Forefather Celestial waved a dismissive hand. “Enough. Contact them with our secret method and have all of them return. Bloodreed isn’t so important that we can’t afford to spare him for now. I’ll deal with him later. A quick death is too merciful.”

The third forefather pursed his lips. That wasn’t what he meant. “I’m just worried, Forefather...” he stammered.

“About what?”

“I’m worried that Forefather Bloodreed has escaped to Winterdraw and told the humans our secret. The human cultivators won’t allow us the time to digest what we’ve consumed. The next few decades will be very trying.”

“Hmph, what challenges haven’t our race encountered? The more difficult the situation is, the more we can tap into our potential. Stop worrying. Summon the other forefathers back. We have to enter closed door cultivation now. There’s no time to waste!” Impatience tinged his voice.

The third forefather didn’t dare disagree. He knew Forefather Celestial had grown arrogant. There was nothing he could say that would get through.

So be it, then. He’d urge their companions to return as soon as possible. Even if the fourth forefather had fallen, there remained five others. Once the five reached their peak, the demonic race stood a good chance of rebuilding their past glory.

The third forefather went out and used their secret method to summon the other forefathers.

Not long after, the seventh forefather came up to make his greetings. “I sensed something happening to Ole Fourth. What happened, Ole Third? Is it a false alarm?”

The third forefather waved a hand. “It’s good to have you back, Ole Seventh. Have you seen Ole Second and Fifth?”

“I haven’t! Didn’t the two of them leave together?”

The third forefather sighed and looked into the distance, troubled. If Bloodreed had indeed defected to the human race, Ole Fourth and Fifth would be in great danger.

“Why are you still here, Ole Seventh?” The third forefather glanced at him. “You should report back to the forefather.”

“Alright.” The seventh forefather nodded slightly and walked past the third forefather.

The third forefather’s nose twitched. “Wait, Ole Seventh.”

The seventh forefather stopped. “What is it?”

“Did you see Ole Second?” asked the third forefather with a gleam in his eyes.

“I didn’t.” A bewildered look crossed the seventh forefather’s face. His heart sank at the third forefather’s question.

“If you haven’t seen him, why do I smell Ole Second’s unique incense on you? The scent is fresh.”

Hiding his reaction, Jiang Chen chuckled. “You’re overreacting. Perhaps I passed through where Ole Second just was. There’s nothing strange about having his scent on me.”

He waved his hand dismissively and, in a fluid motion, activated a Veluriyam Divine Talisman. There was an explosion of light as the attack within the talisman launched at the third forefather.

Jiang Chen knew exposure was inevitable if the questioning continued. It was better to make his move now as he’d come prepared.

The talisman contained the full power of Divine Veluriyam. Even the third forefather might not survive it when caught off guard.

Despite being somewhat on guard due to his wariness, the forefather was too close to dodge all of the attacks.

He backed away as soon as he could, but still took a hit. His chest tightened and metallic sweetness welled in his mouth. Crimson blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth.

“I knew something was wrong!” The third forefather howled to notify Forefather Celestial.

Jiang Chen scoffed. “Time to die!”

A rumbling golden bell flew toward the third forefather with tremendous might. Jiang Chen manifested the magnetic mountain at the same time. A chaotic storm emerged and isolated the third forefather.

At the same time, the young lord took out the Scrutiny of Existence and activated its destructive light. He launched three different attacks in an instant.

The third forefather was quick, but not as quick as Jiang Chen. Besides, the human had caught him by surprise. There wasn’t much the third forefather could do.

He managed to dodge the first two hits, but not the tyrannical light from the mirror.

The beam of light broke through the air and hit the third forefather with a loud explosion. The radiance fanned out and disintegrated the forefather into ashes.

That was what greeted Celestial when he rushed out.

“Ole Third!”

As soon as Jiang Chen sensed Celestial’s approach, he flew away in a flash of light.

“You’re not getting away!” Celestial trembled with fury. He moved to intercept the human with a fierce flare of his aura.

However, Jiang Chen had foreseen the demon’s move. He went in the opposite direction.

The attack missed him by a hair. Fury boiled in the demon’s heart.

“I’ll avenge you, Ole Third!”

The forefathers of the celestial demon tribe were close and Celestial valued them all. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have shared the bloodlines and techniques of the different tribes with them.

The third forefather, especially, was his confidante.

He hadn’t expected Jiang Chen to be bold enough to attack the third forefather at his doorstep and succeed!

Without the third forefather dead, Celestial had no one to turn to for advice anymore. He chased doggedly after Jiang Chen, overwhelmed with rage. He wanted the human deader than dead!

There were more than a few scores to settle with the young man.

Jiang Chen wasn’t trying to flee, but to lure Forefather Celestial away. He didn’t want to fight the demon in his own den. If they were to fight, it had to be somewhere else.

Infighting had left the demonic race with no other forefathers, but the innumerable lackeys could be troublesome. Jiang Chen would leave them to the human elites of Winterdraw and the Goldbiter Rats. He was going to have some fun with Forefather Celestial!

Forefather Celestial was determined to kill Jiang Chen. No matter where the human went, he followed. Jiang Chen would die!

Days passed. Their pursuit took them from Winterdraw. to the Sunrise Sacred Land. and finally to the Martial Sacred Land.

Jiang Chen was familiar with the area. He decided to face the forefather here.