Chapter 2012: To Yield

If Yu Gong hadn’t informed him that these two were on lukewarm terms with Lightford, Jiang Chen wouldn't have entertained the thought of winning their allegiance.

After all, he had dealt with Panyuan and Yuxian swiftly and decisively. The four gods at Radiance and Sunrise hadn’t been offered the opportunity to choose either.

These two, on the other hand, were given a chance at redemption because of what Yu Gong knew of them.

The blue-haired man cursed his misfortune. An Kasyapa’s meaning was clear. There were two divine sacred beasts as well as Jiang Chen waiting in the wings…

Were they at the Void Sacred Land already?

Was he and his comrade cornered rats already?

“Daoist An, I’ve always heard of your disagreements with Master Lightford. Must you go to such extreme lengths? Why do you forsake our common suffering in the Boundless Prison in favor of helping the sacred lands?” The blue-haired man didn’t much like Lightford, but he did identify with the time they’d spent together in the Boundless Prison.

In his mind, Myriad Abyss’s ten sacred lands were supposed to be their natural enemies.

An Kasyapa snickered. “You know only of the Boundless Prison. I, on the other hand, can see that we all reside upon Divine Abyss Continent and, in a larger sense, our present plane. The Boundless Prison was only a temporary sojourn upon our cultivation path, albeit one with a lengthier stay. At the end of the day, I’m a cultivator of this land. From our world’s perspective, allowing Lightford’s ambition to proliferate is the opposite of good.”

“Why makes you say that? You think Old Lightford can’t rule as well as the ten sacred lands can?” the blue-haired man tried to argue.

“Old Lightford is a cruel and vicious man. He seeks only to maximize self gain. He won’t consider the well-being of the common man. He might make a good factional leader, but an entire plane? Obviously not.”

Though An Kasyapa was just as capricious and volatile in his own ways–he wouldn’t have slain the entirety of House Yan in a fit of rage otherwise–he was no fool when it came to the grand scheme of things.

“I don’t think those hypocrites from the sacred lands can do any better. According to what I know, they’re hardly unified even right now.” The blue-haired man maintained his position.

“I have no interest in the sacred lands, because I know someone that I can wholeheartedly support.”

“Who?” The blue-haired man intoned in a low voice.

“Jiang Chen, the young lord of the Eternal Sacred Land,” An Kasyapa shot back coolly.

“Ridiculous! No matter how talented a young man is, what can he do with such limited time? Great change is about to sweep across Divine Abyss at any moment. What can he possibly hope to affect?” The blue-haired man sneered.

“Heh, you shouldn’t underestimate the boundless possibility of youth. The young man you question was responsible for taking down both of Lightford’s enforcers as well as repelling the man himself. More recently, he’s managed to retake Sunrise and Radiance as well. Do you not see the effect he’s had on the bigger picture?” An Kasyapa delivered a graceful retort.  

The blue-haired man was at a loss for words. Yes, Jiang Chen had indeed affected the situation here on Myriad Abyss Island.

Before Master Lightford’s attack on the ten sacred lands, everyone had paid attention solely to the sacred lands’ divine forefathers. Though Jiang Chen had possessed a reputation at the time, most had considered him a non-threatening young man with considerable potential.

However, it was precisely this youth who had formed a strike force sufficient to alter the tide of a grander struggle.

The atmosphere was very tense.

Suddenly, a golden beam flashed across the void and revealed Jiang Chen’s figure in the clouds. His eyes glared rays at the blue-haired man.

“Whether you want to fight or surrender, decide now.” He hadn’t the time to waste on idle chatter. Every second counted; he wanted to set up a trap before Old Lightford could arrive.

The blue-haired man shivered when struck by Jiang Chen’s Evil Golden Eye, as if a restriction had fallen upon his soul.

“Is… is this the fabled Jiang Chen, young lord of the Eternal Sacred Land?” he murmured.

“Who else do you take him for?” An Kasyapa laughed without much humor.

The blue-haired man sighed. “A young hero, I see. Never mind, never mind. I only have a single question to ask.”

“Go ahead,” Jiang Chen replied coolly.

“When you attain the authority to rule, will Myriad Abyss be yours or the people’s?” The blue-haired man looked steadily at Jiang Chen, his inquiry unwavering.

Jiang Chen roared with laughter. “The world has always belonged to its people. How could I own the entirety of Myriad Abyss? If a man treats the realm as his own property, he will not be far from demise. Moreover, our vision shouldn’t be limited be neither Myriad Abyss nor Divine Abyss.”

Even An Kasyapa was astonished at what the young man was saying. Huang’er’s grandfather had thought that he knew Jiang Chen reasonably well, but that no longer seemed to be the case.

This young man’s aspirations were greater than Divine Abyss Continent could contain. Were his eyes trained upon the untouchably distant heavenly planes?

Jiang Chen’s meaningful smile stunned all who beheld it. No one could put his finger on why, but his words gave off an indubitable feeling. It was as if he carried a natural authority with him.

“Alright,” the blue-haired man sighed softly. “I, Lan Tianhao, surrender.”

“I, Xu Yigu, also surrender,” his comrade echoed.

Jiang Chen nodded smoothly. “Remember, you’re surrendering for the sake of all life upon Divine Abyss. If you betray those that you must serve, I will mete out judgment upon you on their behalf.”

Both men felt their hearts tremble. The young man before them wasn’t a god himself, but his words and actions exerted more pressure than a god would have.

Perhaps it was the Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise by his side that contributed to this effect. Less likely, it might have been the youth’s own aura or the gravity of the situation that had brought them to their knees.

Regardless, the two gods had formally and genuinely become their allies.

Jiang Chen’s men immediately regained control over the Void Sacred Land, then familiarized themselves with and re-established the defense systems in place.

In no time at all, scouts from outside reported that the ten sacred lands’ main force had arrived.

He immediately sent a group to receive them. The Void forefather and his own subordinates were touched by the gesture as well as what they had seen and heard upon their return.

As a close ally of the Flora Sacred Land, Void had once harbored a grudge against Jiang Chen. Now, that couldn’t be further from the truth.