Someone clapped their hands and burst out laughing: "Good, good! If there truly is such a method—whether it treats the symptoms or the root cause—it will at least give our
"If this can truly be accomplished, it would indeed be a blessing for the Divine Abyss Continent. We of the Ten Great Sacred Lands wouldn't have to run ourselves ragged day after day, living in constant fear."
"Exactly. This prolonged war of attrition on the extraplanar battlefield has nearly eaten through everything we have."
It was clear that everyone was deeply interested in what
However, the opposition wasn't about to let things slide. One person sneered, "On paper, it certainly sounds tempting. But what if it's nothing more than an empty promise? If the time comes and you can't deliver, who bears the responsibility? Empty words are easy enough."
Jiang Chen glanced at the speaker with faint contempt. "For a frog at the bottom of a well, I'm afraid I have very little to say. You have every right to maintain your skepticism, and I have every right to express my opinion."
Jiang Chen was not the type to play peacemaker. If others were courteous, he would be courteous in return.
But this person had been firing from the very first moment and still hadn't stopped, which had genuinely begun to wear on Jiang Chen's patience.
After all, what he was proposing carried no selfish motive. As for the position of Alliance Leader—that was something he was fighting for on behalf of the Eternal Sacred Lands; he himself had no such ambition.
But the solution he offered would benefit the entire Divine Abyss Continent. It was something positive and constructive, and this person's opposition for the sake of opposition was simply petty.
Fortunately, Jiang Chen had allies.
"Are you truly questioning Young Friend Jiang Chen's ability, or is this opposition driven by personal motives?" Holy Master Ningyan of the True Martial Sacred Lands asked in a frigid voice.
"Exactly. If before, everyone had only heard of Young Friend Jiang Chen's abilities, then now you should have all witnessed them firsthand. The legendary Tenth Forbidden Island—where everyone who enters supposedly never returns—you all assumed he was gone for good, yet he came back completely unharmed. We won't even belabor the earlier accomplishments. Just consider the Heaven Cauldron Pill: before it appeared, did any of you dare imagine such a thing was possible?"
"Furthermore, at Jiang Chen's side are the Vermilion Bird and the True Dragon—two Great True Spirits. If Young Friend Jiang Chen were not heaven's chosen, could he possibly command such unwavering loyalty from divine beast bloodline spirits?"
The list of Jiang Chen's extraordinary achievements was simply too long. His illustrious credentials were too numerous to count.
Once everything was laid out, everyone realized just how many impossible things had already happened in Jiang Chen's presence. So when it came to concealing plane coordinates—even if the difficulty was great, was it truly impossible for Jiang Chen?
A question stirred in every heart.
If many had previously believed Jiang Chen was making empty promises, they were wavering now. Because this young man was Jiang Chen. In his presence, miracles were never in short supply.
At that moment, the Old Ancestor of the Rising Sun Sacred Lands fixed Jiang Chen with a deep, penetrating gaze and asked with a smile, "Young Friend, this old man has only one question troubling his heart. If you can put this doubt to rest, the Rising Sun Sacred Lands will throw its unwavering support behind the Eternal Sacred Lands as Alliance Leader."
"Please go ahead, Senior."
"Mm. You mentioned concealing plane coordinates. How much would this array cost to maintain? And approximately how long can it be sustained?"
Jiang Chen calculated for a moment, then spoke in a measured tone: "The array's consumption is considerable. However, with the combined resources of the Ten Great Sacred Lands, sustaining it shouldn't be a problem. As for how long it can be maintained—that's harder to estimate. It depends on the array's defensive tier and the strength of the intruders. If no high-tier God Path enemies appear, the array could hold for several hundred to a thousand years without issue. Of course, if several hundred mid-tier God Path cultivators showed up all at once, the array certainly wouldn't hold."
"High-tier God Path enemies—that's unlikely. Several hundred mid-tier God Path cultivators—our luck can't be that bad. At least for the time being, the enemies we've encountered are nowhere near that powerful." The Old Ancestor of the Rising Sun Sacred Lands nodded and smiled broadly. "This old man will be waiting to watch you create this miracle for the Divine Abyss Continent."
"Heh heh, Young Friend Jiang Chen—this old man also has a question. Besides the array, are there any other methods?" The one who spoke was the Old Ancestor of the Radiance Sacred Lands.
Jiang Chen didn't dare be remiss: "There are other methods, but they operate on a different level and carry more variables. For example, creating planar mist, or spatial turbulence between planes."
"Oh? Tell me more," the Old Ancestor of the Radiance Sacred Lands pressed.
"Planar mist can blanket an entire plane in fog, making it far more difficult for intruders to search for their target. Spatial turbulence breaks the natural order of the void between planes, generating chaotic currents that increase the difficulty for other cultivators to enter—many would become lost entirely in the mist and turbulence. However, spatial turbulence has its drawbacks."
"What drawbacks?"
"Spatial turbulence is a tactic that wounds the enemy a thousand and ourselves eight hundred. While we can indeed block planar invaders, it would also affect our own ability to leave the Divine Abyss Continent."
"You're saying the turbulence would hinder our own travel as well?" the Old Ancestor of the Radiance Sacred Lands asked with a smile. "But as far as I know, no cultivator has left the Divine Abyss Continent of their own volition since the ancient era, have they?"
Jiang Chen's lips moved, but he said nothing further.
"Young Friend, speak freely—there's no need to hold anything back. We old folk may be decrepit, but we can still listen to what the young have to say."
"Very well, then—this junior will be bold for once and speak his mind." Jiang Chen clasped his fists. "For a plane to grow strong, it must maintain the flow of its people. A plane must never seal itself off from the outside world. Only when the powerful venture out, bring back new knowledge, and constantly engage with the outside world can we know where we truly stand. Otherwise, remaining frogs at the bottom of a well will only make a plane weaker and weaker, more and more passive."
"Tsk tsk. Those who know better realize you're merely a young Heaven Rank cultivator. Those who don't might think they're listening to some high-tier God Path grandmaster!" The same person who had questioned Jiang Chen earlier jumped out to take another jab.
"Shut your mouth!" The Old Ancestor of the Radiance Sacred Lands furrowed his brow and shot a piercing glare at the man. The speaker went numb all over, nearly collapsing to the ground.
"Young Friend, please continue." The Old Ancestor of the Radiance Sacred Lands smiled at Jiang Chen.
"Earlier, when I mentioned high-tier God Path, everyone assumed I was speaking empty words. But if a plane no longer dares to even imagine the existence of high-tier God Path cultivators, then that plane has truly fallen behind for far too long. Perhaps we don't have high-tier God Path cultivators at present, but we must always keep that aspiration alive, always maintain that pursuit. High-tier God Path may seem impossibly distant, but in the ancient era of the Divine Abyss Continent—and the ages even further back—were there no great cultivators at that level? I don't believe so. What this junior truly means to say is this: for the Divine Abyss Continent to escape its current predicament, any expedient measure can only serve as a stopgap. In the long run, only by growing stronger—and stronger still—is there a path to lasting peace!"