Just as
With that in mind, they could employ the exact same method and repeat the trick at the neighbouring Rising Sun Sacred Ground, and it would work just as flawlessly.
A sly grin spread across Divine Venerable Kasyapa's lips. "I've come to realize that Elder Guangdu has truly been unfortunate. If Myriad Abyss Island didn't have a monster like you running around, who would ultimately rule this place would have been anyone's guess. But with you around, Elder Guangdu's grand ambitions are destined to become nothing but clouds."
Jiang Chen chuckled. He had no intention of dissecting whether Divine Venerable Kasyapa was praising him or criticizing him—he accepted it all with equal contentment.
He immediately summoned everyone from the Radiant Sacred Ground. "Listen well. Although we've won this round, Elder Guangdu is rallying his old forces and could arrive at the Radiant Sacred Ground at any time. If he learns that two Divine Dao cultivators have fallen, he will be consumed with rage and slaughter everyone in sight. My advice is this: pack up everything of value in the sacred ground and leave immediately. Go into hiding until the storm passes. Ideally, you should locate the main force of the Ten Great Sacred Grounds and join them as soon as possible."
The people of the Radiant Sacred Ground were no fools—they could tell that Jiang Chen spoke the truth.
Someone promptly asked, "Young Master Jiang, where might the main force of the Ten Great Sacred Grounds be located at present?"
Jiang Chen pondered for a moment. "We made some educated guesses earlier. They should be somewhere between the Nine Abyss Sacred Ground and the Nirvana Sacred Ground. Travel light and avoid running into Elder Guangdu's forces. That's all that matters. As for where Elder Guangdu's main army is, you can interrogate these prisoners. They communicated through a consciousness-transmission array earlier—they should know his route of march."
"Many thanks for your guidance, Young Master Jiang. You are the saviour of our Radiant Sacred Ground. When we eventually rejoin our main force, we will be sure to convey your goodwill and the debt of our lives to our Grand Ancestor."
"No need for such formalities. At Pingsha Island, the Radiant Sacred Ground's Grand Ancestor showed me no small kindness. I've also crossed paths with your Sacred Radiance Saintess on a few occasions—we can be considered friends." Jiang Chen was not one to claim credit.
Everything settled, Jiang Chen decided to depart immediately for the Rising Sun Sacred Ground.
The Rising Sun Sacred Ground was conveniently along the way and not far at all. These two great sacred grounds were closely allied and maintained tight coordination. If they hurried over now and employed the same trick, they could seize the Rising Sun Sacred Ground just as easily.
After this battle, everyone was brimming with confidence. Even Zi Che Min was positively eager, laughing as he said, "Chen Shao, at this pace, tackling three sacred grounds doesn't seem impossible at all!"
"Mm, let's see how the assault on the Rising Sun Sacred Ground goes first." Jiang Chen wasn't about to get carried away.
"For attacking the Rising Sun Sacred Ground, I think we should disguise ourselves as those two Divine Venerables from the Radiant Sacred Ground. We can even make use of their consciousness-transmission array here. Let's make the performance as convincing as possible! What do you think?" Zi Che Min boldly offered his suggestion.
Divine Venerable Kasyapa's eyes lit up. "That's not a bad idea. Using the same ruse twice in a row would inevitably seem repetitive. A little twist to keep things fresh—that's quite appealing. Disguising ourselves as Yu Xian and Pan Yuan would obviously be far more convincing to them, and besides, there's the consciousness-transmission array…"
Jiang Chen slapped the table in approval. "Perfect! We'll say the Radiant Sacred Ground has come under attack and needs to break through—ask them to provide support at the outer perimeter of the Rising Sun Sacred Ground?"
"Done!"
After a brief discussion, another stratagem was finalized.
Disguising themselves as Pan Yuan and Yu Xian was considerably easier. After all, both men were now their prisoners, and with real people as reference models, everything was straightforward.
The plan was set in motion, and true to their expectations, it unfolded without the slightest hitch.
At the outer perimeter of the Rising Sun Sacred Ground, two Divine Dao cultivators and their subordinates were standing by, ready to provide support for the "breakthrough" by the great Divine Venerables Yu Xian and Pan Yuan.
They were ambushed and overwhelmed on the spot by Jiang Chen's group. The fate of these two Divine Dao cultivators mirrored that of Yu Xian and Pan Yuan exactly—they became Jiang Chen and Divine Venerable Kasyapa's newest prisoners.