The Nine Yang Heavenly Sect sought peace because the grudge between them hadn't reached the point of irreconcilable enmity.
The Undying Heavenly Capital, however, was the chief culprit behind the Myriad Elephant Region's decline to its current state — and the very force that had annihilated Dan Qian Palace.
Even now, aside from the handful he had rescued, most of Dan Qian Palace's members had already perished, with a sizable number still unaccounted for.
Palace Master
Though
In truth, if Palace Master Dan Chi hadn't gone against the majority's wishes to ally with the Treasure Tree Sect and brought Jiang Chen to Dan Qian Palace, his martial path would never have been so smooth.
During his time at Dan Qian Palace, Jiang Chen had deeply felt that though this fourth-tier sect lacked overwhelming strength, it possessed a spirit and vigor all its own.
Jiang Chen therefore held deep affection for Dan Qian Palace.
And the Undying Heavenly Capital — they were the principal force behind Dan Qian Palace's destruction. How could Jiang Chen possibly give them a warm reception? The master of the Heavenly Capital had even participated in the Asura Great Emperor's rebellion last time. Old grudges and new grievances piled together — it was no exaggeration to say that the Undying Heavenly Capital was the first-tier sect Jiang Chen despised most.
That Holy Dharma King had originally come to probe Jiang Chen's stance, hoping to determine whether any reconciliation between the Undying Heavenly Capital and Jiang Chen was possible.
Yet after being berated head-on by Jiang Chen, he realized that so-called reconciliation was nothing more than a one-sided fantasy of the Undying Heavenly Capital.
The Holy Dharma King's temper also flared, and he replied in a cold tone: "A young man drunk on success — I can understand a bit of arrogance. But if you think the Undying Heavenly Capital will be afraid of you, you're sorely mistaken."
Jiang Chen hadn't expected this fellow to still be stubborn. Uncharacteristically, he didn't erupt in rage. Instead, he smiled faintly: "By the time you realize you should be afraid, it will already be too late."
With that, Jiang Chen flicked his sleeve: "Get lost!"
The Holy Dharma King seethed with rage, but on Peacock Holy Mountain's territory, he ultimately didn't dare cause a scene. Suppressing his fury, he turned to leave.
Jiang Chen issued his orders: "Have the Peerless Great Emperor and the Coiling Dragon Great Emperor escort the Undying Heavenly Capital's people out of Glazed Royal City. Don't let them stir up trouble."
At this point, Jiang Chen knew his true identity probably couldn't be concealed much longer. So he saw no reason to maintain a false courtesy with the Undying Heavenly Capital.
Since masks had been torn away, he absolutely could not allow the Undying Heavenly Capital's people to remain in Glazed Royal City — otherwise, they would inevitably sow chaos, fan flames of discord, and stir up storms.
The Dragon
Jiang Chen intended to use this Dragon Tiger Summit to accomplish his preliminary plan.
After driving off the Holy Dharma King of the Undying Heavenly Capital, Jiang Chen's mood remained largely unaffected. A falling-out with the Undying Heavenly Capital was inevitable sooner or later. Moreover, the Undying Heavenly Capital was no longer an insurmountable peak in Jiang Chen's eyes.
Admittedly, destroying the Undying Heavenly Capital outright was clearly not realistic at this point. After all, his grudge with the Undying Heavenly Capital was rooted in Dan Qian Palace's cause, and he had no desire to mobilize Glazed Royal City's forces against them — even though the Peacock Great Emperor had once promised he could do exactly that.
However, Jiang Chen had no intention of doing so for the time being.
As he was mulling this over, a surge of elemental energy suddenly rippled beneath his feet, and the Gold-Munching Mouse King burst up from underground.
"Young Master, there's a situation."
Over the years of breeding and propagation, under Jiang Chen's deliberate cultivation, the Gold-Munching Mouse clan had undergone tremendous growth.
The Gold-Munching Mouse clan's strength had increased dramatically. They had become a formidable underground force under Jiang Chen's command.
The Gold-Munching Mouse King had benefited the most from this growth, and naturally, its loyalty to Jiang Chen was absolute.
This time, Jiang Chen had stationed the Gold-Munching Mouse clan on underground patrol duty. Numbering in the millions upon millions, they occupied virtually every inch of ground within a thousand-li radius of Glazed Royal City, serving as Jiang Chen's eyes and ears, monitoring every cultivator who entered the city.
While the cultivators flooding into Glazed Royal City were not few in number, they were still laughably small compared to the sheer multitude of the Gold-Munching Mouse clan.
Thus, the seemingly chaotic Glazed Royal City was in reality under Jiang Chen's surveillance at every moment.
"Old Gold, you've been working hard these past few days." Jiang Chen was never stingy with his praise. "Any new discoveries?"
"I've been patrolling the area around Peacock Holy Mountain these past two days. I've sensed several threatening forces lurking in the vicinity. These forces are definitely up to no good."
"Oh?" Jiang Chen's brow furrowed. "What else?"
"If my senses haven't failed me, these are Emperor realm powerhouses. Though they seem to be deliberately suppressing their cultivation."
Peacock Holy Mountain was always under the patrol and protection of the Peacock Guard. That anyone would dare spy on the mountain under such dense security could only mean one thing — these were enemies, and they had come with ill intent!
"Roughly how many are there in total?" Jiang Chen asked.
"Three to five, give or take." The Gold-Munching Mouse King offered its estimate.
Jiang Chen's frown deepened. Three to five Emperor realm powerhouses, lurking and patrolling around Peacock Holy Mountain. Their intentions were crystal clear.
They had come for him — the Young Lord of Peacock Holy Mountain.