Prime Gao sneered. “Master Shi Xuan, you’ve must have been brainwashed by Jiang Chen after spending that much time in Eternal.”

Shi Xuan froze for a split second. “Since Prime Gao doesn’t trust me, then just consider it nonsense. Everyone is right, our options are clear. We either need to find help or try to escape. Turtling inside will lead only to our doom.” He sighed at the inextricable situation.

“Jiang Chen, Jiang Chen...” Prime Gao ground his teeth. On the surface, the two of them should have reconciled at the competition of the geniuses, but deep down, he still took exception and blamed the young lord for stealing the spotlight away from Flora.

How could he possibly be willing to beg Jiang Chen now?

“If Forether Flora was with us, he certainly wouldn’t have clung to personal disputes,” muttered an elder softly, his words obviously aimed at Prime Gao.

To his surprise, his opinion gained formidable traction.

“That’s right, Prime Gao, private history means nothing when Flora’s survival is at stake. Jiang Chen’s the only one who can save us now. Why not let go of your prejudice? Aren’t we allies?”

“Milord, please think it over!”

Surrounded by demons, the sacred land was tottering on the brink of the abyss and would certainly fall without help. The dreadful prospect of oncoming death overshadowed any sectarian bias.

They all hoped to see Jiang Chen come to their rescue. He was the only one who could create a miracle.

Nearby, the subject of their discourse was baffled by demons’ attitude. They could easily have overwhelmed the sacred land, so why hadn’t they attacked yet?

Could it be a trap for would-be rescuers?

But it didn’t seem all that likely when he took a closer look.

Faced with this unforeseen situation, he went to great lengths to get to the bottom of the matter, only to laugh when he learned the facts.

True to themselves, demons were quite primitive when vying for resources and benefits. The two tribes were unexpectedly at odds over the division of spoils, and were waiting for a decision from the celestial demon forefathers.

“Demons indeed have their weaknesses.” The Vermilion Bird sighed with emotion. “No wonder they’ve never conquered the heavenly planes despite their unceasing expeditions. Their selfish natures create constant disharmony, especially when profits are involved.”

Jiang Chen nodded. “They share this flaw with mankind. Right now, the prize in front of their eyes is too tempting for them to show restraint. But if they had been in dire straits, they would have put aside their internal conflicts and cooperated wholeheartedly instead.”

“So, young lord, we doing it or not?” The Astral White Tiger overflowed with eagerness for battle.

Jiang Chen responded quietly, “Of course we can’t sit back since we’re already here, but we must make sure it’s not a trap. That said, the demons don’t know enough about my true strength to prepare an effective trap against me in any case.”

Indeed, even if the demons were trying to lure him deeper inside, it would be one thing for him to take the bait, and another for them to capture him.

Back on the Rejuvenation Isles, three demon tribes working together had tried to plot against him, only to be beaten at their own game and fall into a trap of his own.

“Good, I was waiting for you to say that, young lord.” The rat king also brimmed with zeal.

Jiang Chen blinked. “Ole Gold, you’ve already fought a great battle. Are you sure you’re ready for another one? If I recall correctly, you and your descendants suffered quite the loss.”

The rat king grinned. “Hehe, true, more than half the tribe is dead, but those left are elites who’ve survived life and death forged from blood and fire. So we’re even stronger now despite the casualties. We can even lose half the tribe again and it still wouldn’t matter.”

The tribe was formerly about five hundred million strong, but was now reduced to less than three hundred million. Losing half again would still leave them with more than a hundred million.

Their numbers were truly beyond fearsome.

And most frighteningly, they could give birth to several new generations again in a few decades. By then, five or even eight hundred million wouldn’t be an issue.

The four divine beasts no longer dared underestimate the Goldbiter Rats after the battle with the golden demons. They’d seen with their own eyes the frenzied fighting power of the rats. Or, to be more precise, their gnawing power.

The rats became stark raving mad any time they spotted something their teeth could latch onto, They swarmed forward to devour new targets, achieving victory on the back of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

The craziest part was seeing them consume the enemies’ bloodlines after the battle, or everything else they could swallow. Even their dead kin hadn’t been spared.

The sacred beasts had finally experienced firsthand the true madness of the Goldbiter Kingrats’ descendants.

“Ole Gold, are you serious?” Jiang Chen asked gravely.

“Of course I am. Young lord, we’re not interested in the monster demons. Their bloodline is too dirty for us. But like the golden demons, a titan demon’s bloodline is fantastic food for us. We can’t possibly miss out.”

Titan demons also trained their physical bodies. In comparison to golden demons, they simply had enormous frames and a brutish approach. They were less sharp a force, but perhaps even a little mightier.

All in all, the two tribes were more or less evenly matched.

But fortunately, the supreme elders of both the monster and titan demons were with the celestial demons in the desolate wildlands, and were absent from Flora.

It seemed the celestial demon forefathers needed the help of forefathers from other tribes to cultivate the ancient demon arts and recover their strength. They would be busy for a little while longer.

Of course, he’d obtained this information from cultivators of both tribes. In the past few days, he’d secretly kidnapped a few small demons.

The disappearance of insignificant characters like these wouldn’t sound the alarm. At most, the demons would suspect a secret sortie from the humans.

He thought pensively for a long moment once he learned the news.

It seemed to be a trap at first. The two tribes’ supreme forefathers could be hidden somewhere, waiting for him.

But the demons he’d captured all sang the same story. Of course, the young lord had also used the Scrutiny of Existence and the Great Veluriyam Torch now and then, and didn’t spot any existence as fearsome as Goldenhowl.

These two treasures could make themselves extremely discreet, melding into the sunlight away from prying demonic eyes.