Emperor Shaoyang and the Violet Smoke Sect's grand ancestor had both departed. However, they had received Jiang Chen's warning — once outside, they were absolutely not to spread the news far and wide, lest it ignite a massive internal war among the human domain's factions.
The demonic tribulation hadn't even erupted yet, and the last thing they needed was the various human powers tearing each other apart in infighting.
This was something Jiang Chen worried about deeply at this stage. With the ambitious and power-hungry Emperor Danji still out there, he felt as though he had a thorn lodged in his throat.
By preventing these two from making a spectacle upon their departure, he also wished to keep his own whereabouts hidden — at the very least, he didn't want Emperor Danji to know that he wasn't in the Glazed Glass Royal City, but here in the Sunken Fragrance Valley.
If Emperor Danji learned that Jiang Chen was here, he would never settle for merely sending the Cloud Mist Great Emperor — he would come in person.
The Zhuque Divine Bird watched the receding figures of Emperor Shaoyang and the Violet Smoke Sect's grand ancestor, and sighed: "You let them leave, which means our strength here is even thinner now?"
Jiang Chen smiled. "There's no great point in keeping them here at this stage. If the Heavenly Demon Lord has truly broken free from the seal, having two more people won't make a shred of difference. Never mind the Heavenly Demon Lord — even if those demon servants charged at us together, the two of them couldn't hold out."
"Then why don't you leave yourself?" the Zhuque Divine Bird asked, its tone complicated.
Jiang Chen let out a soft sigh. "Some things simply require someone to step up and do them. I believe I'm more suited to stay here than anyone else."
The Zhuque Divine Bird sighed in turn. "Your human race may be a frustrating lot, but some among you are genuinely interesting — like that era's sect master of the ancient Sacred One Sect, and like you, kid. Come to think of it, you're remarkably young, yet your knowledge is staggeringly vast. I can't explain why, but I keep having this nagging feeling that you should be a genius from the primordial age, not this one."
Jiang Chen blinked, but inwardly, his heart trembled violently.
The Zhuque Divine Bird's instincts were terrifyingly accurate.
Jiang Chen gave a wry smile. "Why do you say that?"
"The young people of this era strike me as flighty and frivolous — shallow, lacking the genuine vision and bearing of true prodigies. A truly exceptional genius must have far-reaching sight, a grand scope at the very least. Unfortunately, among your human race, the number of young talents who meet that standard is pitifully small. But you, kid — you exceed that standard by a wide margin. I have to admit, compared to the young prodigies of this era, you're truly one of a kind."
After spending all this time with Jiang Chen, the Zhuque Divine Bird had genuinely come to regard him in a new light.
Jiang Chen's vast knowledge, extraordinary comprehension, and broad-minded magnanimity all seemed to belong to a martial arts grandmaster who had accumulated fame over countless years — not a human genius who hadn't yet turned thirty.
Jiang Chen chuckled. "Senior Zhuque flatters me."
"No, no, no." The Zhuque Divine Bird shook its head repeatedly. "You know my temperament — I would never deign to flatter anyone. If you hadn't caught my eye, I wouldn't have uttered a single word of praise. From the very first moment you appeared, I sensed that you were different."
At the time, when the Zhuque Divine Bird had been pressing forward step by step, every other person had fled into the Heavenly Demon Lord's demonic domain. Yet Jiang Chen alone had remained clear-headed, refusing to follow the crowd in.
Jiang Chen hadn't even hesitated.
He'd had no clues then, no evidence to prove it was a trap. His only basis for judgment had been instinct.
A warrior's instinct had told him that the entire chain of events was far too strange.
That was the sole reason Jiang Chen had refused to enter that formation.
The Zhuque Divine Bird had stormed up to the third floor and never imagined that any human would still be standing outside rather than having entered the Heavenly Demon Lord's domain.
That was precisely why the Zhuque Divine Bird had been patient enough to talk with him at length. Jiang Chen's ability to speak the ancient Beast Language was one reason, but the other was that Jiang Chen had refused to drift with the current.
For a creature as singular and independent as the Zhuque Divine Bird — an ancient divine bird of legend — that kind of kindred spirit was a rare thing indeed.
Hearing the Zhuque Divine Bird's words, Jiang Chen laughed. "Great minds really do think alike. When I first laid eyes on you, Senior, you were using heavenly flames to destroy human cultivators by the dozens. But my very first thought was that you absolutely weren't the kind of bloodthirsty, deranged ancient spirit people assumed."
"Oh? Why is that?" Even the Zhuque Divine Bird was genuinely curious.
"Simple. If you'd truly wanted to kill us, you had countless opportunities to do so along the way. And I had an instinctive feeling that you were trying to stop everyone from entering the Sunken Fragrance Valley's secret realm — not trying to wipe them all out."
The Zhuque Divine Bird sighed. "Jiang Chen, you're no ordinary kid. I had very little confidence in your human race at the start. Now, I feel that humanity's fortune in having you is extraordinary. Perhaps your race will, just as in the primordial age, face a desperate crisis and then erupt with formidable hidden depths and untapped potential."
Jiang Chen smiled. "You really must stop heaping praise on me, Senior. Ah, by the way — how is your condition right now? If you don't draw upon your divine power, how long can you sustain yourself?"
It was a sorrowful topic, but one Jiang Chen had to ask.
A flicker of melancholy crossed the Zhuque Divine Bird's eyes. It sighed. "Even without using any divine power, I'm afraid I won't last more than thirty years."
Thirty years was truly the blink of an eye for an ancient divine beast.
"Thirty years?"
Jiang Chen's brows furrowed slightly. Thirty years was indeed rather tight.
"Heh. Isn't there a saying among your people? Life and death are fated. As an ancient monster, I've lived through how many cycles already? At this point, I have nothing to complain about."