The rebuilding of the Ancient Crimson Heavens Sect had been set in motion. Due to the surprising turn of events however, Jiang Chen and Su Huanzhen decided to keep it a secret for now.
Two days later, the young lord secretly summoned the four divine beasts, Xia Tianze, and Mad Fiend to the Celestial Cicada Court.
The other guardians of the Six Palaces of Heritage were instructed to stay in Veluriyam Palace in case something happened.
The divine beasts and the others soon arrived on sect grounds. Mad Fiend was especially impatient. He was a battle fanatic, but Jiang Chen hadn’t given him any opportunities to fight. He’d complained to the young man many times that he didn’t have a stage to perform on.
He was finally being included this time!
“Hehe, are we doing something big this time, young master Chen?” Mad Fiend chattered excitedly.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. “We’re leaving for Myriad Abyss to join the fight.”
“What? We aren’t helping those traitors, are we?” Xia Tianze was displeased. “Nothing personal, young master Chen, but there’s no reason to help those ungrateful deserters.”
Jiang Chen sighed. “Myriad Abyss and the human domain may not exactly be in the same boat, but our fates are increasingly linked.
“We aren’t helping Myriad Abyss, but fighting demons. You all have scores to settle with the demonic race. Don’t you want to kill some of them?” Jiang Chen smiled as he spoke.
“Demons?” Xia Tianze darted his eyes around. “Why would demons show up in Myriad Abyss? Didn’t they consider Myriad Abyss beneath them in the ancient times?”
“Things are different now. Perhaps the demonic army has invaded the barren wasteland. They couldn’t break through the Great Formation of Heavenly Soul Confinement, so they have no choice but to invade the other domains or Myriad Abyss first. Their ultimate target is likely still the human domain.”
The human domain had always been an attractive target on the continent. The great formation might grant a grace period, but it wasn’t going to eliminate their enemies.
With one path obstructed, the demonic army would travel half of the continent and attack the domain from the other side sooner or later.
Therefore, it wouldn’t do to always take a defensive stance. Offense was important to self-preservation.
Mad Fiend cackled. “Why would you care where we’re going, Old Xia? Nothing else matters as long as we’re fighting demons. We aren’t helping the ancient deserters.”
Xia Tianze scoffed. “Where did those demons come from?”
Jiang Chen flashed them a conspiratory smile. “I don’t know the details, but I want to pull off something big this time. I can’t do it without your help.”
“What are you planning?” The prospect of killing demons piqued Xia Tianze’s interest.
“I’m going to cast some bait and hook the suckers in.” Jiang Chen smirked and explained his plan.
Everyone listened with rapt attention.
With the plan explained, Xia Tianze grinned wolfishly. “What a fascinating sect head you make for the palace. In some way, you’re more devious than Divine Veluriyam.”
“Is that meant to be a compliment?” Jiang Chen asked wryly.
“It is.” Xia Tianze added seriously, “The divine master didn’t shy away from trickery, but he wasn’t as cunning as you are. You’re able to come up with schemes against your enemies in an instant. That’s a rare talent!”
Jiang Chen didn’t have the time to figure out if that was a compliment or an insult. He swept his gaze over his companions. “Just tell me if the plan is viable.”
“Hehe, I’m fine as long as I get to fight and kill demons!” Mad Fiend’s thought process was simple.
The Vermilion Bird smiled. “Every time you come up with a plan, I can almost see the enemies falling for it in my mind. Most who have tried to trick you end up falling into your trap instead.”
Jiang Chen laughed. “It isn’t about trickery. Whoever the better chess player is will come out on top.”
The Black Tortoise felt a slight chill run down its back. It silently commended itself for choosing to follow Jiang Chen. If it hadn’t made the decision, the human would’ve made sure that the tortoise wouldn’t be able to stay hidden on Sandplain Island.
“No objections? It’s so decided then. Remember, though, you must keep yourselves hidden as you stir up trouble, or the plan won’t be as effective.”
“Don’t worry,” Xia Tianze said with a smile. “As long as we don’t get into fights, no one is going to spot us.”
Mad Fiend scrunched up his nose. “What are you all looking at me for? I’m not that dumb.”
Everyone laughed heartily.
The third day, Jiang Chen went to Warden Ding and his companions. “I’ve returned to Sacred Peafowl Mountain and recruited the help of some empyrean cultivators and demiG.o.ds. Worry not, the demons sent to attack Rejuvenation can’t be that powerful. We’ll save our friends.”
Warden Ding’s face fell. He didn’t know for sure if Jiang Chen had brought enough men, but his instinct told him that the lack of divine cultivators would be a problem.
The silver lining was that the young lord himself had reached the divine realm. He might be able to turn the tide himself given his strength.
That was what Warden Ding chose to believe in.
“Give me a moment. I’ll bid the sect head farewell.” Jiang Chen waved a hand in the air and made his way to Su Huanzhen.
She took Jiang Chen to an obscure location and transmitted to him, “Rest a.s.sured, my people have followed my order to the letter, avoiding giving our guests too much information. We’ve also kept the human domain’s current situation a secret.”
Jiang Chen nodded with a faint smile. “Apologies for bothering you for so long, Sect Head Su. We’ll pay you back later. Please excuse me.”
Su Huanzhen looked at Jiang Chen’s back thoughtfully. She still wasn’t sure why Jiang Chen had given the order.
Perhaps he was still cautious when it came to Myriad Abyss.
That was the only explanation she could think of.
Not long after entering the portal, Jiang Chen took his own people and Warden Ding’s group to Winterdraw.
Lu Che and the others stationed on the island were highly agitated. They received pleas for help from Rejuvenation every day, but with their limited manpower, they couldn’t possibly leave Winterdraw to aid them.
The ugly truth was that they weren’t enough to even delay those demons. It was better to stay in Winterdraw and used its formations to their advantage. Then, they might be able to at least deter the demons in the short term.
They sighed in relief when Jiang Chen arrived. The young lord was their backbone!
Only he would be able to turn things around.