Jiang Chen's response was measured and proper — neither ostentatious nor timid. The voice on the other end sounded genuinely impressed.
"Strange, how strange! Look at your age — so young. Yet your bearing carries a certain grandmaster quality. Even among the great cultivators of antiquity, such bearing was exceedingly rare. Could this be what the Great Divine Sovereign Liuli spoke of — the Mandate of Heaven?"
The voice seemed quite curious about Jiang Chen and asked further: "You've been running about, but what exactly are you busy with?"
"Within our borders, the demon race stirs restlessly. Beyond them, powerful enemies from other realms watch us with predatory eyes. Those two matters alone are more than enough to keep a junior like myself perpetually occupied."
"Oh? Tell me about it."
Jiang Chen understood that the Glazed Pagoda's Six Inheritance Palaces almost certainly held many clues related to the ancient war of demon sealing. He needed to build goodwill with the guardian of the Sixth Inheritance Palace.
So he patiently and thoroughly recounted what had been happening, sparing no details.
"The Myriad Abyss Island! Young man, you've actually been to the Myriad Abyss Island?"
"I've been there more than once, in fact."
"With the Realm Barrier in place, how did you manage to reach the Myriad Abyss Island?" The voice sounded genuinely surprised.
"The ancients could travel there, so naturally I can as well. Between the two places, those ancient teleportation formations still exist."
"You were able to discover the ancient teleportation formations?"
"I put considerable effort into it and eventually found them," Jiang Chen answered honestly.
"Not bad, not bad — very interesting. At this rate, calling you a heaven-blessed prodigy wouldn't be going too far, would it?" The voice sighed softly. "Allow me to introduce myself. My surname is Xia, my given name Tianze."
"So it's Senior Xia."
"There's no need to call me 'Senior,'" Xia Tianze sighed.
"You're a powerhouse from antiquity — the title of Senior is well deserved," Jiang Chen said with a calm smile.
"Ancient, certainly. But 'powerhouse' may be a stretch. If I were truly a powerhouse, how could I have let the demon race ravage my homeland?" Xia Tianze's tone carried a note of sorrow.
Evidently, the devastation wrought by the demon race during the ancient era had left deep scars on Xia Tianze. For a cultivator of his caliber, being unable to protect his own home even in those ancient times — that was a grief beyond measure.
Jiang Chen felt a pang of genuine empathy.
He thought to himself that his father from his previous life must have felt that same kind of sorrow. As the Heavenly Emperor, yet having a son who was born unable to cultivate.
When the heavens shattered, he had lost even that only son.
A flicker of melancholy rose in Jiang Chen's heart.
"What are you feeling so sentimental about?" Xia Tianze was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but ask.
Jiang Chen was startled. "How did you know I was feeling sentimental?"
Xia Tianze chuckled softly. "This Sixth Inheritance Palace, also known as the Glazed Palace, reflects all manner of phenomena and emotions. Greed, anger, love, desire, obsession — everything is laid bare in the Glazed Palace, down to the finest detail."