The main forces of the Meng Lan Sect had already joined the rebel army and were besieging the Eternal Sacred Land. Right now, the Meng Lan Sect was at its most vulnerable.
The Gold-Munching Mouse clan was nothing if not thorough in burrowing into every nook and cranny. It didn't take long before they delivered the intelligence Jiang Chen needed.
"Chen Shao, the Meng Lan Sect Master does have a grandson by blood, and he's currently at the Meng Lan Sect. However, he has two personal guards with him, both at the eighth level of the Heavenly Seat realm. They appear to be the Sect Master's sworn retainers—always at the grandson's side, protecting him around the clock."
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "Has his exact location been confirmed?"
"Indeed," the Gold-Munching Mouse King answered with certainty. "I've already placed scouts in the surrounding area. The moment you get close, you'll spot them."
Jiang Chen turned his gaze toward Sovereign Ningyan. "Sovereign Ningyan, would you like to handle this, or shall we?"
This was, after all, an internal conflict within the True Wu Kingdom. Having outsiders do the fighting left Sovereign Ningyan feeling somewhat embarrassed on principle. She spoke without hesitation. "Lead the way. I'll handle this myself."
Two eighth-level Heavenly Seat retainers were nothing to Sovereign Ningyan. She had plenty of ways to deal with them. She was, after all, a powerhouse of the Eternal Sacred Land—only half a step away from entering the half-god realm. Two eighth-level Heavenly Seat fighters posed no real difficulty for her.
"Let's go." Jiang Chen's figure flickered, and he vanished into the territory of the Meng Lan Sect.
The Meng Lan Sect did have its own protective formation guarding the mountain gate. But for formation masters of Sovereign Ningyan and Jiang Chen's caliber, this level of defensive array was practically invisible. The two of them slipped through the mountain gate's restrictions as easily as stepping through a curtain.
Truth be told, they could have simply forced their way in. But for the sake of precision, neither was willing to take that approach. If the grandson caught wind of the intrusion and escaped ahead of time, the whole operation would be ruined. Startling the snake by tapping the grass—neither Jiang Chen nor Sovereign Ningyan had any intention of doing so.
The Meng Lan Sect truly lived up to its reputation as a first-rate force within the True Wu Kingdom. Beyond the mountain gate, the world opened up into a spectacular realm, revealing the considerable depth of resources this sect normally commanded.
But with its main forces away at war, the Meng Lan Sect looked decidedly hollow. The defensive layers were decent enough, but the shortage of manpower made the overall protection feel thin and sparse.
Before long, they pinpointed the area where the Sect Master's grandson was located. The divine sense of both Jiang Chen and Sovereign Ningyan had already locked onto the young man.
The Meng Lan Sect's Master, Meng Qianqiu, was a half-god-level existence who had controlled the sect for over seven thousand years. This grandson was the most favored among his countless descendants—a genius he had handpicked to carry on the bloodline and inherit the sect.
As one of the four half-gods of the rebel army, Meng Qianqiu wielded considerable influence among the rebels. If something happened to him, the rebellion would inevitably be thrown into chaos.
Within a private pocket realm, a young man with a face as flawless as carved jade was practicing combat techniques in a training courtyard, going through the motions with a bored and listless air.
The training grounds were ringed with sentries at every turn, and the two eighth-level Heavenly Seat guards stood right beside the young man, never straying more than a step away.
This young man was none other than Meng Qianqiu's grandson—Meng Tianxing.
After running through a series of sword forms, Meng Tianxing huffed in frustration and flung the blade from his hand with a vicious thrust. The sword shot forward, pierced clean through a perimeter wall, and plunged into the lake beyond.
The young man flopped onto a nearby bench with a sullen slump, clearly in the worst of moods.
The two eighth-level Heavenly Seat guards exchanged a helpless glance. They could tell their young master was in a foul temper, but they had no idea how to calm him down.
"Young Master…"
Meng Tianxing's jade-like features darkened with a flash of anger. "Don't call me Young Master. I don't deserve the title."
"Young Master, we were ordered by the Old Sect Master to serve at your side. That makes us your retainers. If you need to vent, take it out on us—strike us if you must!"
Meng Tianxing let out a cold snort. "What good would hitting you do? If you really considered me your Young Master, you'd take me to the Eternal Sacred Land. I want to join the campaign! I want to make a name for myself!"
The two guards didn't know whether to laugh or cry. They had long known what was behind the young master's temper. But the Old Sect Master had given explicit orders—under no circumstances was the young master to leave the premises, not even by a single step.
If anything were to happen to him, the two of them would be held accountable. There was no way around it.
So no matter how much Meng Tianxing demanded, they couldn't comply. In the end, everyone had to answer to the Old Sect Master. The little young master could rage all he liked—they'd just have to humor him.
"What's the matter? The Old Sect Master sent you to protect me, and you don't even have the backbone for that? Don't you want to follow me out there and earn your merit?"
"Young Master, our duty isn't to earn merit—it's to protect your safety. If anything were to happen to you, the Old Sect Master would skin us alive and pull out our tendons."
"Cowards!" Meng Tianxing's face flushed with fury. "Fine. If you won't go, I'll just sneak out when you're not looking."
"Young Master, you absolutely must not. Opportunities for glory will come in time. Right now, your priority should be honing your skills and dedicating yourself to training. As for killing enemies on the battlefield—will there ever be a shortage of chances in the future?" one of the guards pleaded.
"Hmph. The future? Even if chances come later, that's still later. I've heard that in the Eternal Sacred Land, there's a Miss Yuling—one of the Sixteen Golden Beauties of the Myriad Abyss Island. Young talents across the entire True Wu Kingdom are practically drooling over her. If I miss out on this, who knows which lucky pig gets to trample that fine cabbage?"