Thanks to Jiang Chen's strong support, the news of Danqian Palace's reconstruction continued to ferment throughout the human territories. Rumors spread to every corner of the human domain.
Many cultivators who had originally belonged to the Myriad Phenomena Region—who had barely survived that catastrophe and were scattered abroad as rogue cultivators—burst into tears upon hearing the news. Many resolutely decided to set out on the road back to the Myriad Phenomena Region. After all, the Myriad Phenomena Region was their home!
Of course, the old arrangement in which six great sects had stood side by side in the Myriad Phenomena Region was gone forever. The present Myriad Phenomena Region belonged solely to Danqian Palace, and Danqian Palace alone called the shots.
Everything needed rebuilding from scratch. For those who had lost their sects, a full decade of drifting had steadily worn down their fighting spirit.
This was especially true for the younger generation of disciples. No matter how fiercely they had gritted their teeth when their sects were destroyed, no matter how fervently they had sworn blood oaths, ten long years had slowly rounded off their edges. They had accepted the reality of their sects' destruction, and the beautiful fantasy of rebuilding them faded further with each passing day.
Facts told them that rebuilding their sects was practically impossible.
The young disciples of Danqian Palace had, at one point, also lost their way in the Glazed Royal City. They had felt that life there was comfortable enough, and gradually, the ambition to rebuild their sect had evaporated.
It was only through Jiang Chen's repeated admonishments that he had managed to set these young people's hearts right again.
But the Myriad Phenomena Region had only one Jiang Chen.
Other sects could not hope for such fortune. The Great Holy Hall, which had once been wholeheartedly pushing for an alliance of the six great sects, had also suffered devastating losses during the invasion by the Red Cauldron Central Domain. More than ninety percent of its cultivators had fallen. Those who survived had either become rogue cultivators or pledged themselves to other powers.
Those who truly harbored great ambitions and had never forgotten the desire to return to their homeland and rebuild—it was hard to find even one in a thousand.
Maintaining a powerful drive to advance in the face of adversity was something most people simply could not do.
Now, after the news of Danqian Palace's reconstruction had been released, surviving cultivators from the various sects clung to a thread of hope and wanted to return to see their old homes for themselves.
All they found were crumbling walls and ruined foundations—an overgrown wasteland blanketed in weeds and draped with spider webs.
Some left in sorrow, vowing never to return to the Myriad Phenomena Region. But far more chose to join Danqian Palace.
Regardless, Danqian Palace was still a power of the Myriad Phenomena Region. Its reconstruction at least meant that someone was representing this homeland. In terms of spiritual lineage and heritage, Danqian Palace commanded far more recognition among the cultivators of the Myriad Phenomena Region than any other force.
As a result, in the period following the announcement, cultivators of the Myriad Phenomena Region returned in large numbers from all directions, one after another requesting to join Danqian Palace.
There were even some who had originally been disciples of Danqian Palace itself. Upon hearing the news, they rushed back with overwhelming emotion.
Jiang Chen, meanwhile, remained at Danqian Palace, helping it steadily consolidate its position while keeping a distant watch on developments in the Red Cauldron Central Domain.
News continued to flow out of the Red Cauldron Central Domain. After the fall of the Yan Imperial Family, the three great sects there had descended into frenzied infighting, clashing with one another in a bitter free-for-all.
The entire Red Cauldron Central Domain, far from improving after the destruction of the Yan Imperial Family, had only continued to deteriorate. The war among the three great sects had swept across the whole domain, dragging every corner of the Red Cauldron Central Domain into the conflagration.
"My Lord, has the time come?" the Peerless Great Emperor asked with a smile.
"The three great sects haven't completely lost their minds yet. When they do, that will be our moment to intervene," Jiang Chen replied in a leisurely tone.
The reconstruction of Danqian Palace had already entered a stable phase. What Jiang Chen was waiting for was the day the Red Cauldron Central Domain plunged into utter chaos.
Just as Jiang Chen and the Peerless Great Emperor were conversing, someone came to report.
"My Lord, outside Danqian Palace, someone has asked for you by name."
"Who?" Jiang Chen asked.
"They didn't say. It's a kindly-looking old man, and behind him is a giant of a man. They say they know you."
An old man? A giant?
Jiang Chen shot upright. That sounded remarkably like Grandfather Ye Chonglou and that kid Tang Hong!
"Hurry—invite them in!" The sudden news of old acquaintances raised Jiang Chen's spirits at once. "Old Brother Mo, when I first started on the path of martial arts, Grandfather Ye here looked after me a great deal." Jiang Chen's mind drifted back to those days in the Tiangui Kingdom, his heart brimming with gratitude toward Ye Chonglou.
Before long, an old man and a young man were ushered in. At the sound of those heavy, thudding footsteps, Jiang Chen felt a surge of familiarity.
Those enormous feet—Jiang Chen knew them well. That was none other than Tang Hong!
Jiang Chen rushed out to the entrance in delight, watching as the old man and the young man rounded the corner.
"Grandfather Ye—Big Tang! It really is the two of you!"
Jiang Chen stepped forward, his heart overflowing with joy.