Sovereign of the Three Realms

Jiang Chen’s claims were based solidly in fact.

He’d already found a potential solution to the demonic invasion. Though he couldn’t guarantee he would be able to activate the Great Formation of Heavenly Soul Confinement, he at least had a working blueprint.

He only needed enough resources to construct the real thing.

That aside, his trip to Myriad Abyss had illuminated to him the bigger picture in Divine Abyss. He finally understood why the demons had been able to invade long ago.

If the deviation of the heavenly axis wasn't corrected and Divine Abyss' coordinates remained exposed, more and more offworld cultivators would discover this place and thereby endanger it.

Because of this, it was more than likely that the demons were only a beginning.

Offworld invaders, especially the scrappy adventurous sort, saw Divine Abyss as a tasty morsel that deserved to be taken advantage of. 

Old Crane was a little surprised at Jiang Chen's somber expression. "Young lord Jiang Chen," he ventured, "did your trip to Myriad Abyss inspire you in some way?"

"To tell you the truth, Old Crane, even a second or third rate faction there far outpaces what the human domain can offer. Hoping to match the might of the Ten Divine Nations is entirely out of the question."

It was true. In Myriad Abyss, factions like Warmspring and Rejuvenation could be considered second rate at most, and that was being generous.  If they were allowed to set foot in the human domain, they would sweep it with absolute ease. 

Jiang Chen was quite familiar with the capabilities of both. 

Rejuvenation's Chief Warden Ding and his Winterdraw elites alone would steamroll anything in the human domain. After all, there were no elites here aside from the hermit experts.

The Rejuvenation Isles, on the other hand, had plenty of empyrean cultivators. They weren't all advanced—many weren't even mid—but a group of initial empyrean realm experts alongside a few advanced ones would very likely rampage through the current human domain.

After all, their resources were superior. 

The former head of the Order of Wind and Cloud, Xiahou Jing, had only been a young genius who'd lost a power struggle within his house. Yet, he’d been able to make tremendous waves in the human domain's waters with only a group of average subordinates.

That was the critical point. And wasn't the Rejuvenation Isles much superior to a single abandoned scion of House Xiahou?

This alone showed how ahead Myriad Abyss was compared to the human domain.

"Are even second or third rate factions that powerful?" Old Crane began to lose hope when he heard this. Was Myriad Abyss really so insurmountable?

"Yes, Old Crane. The forces of Myriad Abyss are incomprehensibly strong for the current human domain. Furthermore, the wall between the two realms is thinning out. You will witness their strength for yourself before long." 

Jiang Chen paused before kindly offering advice. "I think it would be a good idea to work hard at cultivating. Otherwise, when the divide no longer exists one day, you may be left helpless before Myriad Abyss's overwhelming power."

Old Crane cracked a crooked grin. "I hope that day will never come."

Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "Let's all work hard at making ourselves stronger, eh?"

He was a bit saddened internally. The human domain's dereliction wasn't the result of a single day. 

At the conclusion of the demon-sealing war, the various sects and factions' men and resources were spent. That ancient war had wreaked too much destruction on the human domain. Spirit veins and other cultivational necessities had been depleted to the point of exhaustion.

This was one of the many reasons why various factions had felt that the human domain wouldn't be able to recover in a short time in the post-war years.

Under these circumstances, the human domain had gradually declined for two to three hundred thousand years to its current state. Myriad Abyss Island, on the other hand, had carried an aura of mystique from the start.

The Ten Divine Nations' careful maintenance had drawn the plethora of deserters to settle there, eventually flourishing into its current state.

Old Crane and his peers were flabbergasted. They’d noticed a significant difference between the past Jiang Chen and the current young lord. The old Jiang Chen had sufficient poise,  but not nearly as latent authority in his words as he did now.

Was the change affected by experience alone?

No, Old Crane realized that couldn't be right. There was something he couldn't put his finger on quite yet. 

Suddenly, his eyes moved with astonishment. "Young lord Jiang Chen! Your cultivation has increased a great deal, has it not? If I may ask, what frightening level is your cultivation at now?"

Jiang Chen didn't see a reason to conceal it. "Perhaps I will have the chance to break through to fifth level empyrean soon," he stated matter-of-factly. 

The countless fights he'd taken part in back in Myriad Abyss had honed him through trial. In particular, his martial intuition had been enriched significantly. 

The mouths of the hermit experts were uniformly agape with shock. After a long period of stunned silence, they traded questioning looks with each other. Had they misheard?

Break through to fifth level empyrean realm?

Aside from Old Crane, none of the others here were at that level. Jiang Chen was incredibly young! How could they remotely compare to his talent?

Old Crane exhaled, then applauded with booming laughter. "Wonderful, wonderful! The birth of such a legendary genius in the human domain marks a new era for us. My friends, we may be witnessing history in the making. Truly, a veritable miracle!"

The other empyrean experts nodded in agreement. Their gazes now radiated a real admiration that hadn't been there before.

Jiang Chen was no mere pill dao legend or ruler of the human domain. If those were his only claims to fame, the empyrean experts would give him courtesy, not deference.

No, they revered him now for being both honorable and talented. Authority was insufficient on its own; crushing strength was much more convincing!