Chapter 1895: Returning to Wanyuan Island

The last glimmer of hope for the human race had been something Jiang Chen was carefully preserving all along.

And the Vermilion Bird Divine Beast's breakthrough into the Divine Dao had made that glimmer of hope all the more substantial.

That very day, news of the Vermilion Bird Divine Beast's breakthrough into the Divine Dao spread to every corner of human territory.

Cultivators from all directions departed Liuli Royal City with lingering excitement, carrying the heartening news back to their own lands.

Once everyone had dispersed, the Vermilion Bird Divine Beast sought out Jiang Chen with a grave expression.

"Chen Shao, this situation is growing more precarious by the day," the Vermilion Bird Divine Beast said in a low voice.

"Old Brother Vermilion Bird, have you made any new discoveries? Human territory right now is like a pile of loose sand. I'm genuinely worried that if the Demon Race truly breaks through the ancient seals and erupts on a massive scale, humanity will be completely unprepared for war against the demons. When that happens, the devastation will be beyond imagination—mass death and the destruction of the Dao seem almost inevitable."

"Nothing you'd call a major discovery, exactly. The Heavenly Demon Lord fled to another territory, and the seals you repaired back then are still holding up reasonably well. It's clear the Heavenly Demon Lord hasn't crept back. However, over these past few days I've been roaming far and wide, and I've noticed many strange anomalies cropping up across vast stretches of human territory. In my assessment, perhaps the Demon Tribulation you spoke of really isn't that far off. Maybe in eight or ten years, the Demon Race will erupt on a massive scale!"

Eight or ten years.

Jiang Chen's heart sank with a bitter laugh. He knew the Vermilion Bird Divine Beast would never engage in alarmist talk.

That meant his earlier estimate had actually been far too optimistic.

The Myriad Spirits God-Locking Formation could hold back the Demon Race. But the time Jiang Chen had left to reactivate that formation might be only eight or ten years at most.

The thought settled on him with an inexplicable weight.

If the Demon Tribulation erupted, he honestly couldn't imagine how the current state of human territory could possibly stand against that race, infamous across all the heavens for their brutality.

What did human territory have to fight the Demon Race with?

"Chen Shao, how is your preparation for the Myriad Spirits God-Locking Formation coming along?" the Vermilion Bird Divine Beast asked.

"I haven't even gathered two-tenths of the resources needed. It looks like I'll have to seek out vast quantities of materials from Wanyuan Island."

Jiang Chen sighed inwardly, a sense of urgency he had never felt before pressing down on his heart.

If the Demon Tribulation erupted, it wasn't that Jiang Chen couldn't simply flee. But to abandon everything and leave was something he could never bring himself to do.

He had made a promise to Emperor Peacock, and he had made promises to the seniors of the Six Palaces of Inheritance.

If he chose this moment to give up on human territory and flee with his family, he certainly had the means to do so. But if he actually went through with it, he would never be able to forgive himself for the rest of his life. Nor could he face the interrogation of his own conscience.

With that thought, Jiang Chen resolved to make another trip to Wanyuan Island.

He absolutely had to reactivate the Myriad Spirits God-Locking Formation before the Demon Tribulation erupted!

Only by restarting that formation could the fate of the human race be altered. Otherwise, human territory would stand no chance of surviving the first wave of the Demon Tribulation.

And once the Myriad Spirits God-Locking Formation was reactivated, even when the Demon Tribulation erupted, it would be unable to breach the formation. The devastation would instead spread in the opposite direction.