Jiang Chen had laid everything out so plainly that if Prince Huo still didn't understand, he'd have to be a fool. Prince Huo clutched the items, his heart pounding wildly.
He understood all too well — these things would be a fortune that could be passed down for ten thousand generations for their Huichun Island Domain.
The forces from the Tianzhao Island Domain finally arrived at Dongyan Island half a month later.
When the Tianzhao people learned that their own had fallen into Young Master Jiang Chen's hands, they were absolutely terrified. It was painfully obvious that Jiang Chen's reputation, and the Eternal Sacred Land's reputation, were both forces that the Tianzhao Island Domain simply could not afford to offend.
What made it worse was that the messenger who brought back the account had embellished his description of Jiang Chen's divine might, as well as the terrifying divine will of the Vermilion Bird divine beast.
All of this left the Tianzhao Island Domain's leadership and rank-and-file alike consumed by boundless fear, dreading that Jiang Chen would seize the opportunity to stir up trouble and crush them.
Fortunately, the messenger had only reported that Young Master Jiang Chen wanted the ransom and had no intention of making things difficult for them.
This gave the Tianzhao side a small measure of relief. Still, the ransom amount was nothing short of staggering, and it took the Tianzhao Island Domain seven full days of preparation before everything was finally in order.
Once they were ready, the Tianzhao delegation set out immediately, heading to Dongyan Island to pay the ransom and retrieve their people. After all, these captives were the backbone of the Tianzhao Island Domain — if they didn't return, the domain's strength would plummet, potentially dropping it to the same level as the Huichun Island Domain.
So even if they had to tighten their belts, they had to come up with this ransom.
Jiang Chen didn't make things difficult. After verifying the ransom, he released the captives without any fuss. However, he issued a clear warning.
If anyone from the Tianzhao Island Domain ended up in his hands again, it wouldn't be as simple as paying a ransom.
The Tianzhao people nodded and bowed obsequiously, one after another, swearing they would never cause trouble again.
Only then did Jiang Chen let them go.
With this, the amount of Ling Shi in Jiang Chen's possession had increased considerably. The Ling Shi resources needed to restart the Myriad Heavens Ten Thousand Spirits God-Locking Grand Formation were now roughly seventy percent complete.
With seventy percent secured, Jiang Chen felt that for the remaining thirty, if he made another trip to the Eternal Sacred Land and put in some more effort, it was entirely possible to gather everything within three to five years.
Jiang Chen didn't plan to linger at Dongyan Island for long. This time, Huang'er was traveling along with him, and he knew her thoughts had probably already flown ahead to the Eternal Divine Kingdom.
Yan Qingsang had wanted to return to the Yan family with Yan Wanjun the last time around, but Yan Wanjun had been unwilling to bring his grandson along on such a dangerous venture.
So Yan Qingsang had stayed behind at Dongyan Island to cultivate.
Now that Jiang Chen and Huang'er had returned, Yan Qingsang naturally wasn't about to miss this opportunity. He insisted stubbornly that he would return to the Eternal Divine Kingdom with them no matter what.
Seeing how determined Yan Qingsang was, and considering that the rebellion in the Eternal Divine Kingdom had already been quelled — meaning the journey posed little real danger — Jiang Chen relented.
Besides, with the Vermilion Bird divine beast standing guard, he didn't believe anyone could threaten them.
He nodded. "Brother Qingsang, then let's head back together."
Jiang Chen then called over Lu Che and the others. "The Huichun Island Domain and the Sancai Island Domain have both submitted to me now. If you encounter any trouble here at Dongyan Island, you can reach out to these two powers at any time. You should support each other."
Lu Che nodded. "Your subordinate obeys."
With everything settled, Jiang Chen boarded the Star Destiny Skiff once more and soared through the sky at tremendous speed, heading straight for the Eternal Divine Kingdom.
Huang'er's second return to the Eternal Divine Kingdom felt like an entirely different experience.