The two enforcers turned their heads to see the sacred beast blotting out the sky. They were thoroughly astonished, but recovered very quickly. Disbelief poured forth from their eyes.
âThe Vermilion Bird?â Both enforcers instantly blurted out. They knew the Eternal Sacred Land well, including any difficult opponents to be found there.
The Vermilion Bird was at the top of that list. In fact, they considered it more dangerous than the sacred landâs forefather.
The birdâs aura and appearance left no doubt in their mindsâthis was that sacred bird in the flesh.
âHow is the Vermilion Bird here?â
âDidnât it follow Jiang Chen to Sandplain? Could it have stayed to hold down the fort? That...â The two enforcers traded another perplexed glance.
However, they had no time to hesitate whatsoever. The sallow cultivator was shrieking in pain.
The enforcers couldnât understand why their underling couldnât move. The bird hadnât touched him yet, right?
âMaster enforcers, please come help me. This spirit creature is weird! It seems to have controlled my bodyâs movements. My limbs feel heavier than lead.â
It made them only more and more curious. The Vermilion Bird was a fire attribute creature. It was very adept at manipulating and attacking with flames.
Did the bird have an ability that could weigh someone down too? That was rather unheard of!
The enforcers slowed in their steps toward the sallow cultivator. Not that they wanted to abandon him to his fate, but they werenât quite sure what would happen if they got close.
What if the Vermilion Bird could, inexplicably, weigh people down? They couldnât deal with that possibility. Theyâd suffer a crushing defeat if that was the case!
âMasters, I have always been completely loyal to Master Lightford. You canât leave me to die!â The sallow cultivator panicked when the enforcers didnât come for him. He moaned and groaned in protest.
The bald cultivator ran over at the sound.
âWhat are you doing here?â the enforcer in gold robes called out. âDonât forget your responsibility. If you let the Eternal Sacred Landâs people escape, you will have committed a grave sin!â
The bald cultivator glanced at the Vermilion Birdâs humongous form with apprehension and fear. He drew in a sharp breath. A bird as scary-looking as this was definitely stronger than them!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
He felt a visceral dread that his companion was in this birdâs grasp, but was unable to do anything.
The Eternal Sacred Land was an eerie place indeed.
Suddenly, a pillar of light blasted up from the ground. The sallow cultivator vanished into thin air, caught up in its path.
Rather than be upset, the Vermilion Bird swept toward the two enforcers without missing a beat. Its eyes were as wide as dinner plates, glowering provocatively toward its enemies.
âEr...â the two enforcers were even more taken aback. They could see that the light hadnât come from the Vermilion Bird.
Why didnât the bird mind someone else interfering in its fight? Was it really the proud beast it was famed to be?
The duo didnât understand anything that was happening at this point.
Still, they couldnât just ignore the Vermilion Birdâs challenge. The enforcer in gold harrumphed, then called out, âDaoist Vermilion, Master Lightford has heard of your name. What right does Eternal have to use you like a guard beast?â
The man was clearly no stranger to sowing discord.
âOur master has far greater strength and wealth than this Eternal Sacred Land. Why not come to the light and serve our master instead? He will surely grant you amazing opportunities in the future that you canât imagine. Isnât that better than working for Eternal?â
The Vermilion Bird typically spoke ancient beast language. It understood the human tongue, but didnât care to speak it. However, it broke force of habit out of displeasure for the two men in front of it.
Snickering, it retorted in heavily-accented human, âWho do you think your master is? Is he stronger than the ancient leaders of humanity? Has he fought demons?â
As a survivor of that bygone era, its horizons were far broader than those of the cultivators in the present era. It was totally uninterested in this so-called âMaster Lightfordâ.
Jiang Chen alone satisfied its vision for a man of quality.
âHeh, no one knows how strong the ancient human leaders were. However, our master is fourth level divine realm without a doubt.â
âCultivators of all stripes strive to be of service to our master, both human and other alike. For them, it is an honor to be useful at all.â
Mocking laughter suddenly echoed forth from thin air.
âYour master has quite the reputation. As a human cultivator, I personally donât see what honor there is in working for your master.â
The speaker was Jiang Chen, of course.
He had finally made it in the nick of time, arriving specifically when Divine Kasyapa had attacked the sallow cultivator.
Taking the opportunity open to him, he sent out the Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise in a sneak attack.
Two sacred beasts against an injured initial divine realm cultivator was a trivial victory. Now, the enemy only had three gods left.
As soon as Jiang Chenâs voice was audible in the air, everyone in the sacred land began to cheer. Huangâer was especially overjoyed.
Brother Chen hadnât let anyone down after all. A deliverer out of the blue, he had emerged at this crucial moment once again to save the day.
Despite Jiang Chenâs imperfect strength, the others nevertheless felt purpose return to their lives. They were inexplicably sure that the crisis would quickly pass with him here.
In fact, the sight of the young man was as reassuring as the venerated forefather himself!
Jiang Chenâs voice reached Divine Kasyapa in the distance as well. The divine had intended to run a few circles around the four gods after him, choosing a wise strategy of skirmishing and drawing attention rather than taking any serious engagements.