Divine Kasyapa was a self-assured man, but he could be diplomatic for Jiang Chenâs sake.
Since it was Jiang Chen whoâd introduced him to the forefathers, he refrained from putting on airs. He smiled faintly without faking humility. âI intervened because of Jiang Chen and my distaste for Lightford. It has nothing to do with you. If you really want to thank me, you can pay me back with something material.â
Everyone started. They didnât expect Divine Kasyapa to be so blunt.
Eternalâs forefather chuckled. âOnce we kill the old devil, I promise weâll repay your kindness.â
âThatâs right. We wonât let you work for nothing.â Voidâs forefather agreed without hesitation. He was the most pleased among the forefathers.
The alliance army was in his sacred land, which made Void the safest place at the moment.
Radianceâs and Sunriseâs forefathers werenât going to object either. Theyâd benefitted from Kasyapaâs intervention as well.
Jiang Chen snorted. He knew Divine Kasyapa was joking, yet the forefathers were all taking it seriously.
He didnât point it out though. âThatâs a discussion for another day. Our priority is to figure out how weâre going to deal with Lightford. If things go as I expect, his army should arrive at Void very soon. Do we wait for him to come, or do we set up an ambush? A plan needs to be formulated. Timeâs a wastin.â
There was nothing more important than taking down Lightford.
Eternalâs forefather looked at Jiang Chen expectantly. âJiang Chen, how much power do you have on your side?â
Jiang Chen made a mental tally: Lan Tianhao and Xu Yigu had just defected, Yu Gong, Divine Kasyapa, and the two sacred beasts. The six of them were as powerful as nine regular divine beings.
Jiang Chen and Long Xiaoxuan could rival a god too. All of them together could match the combined power of the ten forefathers.
Jiang Chen smiled. âAbout the level of you and the other nine forefathers. Now that weâve joined forces, our collective power has effectively doubled.â
The ten forefathers couldnât be more stunned. Was Jiang Chen... exaggerating?
The young man didnât seem to be lying, and they didnât dare suspect him. After all, heâd succeeded in driving Lightford away.
âHow about Lightfordâs side?â Eternalâs forefather asked curiously.
âThey shouldnât be our match. Moreover, their morale has hit rock bottom. Once they realize that Radiance, Sunrise, and Void have all been reclaimed by the sacred lands and that Iâve tricked them, they will be too furious to think clearly. Then, perhaps weâll be able to eliminate them once and for all.â
Someone at Jiang Chenâs age should be hotheaded, but what the forefathers saw in him was the kind of wisdom and level headedness that most young people didnât possess.
Theyâd all seen what Jiang Chen was capable of and werenât going to ignore his words.
......
Airboats landed outside the Radiance Sacred Land.
One after another, a good number of cultivators emerged on the outskirts of the sacred land. One with a particularly intimidating and solemn presence was Lightford.
It was clear from his clouded face that he was in a bad mood. Heâd been to four sacred lands after leaving Eternal and gathered his people. Now, he had a sizeable army under his command.
With him were eight divine cultivators. He knew he was now in a race of time with the ten sacred lands. One sacred land reclaimed by their elites was a loss of two less divine cultivators on his side. That was why heâd been trying his best to not waste any time.
âThatâs the Radiance Sacred Land ahead of us, master,â a divine cultivator said respectfully. âShould this subordinate tell Yuxian and Panyuan to welcome you?â
Lightford glowered darkly at the sacred land.
It didnât show on his face, but he had a bad feeling about the situation. With a hoarse voice, he asked, âListen. Donât you think the sacred land is too quiet?â
That did remind everyone. Something wasnât right.
âTrue. Itâs impossible for them to not notice such a large group, or they really havenât been doing their jobs.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Lightford huffed. âSend two people to scout the area.â
Two divine cultivators volunteered without hesitation. They returned not long after.
âItâs bizarre, master! The sacred land is wide open. No oneâs inside! Thereâs no signs of life at all and no valuables can be found!â
Lightfordâs expression grew even darker.
âNo signs of life?â
âThatâs right. It looks ransacked. Nothing is left.â
âWhere are its members?â Lightford frowned. âCan those from Eternal have raided Radiance?â
âThey wouldnât have killed Raidanceâs members, would they?â Someone posed the question.
âThatâs hard to say. Infighting isnât rare. The ten sacred lands arenât brothers. Even blood brothers kill each other sometimes!â
âMaster Lightford, can Yuxian and Panyuan have run away with the sacred landâs valuables?â One of the shrewdest cultivators suggested the possibility. That put a weight on everyoneâs mind. Would the pair be so bold?
âYuxian and Panyuan are my confidantes,â Lightford said coldly. âDonât suspect one of our own. Theyâd never betray me, and they wonât make off with the treasure. They had plenty of opportunities to do so if they wanted to. They wouldnât wait until now.â
Despite his frustration, he hadnât lost his ability to think.
âThen...â A man put on a look of apprehension. âHas the sacred land been hit already? Are we too late?â
That reminded Lightford of something. Sunrise had contacted him before. Had their enemies targeted Sunrise after dealing with Radiance?
âCome! Set out for Radiance at full speed. Quickly now!â