The supreme lord bit his tongue. The cityâs Vermillion Bird guardian had been partly why he hadnât ordered an immediate assault. He feared the golems even more, but the ancient bird had been the one to appear instead. The turn of events both startled and disquieted him.
Why was the Vermillion Bird so recklessly expending its energy when so close to death? Wasnât this accelerating its own demise? This was highly startling.
The golemsâ absence also disquieted him. Had they all followed Jiang Chen to the Ninesuns Sky Sect? If so, it didnât bode well for Elder Peng and Elder Moâs ambush. There were eight stone brothers after all.
They might not have recovered their full strength and couldnât match the two elders in individual fighting prowess potential. But even with the advantage of surprise, two elders against eight golems was a tall order.
Hopefully they can capture Jiang Chen quickly with the Soulless Powder! The supreme master was now regretting his decision. With the two elders by his side, he wouldnât be forced to personally take to the frontlines.
âVermillion Bird, why do you serve lowly humans in your decrepitude, of all things? Donât you think itâs the ultimate disgrace for one of such divine lineage?â The supreme lord attempted to appeal with both reason and emotions.
However, the ancient bird only spoke the ancient beast language. It could understand the humanâs meaning, but didnât take it to heart.
True, the human domainâs current strength didnât warrant the protection of such a noble, divine existence. But an insistent voice deep in its heart told it the city was worth defending, even with its life, for no other reason than Jiang Chen!
It couldnât see through the young man, but it had a hunch that the young man could bring about an opportunity for rebirth! Such was its instinct as an ancient divine beast. For that reason, it turned a deaf ear to the supreme lordâs arguments. It had vast experience and a firm will. How could a few simple sentences sway its resolve?
Its indifference unsettled the supreme lord. Even an empyrean expert would crumble from the first blow against an ancient Vermillion Bird at its peak. If it was willing to stake its life and ignite what little life essence it had left, he had no confidence he would emerge the victor.
âSenior, Veluriyam isnât worth sacrificing yourself for. Why not join me instead?â His voice took on a beguiling rhythm. âI can tell youâre nearing the end of your life. You have less than a century left to live. You require a place suitable for your rebirth!â
Being from Myriad Abyss Island, he was knowledgeable about the Vermillion Birdsâ characteristics.
His words cut deep into the birdâs greatest weakness, sending a ripple across its heart. However, it immediately realized this man was no upstanding or reliable partner. The humanâs words couldnât be trusted.
âSenior, the spirit veins in this domain are depleted, its lands barren. It canât sustain your rebirth. But I know of an infinitely better place! I can even take you there.â His glib tongue didnât produce the desired effect. Rather than weakening, the divine beastâs aura thickened even further.
The ancient bird knew well that it couldnât trust the man. Even if he was speaking the truth, he might still end up enslaving it, making it his contract beast. The fellow could scarcely conceal his intense desire to conquer and dominate. To partner with him would be to make a deal with the devil.
âJiang Chen, Iâm barely holding on here. I can intimidate him at most, but if you donât make it back soon, I donât have enough lifeforce left for an all-out fight...â Though its determination was too firm to be shaken, it could only deter and delay the enemy.
It could only deter and delay the enemy. No matter how firm its determination, its aged carcass wouldnât endure an intense fight.
...
âYoung lord, just as you thought, thereâs a group hiding along a road we must pass. Two among them are especially terrifying. My descendants donât even dare go near them. No living creature comes out alive from an area ten miles around them!â
At the border between Veluriyam and the Ninesuns Sky Sect, the rat king kept Jiang Chen abreast of the situation as his descendants continually transmitted new information.
Traveling light, Jiang Chen and the eight golems had arrived quite a while ago and had been biding their time, waiting for the rat clanâs intelligence.
What would he have done in the supreme lordâs shoes? Given the manâs craftiness, an ambush on the way back from the Ninesuns Sky Sect was certainly on the menu. So heâd decided to try his luck.
Itâd only been pure conjecture, but if he had been wrong, he wouldâve slipped back to Veluriyam and fought the Order head-on. However, it seemed heâd hit the mark. He could now spring his own surprise attack on the enemies and lay waste to their schemes.
âYoung lord, there arenât many of them. We think they must have arranged a poison formation in that area. It must be why we havenât seen any animals come back out alive.â
âA poison formation?â A sudden thought occurred to him.
He recalled the many cultivators that had been waiting outside Agarwood Valley. When heâd come out, all of them had vanished. Moreover, he hadnât found the beginning of a clue on site.
There had been a few marks left at most, but nothing that had indicated a fierce struggle. It now seemed clear theyâd been captured by the Order. How had the Order accomplished such a task with nary a trace?
Lost in thought, Jiang Chen remained silent.
âIt seems the Order relies on more than empyrean powerhouses. Theyâre also experts in poison. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to capture so many men this easily!â
All the pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place.
âWhy rely on poison? It means they arenât as overwhelmingly strong theyâd like us to believe. Why use such slow methods otherwise?â Using cold logic, he hypothesized the enemyâs strength.
âThey must be afraid of something. Hm, now that I think of it, that supreme lord must have been hiding in the secret realm and seen everything. Otherwise, why would he have sent so many impostors to Upper Eight Regionsâ sects to rally the northern alliance against me? He must know Iâve obtained the Primosanct Sectâs inheritance, and even about the golem brothers and Senior Vermillion!â
This must be why the Order had always been reluctant to face him outright.
It was strong without a doubt, but not strong enough to subdue eight primordial era golems. Given the supreme lordâs ambition, he wouldnât have wasted time with such roundabout strategy.
The mention of poison suddenly gave the young lord an idea. Scenes of previous battles suddenly emerged in his mind, especially the battle at Cloudshatter Range in Great Scarlet.
Back then, the Veranda master had submitted to Demon Emperor Bloodmalva and deployed the demonic miasma. The Golden Cicada blood had rendered Jiang Chen immune to poison, but heâd feigned weakness to encourage a direct attack from the Veranda master, then instantly killed the latter with a sudden counterattack.
That plan was perfect, if I say so myself. Why not use it again?
âUse the Orderâs own plans against them...â He suddenly couldnât stop this train of thought. âBig Stone, I have a plan. Are you brothers willing to give it a try?â
The golem replied straightforwardly. âSavior, you saved us. Our lives are yours. Weâll do whatever you tell us.â
Jiang Chen explained his plan. The golems beamed with excitement, but Big Stone was soon crestfallen. âSavior, we golems are strong, but we arenât immune to poison.â
Jiang Chen smiled. âBut you donât need to worry about that.â
He summoned the Thundercloud Cicada. After many years of evolution, the cicadaâs strength had greatly improved, reaching an entirely new level of existence. As a result, its bloodline had also been strengthened.
The Cicada howled at the prospect of giving away eight drops of blood. âBig brother Chen, arenât you too cruel? Youâre going to suck my little body dry at this rate.â
Jiang Chen laughed. âJust how much have I asked of you over so many years?â
Indeed, he hadnât asked much of the critter until now. Hence, despite its wails and shrieks, the cicada still complied after playing coy for a while, obediently handing over eight drops of blood essence. âA drop a year. Iâm playing dead for the next eight years. Big brother Chen, just forget about me in the meantime!â