The old man's fury raged to the heavens, yet he was utterly powerless.
"Boy, today you ride roughshod over me, relying on your home-field advantage. But one day, you'll fall into my hands."
This ice-berg of an old man had thoroughly lost every shred of dignity he'd accumulated over a lifetime in front of
Jiang Chen smiled coolly. "
Jiang Chen's disappointment in these so-called reclusive Heavenly realm experts had long since bottomed out. He honestly wondered — were all these so-called Heavenly realm powerhouses stamped from the same mold?
The old man nearly coughed up blood on the spot. Jiang Chen had just compared him to a dog!
"Jiang Chen, just you wait!"
The old man realized he simply could not continue trading barbs with Jiang Chen, or he would give himself internal injuries from sheer rage.
The old man had come abruptly, and he left in an equally hurried fashion.
The Vermilion Bird Divine Beast let out a breath of relief once the old man vanished into the clouds. It had not accompanied the expedition against the Wind and Cloud Sect, so it had no idea that Jiang Chen possessed treasures like the Nine Palace Illusory Map and the Illusory Puppets. Its nerves had been wound the tightest of anyone's.
It had been most worried about a battle breaking out.
"Jiang Chen, that old man is no ordinary figure. He's far stronger than that Shu Wanqing from before. This one suspects he has already surpassed the Minor Heavenly realm — he's a higher order of existence."
"The Greater Heavenly realm?" Jiang Chen had also sensed that the old man was far from ordinary. He, too, had surmised that the old man had already left the Minor Heavenly realm behind.
"Mm, most likely the fourth stage of the Heavenly realm," the Vermilion Bird offered its own assessment. "If I were at my peak, a mere fourth-stage Heavenly realm cultivator would be no challenge at all. But unfortunately, alas…"
Back in the ancient era, the Vermilion Bird Divine Beast had been a godly creature of the highest caliber — an existence on equal footing with the sect master of the Shengyi Sect. Its cultivation had been far beyond the fourth stage of the Heavenly realm.
But in the current Human territory, the fourth stage of the Heavenly realm was exceedingly rare.
Keep in mind that just a short while ago, the Human territory had doubted whether a single Heavenly realm expert even existed. And now, a fourth-stage Heavenly realm powerhouse had appeared out of nowhere.
Jiang Chen was genuinely exasperated.
"When the Human territory was in crisis, not one of these Heavenly realm experts showed their face. Now that someone's stirring up trouble, every last tom, dick, and harry comes crawling out of the woodwork."
This was exactly why Jiang Chen harbored such deep annoyance toward these reclusive Heavenly realm experts.
When they were needed, nowhere to be found. When it came time to throw their weight around, they popped up one after another like bamboo shoots after rain.
"Never mind, Senior Vermilion Bird — you've worked hard this time. Return to the Spirit Wood Spring and recuperate. Don't worry about anything." Jiang Chen was quite satisfied with the Vermilion Bird's performance.
The fact that the Vermilion Bird had been willing to appear at the critical moment and shield him spoke volumes — this was a godly beast of the ancient era that valued loyalty above all else. A true companion of the ancient human race, worthy of the name.
Across the entire Peacock Sacred Mountain, the moment that ice-cold elder departed, the crushing pressure vanished in an instant. Hearts that had climbed into throats settled back into their proper places.
"There, everyone, no need for concern. The sky isn't falling. Our Violet Cloud Capital is a site of ancient inheritance with a long and enduring fortune — no one or two Heavenly realm experts can threaten that fortune."
Jiang Chen knew what was weighing on everyone's minds and sought to rally their spirits.
Grand Emperor Jingzhong also smiled and spoke up: "Everyone saw it for yourselves. That old Heavenly realm cultivator is incredibly powerful — stronger than any opponent we've faced before. Yet here on Peacock Sacred Mountain, he still didn't dare to act recklessly. Why? Because this is Violet Cloud Capital. This is Peacock Sacred Mountain. Not only does it carry the legacy of ages past, but it also has Young Master Jiang Chen. There is a powerful fortune shielding us all."
Grand Emperor Jingzhong's words carried an infectious conviction, and the crowd nodded one after another.
"Good. Everyone, return to your posts. There's no need to overreact, and even less reason to borrow trouble from the heavens. The human race has no shortage of reclusive powerhouses, and not every one of them is an insensible fool like that old man. I believe there are certainly Heavenly realm recluses out there who can tell right from wrong."
On this point, Jiang Chen had no doubt.
If every reclusive powerhouse was that stupid, something would be seriously wrong with the world.
It was impossible that only such fools among the human race had broken through to the Heavenly realm. There were bound to be others who understood reason.
The storm passed for the time being, but Jiang Chen did not dare let his guard down.
The appearance of that old man had served as a stark warning.
"Though I now have powerful subordinates aplenty, and the fortune of Violet Cloud Capital is soaring ever upward, all of that holds only as long as I haven't yet faced a more grueling trial. If two or three experts of that old man's caliber appeared at once, I would be hard-pressed to hold my ground. If a whole group of them banded together, they could sweep across Peacock Sacred Mountain in a single stroke!"
The thought sent a jolt of crisis through Jiang Chen.
He didn't believe the Human territory harbored that many Greater Heavenly realm experts, and even if it did, it was unlikely they would all be mindless enough to gang up on a young man.
Still, Jiang Chen had always despised the taste of leaving his fate in someone else's hands.
"Strength — I must keep strengthening myself. Without absolute power, there is no absolute leverage to seize control of one's own destiny!"