Coiling Dragon was immensely contented by the sight of Jiang Chen greeting and encouraging Ji San alone. Veluriyam Capital had many great emperor factions, but Coiling Dragon was the only one to receive special interest.

The young lord had chosen to converse with Ji San before everybody else. The brotherhood and bond formed through thick and thin was paying off.

The Coiling Dragon clan had transformed from a failing clan into a faction headed by a great emperor. Furthermore, their bloodline and ancestral memories gave them tremendous potential. For them, the sky was the limit.

Emperor Petalpluck’s faction felt the worst about its current position.

Petalpluck himself was rather upset and sorry. Once upon a time, he had been inferior only to Emperor Peafowl, almost the rival of Emperor Shura.

Alas, his personality and character affected his value in Jiang Chen’s eyes. Because he hadn’t wanted to anger either party, Jiang Chen ultimately ended up leaving him be.

Now, the situation in Veluriyam was vastly different. Several people, including Mo Wushuang, had attained empyrean realm. Meanwhile, some of the other factions that were once below him were in the process of outshining him.

Compared to them, Petalpluck’s faction was becoming more unnoticeable by the day. But what else could he do?

Veluriyam Capital was a lot stronger than in the past, undeniably so. If Emperor Peafowl were to see Veluriyam Capital now, he would be equally as astonished by the changes.

Jiang Chen looked around at all the surrounding faces, a smile apparent on his face. “You’ve worked hard these past few years, gentlemen. I see tangible improvement in many of you. However, this amount of progress isn’t enough.”

Not enough?

Everyone was taken aback at this.

“You must be wondering why I said that despite your increases in strength.” Jiang Chen’s voice was even.

“I couldn’t openly talk about much of this before, but we’re at the point where I must, regardless of consequences. Evidence from all over shows that the demons shaking free from their ancient chains is only a matter of time. If the races of Divine Abyss were united in the war effort against them, we would retain a good chance at victory.

“Unfortunately, boundary steles were erected after the ancient demon-sealing war for the sake of everyone’s self-preservation, which limited the intermingling of different races. As an obvious consequence, Divine Abyss’ strength as a whole has decreased since then. I can’t understand why this foolishness was allowed to persist for so long. Imagine, my friends: if the demonic invasion were to occur a decade from now, how would the human domain defend itself?”

Jiang Chen had never openly spoken about the demons before now. The most he had done was tangentially mention them in passing. Now, he intended to sound the alarm.

Time was against them.

“Young lord Jiang Chen, is it really impossible to stop the demonic invasion?” someone couldn’t resist asking.

“Yes. I believe it to be inevitable. Moreover, it is impossible for us in the human domain to improve ourselves to a degree that we can fend them off.” Jiang Chen’s tone was very firm.

Impossible? Everyone felt their blood chill. Indescribable fear filled their hearts.

The young man lightened the mood when he saw his audience’s pale faces. “Of course, that doesn’t mean we can only wait for our deaths. I made a trip a few years ago. Many don’t know where I went, but I see no reason to hide it. Yes, I went to Myriad Abyss Island.

“The demons aside, even Myriad Abyss is stronger than the human domain by ten times over. If Myriad Abyss were to stand against the demons alone, it would need to be several times stronger still.”

This was a very straightforward and visceral comparison.

No one found the name ‘Myriad Abyss Island’ unfamiliar. They all knew that it was a place very far from Divine Abyss, but technically still part of this continent.

Moreover, there were many rumors about the origins of the cultivators there. The most popular one was that of deserters from the ancient demon-sealing war looting the majority of the resources and tomes they could find, pilfering the human domain’s wealth.

Still, this was the first time they heard anything remotely factual about the place. Before Jiang Chen, Myriad Abyss Island was a total unknown for the human domain. The only thing anyone had to go off of was legend and rumor.

“Many versions of the story about Myriad Abyss exist. I do have one thing to say, however. The origins of those who reside there aren’t nearly as despicable as you imagine. Though most are indeed descended from deserters, its rulers are in fact heroic defenders of Divine Abyss Continent’s safety.”

Jiang Chen sighed softly. Clearly, he had strong feelings about the misunderstandings surrounding the Ten Divine Nations’ sacrifices and contributions. He liked Divine Abyss Continent much more now.

Though this place wasn’t nearly as strong as the heavenly planes he’d once lived in, the efforts of the noble men and women that fought on behalf of their homeland were respectable indeed.

Strength wasn’t a necessary characteristic for admiration.

“Young lord Jiang Chen,” Coiling Dragon suddenly spoke up, “Myriad Abyss has always been a very mysterious place. You must have seen some pretty amazing new sights on your trip. Why not share with us how strong the experts are over there?”

“How strong the experts are?” Jiang Chen sighed softly. “The strongest can sweep the human domain clean by themselves.”

“What? By themselves? Against the entire human domain? How could that be? Are they gods, then?” Everyone was astounded by this revelation.

“Yes, they are. Gods, in the plural.” Jiang Chen smiled faintly.

All ten of the sacred lands were safeguarded by a god. Moreover, many first rate factions in the nations – House Xiahou, for example – possessed the same.

These were the countable ones. Secluded divines were not included in the tally.

Myriad Abyss Island definitely had its fair share of gods in general. The places Jiang Chen had visited on his trip there had been few and far between. Even so, they’d left a very strong impression on him. The human domain simply couldn’t compare.

Gods!

This piece of information was a blow to head of the cultivators in the human domain.