Of course, everyone knew that the rise of Dan Qian Palace's standing had everything to do with Sacred Mountain Peacock.
Dan Qian Palace had been able to make its comeback entirely by leveraging the power of Sacred Mountain Peacock — and by extension, the power of
When Jiang Chen returned to Sacred Mountain Peacock, he found that the situation in the Human Domain over the past few years had actually been far more peaceful than he'd imagined.
While he'd been on Myriad Abyss Island, his biggest worry had been that a catastrophic demon invasion would erupt in the Human Domain — leaving him powerless to intervene from afar.
Thank heavens, these past few years the Human Domain had been remarkably tranquil. Even the dissenting voices from before had fallen silent over the last couple of years.
Jiang Chen had successively neutralized Dan Fire City, the Kuman tribe, and the Wind and Cloud Cult. One could say that the original greatest threats had all been eliminated.
Of course, there was still a group of reclusive Celestial powerhouses in the Human Domain. Before his departure, Jiang Chen had paid visits to these hidden Celestials as well.
They had received Jiang Chen's benefactions, and so far those gestures had proven quite effective.
Back then, Jiang Chen had gifted them "The Supreme Heavenly Dao," winning over their hearts through virtue so that these reclusive powerhouses would feel a greater sense of recognition toward him and a stronger sense of duty to the Human Domain.
Upon learning of Jiang Chen's return, these reclusive powerhouses — ever shrewd — made their way to Sacred Mountain Peacock one after another to pay their respects.
Jiang Chen now was a completely different person from when he'd left.
Before his departure, his cultivation hadn't reached full maturity — he'd been nothing more than an Emperor-realm cultivator. But after weathering all the storms on Myriad Abyss Island over these years, Jiang Chen had truly come into his own.
On Myriad Abyss Island, he'd seen far too many Celestial powerhouses. By comparison, the handful of Celestials remaining in the Human Domain were frankly not much to look at.
Of course, nothing in this world was absolute.
The "Supreme Heavenly Dao" that Jiang Chen had gifted them had been of considerable help to them over the years. And Jiang Chen clearly intended to rally these Celestial powerhouses to his side.
This time, upon receiving their visiting cards, he'd been somewhat reluctant — he'd wanted to spend more time with his family. But he still had to show these people their due respect.
True, their level of cultivation was something Jiang Chen had grown accustomed to seeing on Myriad Abyss Island — he'd even faced off against people far stronger than them.
But this was the Human Domain. Here, these people were the absolute top tier. Here, he had to give them face.
That said, they'd accepted Jiang Chen's benefactions and knew full well just how formidable he was — so they treated him with the utmost respect and deference.
"Young Master Jiang Chen, it's been so many years, yet your bearing seems to have far surpassed that of old." Elder Crane was the de facto leader among these independent cultivators.
His eye for assessment was rather keen.
At a single glance, he could tell that the Jiang Chen of today was entirely different in presence and composure from the one he remembered.
Liu Yuan and Zhu Yun, those two fellows, now followed Elder Crane's every word to the letter — they'd essentially become his right-hand men.
Hearing Elder Crane's remark, the two of them grew intrigued and began studying Jiang Chen more closely.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly but didn't boast about how powerful he'd become. Instead, he sighed, "These years, the peace the world has enjoyed is all thanks to your wholehearted assistance, fellow Daoists. It seems like your study of 'The Supreme Heavenly Dao' has borne some fruit as well."