After settling all affairs,
Though it was impossible to prepare for every contingency, having various contingency plans in advance would make it easier to handle unexpected situations should they arise.
On this day, Jiang Chen quietly departed the Radiant Celestial Capital, heading southeast.
This time, he brought no one with him. He did, however, bring his three great Spirit Beasts and the Gold-Munching Mouse clan—Zhuque the Divine Bird, Little Dragon, and Little White.
Now, of the four Great Divine Beasts of antiquity, Jiang Chen already had three at his side—the True Dragon, the White
There was both an expectation and an ambition brewing in Jiang Chen's heart.
If he could obtain the Xuanwu Divine Beast, then the bloodlines of all four Great Divine Beasts of antiquity would be gathered together. These four beasts resonated with the Five Elements of heaven and earth, and together they could reforgue earth, water, fire, and wind, forming a universe unto themselves.
One could say that if these four Great Divine Beasts were ever to be assembled and their four bloodlines fused, it would be something exceedingly rare across all the great worlds of the heavens.
Of course, the Xuanwu Divine Beast's bloodline wasn't something one could obtain simply by wanting it. Though the thought crossed Jiang Chen's mind, he didn't allow himself to become obsessed or lost in idle fantasy.
Traveling light, Jiang Chen didn't even have Zhuque the Divine Bird fly alongside him. Instead, he had them assume their human forms and cling to his person as he carried them along.
After Jiang Chen had broken through to the Emperor realm, his Heaven Kun Radiant Escape had improved dramatically. His speed now absolutely surpassed any Emperor realm cultivator—even some early-stage Celestial realm experts might not be able to outpace him in pure velocity.
On top of that, Jiang Chen carried no small number of defensive treasures on his person, giving him full confidence for this journey to Myriad Abyss Island.
Several days later, Jiang Chen entered the territory of the only first-rate sect in the southeastern direction—the Heavenly Cicada Ancient Academy.
The Heavenly Cicada Ancient Academy had deep ties to the Radiant Celestial Capital. When Jiang Chen had ascended to lordship over the Radiant Celestial Capital, Academy Master Su Zhenhua had given him no small amount of wholehearted support.
Because of this, Jiang Chen held Academy Master Su Zhenhua in very high regard. Moreover, Su Zhenhua had once been the lover of the Peacock Great Emperor, the two of them having come close to becoming dao companions.
Their bond had been exceedingly intimate.
Though they ultimately hadn't been able to walk the same path for certain reasons, in Su Zhenhua's heart she had always adored the Peacock Great Emperor, never wavering in her devotion, always keeping watch over him.
When the Peacock Great Emperor had vanished all those years ago, Su Zhenhua had been consumed by grief, refusing to accept the reality of it. One could say that Su Zhenhua's love for the Peacock Great Emperor ran to the very depths of her being.
It was precisely because of this that Jiang Chen was filled with respect for Su Zhenhua.
Loving someone was easy, but loving someone with unwavering constancy was not. And to love without it being returned, yet never turn that love into hatred—instead maintaining that absolute, pure devotion—such a person was all the more rare and admirable.
After entering the territory, Jiang Chen kept a low profile and didn't draw any attention.
Only when he approached the sacred grounds of the Heavenly Cicada Ancient Academy did he send out a consciousness-transmission talisman to contact Academy Master Su Zhenhua.
Jiang Chen had long promised Academy Master Su Zhenhua that he would visit the Heavenly Cicada Ancient Academy, but affairs at the Radiant Celestial Capital had always kept him too occupied to make the trip.
Now that he had finally arrived, he naturally intended to pay his respects to Academy Master Su Zhenhua.
After the previous defeat of the Barbarian tribes, the crisis in the human domain had been temporarily resolved, and the various great sects had all returned to their own territories.
The Heavenly Cicada Ancient Academy lay southeast of the Radiant Celestial Capital, sheltered under its protective wing, making it comparatively safer than other sects.
Because of this, the Heavenly Cicada Ancient Academy hadn't suffered any calamity. Even when the four great Barbarian tribes had been raiding everywhere before, none of it had reached the Academy.
These past days, Academy Master Su Zhenhua had been somewhat absent-minded.
Upon hearing that Jiang Chen wished to visit, she was mildly surprised, but a look of delight quickly appeared on her face. Fortunately, Jiang Chen had reminded her not to make a grand display of it.
Su Zhenhua quietly left the sect and went to a secluded mountain hollow near the main gate. There, Jiang Chen's solitary figure stood before a rock, gazing off into the southeastern distance, his silhouette remarkably straight and poised.
Seeing Jiang Chen's figure from afar, Su Zhenhua's mind wavered once more. Looking at Jiang Chen, she momentarily felt as though she were seeing the Peacock Great Emperor in his youth.
The Peacock Great Emperor of those days had been just like this—aloof, extraordinary, standing apart from the crowd. Even in the most desolate corner of the mortal world, his presence had always been so striking, enough to captivate the heart and stir the soul.
A wave of sweetness and a wave of sorrow washed through Su Zhenhua's heart.
But she quickly stilled the ripples within her. After all, in terms of generational standing, Jiang Chen was now considered her junior.
It wouldn't be proper for her to lose composure too openly before a younger man.
"Young Master Jiang Chen, our Heavenly Cicada Ancient Academy has been longing for your visit for so long—we've finally managed to welcome you!" Su Zhenhua's voice was clear and melodious, pure and ethereal, sometimes sounding almost like that of a young girl, carrying a quality entirely her own.
Hearing her voice, Jiang Chen smiled faintly and turned around.
"Academy Master Su, I apologize for arriving without prior notice. It was rather forward of me—please forgive the discourtesy."
Su Zhenhua smiled gently. "You really are the spitting image of the Peacock in his day. Even an ordinary pleasantry must be delivered with such refined elegance."