Floraâs reaction was a dead giveaway they did, in fact, possess the Divine Dwelling Grass. The question was simply whether they were willing to part with it.
Of course, even if they werenât, Jiang Chen had his own ways of prying it out of their hands.
But Flora wasnât so undiscerning. Shi Xuan glanced at Prime Gao, a clear signal they couldnât afford to offend the young lord again.
The latter stayed silent. Heâd blundered earlier, taking his guestâs courtesy for granted and now overflowed with regret. What if the young man occupied their sacred land in a fit of anger?
Theyâd be powerless to stop him if so.
As for Jiang Chen, he was quite surprised by the quantity of Divine Dwelling Grass in Flora.
He inquired about the way it was utilized, but the answer almost made him choke.
The grass was used in empyrean pills. And not the mainstream ones at that, but the type that produced no noticeable effects on cultivation.
âMere empyrean pills? And they canât even noticeably increase cultivation?â He stared at them, disbelief written plain on his face. What a waste of a tremendous treasure!
Floraâs cultivators lost their countenance at his tone. He seemed to imply there was a far better use for it, making them flush with embarrassment at their ignorance.
Master Shi Xuan squeezed out a smile. âObviously, we donât understand the herbâs wondrous effects nearly as well as you, young lord. Please, do enlighten us.â
Jiang Chen simply smiled. A free lesson was of course not on the agenda. âTheyâre wasted in your hands. Their true use is a little beyond you, in any case, so why donât we make a trade? One Crowning Empyrean Pill for one Divine Dwelling Grass.â
The Crowning Empyrean Pill allowed for an unconditional advancement of a full level within the empyrean realm. Such a pill would be a cherished treasure for the sacred land. Sadly, it was impossible for them to refine, no matter how they longed for it in their dreams.
Even Prime Gaoâs face lit up at this proposal. He blurted out, âWhat a wonderful idea!â
Perhaps, in absolute terms, the scales were tipped too much in Jiang Chenâs favor, but what choice did they have? Could they refuse to hand over the grass, even for free if need be? Not to mention, the Crowning Empyrean Pill was far more useful for them.
It could be put to immediate use and increase the sacred landâs strength substantially, unlike the Divine Dwelling Grass.
Master Shi Xuan nodded in agreement. âIâve heard of the pillâs miraculous effects. Itâs quite a good deal for us.â
Of course, he was no fool. The herbâs true value must far surpass a simple empyrean pill, but heâd used âa good dealâ nevertheless. Heâd already steeled himself for a far worse outcome. Such a favorable trade was simply heaven-sent.
Hence, both parties came to a happy agreement.
Jiang Chen obtained enough Divine Dwell Grass while Flora received the pills it coveted, a win-win proposition for everyone.
The crowdâs former distress at the prospect of losing the herb instantly melted at the sight of so many Crowning Empyrean Pills.
Quite a few among them were already bending their minds to how to distribute the pills. After all, they were extremely important in the current situation.
Jiang Chen didnât tarry anymore than necessary once his business was completed. Time was of the essence. He had to eradicate as many demons as possible in Myriad Abyss.
âPrime Gao, Master Shi Xuan, youâre both smart men. The demons wonât forget todayâs defeat, so you must coordinate your efforts with the other sacred lands and ready yourselves for a fight. Otherwise, help may come too late the next time they come knocking on your door.â
Of course, he didnât invite them to Winterdraw. He didnât fully trust this group.
The island admittedly did need defenders, but more wasnât always better. On the contrary, unreliable people were potential seeds of trouble.
Heâd achieved fantastic victories in Everlasting and Flora. The nearly full eradication of three tribes was a huge, perhaps even traumatic blow to his foes.
âYoung lord, are we going to Eternal this time?â asked the Vermilion Bird.
âYes, weâll use our momentum and deal with the wood demons. Letâs see what theyâre made of. But letâs stop by Sunrise first.â Jiang Chen smiled quietly.
Wood demons might have been terrifying foes for someone else, but they werenât as threatening as golden demons for him. He knew many ways of countering them, by using the Fire of Firstdawn or the Dragonwhisker Water, for example.
As long as he could curb their powers, he was confident he could annihilate them wholesale.
Heâd visited Sunrise previously on his tour of the ten sacred lands, and had even rescued them back then.
So he decided on Sunrise as the first leg of his new journey.
The Fire of Firstdawn could be found in abundant amount over there, for one thing. It would make slaughtering the wood demons a cinch, especially when the Vermilion Bird could easily absorb it.
Together with Long Xiaoxuanâs Dragonwhisker Water, these two weapons would soften the wood demons more than enough.
However, his enemies had moved faster and more decisively than heâd anticipated.
Sunrise was already occupied by the time he arrived.
After some inquiries, he learned that the sacred land had succumbed several days ago to the fire demon tribeâs onslaught. Just as Everlasting was a paradise for golden demons, Sunrise was heaven on earth for the fire demons.
He grimaced at this new development.
Had Sunrise ultimately brought the Fire of Firstdawn to Eternal? Was the latter still holding strong? He didnât know the answer to either question.
Heâd sent Divine Kasyapa to Eternalâs rescue early on, but it might not have been in time.
He had to revise his plans now that Sunrise, and the Fire of Firstdawn by extension, was firmly in enemy hands.
Fire demons werenât the most troublesome of the lot. In fact, they were easily subdued under certain conditions, but they made for harrowing opponents in a favorable environment.
Like Sunrise, for example. The sacred land was the perfect habitat for them.