happy now?” The forefather pulled a face at him like someone had taken an enormous bite out of him.
Jiang Chen snickered. “I’ll think about it. However, can you guarantee that they’ll reward me for helping them put down the rebellion?”
“Don’t worry. If they dare refuse to reward you, I’ll personally teach them a lesson. Besides, they’re the ones seeking help. They won’t disobey our will. You’re a smart one. You don’t need me to teach you how to ‘bargain’, do you?” The forefather smirked.
Jiang Chen looked at the forefather thoughtfully, his lips quirked up.
The more he talked to the forefather, the more he realized how mischievous the old man was. He had an interesting personality. The old man was his kind of people.
The forefather handed him a written order. “This is special permission from me. You may take anything you want from the vault, anytime.”
“Anything I want?”
“Yes.” The forefather’s facial muscles twitched.
Jiang Chen grinned. “Alright, I’ll have a good look at the wares.”
“Wait, when do you plan on departing?” The forefather wasn’t going to let him slip away without a concrete answer.
“In three to five days,” Jiang Chen said agreeably. “Does that work?”