This unexpected piece of news instantly made the atmosphere on the scene exceedingly awkward. Emperor Nian's face, which moments ago had been composed and leisurely, was now dark as a storm cloud.
He had just been championing the Realm Boundary, even claiming that the collapse of the one at Chenxiang Valley was nothing more than an accident.
And now, the Realm Boundary of the Northwestern Wastes had developed cracks as well.
Truly, it never rains but it pours.
The collapse of the Realm Boundary at Chenxiang Valley meant they would only have to face the Nandou Li Clan. That race hadn't even been as strong as humanity in the ancient era, so when Jiang Chen had mentioned three Heavenly Position powerhouses, Emperor Nian had been only half-convinced.
But the Realm Boundary of the Northwestern Wastes — that was a bona fide defensive wall. Once it shattered, how would the Kuman Barbarians beyond the northwest frontier let such an opportunity slip by?
Curb their fury since the ancient era all the way to the present — the Kuman Barbarians had been seething with pent-up rage for untold ages, waiting for the chance to unleash it upon the human race. If that Realm Boundary fell, the consequences would be simply unimaginable.
Xu Qinxuan's expression said it all. The severity of the situation had already surpassed anything they had imagined.
Xu Qinxuan was always the optimistic and cheerful type — ordinary matters never so much as troubled her. But upon hearing that the Realm Boundary of the Northwestern Wastes had loosened, even she was visibly shaken.
After all, she had been educated at the Temple of the Moon Goddess since childhood. She knew that beyond the Northwestern Wastes, the ancient era had been home to the terrifying Kuman Barbarians.
For that reason, the Realm Boundary of the Northwestern Wastes absolutely could not be approached recklessly, much less damaged.
Whoever destroyed the Realm Boundary would become a sinner of the entire human race.
Xu Qinxuan had been immersed in such teachings from a young age.
Even the various sects and clans situated near the Realm Boundary would issue such warnings to their own disciples.
It was precisely because the concept of the Realm Boundary was so deeply ingrained in the human domain that Jiang Chen's mention of it had drawn Emperor Nian's opposition.
Normally, Emperor Nian was a peaceable man who never offended anyone.
His unusual pushback against Jiang Chen stemmed entirely from a deeply rooted belief — one so ingrained in his mind that the Realm Boundary must never be disturbed.
Although Jiang Chen had not stated his position outright, his words had betrayed a line of thinking about venturing beyond it.
To Emperor Nian, this was nothing short of heresy.
Venturing beyond?
What did that mean? It meant actively destroying the Realm Boundary? For the human race, that was an unforgivable crime.
Even with Jiang Chen's current status as the Young Master of Glazed Jade City — a man whose word was law among humanity — Emperor Nian could not support such an action.
The Realm Boundary was like a Pandora's box. Once opened, no one could foresee what horrors might emerge.
Jiang Chen sighed inwardly. From the moment his sister Xu Qinxuan had brought this news, he had seen panic and fear in the eyes of everyone present.
Clearly, the dread of the Realm Boundary had sunk into their very bones.
Even someone as bold and brash as his own sister was no exception.
Perhaps in the entire human domain, he — Jiang Chen — was the sole anomaly who harbored no particular feelings about the Realm Boundary.
He had simply never been exposed to that conditioning.
His predecessor, the original Jiang Chen, had been far too lowly in cultivation to even know what the Realm Boundary was. And after his soul's rebirth, his understanding of the Realm Boundary had come only gradually.
With his temperament and experience, he had long since come to accept all of it calmly.
So the Realm Boundary evoked nothing in him whatsoever — certainly not fear.
In the Myriad Heavens Planes of his previous life, between one plane and another, there had been countless restrictions and barriers that could not be easily breached.
Once breached, devastating plane wars would erupt.
Jiang Chen had witnessed such things far too many times.
Sometimes, the more you feared something, the more likely it was to come for you.
Only after you adapted did you realize that the thing you had always feared was never that terrifying after all.
The Realm Boundary was a case in point.
In the ancient era, before the Sealing War against the demons, there had been no Realm Boundary. The various races had waged war and fought amongst one another freely. Humanity had certainly endured many a battle.
Yet had humanity not survived just fine? Had it not flourished with vitality?
If it hadn't been so prosperous, how would it have caught the demons' attention and become the primary theater of the ancient Sealing War? The main battlefield?
So the Realm Boundary was not all that terrifying.
Under specific historical circumstances, the Realm Boundary had served its purpose. But times had changed, and the world had evolved to its current state — the Realm Boundary might no longer hold any great significance.