Among the Great Emperors of the Glazed Royal City, Emperor Nian's cultivation was the strongest—on par with the Shura Great Emperor of old.
Of the remaining emperors, Emperor Canghai was actually the most powerful.
Emperor Jimie, Emperor Zhenyue, Emperor Zhankong, and Emperor Panlong—these four were comparatively weaker.
Emperor Panlong in particular was still only an early-stage Great Emperor.
Logically, this sole drop of Heavenly Kun bloodline should go to the Glazed Royal City's strongest Great Emperor—that would be the most reasonable approach.
But after observing Emperor Nian for a long time, Jiang Chen still felt that the man's character did not merit this drop of Heavenly Kun bloodline.
To put it nicely, Emperor Nian was content to live at peace with the world.
But viewed from a less favorable angle, he was merely looking out for himself—one could even say he lacked a sense of responsibility, without the breadth of vision to care for the world at large.
This was precisely what Jiang Chen found most unsatisfactory about him.
The Peacock Great Emperor of old had carried the world in his heart, looking beyond the fate of the Glazed Royal City to the destiny of all humanity.
Jiang Chen didn't expect Emperor Nian to match the Peacock Great Emperor's world-encompassing vision, but at the very least, Emperor Nian should have held a firm stance on matters of principle.
Yet the facts proved that Emperor Nian had failed to do even that. When the Shura Great Emperor had staged his rebellion and convened the Council of Lords, Emperor Nian had been the one most qualified to stand up in opposition.
But he hadn't. Instead, he had chosen to go with the flow, to remain silent, to acquiesce in the Shura Great Emperor's actions.
Jiang Chen naturally had no intention of settling old scores over the matter, but it had shown him exactly what kind of man Emperor Nian was.
The sort who was more than willing to add flowers to brocade, but when it came to sending charcoal in the snow—to being dependable at a critical moment—that was an entirely different matter.
As for the others, the only ones Jiang Chen needed to consider were his allies, Emperor Jimie and Emperor Panlong.
Emperor Jimie had a decent breadth of vision, but his personal martial potential was still a notch below the level of the Six Great Loose Cultivators like Emperor Jingzhong and Emperor Wushuang.
As for Emperor Panlong, his martial potential was commendable, but he was already a descendant of the Dragon race. Jiang Chen would not give the Heavenly Kun bloodline to him.
He had, however, considered that one day, once Long Xiaoxuan broke through to the Heavenly Position, his True Dragon blood might well be given to Emperor Panlong.
When that time came, this opportunity could even surpass the Heavenly Kun bloodline!
Of course, this was part of Jiang Chen's long-term plans. After all, Emperor Panlong was still only at the early stage of the Emperor realm, his cultivation nowhere near that level yet.
……
In recent days, Emperor Jingzhong had heard no shortage of rumors and gossip.
One narrative held that he had been used by Jiang Chen, used by the Glazed Royal City—reduced to a stepping stone for Emperor Wushuang and a stepping stone for the Glazed Royal City.
Emperor Jingzhong paid no heed to any of it.
In truth, just as Emperor Wushuang had guessed, Emperor Jingzhong himself had been deliberately fanning the flames.
From the moment he had chosen to remain in the Glazed Royal City and throw his support behind Jiang Chen, Emperor Jingzhong had begun thinking about the bigger picture.
In his view, the current human territories were scattered like loose sand, and the only person capable of uniting them was Jiang Chen.
In Jiang Chen, Emperor Jingzhong saw boundless potential.
Since that was the case, he had decided to help a worthy man succeed. He didn't hesitate to use this method to build Jiang Chen's reputation and the Glazed Royal City's prestige.
At this moment, Emperor Jingzhong had accepted Jiang Chen's invitation to visit Peacock Sacred Mountain as a guest.
"Emperor Jingzhong, your battle with Emperor Wushuang—it was a most painstakingly laid plan. If not for Emperor Wushuang's hint, I nearly would have been completely fooled."
Jiang Chen let out a soft sigh and smiled.
Emperor Jingzhong was slightly taken aback, then broke into a smile of his own. "What did Fellow Daoist Wushuang have to say?"
"Emperor Jingzhong, you used that battle to build my name, to build the Glazed Royal City's reputation. Self-sacrificing, noble in spirit—truly admirable."
As he spoke, Jiang Chen rose to his feet and bowed to Emperor Jingzhong.
Emperor Jingzhong hastily rose to return the gesture. "Young Master Jiang Chen, you are now the master of the Glazed Royal City. This old man is not worthy of such respect."
Jiang Chen replied solemnly, "If I were to turn a blind eye to your noble intentions, Senior, and accept your sacrifice as though it were nothing, how could I possibly do justice to your goodwill?"
Emperor Jingzhong chuckled. "A trifle—hardly worth mentioning. Besides, I was genuinely itching for a fight and wanted to test myself against Fellow Daoist Wushuang. I'd say the whole affair turned out to be a win on multiple fronts."
It was clear that Emperor Jingzhong had no intention of claiming credit.
Jiang Chen silently marveled. Emperor Jingzhong truly lived up to the praise Emperor Wushuang had given him. When it came to heart and vision, Emperor Jingzhong was indeed an anomaly among loose cultivators.
In Emperor Jingzhong, Jiang Chen seemed to catch a faint glimpse of the Peacock Great Emperor.
Had Emperor Jingzhong possessed the Peacock Great Emperor's abilities and standing, he would likely have accomplished no less.
Such a man deserved one's deepest respect, regardless of whether you knew him well or not.
Gazing at Emperor Jingzhong with deep, earnest eyes, Jiang Chen spoke. "Emperor Jingzhong, I recall that Brother Mo used to like calling you Brother Hui."