As these guys chatted, they gradually steered the conversation toward Jiang Chen.
The Vermilion Bird Divine Bird watched Jiang Chen with a smile on its face, quite amused. But Jiang Chen's heart was heavy. Judging by these fellows' tone, the rebellion had clearly been underway for a long time. It was just that, so far, the rebel alliance still hadn't managed to fully bring down the Eternal Sacred Land.
In other words, although the Sacred Land had been breached and scattered, and people had fled, been captured, or killed, there was still a contingent relying on the Sacred Land's grand formations to resist the alliance forces. It hadn't completely fallen.
This news was something of a mixed blessing.
However, from the way these guys were talking, it seemed the Imperial Family and the Xiahou clan were still unwilling to let the information spread. It appeared they still had their reservations.
Since the Imperial Family and the Xiahou clan didn't want the news to get out, Jiang Chen and his companions would naturally have to help them spread it.
Whatever the enemy didn't want to see happen was exactly what should be done. This simple truth was something Jiang Chen understood well.
"Brother Long, I have a task for you. Go to wherever there are the most people and spread the news about the rebellion. Make it sound convincing, make it sound like the real deal, so people will believe it the moment they hear it. Right now, this Hongying City has gathered countless rogue cultivators. Once the information gets out, it will spread fast."
"Oh, and be sure to add that the ten great divine kingdoms are all secretly plotting rebellion, planning to overthrow the rule of the ten great Sacred Lands."
The Vermilion Bird Divine Bird gave a thumbs up. "Not bad, that's a good move. Once the news gets out, it will put all the major Sacred Lands on alert. Even if the rebellion has already happened, it can draw more supporters of the Sacred Lands to the Divine Capital to defend it. Even if the tide can't be reversed, it will at least drain more of their strength."
Long Xiaoxuan pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. I'll go now."
"Wait—add a little more fuel to the fire. Say that the news has already been exposed, and rumor has it the Imperial Family and the Eternal Sacred Land plan to silence everyone by killing off all the rogue cultivators in the cities surrounding the Divine Capital. If people don't flee for their lives now, it'll be too late..."
"Creating chaos—nice!" the Vermilion Bird Divine Bird praised. "That way, people will panic, and many will inevitably try to flee. Once that happens, the news will spread even faster."
Long Xiaoxuan moved to rise and get started.
But Jiang Chen said, "There's no rush. Let's hear what else those guys across the way have to say first. Once we've figured out a way to leave, it'll be time enough to spread the news. No need to tip them off just yet."
Jiang Chen was still being rational. Since they hadn't yet found a way to enter the Divine Capital, there was no urgency to release the information.
The fellows from the Zougong Sect had moved on to talking about the Yunlang Sect, with a mix of envy, jealousy, and—more than anything—hatred.
Clearly, a force that had once been their equal had suddenly risen above them, bossing them around and stealing their merits. It was no wonder they were filled with resentment.
"Come to think of it, these Yunlang Sect guys are hopeless. The Xiahou clan and the Imperial Family gave them so much support, yet they still suffered heavy losses and couldn't even capture any Sacred Land cultivators. That team they sent to hunt down Shao Yuan that night was one of Yunlang Sect's more elite squads, and the result was total annihilation—they don't even know where they died. Those idiots are truly pathetic."
"Pathetic, sure, but that Shao Yuan really is formidable. Even the Xiahou clan couldn't handle him, let alone Yunlang Sect."
"The Xiahou clan just wasn't being serious about it. If the Xiahou clan sent their elites, I'm certain that Shao Yuan would have been caught sooner or later. The Xiahou clan could never accept the humiliation of Xiahou Zong's death. Every day Shao Yuan lives is another day of shame for the Xiahou clan. My guess is, once things settle down, the Xiahou clan might even issue a joint killing order. Within all ten divine kingdoms, across the entire Myriad Abyss Island, they'll hunt down this Shao Yuan."
"Hard to say. I heard the Imperial Family is still inclined to recruit this Shao Yuan. Apparently, they think he's a prodigy worth cultivating—his pill-refinement talent is outstanding, and his martial talent is dazzling. If they could put him to use, he'd absolutely be a pillar of the divine kingdom in the future."
"The Xiahou clan would never allow that. Making Shao Yuan a pillar? Wouldn't that be mocking them outright?"
"And it's not like Shao Yuan is lacking places to go. With his talent, which of the ten great divine kingdoms wouldn't welcome him? So what if it's the Xiahou clan? There are forces in the ten divine kingdoms stronger than the Xiahou clan. If someone takes Shao Yuan in, what can the Xiahou clan do about it?"
"True enough. But this Shao Yuan is really something. From the Yan family, he jumped to the Eternal Sacred Land. Now that the Sacred Land is falling apart, he leaves immediately—no sentiment attached whatsoever. I'd wager the Sacred Land is regretting it deeply."
"People naturally seek higher ground. There's nothing wrong with that. How long had Shao Yuan even been with the Sacred Land? He fought for them and beat Xiahou Zong—you could say his mission was already complete. Even if he left, there's nothing to fault. You can't expect someone who just joined the Sacred Land to lay down his life for it. None of us could do that either."
"Fair point. Short time, no sense of belonging. Besides, I get the feeling Shao Yuan didn't actually gain much from the Eternal Sacred Land at all. That talent and strength of his—they were his own to begin with, weren't they? Otherwise, he'd only been with the Sacred Land for a few years?"
"You can't say that. When Shao Yuan first entered the Sacred Land, I heard he was only at the Emperor realm."
"Impossible! That must be a rumor, or else a smokescreen. Emperor realm when he first joined? And now he's at mid-stage Heavenly realm? Have any of you ever heard of cultivation speed like that?"
"Sigh, this Shao Yuan is a real mystery—a legend. But anyone capable of killing Xiahou Zong will, given enough time, make all of Myriad Abyss Island take notice. Making an enemy of someone like that may not have been the wisest choice on the Xiahou clan's part!"
"There's a theory going around that Shao Yuan was actually secretly cultivated by the Sacred Land specifically to deal with Xiahou Zong. If that's the case, then the Sacred Land's hidden reserves are truly terrifying. Even if the Sacred Land has fallen this time, if talents like him scatter across the land and eventually regather, it would be more than enough for the Sacred Land to rise again."
The others all quietly nodded, feeling that this possibility wasn't just plausible—it was, in fact, quite likely.