Outside of Sandplain Island, rays of faint, strange light materialized in the air. Inside it, countless moving glyphs spread like plague and swarmed to cover a large area.
The entire island was enveloped by the light, which morphed into an enormous kiln, trapping and refining the island.
Radianceâs forefather exclaimed, âScum, what gives you the courage to stir up trouble in Sandplain?â
With a wave of his arm, a powerful attack hit the wall of light with a bang.
The light trembled dramatically, but it remained intact. Its impressive elasity had enabled it to withstand a hit from a divine cultivator!
Radianceâs and Sunriseâs forefathers exchanged a glance. They both read shock in the otherâs eyes. They had a feeling that something big was coming.
âLetâs try together.â
The two forefathers were old partners and knew each other well. Without missing a beat, the two of them made their moves at the same time.
Two powerful torrents of air split through the sky like twin dragons, their combined forces terrifyingly mighty. It hit the faint sheen of light with a loud bang.
The wall of light trembled even harder, but once again, it didnât shatter. The tremors subsided gradually until they calmed.
Like a spring, no matter how much force was applied, the light was only be compressed and reverted back to its original form once the outside force departed.
The two forefathersâ hearts sank. They hadnât encountered anything in Myriad Abyss that the two of them couldnât resolve. Yet here, this unassuming looking wall of light had resisted their concerted attack!
The strange turn of events painted a scowl on their faces. With grave expressions, they carefully inspected the area.
Unfortunately, they didnât find anything. The wall of light seemed to have emerged out of nowhere.
Concerned, they stopped wasting their time and returned to the island at full speed. Everyone turned to them with questioning looks.
âThe island is trapped in a strange wall of light,â boomed Radianceâs forefather. âWe have trouble, everyone.â
Everyone was shocked to hear that. Some of them couldnât help but sneak glances at Jiang Chen. It was surprising that young genius had been the first to sense the danger, rather than the forefathers of the ten sacred lands.
A strange atmosphere permeated the air.
âCome on, letâs go take a look ourselves,â remarked Eternalâs forefather. Everyone had been waiting for him to make the order since Eternal was the alliance head.
They had a lot of questions, but everyone followed the order and rushed toward the fringe.
Jiang Chen wasnât in a hurry to leave. He slowed and fell to the back. Noting his unhurried look, Ziju Min asked, âHave you discovered something?â
âSomethingâs fishy. Iâm going to take a look around.â Jiang Chen was calmer than most. He knew this must have been a targeted move against Sandplain.
He remembered the large group of escapees from the Boundless Prison. They had been lurking in the dark, waiting to strike.
Once they spotted an opportunity, theyâd surely exploit it. And perhaps they were responsible for the situation they were facing now.
Jiang Chen had gotten some information from Divine Kasyapa. He knew the fugitives would stir up trouble sooner or later. In fact, heâd warned Eternalâs senior executives before coming to the island.
However, everyone had been too busy dealing with the offworld battles. They hadnât had the effort to spare for the fugitives from the Boundless Prison.
Besides, they didnât have a good grasp on the number of cultivators who had escaped. Therefore, they relaxed their guard.
Ziju Min had a newfound admiration for Jiang Chen, especially since the young man had sensed the danger before the ten forefathers. He believed Jiang Chen could actually rival the forefathers in some aspects.
Jiang Chen stayed silent as he surveyed the area. Wu You and Gan Ning trailed after him, worried.
Not long after, the ten forefathers returned. It was clear from their expressions that they were anxious. Eternalâs forefather was especially concerned.
Heâd just become the head of the alliance. Everyone was looking to him for orders. This was the first trial of his competence and judgement. If he failed, the other sacred lands would question his leadership.
On the other hand, if he could steer the ten sacred lands through the crisis, heâd win everyoneâs approval once and for all.
âFellow daoists, the wall of light came out of nowhere. I believe itâs not the work of offworld invaders, but the cultivators escaped from the Boundless Prison.â That was Eternalâs forefatherâs speculation.
âHow so?â someone questioned.
âWeâve just come from the offworld battlefields and made the necessary arrangements before we departed. The offworld invaders may be powerful, but they canât have broken through our defense in such a short time. Besides, itâs clear that this must have been a planned attack. Otherwise the wall couldnât have been set up without us noticing.â
Eternalâs forefather had a clear head on his shoulders. Jiang Chen agreed with his speculations.
âEven if it is the fugitives from the Boundless Prison, we have to leave the island as soon as we can,â someone objected. âOtherwise, once our planar defenses are broken through, the offworld invaders will enter in droves! Weâll be in real trouble then.â
That was true.
The war offworld was at its peak; every second mattered.
If they were trapped in the island for too long, itâd hinder their war efforts on the offworld battlefields. The consequences would be catastrophic.
It was up to Eternalâs leadership now. They had to break out of the island quickly, or the offworld invaders would bring about a crisis and thus disrupt Myriad Abyssâs order.
Eternalâs forefather nodded. âWeâve been caught off guard. We need to brainstorm a solution. If you have any ideas or opinions, please donât hold back. This is exactly when the newly formed alliance has to work together!â
Jiang Chen silently complimented the forefather. The old man had deftly made the problem everyoneâs problem. They had to shoulder the burden together.