Chapter 443: Regal Pill Palace, An Alliance Proposal
Three thousand divisions!
Jiang Chen smiled ruefully when he heard this number. Was there any purpose to having this many divisions?
From his past life, he was well aware that the strength of a faction didn’t lie in how broad its territory or domain was, but if there was a spark of spirit and a legacy rich enough to cause everyone in this faction to revolve around it. The faction’s people would entrust their life and death to the strength of this legacy. Only in this way would a faction be eternally strong.
Although blindly expanding influence and territory seemed to be building one’s strength on paper, this kind of a facade was completely useless in critical moments.
If a sect’s core legacy collapsed, then as wide of a territory as it might hold, it would all be as fleeting as the winds. All would scatter like monkeys escaping a falling tree.
“The senior executives of the Ninesuns Sky Sect are just as crazy as they are arrogant. Even if they had thirty thousand divisions, all is for nothing if they are unable to have their subordinates submit wholeheartedly, much less three thousand.”
Jiang Chen sighed lightly and shook his head. He also understood that the Precious Tree Sect was utterly minuscule compared to the Ninesuns Sky Sect.
As united or as fierce of a resistance the Precious Tree Sect may put up beneath the might of the Sky Sect, it would be impossible for them to obstruct the Sky Sect’s further progress.
It was now a question of how much the Sky Sect was willing to put in for this division.
Huang’er was slightly surprised. If it’d been any other young man speaking Jiang Chen’s words, Huang’er would’ve thought them to be boasting without much thought and putting on a front of a deep and wise person.
However, when Jiang Chen spoke, all had seemed so natural and given, truly the reflections of deep thought and not empty words of grandeur.
“If Elder Shun heard Sir Jiang’s words, he would absolutely think the person in front of him was his bosom friend. It seems to be true that the truly strong forces in this world aren’t those overweeningly arrogant sects with their tentacles scattered in every corner, but those hidden in the shadows. Once these powers make their move, the sun and moon will s.h.i.+ft colors, the mountains and rivers will burst apart, and even order shall collapse…”
“Mm? Does Miss Huang’er mean that this Sky Sect isn’t the strongest power in the Divine Abyss Continent even though it is a first rank sect?”
Huang’er smiled faintly and nodded lightly.
However, she didn’t overly explain. Not because she was being demure or pretending to be a mysterious sage, but out of concern that her saying too much would disturb Jiang Chen’s dao heart.
However, Jiang Chen’s curiosity was only directed towards the structure of this world. He didn’t really care about how strong the powers were.
Even the strongest powers were only thus in this plane of existence, and the strongest planes of existence lay beneath the heavens.
“Sir Jiang need not worry, with a genius of your caliber, it’s only because you’ve been limited to the sixteen kingdom alliance that things are thus. Otherwise, had you been born in the Upper Eight Regions, your name would’ve long since resounded beneath the heavens. However, the drawbacks of birth are but a factor in the initial stages. The path of martial dao is long, and with your potential, you will make up for the lost time sooner or later and become a legendary character in the Divine Abyss Continent!”
Huang’er was worried that Jiang Chen’s emotions had been affected by these words, and so her response was half encouragement and half compliment.
Jiang Chen smiled das.h.i.+ngly, “Miss Huang’er doesn’t need to worry about me, I have never fretted over my birth. I quite agree with Miss Huang’er’s words that one’s birth is never an issue. In the long path of martial dao, he who runs first may not run up to the last.”
Huang’er also smiled winsomely when seeing Jiang Chen’s forthright att.i.tude. She’d been worried about Jiang Chen’s dao heart, but it looked like she’d been overly anxious.
Gouyu’s voice suddenly sounded from outside the courtyard at the moment.
“Younger sister Huang’er, is the young master inside? Forefather Thousandleaf and Chonglou are looking for him.”
“Yes, big sister Gouyu.”
Huang’er rose to open the door, walking back hand in hand with Gouyu.
“Young master.”
Jiang Chen laughed heartily, “Keep Miss Huang’er company for a while, I’ll go and see what the forefathers have in mind.”
Huang’er smiled faintly and didn’t say anything, a slight smile on her face as she watched Jiang Chen leave.
Gouyu giggled, “Younger sister Huang’er, look at you stare at my young master. Have you taken a fancy to him?”
The two girls had spent so much time together that even though their personalities were completely different, they got along extremely happily.
Gouyu was open and impulsive, exceptionally vigorous in her style, her hates and loves clearly delineated and her words direct.
Huang’er was open-minded in her thoughts and demeanor, compa.s.sionate and empathetic, giving others a feeling of being bathed in the spring wind.
When she heard Gouyu tease her so, Huang’er only smiled faintly as her long lashes fluttered a couple times above her pair of lively eyes. There were no impurities in her limpid eyes, no irritation, no depression, and no regret.
“Sister Gouyu, your house’s young master isn’t something meant to be confined in a pondto a small pool. I’m sure there are many girls in the sixteen kingdom who are already crazy for him. Do you want to add another set of troubles for him?”
Huang’er’s tone was carefree and had a trace of humour within it, artfully deflecting Gouyu’s joke.
Gouyu sighed lightly when she heard these words. “I don’t know about the young ladies of other houses, but the main disciple of forefather Chonglou, Dan Fei, has deep feelings for my young master. Except, she seems to have disappeared lately with not a trace to be found.”
Gouyu and Dan Fei had once traded harsh words in the Jiang manor, but Gouyu knew that Dan Fei had no malicious intent and so she didn’t really dislike her.
