Jiang Chen didn't send Elder Shun away immediately. After inspecting the meridians that had been crippled, he found there was still hope of restoring them. So he decided to keep Elder Shun around for a while longer, giving himself the chance to help repair those meridians and recover his strength. After all, in Myriad Abyss Island, a cultivator without proper martial prowess simply could not get by.
Elder Shun had long since resigned himself to despair. Upon hearing that there was still hope of recovery, he felt as though he'd been pulled back from the brink of death, and a glimmer of anticipation stirred within him.
Through Jiang Chen's tireless efforts, he actually managed to successfully restore Elder Shun's meridians. It wasn't possible for Elder Shun to instantly recover his cultivation, but given a year or two of gradual self-exploration and slow rebuilding, there would be no problem at all.
"Elder Shun, this is a Heaven Ascension Pill. Within the Heaven Stage, it can unconditionally raise one's cultivation by an entire level."
"Heaven Ascension Pill?" Elder Shun was greatly astonished. "Isn't this pill still under research at your Eternal Sacred Land? It's supposed to be far from ready."
Jiang Chen smiled. "With me here, anything is possible at any time."
"You brat — truly, your miracles know no bounds. At this point, I'm genuinely curious about what exactly you are. If anyone could have taught you all this, I honestly wouldn't believe it."
Jiang Chen sighed softly. There had indeed been many who could have taught him. The trouble was, all of them had lived in his previous life.
In this Divine Abyss Continent, there really was no one capable of teaching him these things.
Elder Shun didn't stand on ceremony with Jiang Chen. At this stage, he simply couldn't refuse the Heaven Ascension Pill. His martial cultivation had been neglected for far too many years, and now was precisely when he needed to make up for lost ground. This single pill could save him enormous effort — equivalent to decades, even a century, of hard work.
Jiang Chen also brought up the matter of Yan Wanjun, telling Elder Shun that Yan Wanjun was on Winter Eternal Island.
"Very well. Once I leave, I'll seek out Chu Xinghan. If I find any news, I'll bring Chu Xinghan along to Winter Eternal Island and see about traveling to the human domains to rendezvous with Huang'er."
"Good! That would be ideal." Jiang Chen agreed readily. He knew Elder Shun had no interest whatsoever in the Yan family anymore. Going to the human domains was a perfectly good option, so he naturally endorsed the plan.
Elder Shun looked at Jiang Chen with a smile, his eyes full of appreciation: "Shao Yuan, when you restored Winter Eternal Island — did you intend to develop it into your own territory?"
"That was indeed the idea. There's a teleportation array that leads to the human domains, so the geographical position is excellent. Moreover, the overall formation hub of Winter Eternal Island is entirely under my control. Even the Recovery Spring Island Domain wouldn't be able to breach it now."
"Mm. The human domains face the threat of the demon race, and sooner or later they'll become the main battlefield. It's wise to establish your own forces early. With a hub like that — you can advance to attack and retreat to defend. Very well done." Elder Shun greatly admired Jiang Chen's strategic thinking.
"When do you plan to return to the human domains?" Elder Shun asked.
"I'll make a few arrangements at the Sacred Land, and then I'll head back. The only regret is that, as of yet, there's still no word on the Myriad Spirits Divine Locking Formation. That formation is of paramount importance to the human domains' war against the demons."
Jiang Chen briefly explained the significance of the formation.
Elder Shun fell into deep thought. After a moment, he finally spoke: "Jiang Chen, you are a genius unseen in the human race for ten thousand years. Your appearance must have a reason behind it. I truly admire the efforts you've made for the human domains. However, the Myriad Spirits Divine Locking Formation ultimately only prevents the human domains from being attacked by the demon race. Put bluntly, it merely diverts the disaster elsewhere. Once the demons are blocked by the formation, they will find other routes to invade the territories of other races. After they conquer those lands, they'll keep opening new passages and pour back into the human domains from other directions. In the end, as long as the demon race is not destroyed, there will be no safe haven in the Divine Abyss Continent. Not even Myriad Abyss Island."
Jiang Chen smiled bitterly. "Myriad Abyss Island has never been a safe haven."
Elder Shun was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"The reason Myriad Abyss Island has always appeared to be a safe haven is because the Ten Great Sacred Lands have been making sacrifices behind the scenes. Legend has it that in the ancient era, the nightmare of the Divine Abyss Continent began right here in Myriad Abyss Island…"
Jiang Chen then proceeded to explain everything — the coordinates of Myriad Abyss Island, the fact that it was a point of extraterrestrial invasion — laying it all out for Elder Shun.
After hearing this, Elder Shun sat stunned as though turned to stone. "You mean to say that from ancient times to the present, the Ten Great Sacred Lands have been guarding Myriad Abyss Island this whole time? That they've been fighting life-and-death battles against the extraterrestrial invaders all along?"
"That is indeed the case. However, we should consider ourselves fortunate. Since ancient times, no large-scale race like the demon race has appeared near the extraterrestrial coordinates. Otherwise, how could the Ten Great Sacred Lands ever hope to purge them all? My guess is that after the demon race in the ancient era, any others discovered passing through have been mere inter-planar adventurers. No large-scale racial invasion has ever materialized. If it had, Myriad Abyss Island would have known no peace."
Elder Shun's expression turned grave, and he remained silent for a long while.
"Jiang Chen, hearing you explain all of this today has truly opened my eyes. I used to think that the Sacred Lands were sometimes overly domineering in their methods. Now it seems they haven't been domineering enough — not forceful enough. The Sacred Lands have done so much for Myriad Abyss Island. They deserve to enjoy the lion's share of its resources, and they deserve to govern the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms."