The Glazed Glass Pagoda remained the totemic structure of Glazed Glass City to this day. It had always been the supreme sacred ground of the city. Yet even the current inhabitants of Glazed Glass City knew only the surface of the pagoda.
Even the Glazed Glass Tower Assembly only involved a peripheral portion of the tower's interior. The highest thing anyone knew about the legends surrounding the Glazed Glass Pagoda was the so-called Heavenly Seat Decree—rumor held that the pagoda enshrined a sarira at the Heavenly Seat level.
In truth,
The true secret of the Glazed Glass Pagoda was absolutely far more than a single Heavenly Seat Decree.
Jiang Chen had actually given this serious thought before, but at the time he lacked a comprehensive understanding of the
Later, after entering the Six Heritage Palaces and meeting experts like Heavenly Kun Immortal, Venerable Chongxiao, and that mad old eccentric, although those seniors were all sealed away and their true strength couldn't be probed, Jiang Chen felt that their power was definitely not weak—far beyond what a single Heavenly Seat Decree could represent.
Under the old framework of the Human Domain, a single Heavenly Seat Decree would indeed be quite attractive. After all, even Peacock Great Emperor—the strongest in Glazed Glass City at the time—hadn't broken through to the Heavenly Seat level.
Of course, Peacock Great Emperor hadn't broken through because he'd been suppressing his own cultivation and wasn't in any hurry. He'd been misled by the rumors circulating in the Human Domain.
Jiang Chen still remembered that a rumor had long persisted throughout the Human Domain: once one's cultivation surpassed the Heavenly Seat level, the Human Domain would no longer be able to contain them, and they would be forced to ascend to a higher plane.
Later, it proved to be nothing but an age-old lie.
Even someone of Peacock Great Emperor's stature had been misled by this falsehood. Several times when he sensed the laws of heaven and earth, he chose not to break through, remaining at Peacock Sacred Mountain to sustain the fortune of Glazed Glass City.
Now it seemed the Human Domain had developed to a point where it was truly nothing like the ancient era. The flourishing age when a hundred schools of thought had competed in ancient times had dwindled into an era of self-imposed isolation and ignorance.
If not for an anomaly like Jiang Chen breaking this deadlock, the Human Domain would likely have remained in that ignorance forever—until the Demon Tribulation erupted.
"Senior, earlier you mentioned the cause of the Human Domain's decline. Could that cause be related to the Glazed Glass Pagoda?" Jiang Chen's heart stirred, and he asked.
"To be precise, it's not merely related to Glazed Glass City, but to the decisions made by several great cultivators of the ancient era. In those times, the Demon Sealing War was raging. Due to the Myriad Spirits God-Locking Grand Formation, many demons had been blocked in the barren wilderness and sealed away. Only a handful of great demon lords still wreaked havoc. The great cultivators of antiquity racked their brains and laid out an impenetrable net, preparing for the final Demon Sealing War. At the same time, several of those great cultivators were already considering what would become of the Human Domain after the war's end."
Jiang Chen didn't interrupt. He listened with utmost seriousness. He had a premonition that there had to be a deeper reason behind all this.
So he chose to listen with rapt attention.
"At the time, there were several viewpoints on where the Human Domain should go from there. Through constant debate and argument, these viewpoints eventually reached a consensus."
Xia Tianze's tone grew complex. "The most mainstream view at the time was to meet change with stability. After sealing away the demon race, the Human Domain should recuperate and rebuild. Each sect and school should guard its own gates, striving to restore the vitality of ancient times and return to former glory."
Jiang Chen frowned. "That would be easier said than done, wouldn't it?"
"It would. Great Sovereign Glazed Glass was strongly opposed to this viewpoint. The great cultivators had long foreseen that in the final Demon Sealing War, their chances of survival were one in ten at best. Regardless of who lived and who died, choosing to recuperate was nothing but wishful thinking. First, the major factions had suffered vastly different levels of damage. After the war, there would inevitably be reconstruction efforts and new disputes. Some sects that had made enormous sacrifices during the Demon Sealing War would actually find themselves marginalized afterward—even disappearing from the map entirely."
Jiang Chen sighed. "That concern isn't unfounded. The greatest trait of the human race is its fondness for internal strife. In times of crisis, humans can often unite against a common enemy. But once the external threat is eliminated, they invariably descend into infighting. Given the Human Domain's losses at the time, if they then plunged into endless internal conflict afterward, I'm afraid the Human Domain would—"
Jiang Chen's expression suddenly changed. "Senior, don't tell me they actually accepted this viewpoint, which is why the Human Domain's current state is so bleak?"
Xia Tianze laughed. "Of course not. Great Sovereign Glazed Glass vehemently opposed it. The viewpoint seemed reasonable on the surface, but it couldn't hold up to scrutiny."
"There was another viewpoint, far more radical. At the time, some argued that drawing on this experience, the cultivators of the Divine Abyss Continent should venture outward and wage war on other planes. The best defense is a good offense."
"This viewpoint also attracted a measure of support. People had gained a degree of confidence from fighting the demon race. If the demons could run rampant across various planes, why couldn't the cultivators of the Divine Abyss Continent do the same to others?"
Jiang Chen was momentarily speechless, then laughed despite himself. He had to admit that this viewpoint had a certain degree of feasibility. Given the strength of the Divine Abyss Continent in its ancient heyday, launching an outward invasion—if the target plane wasn't too powerful—could very well have succeeded.
However, after the Demon Sealing War, the great cultivators of the Human Domain's major factions had fallen one after another. Launching an invasion abroad? Easier said than done.
Simple in theory, but not particularly viable in practice.
It was clear enough that this approach had not ultimately been chosen. That meant there had to be yet another option.
"Senior, which approach was finally chosen? Stop keeping me in suspense—your words have made me itch with curiosity."
Xia Tianze laughed heartily. "Always so impatient, you young ones. But don't mind me—I've been around since the ancient era all the way to now. Countless days and nights, that kind of solitude isn't something most people can fathom. So I've talked more than usual today. Don't hold it against me."
Jiang Chen smiled. He could understand Xia Tianze. Even an ancient senior was still human at heart, and humans could feel lonely.
"The final viewpoint was put forth by Great Sovereign Glazed Glass, and it was endorsed by many powerful figures. These powerhouses were all slated to participate in the final Demon Sealing War. Their words carried the greatest weight and decisiveness at the time!"
The Demon Sealing War had involved ten leading factions. Presumably, it was these ten great powers that made the final decision.
(End of Chapter)