Han Tianzhan gazed at Jiang Chen with eyes full of admiration and made his pledge: "Young Master Jiang Chen, I, old Han, have never looked up to anyone in my life — but Young Master Jiang Chen, I submit to you! The Upper Eight Regions have been a stagnant pool for far too long, and it's time for a change. If it doesn't change, that stagnant water is going to start reeking!"
Han Tianzhan was in fact an ambitious leader in his own right, and the Summer Rain Heavenly Sword Sect was indeed one of the most powerful first-rate sects in the Upper Eight Regions.
However, no matter how strong the Summer Rain Heavenly Sword Sect was, when it came to either heritage or absolute power, it simply could not compare with behemoths like the Glazed Tile City or Pill Fire City.
On top of that, Jiang Chen's unique personal charisma, along with his endless repertoire of tricks and methods, had won Han Tianzhan's admiration in the most absolute sense.
At this moment, the heroic blood coursing through his veins had been thoroughly ignited by Jiang Chen.
Su Zhenhuan had always maintained close ties with the Glazed Tile City and still harbored feelings for the Great Emperor Peacock to this day. His concern for the Glazed Tile City ranked second only to his devotion to the Ancient Cicada Academy.
"Young Master Jiang Chen, our Ancient Cicada Academy — regardless of time, regardless of place — will always stand firmly by the Glazed Tile City's side!"
This was Su Zhenhuan's promise.
"Excellent! Adversity reveals true character. For the two of you to make such a decision at this critical juncture, I, as Young Master, will certainly not let you down."
Jiang Chen did not deliver any grandiose speeches, yet his words left both Han Tianzhan and Su Zhenhuan thoroughly convinced.
Having obtained the Emperor Luminance Pill, Han Tianzhan and Su Zhenhuan considered this trip a resounding success — the harvest was enormous.
After seeing the two of them off, Jiang Chen's mood grew heavy. The events unfolding across the human territories over the past few days were something he could not simply ignore.
"Young Master, it looks like Pill Fire City is planning to tear off the masks entirely. What should our next move be?" Emperor Panlong couldn't help but ask.
Jiang Chen replied with composed indifference: "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. There's no need for anxiety. This matter is absolutely not as simple as it appears on the surface. The greatest problem, the greatest hidden danger facing the human territories right now, is no longer Pill Fire City itself — it's whatever power is pulling the strings from behind."
That hidden force was so deeply concealed that even Jiang Chen felt a vague sense of unease.
"We'll hold our ground and respond to whatever comes," Jiang Chen resolved inwardly. The current Glazed Tile City, though it had lost the Peerless Emperor and the two elders of Huai Mountain, had gained the eight brothers of the Giant Stone Clan. In terms of absolute power, the Glazed Tile City's strength had only increased. Besides, the Great Emperor Danji of Pill Fire City still had his own son held as collateral in Jiang Chen's hands. Even if Danji dared to stir up trouble, he would never dare push things to the extreme — otherwise his most cherished son would meet a very miserable end.
Returning to the Young Master's Manor, Jiang Chen's heart was still weighed down.
He sought out the Divine Vermilion Bird and recounted everything that had happened that day. Upon hearing the account, the Divine Vermilion Bird was greatly surprised.
Emperor Yunlan and the others — the Divine Vermilion Bird had been present at the scene back then. It had witnessed everything with perfect clarity.
"All of those people are now alive and appearing in the human territories? Are you certain?" The Divine Vermilion Bird was stunned, its tone thick with astonishment.
"This sounds utterly incredible, but it's the truth," Jiang Chen said with a helpless shake of his head. Even he couldn't make sense of this affair.
He suspected that some terrifying power was orchestrating events from behind the scenes. But as for what exactly was going on and who the mastermind truly was, he had no leads whatsoever.
The Divine Vermilion Bird pondered at length before finally asking: "So what do you plan to do now?"
"I intend to hold steady and let them reveal themselves. I'll let these people run around for a while. Once they finally show their true hand, I'll deliver the killing blow."
Jiang Chen's voice was grim: "No matter who the mastermind is, I will drag them into the light."
The Divine Vermilion Bird nodded: "Your choice is the right one. Keep your composure! At this stage, you absolutely must not throw yourself into disarray. Continue doing what needs to be done."
Jiang Chen nodded, then said: "By the way, Senior, you've been staying at my manor for quite some time now, and there's a small gift I meant to give you but forgot about."
"A gift?" The Divine Vermilion Bird blinked in surprise.
"I currently have no way to reverse your life cycle. However, I possess a Primordial Wood Spirit Spring that can help cleanse your constitution and bloodline, restore some of your vitality, and improve your physical makeup. It won't be able to fundamentally reverse your life cycle, but it can significantly delay the decline you're currently experiencing."
"A Primordial Wood Spirit Spring?" The Divine Vermilion Bird's eyes lit up. "This spring — even I have heard of it. A primordial essence capable of purifying bloodlines and elevating the level of life itself."
Jiang Chen led the Divine Vermilion Bird to the back mountain, to the Wood Spirit Spring nestled within.
The Divine Vermilion Bird could feel the terrifying energy surging from the spring and was overjoyed.
A spring of this nature — the Divine Vermilion Bird could confirm with certainty — would absolutely be able to purify its bloodline and strengthen its life functions.
Perhaps this Wood Spirit Spring could not bring the dead back to life, but it could certainly postpone the downhill slide of its life cycle.
…
Ten days later, the Divine Vermilion Bird emerged from the Wood Spirit Spring once more, and its entire aura had become something entirely different.
The gloomy energy that had once clung to its body was now a truly rare sight indeed.
"Jiang Chen, I never expected you to be hiding so many secrets. The treasures in this manor of yours are truly something else," the Divine Vermilion Bird declared, its mood clearly excellent. This brief reprieve had swept away the sense of decline that had plagued it for so long.