Although outside prognosis seemed to be getting grimmer and grimmer by the day, Jiang Chen and his companions worked steadily toward their goals. All seemed to be proceeding smoothly.
On this day, Divine Kasyapa sought out Jiang Chen.
“You’re leaving?” Jiang Chen was rather surprised.
“Haha, Eternal isn’t my home. Why should I stay here as their watchdog?” An Kasyapa was half joking. “They aren’t paying me anything.”
“But...” Jiang Chen trailed off. “Lightford must hold a grudge against you after his last defeat. If you leave and he finds your home base, what will you do then?”
Kasyapa laughed. “Oh, you don’t know that old b.a.s.t.a.r.d. He does hold a grudge against me and wants to tear me to pieces, but I can a.s.sure you that he’s not going to come after me anytime soon.”
“Why not?” asked Jiang Chen.
“He’s not a short-sighted man. The situation in Myriad Abyss isn’t looking good for him. What he needs to do now is to gather his subordinates and attack the sacred lands again. He won’t set his sights on me before things are settled in Myriad Abyss. Besides, he won’t necessarily know that I’ve left the sacred land. Even if he does, he may not be able to locate me. It’ll also take time for him to break into my secret realm. It’s not like I’ll stay idle and do nothing during that time.”
As a divine cultivator, An Kasyapa had his ways of surviving.
Given what his grandfather-in-law had said, Jiang Chen wasn’t going to keep arguing. Otherwise, it’d seem like he didn’t trust the G.o.d. Kasyapa was a divine cultivator, not a child who needed hi’s protection.
“I won’t be taking Huang’er with me this time. I don’t think she’ll be willing, and I don’t want her to be in danger. Perhaps I even have to admit that being with you is safer for her.”
Divine Kasyapa was more open-minded than Jiang Chen had antic.i.p.ated. He was even more so when facing the man his granddaughter loved and was generous with his compliments.
Jiang Chen didn’t take that for granted and humbly shook his head.
“You’ve been staying in the sacred land for the past few days, Jiang Chen. It may be a safe choice, but not the best choice.” Divine Kasyapa spoke up There were certain things he had to point out to the young man before he left.
Jiang Chen paused thoughtfully.
“I know we should be more proactive, but if I leave the sacred land, it’ll be at the mercy of our enemies. The two primes aren’t enough to deter them. If Lightford comes back, Eternal will fall into his hands.” There was a reason why Jiang Chen couldn’t just leave.
He knew the smart thing to do was to meet up with the ten forefathers and eliminate the fugitives from the Boundless Prison together, but he was worried about the Eternal Sacred Land in that development.
“Sometimes, sacrifice is inevitable,” Divine Kasyapa remarked faintly. “Which is more important, the Eternal Sacred Land or the big picture? Besides, are you worried about the foundations of the sacred land, or just some of its members?”
That, Jiang Chen had a clear answer to. He didn’t care that much about the sacred land itself. He stayed only because there were people he had to protect.
“If you’re just worried about some of the members, you can always take them with you via airboats. With your current strength, you’re powerful enough to fight Lightford head-on. I can tell that the true dragon is about to ascend to divinity as well. With three sacred beasts by your side, even Lightford won’t be able to defeat you. Therefore, you don’t need to play safe. It’s not a bad thing to want to protect everyone, but you’ve let it cloud your judgement.”
As Jiang Chen’s senior, Kasyapa hadn’t sugarcoated his words.
The young genius didn’t get defensive. Instead, he ruminated on the senior’s words.
He had to admit the G.o.d had a point. His eyes lit up. “Divine Kasyapa, if I’m going after Lightford, will you join me in this madness?”
Divine Kasyapa laughed like he’d been waiting for the offer.
“I was always a risk-taker in the Boundless Prison, but very few have been able to make me want to do so. Jiang Chen, I’ve decided to take this leap of faith with you!”
It was more than apparent that the G.o.d was indulging in a bit of youthful recklessness in his old age.
Jiang Chen encountered quite a bit of challenges with his decision. Firstly, the two primes were vehemently against the idea.
The second prime was especially vocal. “The venerated forefather sent you back to protect the sacred land, Jiang Chen. If you take the risk and leave now and we come under enemy attack, you’ll be blamed by generations to come.”
This man’s words had always bothered Jiang Chen. He smiled coolly. “Lightford’s subordinates have all either been captured or killed. They don’t have enough people to attack the sacred land.”
“Lightford himself still lives. Given his level of power, no one in the sacred land will be able to stop him if he returns.” The second prime was insistent.
“Lightford is ambitious. His goal is to destroy all ten of the sacred lands. He’s not going to waste time on Eternal.” Jiang Chen shook his head. “If I dawdle around while the elites of the ten sacred lands are losing the battle or if they fall when I’m not there, then Myriad Abyss is doomed!”
He wasn’t being an alarmist.
If the elites of the ten sacred lands were killed, the ten sacred lands were as good as destroyed. Without the ten forefathers and the elites, they would be left with only thirty percent of their forces. What were they going to do then? How were they going to fight Lightford? How were they going to deter the offworld invaders?
Ziju Min was of one mind with Jiang Chen. Even from his consideration of the big picture, he felt Jiang Chen was right.
The Eternal Sacred Land had become Lightford’s worst nightmare. He wasn’t going to attack it without gathering enough manpower.
Besides, his priority wasn’t to defeat the Eternal Sacred Land, but to gather an army for a rematch. Under the circ.u.mstances, it didn’t make sense for someone as powerful as Jiang Chen to remain in Eternal.
“Jiang Chen’s a.n.a.lysis makes sense, Second Prime, Third Prime. Lightford must be after the ten sacred lands’ elites. Eternal is no longer his priority.”