Jiang Chen couldn't do it. He absolutely could not turn from hostility one moment to asking this old man for help the next.
Besides, this old man was arrogant beyond measure. Jiang Chen could feel that deep in his bones, the fellow looked down on every single person in the Human Territory.
And as for this self-proclaimed "superior realm aristocrat," Jiang Chen had zero respect for him either.
"Brother Chen, this time, just listen to Huang'er, will you?" Huang'er's gaze was so sincere it seemed capable of dissolving all of Jiang Chen's anger.
"Huang'er..." Jiang Chen found himself powerless to refuse.
"Brother Chen, just this once. Let Huang'er handle things this one time."
Jiang Chen let out a soft sigh but had no words in reply. His mind was in complete turmoil, and gazing into Huang'er's pitiful, imploring eyes, he could not bring himself to refuse.
Seeing that Jiang Chen said nothing, Huang'er knew that her beloved had finally understood her predicament.
"Elder Xi, if you are willing to cooperate with Huang'er, our agreement shall take effect. If you insist on acting on your own, then even if it means dragging the entire Yan clan into the abyss, Huang'er will resist to the death." Huang'er stared at Elder Xi, transmitting her voice directly.
Elder Xi seethed with fury inside. As an elder of the Yan clan, his status was lofty. If Huang'er were not of direct bloodline, a young lady of the Yan house, and a critically important figure to the clan at this stage, he would never have shown her such courtesy!
"Huang'er, this old man hopes you will honor our agreement. Otherwise, destroying this Peacock Sacred Mountain would be child's play. Surely you don't doubt that I have the strength to do so?" Elder Xi's voice transmission carried a faint undercurrent of threat.
Huang'er had no intention of arguing with Elder Xi on this point. She simply transmitted back in a calm tone: "Elder Xi, I am well aware of your strength. However, you may not fully understand Brother Chen's true power and potential. I only wish to tell you this — if you push Brother Chen into a corner with no way out, the inevitable result will be mutual destruction. Whether you can walk away unscathed is an open question."
Elder Xi's heart jolted. He cast a skeptical glance at Jiang Chen and let out a cold snort. "This old man has no interest in verbal sparring with you. If this brat truly has the strength you claim, then one day, let him come to the Myriad Abyss Island and slap this old man in the face. If such a day ever arrives, what would it cost me to let him do so?"
The voice transmission ended. Elder Xi let out a cold laugh, and strange ripples suddenly spread through the air around him. The void shuddered like invisible waves, and within those ripples, Elder Xi vanished without a trace.
Only a vicious warning remained behind: "Huang'er, look after yourself. Don't give me a reason to destroy this place."
Once Elder Xi departed, the surrounding void returned to complete calm.
Heaven and earth stood in perfect stillness, as if what had just transpired had been nothing more than a dream — half real, half illusory.
Jiang Chen gazed into the void with deep, somber eyes, silent in thought.
"Brother Chen, Huang'er has brought you trouble again and made you unhappy." There was a thread of guilt in Huang'er's voice. Ever since she had appeared in his world, it seemed she had done nothing but bring him problems.
"Silly girl, why would you say such a thing?" Jiang Chen managed a smile. "Between the two of us, who can even say who burdens whom? Tell me — did that old man want to take you back to the Myriad Abyss Island?"
Huang'er fell silent.
"Huang'er, tell me — is that it?" Jiang Chen pressed.
"Brother Chen, the Myriad Abyss Island is far too powerful for the Peacock Sacred Mountain. Whether it's the Yan clan or the Xiahou clan..." As she spoke, tears began to well in the corners of her eyes.
"Say no more, Huang'er. I don't care how powerful the Myriad Abyss Island is — do you really think I would let him take you away from me?" Jiang Chen was furious. "He cannot do it. No matter who comes, they will not succeed!"
Huang'er's heart felt as though it were being carved with a knife. She gently leaned her head against Jiang Chen's shoulder. In this moment, she wanted to think of nothing at all — only to rest in her beloved's arms and feel his presence.
"Huang'er, promise me."
"Brother Chen, Huang'er cannot promise you that." Huang'er murmured softly.
"Brother Chen, the threads of Huang'er's fate have not been severed. In the end, I must return to the Myriad Abyss Island. I simply never expected that this day would come so soon." Her voice was laced with unbearable pain.
"Brother Chen." Huang'er lifted her tear-streaked face and looked into Jiang Chen's eyes with earnest intensity. "Brother Chen, for this life and for all eternity, Huang'er is your woman. Alive, I am your woman. Dead, I am still your woman. But this time, you must listen to Huang'er. Will you?"
Jiang Chen felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
He did not fear Elder Xi, nor did he fear any powerhouse from the Myriad Abyss Island. What he was least equipped to withstand was not the formidable Elder Xi, nor the doom of fate tied to the Myriad Abyss Island.
It was Huang'er's heartbroken gaze — her earnest, desperate plea.
If he refused her wish and charged ahead blindly, the situation would only spiral further out of control. And for Huang'er, that was the one outcome she could not bear.
"Huang'er, if you go, I won't be able to rest easy." Jiang Chen opened his heart to her.
"Brother Chen, please don't worry. Once I return to the Myriad Abyss Island, I will protect myself. I will wait for you — ten years, twenty years, fifty years, a hundred years, however long it takes. The Xiahou clan wants me to serve as their alchemical furnace, and for that they need my cultivation to reach the peak of the Emperor realm, half a step into the Heavenly realm. Right now I'm barely approaching the upper tiers of the Sovereign realm. Even in the Myriad Abyss Island, even if every resource were piled upon me, it would take fifty to a hundred years to reach that level." Huang'er hurried to reassure him.
"Huang'er, is there truly no way I can keep you here?" Since his rebirth, this was the first time Jiang Chen had felt such profound helplessness. Again and again, he had faced every manner of danger and every impossible challenge.
But never before had any of them tormented him this deeply, caused him this much pain.