In reality, when Gouyu had once confessed her feelings for Jiang Chen, she had indeed admired and felt something for Jiang Chen, but it was more of a desire to repay the promise she’d made before the Hidden Dragon Trials.
After she’d calmed down over this time, Gouyu was rather conscious of her own position. She knew that there was more than a small gap between Jiang Chen and her.
Fairly speaking, she wasn’t a good match for Jiang Chen no matter how she looked at things.
Therefore, the current Gouyu didn’t have much in the way of love for Jiang Chen, but viewed him as family instead.
She truly admired him.
Most men, even if they didn’t like her, would take advantage of the opportunity after she’d confessed her feelings to obtain some benefits from her body.
However, Jiang Chen hadn’t done so and hadn’t devoured her to nothing.
This made her respect and care for him even more.
Jiang Chen had obviously sensed her affection, which was why he’d reciprocated so and had given even a treasure such as the green fruit to Gouyu.
One had to know that that was something even the geniuses of the sect didn’t have the right to touch.
When Huang’er heard Dan Fei’s name, she smiled slightly and didn’t say anything. “Big sister Gouyu, I’ve grown a new crop of tea lately, please try some.”
The two walked inside, chatting and laughing.
……
When Jiang Chen arrived at forefather Thousandleaf’s residence, the two forefathers had already been waiting for a while.
“Jiang Chen greets the two forefathers.”
“Jiang Chen, come, sit here.” Ye Chonglou patted the seat next to him and called out to him.
There was no one else present apart from the two forefathers. It could be seen from this that Jiang Chen’s position now exceed Sect Head Xie Tianshu’s and esteemed elder Iron Long’s.
Jiang Chen sat down and asked, “The two forefathers must have an important matter to summon me so urgently?”
“Take a look at this first.”
Thousandleaf spread out his hand and summoned a message glyph to his palm.
This was a glyph with a bit more information than usual. Jiang Chen furrowed his brow when done. “Myriad Domain, Regal Pill Palace?”
“Indeed, the Regal Pill Palace is a premier existence in the Myriad Domain as well.” Ye Chonglou nodded.
The glyph was from the Palace and said that they had already sent out an envoy. They were en route, and would be here in roughly a day.
The glyph also hinted that the Regal Pill Palace proposed an alliance and promised to help the Precious Tree Sect resist the pressure from the Sky Sect.
In addition, the Palace didn’t wish to swallow the Precious Tree Sect at all. The sect could indefinitely maintain its heritage.Their only request was to share the genius Jiang Chen.
Thousandleaf smiled ruefully, “Jiang Chen, to think that your name would spread to the Myriad Domain in such a short amount of time. Even a top ent.i.ty as the Regal Pill Palace looks covetously upon you. Jiang Chen, you should know how conflicted I and wise brother Chonglou are?”
Jiang Chen could naturally understand. It was naturally two entirely different concepts whether the sect had him, or didn’t have him.
From the two forefathers’ att.i.tude, he could see that they had long since viewed him as the hope of the sect.
No wonder they were in a dilemma about this condition for help from the Regal Pill Palace.
They ardently craved help on one hand, but felt that this price was too big on another. What if Jiang Chen went to the Palace in the end when the two sects shared Jiang Chen. What advantages would the Precious Tree Sect have then? How would they keep Jiang Chen?
Jiang Chen knitted his brows together instead. “The Regal Pill Garden is only a premier faction in the Myriad Domain, but the Sky Sect is one of the eight forces from the Upper Eight Regions. Does the Palace really have the ability to fight against the Sky Sect?”
As of the preeminent sects in the Myriad Domain, the Regal Pill Palace was likely a fifth, or at the most a fourth rank sect.
The Myriad Domain was one of the Lower Thirty Two Regions. The strongest sect to be found there would be a third rank sect, but none such existed yet.
The Sky Sect however, was first rank?
Jiang Chen couldn’t identify what basis the Palace had to resist the Sky Sect. Could they possible be here to defraud the Precious Tree Sect and leave after making some gains?
It was one thing to be scheming against him. Jiang Chen was a grown man and knew how to recognize plots. But things would be difficult if they were scheming against the whole sect.
However, Ye Chonglou said, “A Regal Pill Palace by themselves would indeed lack sufficient strength to challenge the Sky Sect. However, the former has a backer as well. The roots of the various factions are all intertwined in complexity. No one stands alone. Take the four sects of the sixteen kingdom alliance for example, we were able to operate at peace for so long before because no one cared about this place and therefore us as well. We were regarded as a remote backwater place, to be exiled as desolate wilderness at any time. But now, the Purple Sun Sect has let the wolf in and caught the eye of the Sky Sect. This spells absolute destruction for the alliance. With my understanding of the terrain and history of the alliance, the Sky Sect is absolutely not setting their sights only upon the four great sects, but viewing the alliance as a whole for a new stronghold, a setting ground.”
“A setting ground? What do you mean?” Jiang Chen was baffled.
Ye Chonglou gave a long sigh. “These are just my speculations. No one apart from me in the alliance has spent time to think about this. I have kept watch over the fortunes of the alliance. After countless research and comprehension of the alliance’s secrets, I’ve reached to one conclusion. The alliance was to be exiled as desolate wilderness and was fringe territory after sealing the ancient demon tribe. Why has the alliance never been valued in the Myriad Domain? Why does the Myriad Domain occupy a low position in the Lower Thirty Two Regions? There is but one reason, these lands were once a taboo for humans. An ancient battlefield between the humans and the demon tribe!”