Yao Guang sounded much more despondent than her friend.
“Sage sister, no matter what happens, Eternal is the alliance leader. As long as it survives, there’s hope for Myriad Abyss, but everything is lost if it crumbles. The ten great forefathers will return one day, but how will they strike back if they find all ten sacred lands in enemy hands? How will they exact revenge without their very foundations?” Si Tong always had the bigger picture in mind.
“Foundation? What makes Eternal our foundation?” Yao Guang asked, a little confused.
“They have Jiang Chen, that’s the difference.”
“Jiang Chen?” Yao Guang blinked, her tone turning conflicted. “But from what I hear, he isn’t all that close to Eternal?”
No one would’ve doubted this relations.h.i.+p many moons ago. But many rumors had surfaced after this long a time. If Eternal was truly so dear to the young lord, why had he gone back to the human domain?
Why had he refrained from returning for so many years? Why hadn’t he gone to their rescue after the demonic outbreak?
Quite a few factions in Myriad Abyss secretly suspected a rift between them, or that perhaps they’d never been on intimate terms to begin with.
But for Jiang Chen, the human domain was his true root.
Si Tong responded sternly, “Outsiders like us shouldn’t gossip about what we don’t know. That being said, I’ve had dealings with him and I can tell he’s not the type to forget his friends. He must have his reasons for acting like this.”
“Right, right, he definitely doesn’t forget his friends. Look, big sister Si Tong, you helped him on Sandplain Island. Sure enough, he came back for you, hehe!” Yao Guang stood up lazily and smoothed her skirt. “Big sister, do you want to come with me?”
Jiang Chen waited for roughly an hour outside the defense perimeter before finally spotting Yao Guang coming his way. He also spotted Si Tong at her side, which let him sigh with relief. It seemed that a part of Sunrise really had escaped. Not everyone had perished.
But the two women were all business. They inspected him from head to toe before finally letting him inside.
Si Tong commented, a little apologetic, “Brother Jiang, the treacherous demons can take on a thousand faces. We’ve often fallen for their tricks, so we have to be cautious now. Please don’t blame us for this offense.”
Jiang Chen smiled brightly. “One can’t be too careful. Thankfully, fire and winged demons aren’t that well versed in transformations. It would’ve been another story if you’d faced yin or monster demons instead, to say nothing of the shadow demons.”
He brimmed with confidence, clearly at ease despite the hards.h.i.+ps of his journey, proof that he was undaunted by the rampaging demons. Although he was of the same generation as they, the two girls secretly admired his poise.
But as the conversation veered to Sunrise, Si Tong’s mood became heavier, her tone darker.
Jiang Chen frowned slightly. “It seems you’ve collected a large amount of Fire of Firstdawn, and simply haven’t sent it to yet Eternal, correct?”
“Yes, we’ve collected more than half of the fire. We would’ve brought it all, but the fire demons attacked too suddenly. It’s a shame we have to let them benefit from it,” Si Tong replied gloomily.
“It’s fine, this much is more than enough. It’s a pity Sunrise fits the fire demons so well. Uprooting them will prove a mighty task.” Jiang Chen’s voice also became somber.
Yao Guang sized him up on the side, then suddenly asked, “Senior brother Jiang Chen, I heard you beat the demons at their own game in the Rejuvenation Isles. Apparently you’ve mowed down many of them, forefathers included?”
She was referring to the clash against the army led by the shadow demons that had included winged and golden demons. It had been his first battle after his return to Myriad Abyss.
Taking in his silent smile, Yao Guang’s willowy eyebrows twitched. “Don’t tell me you made up the story just to look good?”
Si Tong’s charming face lost its smile. “Wise sister, don’t spout nonsense. This event caused a stir throughout all of Myriad Abyss. How can such a famous happening be a fabrication?”
Yao Guang giggled. “Hehe, you’re too naive, big sister. With his unparalleled authority, he can say anything he wants, and others will have no choice but to cover for him.”
Jiang Chen smiled wryly. “Holy Girl Yao Guang, I might be rash sometimes, but I wouldn’t make up such a baldfaced lie, would I?”
“Oh? Does that mean you’ve really killed demon forefathers? They say divine forefathers are so ferocious they can defeat two humans of the same level. Is that true?” she asked, br.i.m.m.i.n.g with curiosity.
“It differs on a case-by-case basis. If we’re talking about humans without particular strengths and no powerful defensive items, then it might be so. The world is fair, so that’s entirely normal.”
“Fair? It’s an obvious injustice. Why are demon so good at fighting?” A pout appeared on her small lips.
Jiang Chen chuckled. “True, but what about our wisdom, our survival ability, or our fertility? The demons are far worse on those aspects. Humans excel at exploiting every possible advantage. Formations, pills, glyphs, and so on. Our intellect is far superior. In fact, their only advantage is the strength of their bloodlines.”
He had an impartial view on the matter, thanks to the insight from his former life.
Everyone else on the continent, whether past or present, possessed an instinctive fear of demons that was etched bone-deep.
Demons meant trouble. They brought disaster wherever they went, so humans naturally dreaded them almost on an innate level.
Listening very carefully, Si Tong exclaimed, “To think Brother Jiang understands them so thoroughly! No wonder you’ve achieved so many victories. If only everyone were like you, we would certainly triumph against them instead of cowering at their approach.”
Jiang Chen laughed quietly. “I’ve always been convinced the demons will be exterminated one day. This plague will vanish from the Divine Abyss Continent, and peace and order will return!”
His a.s.surance and resolve was contagious. Those in his presence couldn’t help but fall into his rhythm.