Though many factions had decided to join Jiang Chen and affiliate themselves with Veluriyam Capital, the young man didnât forget himself because of this.
Veluriyamâs raw strength had unquestionably been improved by the addition of new blood. But with new arrivals came new logistics and issues of all stripes.
Jiang Chen gave authority to resolve these issues to Emperor Wellspring. A man of his talents and prestige could coordinate everything quite capably. He could take on a pleasant or harsh demeanor as necessary.
The young manâs own attention was focused on the Embittered Savages. His Goldbiter Rats gave him an unparalleled advantage in terms of gathering information. He was able to gain the knowledge he wanted from the frontlines rather swiftly.
âThe Embittered Savages have occupied the Moon God Sectâs former grounds?â Jiang Chen was a bit surprised upon hearing the news. So the Embittered Savages were maintaining their composure!
They hadnât rushed headlong into enemy territory after hearing about the Moon God Sectâs retreat. Instead, theyâd opted for a more reliable approach in occupying the sectâs former grounds first.
From Jiang Chenâs point of view, the Embittered Savages were supposed to be descended from ancient savages. They were known for their single-track minded brutality, not strategic thinking! But it seemed heâd underestimated the tribe.
He recalled his battle in the northwestern wastes and remembered very clearly the defensiveness of the bodyguards around the prince. Heâd made several attempts at assassinating the prince, but thereâd been no opportunities to do so.
This detail revealed that these savage tribesmen were no mere brutes. Alas, Jiang Chen rather preferred to deal with mindless people. He found a measured, steady Embittered Savage Tribe much more annoying.
âOld Gold, tell your descendants to stay safe. The observations must continue. Any tiny bit of unrest in the human domain must be reported as quickly as possible.â
The Goldbiter Ratsâ high reproductive abilities enabled scouts to be scattered all over the human domain. It was the greatest advantage that Jiang Chen presently had available to him. With the Rats as his lookouts, he could find out any changes anywhere and plan accordingly.
In actuality, Jiang Chen had hinted to the Moon God Sect to abandon its home for a secondary purpose. He hadnât intended to throw the sect to the wolves, but to show weakness to the enemy. Sadly, the Embittered Savages hadnât fallen for the ruse.
If Gunuo Villageâs vanguard had become drunk on pride at the Moon God Sectâs perceived weakness and proceeded blindly, Jiang Chen wouldâve chosen to set an ambush at an appropriate place.
It couldnât be helped. Gunuo Village had chosen to take the safe route by taking over the Moon God Sectâs grounds. They were digging in for the long haul. This was significantly more troublesome than the alternative.
âNever mind that. Itâll take quite a while for the Embittered Savages to get to Veluriyam. Iâm already advanced emperor realm, which means I qualify for the third palace of heritage. When in the second palace, Venerated Skysoarer told me that this was the minimum level of cultivation to stand a chance. Now Iâm here, there should be no problem.â
This was something that had been on Jiang Chenâs mind for a while now. Given the current circumstances, he needed to head into the third palace to procure more assets as soon as possible.
Each of the Six Palaces of Heritage was superior to its predecessor. These palaces were the ultimate heritage of Veluriyam Pagoda. Venerated Skysoarer had also told him that the palaces were sorted into pairs of the same rank.
The first two palaces didnât have much of a difference between them, but there was a much bigger one between the second and third. It was quite possible for an incredible opportunity to be contained in the third palace that would be unthought of in the second.
The fourth palace though, was probably similar to the third. But the fifth would naturally be a rank higher than both. Jiang Chen was ready to dive into the third palace. He was going to brave its depths!
Having settled on this idea, he summoned forth the stone golem brothers, the Vermilion Bird, and a few great emperors closest to him.
âMy friends, I have a martial dao opportunity before me that demands a few days in closed door cultivation. Itâll take half a month if Iâm lucky, and three to five months if not. No matter what happens in the outside world during this time, Veluriyam should ignore it and defend its own gates.
âIf the Embittered Savages come, use your collective wits to delay them. Thereâs no need to rush into battle. Everything can wait until I come out of cultivation.â
How fast Jiang Chen grew would decide Veluriyamâs and even the human domainâs fate. Everyone was excited to hear about his breakthroughs in martial dao comprehension. The public had borne witness to the speed at which his skills had increased. Though the situation right now was less than ideal, there was still great interest in Jiang Chenâs recent developments.
