Although crisis had been averted for the moment, none of them, including Jiang Chen, relaxed.
After Jiang Chen refined the two enforcersâ life essence, there was no doubt that a truce wasnât a possibility between Eternal and Lightford.
âJiang Chen, I hear that the two enforcers were Lightfordâs most trusted and powerful subordinates,â remarked second prime worriedly. âBy killing both of them, arenât we making it impossible to negotiate with him?â
The second prime was somewhat displeased, not because the genius had refined the two enforcers, but because he hadnât left anything for him or the sacred land.
That was why there was an edge to his voice despite his polite words.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly and gave the second prime a pointed look. âDo you really think there was even any room for negotiation to begin with, Second Prime?â
âWhy wouldnât there be?â muttered the second prime, deterred by the geniusâ sharp gaze. âThereâs always room for negotiation.â
Jiang Chen huffed and waved a dismissive hand. âNegotiation is only viable when we have the power to intimidate him. If Divine Kasyapa hadnât come when the sacred land was besieged, do you think they wouldâve agreed to negotiate with you?â
It bothered him that the second prime was still wasting his breath. The man had done nothing to help, yet he wouldnât shut up after things were settled.
The second primeâs face flushed red, displeasure flashing through his eyes.
Ziju Min spoke up to dispel the tension, âYou werenât on the island, Second Prime. You donât know how difficult things were. A truce is impossible. As Jiang Chen has said, without power, Lightford isnât going to negotiate with us. But with enough power we donât need to worry about his attitude. The initiative will always be in our hands. The worst case scenario is for us to dream of reaching a truce without the power to back ourselves up.â
It upset the second prime to hear Ziju Min speaking up for Jiang Chen, but he was smart enough to know he couldnât rival Jiang Chen in status in the sacred land. Despite his grievances, he had no choice but to accept reality.
Divine Kasyapa chuckled. âYou do have to give Lightford some more thought, Jiang Chen. From what I know about him, heâll come to assign blame. Fortunately, he shouldnât have that many people left to help him.â
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. âIf thatâs the case, we have to get ready for him. We canât admit defeat before the battle even starts, can we now?â
âThatâs right!â Divine Kasyapa laughed heartily. âI was going to leave with Huangâer, but it seems itâs not yet the time. I have a few things to settle with Lightford. Rather than waiting for him to come after me, itâs better to deal with him once and for all when I have help.â
He wasnât a fool. He knew he would be helpless against Lightford on his own. However, with Jiang Chen and the two sacred spirits, theyâd at least be able to rival Lightford if not defeat him.
If the two true creatures were more powerful than heâd expected, it wasnât impossible for them to gain the upper hand.
âI hope Lightford will come, Divine Kasyapa. If he does, weâll be able to keep him occupied, which means there will be one less powerful foe for the ten forefathers to deal with. They can then focus on Lightfordâs minions.â Jiang Chen was very eager.
The two sacred beasts were powerful. Moreover, Jiang Chen had refined the life essence of several divine cultivators and acquired their divine decrees.
The latter wasnât of use at the moment, but the life essence was a great help to him, Long Xiaoxuan and Little White in their cultivation.
Long Xiaoxuan had ascended to ninth level empyrean in the past couple days and would soon be at a critical juncture on his path to divinity.
Jiang Chen too had a feeling that he was going to ascend to eighth level empyrean any moment. The life essence of the divine cultivators had been very beneficial. If used well, it would eventually help him and the dragon break through from peak ninth level empyrean and ascend to divinity.
Little White would likely need more time, but the essence was invaluable to it as well.
Once Jiang Chen reached peak empyrean realm, he could very likely soon push for divinity with his predisposed advantages. The thought alone greatly motivated him.
He had a feeling that was going to lead to the truth of his past life. Once he became a god, the chain seal in his consciousness would break and the secrets hidden within be completely open to him.
He looked forward to that future.
Since Lightford was coming, he had to make preparations.
Eternalâs existing formation wasnât going to withstand Lightfordâs attack, so he didnât place his faith in it. Putting his effort and resources to reinforce the formation would only be a waste of time. They had to fight Lightford head-on.
Nevertheless, preparations were in order. The timing, location, and human elements were all crucial to the impending battle. For a fight at this level, clever planning and an attention to detail could give them an unexpected edge.
Jiang Chen spent the next few days discussing strategies with Divine Kasyapa. Brute force alone wouldnât be enough. They needed to plan and set up various traps and defenses.
No singular detail was going to strike a fatal blow on Lightford on its own, but even a slight delay or interference could end up tipping the scale, or even determining the result of the fight.
The Vermilion Bird and the Black Tortoise knew they were going to face a formidable enemy. However, they werenât too worried. Deep down, they didnât fear Lightford.
The four divine beasts had their pride and losing to Lightford wasnât a possibility. Their cultivation and power might have fallen short in comparison, but as descendants of the sacred beasts, their defense and resilience were unmatched.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om