Such a choice was admittedly unfair to those second- and third-rate factions, but the Ten Great Sacred Lands had no other option.
However, there were those who voiced concerns.
"Everyone, have you considered one thing? If this lot has seized the foundations of our Sacred Lands, and we head out with our forces split, whether we can reclaim what's ours is far from certain."
"The cultivators who escaped the Endless Prisons are stronger than we estimated. We always assumed their strength was far below the Ten Great Sacred Lands, but now it seems that may not be entirely true."
Previously, even
But judging by the current situation, that was by no means certain.
The enemy had stationed five or six Divine Dao cultivators at the Pingsha Island exit alone. So how many had they dispatched to assault the foundations of the Ten Great Sacred Lands?
Even if they sent only one Divine Dao cultivator to each Sacred Land to oversee operations, that would still amount to over a dozen.
Add to that the numerous half-step Divine cultivators, and when you tallied it all up, the enemy's combined strength was genuinely not inferior to that of the Ten Great Sacred Lands. If the Sacred Lands continued scheming against one another, they would be easy pickings for the enemy to defeat one by one.
Under the current circumstances, if each of the Ten Great Sacred Lands returned home separately, they would essentially be playing right into the enemy's hands.
This realization left everyone caught in a dilemma.
Going home individually meant risking defeat in detail.
But choosing which Sacred Land to rescue first and which to rescue later was inherently difficult to divide fairly.
This was no child's game. No one wanted their Sacred Land to be last on the list, and everyone wanted theirs to be saved first.
Even the Eternal Sacred Ancestor could not very well declare that, as Alliance Leader, the
The moment such a thing was said aloud, it would shatter any pretense of fairness.
"Everyone, weigh the pros and cons carefully. Speak freely with your thoughts," the Eternal Sacred Ancestor said, sweeping his gaze across the assembly.
"I believe we should consolidate our forces rather than split up." The Grand Ancestor of Light was the first to speak.
The Grand Ancestor of the True Martial Sacred Land nodded in agreement. "I also oppose dividing our forces. The moment we split up, we become vulnerable to being picked off one by one."
Jiang Chen was burning with impatience, but he had no interest in sitting around debating this.
Instead, he took the initiative to speak. "Sacred Ancestor, as Alliance Leader, you must oversee the overall situation. I intend to return to the Eternal Sacred Land immediately and rush to its aid."
"You? By yourself?" The Eternal Sacred Ancestor was startled.
Jiang Chen did not deny it. He simply nodded. "Yes, I'll go alone. Everyone else can follow you, Sacred Ancestor. Rest assured, I will give it everything I have."
The Eternal Sacred Ancestor's heart stirred. He knew Jiang Chen's capabilities, and he knew that at Jiang Chen's side was a Scarlet Phoenix Divine Bird — a godly creature in its own right.
If Jiang Chen set out, he truly had a strong chance of success.
Still, as the Eternal Sacred Ancestor himself, at such a critical juncture, he could not return to the Eternal Sacred Land to take charge. Instead, he was leaving it all to Jiang Chen to handle alone. The thought brought him a measure of shame.