Although crisis had been averted for the moment, none of them, including Jiang Chen, relaxed. 

After Jiang Chen refined the two enforcers’ life essence, there was no doubt that a truce wasn’t a possibility between Eternal and Lightford.

“Jiang Chen, I hear that the two enforcers were Lightford’s most trusted and powerful subordinates,” remarked second prime worriedly. “By killing both of them, aren’t we making it impossible to negotiate with him?”

The second prime was somewhat displeased, not because the genius had refined the two enforcers, but because he hadn’t 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. “Do you really think there was even any room for negotiation to begin with, Second Prime?”

“Why wouldn’t there be?” muttered the second prime, deterred by the genius’ sharp gaze. “There’s always room for negotiation.”

Jiang Chen huffed and waved a dismissive hand. “Negotiation is only viable when we have the power to intimidate him. If Divine Kasyapa hadn’t come when the sacred land was besieged, do you think they would’ve agreed to negotiate with you?”

It bothered him that the second prime was still wasting his breath. The man had done nothing to help, yet he wouldn’t shut up after things were settled.

The second prime’s face flushed red, displeasure flashing through his eyes.

Ziju Min spoke up to dispel the tension, “You weren’t on the island, Second Prime. You don’t know how difficult things were. A truce is impossible. As Jiang Chen has said, without power, Lightford isn’t going to negotiate with us. But with enough power we don’t 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.”

It upset the second prime to hear Ziju Min speaking up for Jiang Chen, but he was smart enough to know he couldn’t rival Jiang Chen in status in the sacred land. Despite his grievances, he had no choice but to accept reality.

Divine Kasyapa chuckled. “You do have to give Lightford some more thought, Jiang Chen. From what I know about him, he’ll come to assign blame. Fortunately, he shouldn’t have that many people left to help him.”

Jiang Chen smiled faintly. “If that’s the case, we have to get ready for him. We can’t admit defeat before the battle even starts, can we now?”

“That’s right!” Divine Kasyapa laughed heartily. “I was going to leave with Huang’er, but it seems it’s not yet the time. I have a few things to settle with Lightford. Rather than waiting for him to come after me, it’s better to deal with him once and for all when I have help.”

He wasn’t a fool. He knew he would be helpless against Lightford on his own. However, with Jiang Chen and the two sacred spirits, they’d at least be able to rival Lightford if not defeat him.

If the two true creatures were more powerful than he’d expected, it wasn’t impossible for them to gain the upper hand.

“I hope Lightford will come, Divine Kasyapa. If he does, we’ll 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 Lightford’s minions.” 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 wasn’t 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.

Eternal’s existing formation wasn’t going to withstand Lightford’s attack, so he didn’t 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 wouldn’t 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 weren’t too worried. Deep down, they didn’t fear Lightford.

The four divine beasts had their pride and losing to Lightford wasn’t 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.