The unexpected news instantly soured the atmosphere. In particular, Emperor Petalpluckâs easy poise turned into a gloomy frown.
Moments ago, heâd argued that the Agarwood Boundary Steleâs woes had been mere coincidence. But now, a crack had also appeared on the Northwestern Stele. When it rains it truly pours.
The Southern Celestial Tribe lay in wait beyond Agarwoodâs Boundary Stele, a tribe weaker than mankind during antiquity. And theyâd sent three empyrean experts? Petapluck found that hard to believe.
However, the Northwestern Stele was a bona fide defensive wall. Its fall would trigger certain invasion from the Embittered Savage Tribe. All that accumulated resentment and frustration waiting to be unleashed upon mankind... The prospect was too dire to imagine.
Trivial issues would never bother a bright and optimistic girl like Xu Qingxuan, but the faint panic on her face said it all too clearly. The situation was far graver than anyone had imagined.
Growing up in the Moon God Sect, sheâd learned long ago of the fearsome tribe living beyond the northwestern wasteland. No one was allowed to approach the Stele for no good reason. Worse, to destroy it would be a crime against humanity. These teachings had deeply impressed upon her ever since her childhood.
All sects near the Stele thus warned their disciples.
It was precisely the Steleâs formidable importance that had triggered Petalpluckâs opposition. Usually, the great emperor was a goody two shoes who never offended anyone. But the Steles werenât to be touched. His out-of-character protest had been born from this deeply-rooted notion.
Jiang Chen hadnât said it in so many words, but heâd implied he wanted to head outside. To merely suggest it clashed with Petalpluckâs beliefs.
Head outside?
Did that mean voluntarily breaking the Boundary Steles? That would be an unforgivable sin against humanity!
Jiang Chen was Veluriyamâs young lord, and his word was law among mankind, but Petalpluck couldnât condone such conduct. Like a box of mysteries, no one could foretell what calamities could occur once the Steles were broken.
Jiang Chen sighed to himself. He could see the bone-deep fear and panic the news had caused in everyone present. Even his tigress of a sister wasnât immune. But he hadnât been indoctrinated like them. Perhaps he was the only man in the entire human domain that didnât hold the Steles in such religious reverence.
The former Jiang Chen had been at too low a level to even know what the Steles represented. He himself had learned of them some time after his reincarnation, but heâd taken it in stride thanks to his character and experience.
To him, the Steles meant little, and certainly not objects of dread.
In his previous life, there had been many restrictions between the different planes. Such barriers werenât easily breached, but once they were, terrible planar wars would ensue. Heâd seen them too many times to count.
Sometimes, the more one feared something, the more likely it was to happen. But if one accepted it, then all of a sudden it wasnât so frightening after all. For example, these Boundary Steles.
No Steles had existed before the ancient demon-sealing war. The different races on the continent had waged incessant wars of conquest upon each other. Mankind had been no stranger to such conflicts, yet hadnât it survived fine and dandy to this day?
Why had the humans attracted the demonsâ attention? Why had their domain become the warâs main battle zone? Hadnât it been because of their prosperity?
Naturally, special historical circumstances had warranted the Stelesâ existence. But times had changed and they were no longer be so significant. So why fear them?
âEveryone, Agarwoodâs Stele broke, while the one to the northwest might not hold on for much longer. Perhaps weâll soon hear similar news from the northeast. Ask yourselves this, why?â One by one, Jiang Chenâs clear gaze swept through the crowd.
âWhen Pillzenith established the northern alliance, he accused me of breaking the Stele and colluding with foreign races. Why? Simple. The Steles are too sensible a subject. Such a taboo was sure to arouse everyoneâs hostility.â
He let rational arguments do the talking.
âThere must be a reason for their collective collapse. It canât be a joint attack from other races, because itâs impossible for them to coordinate their efforts. In the end, it boils down to the Steles themselves losing their effectiveness.â
Three minor empyrean powerhouses, no matter how strong, would never have breached a brand new Boundary Stele. Where thereâs smoke, thereâs fire.
Jiang Chen believed this was an opportunity for mankind.
Petalpluck turned grave. After careful thought, the young lordâs words made too much sense to refute, no matter how much he wanted to.
âYoung lord, the Embittered Savageâs territory seems to lie beyond the northwestern wasteland. Mankind can ill afford an invasion from them,â Void interjected. Thanks to Emperor Peafowlâs influence, he was given to lament the fate of humanity.
âYoung lord, is there any solution? Agarwoodâs Stele could be repaired, so why donât we do the same for the other ones?â Coiling Dragonâs thinking was very simple.
Jiang Chen sighed with a wry smile. âThe one in Agarwood was fused with the Primosanct Sectâs formations. I couldnât have mended it without the resources and secret arts left by the ancient sect otherwise. Even so, the repaired formations are still some way from the original, so the Steleâs power might be less than sixty percent compared to antiquity. As for the Northwestern Stele, itâs hard to comment before I see it with my own eyes.â
Xu Qingxuan implored, âBrother, the northwestern wasteland is the only thing that stands between us and an invasion from the Savages. You have to think of a way.â
Jiang Chen stayed silent. He lacked the most basic knowledge about the Northwestern Stele. What was he to do?
More importantly, heâd sent a call for a grand alliance not long ago. What of the gathering if he were to run to the northwest? What would the whole world think of Veluriyam then? Or of him?
There was also the Order of Wind and Cloud sharpening its blades and eyeing the Ninesuns Sky Sect like a tiger drooling over its prey. A trip far away would play right into the Orderâs hands.
Emperor Mountaincrush suddenly slapped his thigh. âYoung lord, could the Order be behind the troubles in the northwest? Arenât they located very close to Agarwood? They might even have a hand in that Steleâs breaking.â
Abuzz with ideas, this sudden hypothesis had suddenly dawned on him.
Jiang Chen shook. Heâd never considered this line of thought. It sounded outlandish, but after some reflection, it was a real possibility!
âCan the Order be this despicable? If so, theyâre the scum of the earth!â Coiling Dragon shouted with indignation.
Everyone looked at Jiang Chen. In this mist of confusion, the young man was their only ray of light. They all waited for his conclusion.
Jiang Chen heaved a soft sight. âThere are too many possibilities. I have to say, Emperor Mountaincrushâs idea does have some merit.â
The Order of Wind and Cloud was becoming more and more suspicious. No one had heard of this faction previously, yet it had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and risen to prominence in four short years.
It wasnât particularly powerful, yet no other sect could rival its frighteningly strict and secret structure. It had no flaws, no rumors. That sounded simple, but it was almost impossible to achieve.
A dilemma now lay ahead of him.
If he chose the grand alliance, then a potential gap in the Northwestern Stele would be prelude to a catastrophic invasion from the Savages. But if he were to head there instead, then what if the Order launched a swift attack on the Ninesuns Sky Sect?
Even if he were to grow wings, the northern wasteland was too far for him to return in time. Such a difficult choice would decide mankindâs next step, or even its entire future.
âFirst things first,â Emperor Skysplitter finally opined. âYoung lord, the Stele is merely weakening. It hasnât reached the point of non-return yet.â
Petalpluck nodded. âAgreed. It wonât break so easily. In fact, are we positive the Embittered Savage Tribe survived the harsh conditions beyond the barrier? Even if they did, are they as strong as they used to be? And even if they are, the wasteland isnât so easy to cross.â
It was no exaggeration to describe the wasteland as a desolate place where no creature could survive. Indeed, the wasteland would prove a difficult barrier for the Savages on their way to mankindâs heartlands.