âYoung lord, you canât neglect your martial dao growth no matter what happens. Donât worry, the Embittered Savages arenât invincible. Even if they reach our gates, we will have ways to fight them.â
âWe will obey your commands and take things slow and steady.â
âJiang Chen, I donât respect that many humans, but you are one of them,â the Vermilion Bird declared. âDonât worry, I promise that the Embittered Savages will not be allowed to infringe upon Veluriyam territory even if you are in seclusion. I was able to keep my oath to the Primosanct Sect and I will do the same for you. As long as I am here, those savages wonât set a foot on Veluriyam soil. I did not once bow to the ferocious demon race despite their strength. What can these worthless savages amount to? Go and cultivate in peace.â
Though the Vermilion Bird was proud, it still perceived humans as a race that had led the demon-sealing war of yore. What was an Embittered Savage Tribe worth?
They appeared quite violent, but they had been most insignificant in the ancient demon-sealing war. The demons hadnât even visited their ancestral lands because of how sparse theyâd had been. Frankly, the bird didnât care for such a lackluster race.
âDonât worry, Savior.â Big Stone thumped his chest. âWe brothers donât care whether they are embittered or happy savages. Weâre better at fighting than anybody.â
Jiang Chen was reassured by the high morale of the defenders.
âVery well!â He grinned. âI havenât anything to worry about given your concerted efforts.â
After making the necessary arrangements, he found a secret room and activated the spacetime seal. A passage opened, sweeping him into the third palace of heritage.
This was his second time here.
The last time he was here, both arrival and departure had been a thoroughly hasty affair. He had no impression of what had gone on here, and only remembered the guardian to be a senior with a lazier-than-usual voice.
Truthfully, it hadnât been long since then. The only events that had taken place in between were the battle with the Order and the trip to the northwestern wastes. Nevertheless, he felt an indescribable pressure upon re-entry.
He vaguely remembered the guardian to be mildly displeased about being used as a shortcut. It seemed to be a personal affront. Though Jiang Chen had been let through in the end, he was worried he had left a bad impression.
When his footsteps resounded upon the palaceâs floor, the scenery before him evoked a sense of familiarity. Heâd taken note of a few things on his first trip, despite the relative haste.
At the time, the guardian of the third palace had said he would consider increasing the difficulty.
Jiang Chen wasnât scared of a harder challenge. The only concern he might have had was about the guardianâs potentially peculiar nature. Someone really mean could intentionally nitpick and thus delay his progress.
Because war was waging outside, he wouldnât be at peace even if shut in in the third palace.
âAh, itâs fine. Letâs just deal with problems as they arise. Iâve seen and weathered a lot in my previous million years of life. What can he possibly do to nitpick me with?â This thought calmed Jiang Chen down a great deal, dispelling his anxiety.
âLittle kid, are you sure youâre not playing a joke on me?â The languid voice sounded at Jiang Chenâs ear, colored with a hint of displeasure.
Jiang Chen steeled himself. Though the voice sounded lazy, there was also a sense of authority imbued within. From the aura it contained, he could observe that this guardian of the third palace was higher in cultivation than Master Pâeng and Venerated Skysoarer.
Jiang Chen offered a cupped fist salute. âSenior, I had urgent business when I came by last time. Now that the problem has been resolved, I came to apologize straight away.â
âHmph. Your words are sweet enough kid, but I donât see any contrition from you any more. You were a bit fidgety when you just entered, werenât you?â It was as if the voice could read Jiang Chenâs mind. It perceived his thoughts with only the smallest of details.
Jiang Chen was taken aback, then embarrassed. Heâd been highly uneasy about what would happen here. But he calmed down after thinking things through. The keenness of the guardian of the third palace was remarkable.
âSenior, Iâm sure you wouldnât want the person to get here to be a spineless coward or a trembling sheep, no?â Without emotional baggage, Jiang Chen became a lot more decisive and forthright.
The six palaces of heritage were a place to test the entrantsâ talent and poise. It was highly improbable that the master of the Veluriyam Pagoda would have invited anyone narrow-minded to become a guardian for his palaces.
At least, that was what Jiang Chen personally believed. He was willing to stake his bets that this was the case.
The voice fell silent for a moment, taking some time to judge the daring youth. It had been countless years since the Pagodaâs construction, but very few had managed to make it to the third palace of heritage. Moreover, someone audacious enough to use the third palace as a shortcut like this youth was a first!
Moreover, the kid didnât seem at all remorseful about his actions. He had no guilt whatsoever for his disrespectful actions last time!
There was something to this kid!
However, as the third guardian of the palace, he wasnât going to elevate or castigate someone solely for this small detail.