Sovereign of the Three Realms

Someone clapped and laughed. “Good, good! If that’s truly possible, Divine Abyss can finally have a much-needed breather. We won’t need to spend all our energy in the offworld battlefield anymore. After a few centuries of rest and recuperation, we’ll be able to handle any future threats much better, wouldn’t everyone agree?”

“It would be a blessing for Divine Abyss indeed. We sacred lands would no longer need to toil endlessly in fear and consternation.”

“Yes. The war of attrition we’ve been fighting threatens to deplete our resources.”

Most were very interested in Jiang Chen’s proposition. There were a number of opponents as well, of course. 

“What you describe is very attractive,” one snickered, “but I’m worried that you’re just making empty promises. Who will take responsibility if they’re broken? It’s easy to lie through one’s teeth.”

Jiang Chen shot him a glance of disdain. “I’m not interested in talking to ignorant fools. You have the right to express your doubts, just as I do my opinions.”

He wasn’t the type of person to hold his peace. He always returned civility with courtesy, but this particular individual had been aggressive from the start. That he was still at it was infuriating.

After all, Jiang Chen’s intentions were quite selfless. He aimed only to help the Eternal Sacred Land gain the leadership through what he could offer to the rest of the island.

The solution he proposed was beneficial for the entirety of Divine Abyss. For people to oppose for the sake of opposition was rather low behavior.

Thankfully, he had plenty of allies to back him up.

“Are you actually doubting our young friend’s ability, or are you being unnecessarily antagonistic for no good reason?” the Martial Sacred Land’s Prime Puresmoke probed.

“Precisely. Though we’ve only heard rumors of his abilities before, we’ve all personally borne witness now. He’s returned from even something like the island of death unscathed. Plus, think about it—would we have dared to imagine the existence of something like the Crowning Empyrean Pill before him?”

“Not only that, he has a Vermilion Bird and a true dragon as his companions as well. If he wasn’t chosen by heaven, why would they be so loyal to him?”

There were so many extraordinary things around the youth; it was difficult to list them all. The same went for his accomplishments and exploits.

The more everyone thought about it, the more incredible the youth’s deeds seemed. Hiding the coordinates of their plane would be difficult, but was it really impossible with Jiang Chen?

These questions flitted through people’ minds.

Even those who’d thought Jiang Chen was speaking empty words before were shaken. This young man had created no shortage of miracles in his past.

The forefather of the Sunrise Sacred Land considered Jiang Chen with thoughtful eyes. “Young man.” He smiled. “I only have one question left on my mind. If you can elucidate me, I promise Sunrise’s unwavering support for Eternal’s leadership.”

“Please, ask away.”

“About hiding those coordinates… how much would the formation cost? How long will it last?”

After some calculations, Jiang Chen gave a measured response. 

“It would cost a fair bit,” he replied in a low voice, “but that’s not a problem for the ten sacred lands’ wealth. As for how long the formation would last, that depends on the strength of the invaders. Without advanced divine realm enemies, the formation can easily last thousands of years. If hundreds of them swarm us at once, holding that long is an obvious impossibility.”

“Advanced divine realm, hmm… most likely not. I don’t think we’d ever be so lucky as to have a few hundred of them come at us at once.” The Sunrise forefather nodded with a carefree laugh. “At least, we haven’t encountered any such enemies as of yet. I’ll wait for you to make this miracle happen for Divine Abyss, then.”

“I have a question as well, young Jiang Chen. Are there any other ways aside from this formation?” It was the Radiance forefather this time.

“There are other ways,” Jiang Chen replied seriously, “but they’re solutions of a rather different sort, with many more moving parts. Creating a planar mist, for example, or dimensional storms.”

“Oh? Please elaborate,” pressed the forefather.

“The mist will interfere with the ability of offworld adventurers to find us in the first place. The dimensional storms, on the other hand, involve shattering the pre-existing rules of space to eject them elsewhere. In fact, many may find themselves lost for eternity in these traps. However, there’s a disadvantage to creating these dimensional storms as well.”

“What disadvantage is there?”

“The dimensional storms will do us more harm in the long run. We’ll be able to stop others from getting in, but also ourselves from getting out.”

“You mean the dimensional storms will prevent us from traveling to other worlds?” The Radiance forefather smiled. “But no cultivators since ancient times have left voluntarily, have they?”

Jiang Chen’s lips trembled, but he didn’t continue.

“If you have anything to say, young man, there’s no need to hesitate or hold back. We old codgers can still take advice from our juniors yet.”

“Then, please excuse me.” Jiang Chen saluted with cupped fist. “A plane must remain reasonably accessible to ensure its strength, rather than closing itself off to the rest of existence. Only when the strongest travel to new worlds and bring back new things and information can we perpetually know where we are in relation to our peers on a grander scale. If we put our heads into the sand, it will only weaken us in the very long run.”

“Tsk, if I didn’t know how young you are, I would think from these words that you were an advanced divine cultivator yourself!” The man who’d been hostile to Jiang Chen before tore at him again.

“You, shut up!” The Radiance forefather frowned. Intimidating rays shot out from his eyes, sending the meddler to his feet in paralyzed fear.

“Keep going, young man.” The forefather turned back to Jiang Chen with a smile.

“You may have thought my words pointless when it came to advanced divines, but if we can’t even imagine their existence, then we’ve long been left in the dust. We might not have any such cultivators right now, but we must always pursue it as our goal. 

“It may even be an unreachable and distant one, but have there never been any in ancient or older times? Not necessarily! At the end of the day, what this kid wants to say is that the strategy we use now should only be a temporary one. Continual advances in strength is the only thing that will ultimately make a difference in ensuring our safety!”