Divine Kasyapa was a self-assured man, but he could be diplomatic for Jiang Chen’s sake.

Since it was Jiang Chen who’d introduced him to the forefathers, he refrained from putting on airs. He smiled faintly without faking humility. “I 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.”

Everyone started. They didn’t expect Divine Kasyapa to be so blunt.

Eternal’s forefather chuckled. “Once we kill the old devil, I promise we’ll repay your kindness.”

“That’s right. We won’t let you work for nothing.” Void’s 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.

Radiance’s and Sunrise’s forefathers weren’t going to object either. They’d benefitted from Kasyapa’s intervention as well.

Jiang Chen snorted. He knew Divine Kasyapa was joking, yet the forefathers were all taking it seriously.

He didn’t point it out though. “That’s a discussion for another day. Our priority is to figure out how we’re 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. Time’s a wastin.”

There was nothing more important than taking down Lightford.

Eternal’s forefather looked at Jiang Chen expectantly. “Jiang Chen, how much power do you have on your side?”

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. “About the level of you and the other nine forefathers. Now that we’ve joined forces, our collective power has effectively doubled.”

The ten forefathers couldn’t be more stunned. Was Jiang Chen… exaggerating?

The young man didn’t seem to be lying, and they didn’t dare suspect him. After all, he’d succeeded in driving Lightford away.

“How about Lightford’s side?” Eternal’s forefather asked curiously.

“They shouldn’t 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 I’ve tricked them, they will be too furious to think clearly. Then, perhaps we’ll be able to eliminate them once and for all.”

Someone at Jiang Chen’s age should be hotheaded, but what the forefathers saw in him was the kind of wisdom and level headedness that most young people didn’t possess.

They’d all seen what Jiang Chen was capable of and weren’t 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. He’d 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 he’d been trying his best to not waste any time.

“That’s the Radiance Sacred Land ahead of us, master,” a divine cultivator said respectfully. “Should this subordinate tell Yuxian and Panyuan to welcome you?”

Lightford glowered darkly at the sacred land.

It didn’t show on his face, but he had a bad feeling about the situation. With a hoarse voice, he asked, “Listen. Don’t you think the sacred land is too quiet?”

That did remind everyone. Something wasn’t right.

“True. It’s impossible for them to not notice such a large group, or they really haven’t been doing their jobs.”

Lightford huffed. “Send two people to scout the area.”

Two divine cultivators volunteered without hesitation. They returned not long after.

“It’s bizarre, master! The sacred land is wide open. No one’s inside! There’s no signs of life at all and no valuables can be found!”

Lightford’s expression grew even darker.

“No signs of life?”

“That’s right. It looks ransacked. Nothing is left.”

“Where are its members?” Lightford frowned. “Can those from Eternal have raided Radiance?”

“They wouldn’t have killed Raidance’s members, would they?” Someone posed the question.

“That’s hard to say. Infighting isn’t rare. The ten sacred lands aren’t brothers. Even blood brothers kill each other sometimes!”

“Master Lightford, can Yuxian and Panyuan have run away with the sacred land’s valuables?” One of the shrewdest cultivators suggested the possibility. That put a weight on everyone’s mind. Would the pair be so bold?

“Yuxian and Panyuan are my confidantes,” Lightford said coldly. “Don’t suspect one of our own. They’d never betray me, and they won’t make off with the treasure. They had plenty of opportunities to do so if they wanted to. They wouldn’t wait until now.”

Despite his frustration, he hadn’t lost his ability to think.

“Then...” A man put on a look of apprehension. “Has the sacred land been hit already? Are we too late?”

That reminded Lightford of something. Sunrise had contacted him before. Had their enemies targeted Sunrise after dealing with Radiance?

“Come! Set out for Sunrise at full speed. Quickly now!”