The return of the Peacock Great Emperor once again caused a sensation in the Jade King City. In the hearts of the cultivators of the Jade King City, this man who had once guarded the city's fate and fortune held a special position.
Even the current favorites at Jiang Chen's side—loose cultivator powerhouses like Mo Wushuang and Jing Zhonghui—would have paled in comparison before the Peacock Great Emperor back in the day.
And the Peacock Great Emperor's talent truly was extraordinary. Over these years, without any external assistance, he had single-handedly pushed his cultivation to near the high stage of the Heaven Rank.
Now that he had returned to the Peacock Sacred Mountain, with Jiang Chen's help, there was no longer any doubt that the Peacock Great Emperor would advance to the high stage of the Heaven Rank.
With the Peacock Great Emperor's strength, it likely wouldn't be long before word spread of him attempting to break through to the Divine Path.
After all, in terms of talent, the Peacock Great Emperor's gifts were truly peerless. In the era of the human territories, his talent had been absolutely top-tier.
Had the Peacock Great Emperor been born in the ancient era, he would undoubtedly have been among the first rank.
With the Peacock Great Emperor's return, the forces under the Glazed Palace were stronger than ever.
Jiang Chen, however, had no time to rest. He intensified his daily cultivation while also tracking the movements of the Jade-Faced Demon, who now scurried about like a rat caught in the streets, dashing east and west.
But this fellow was truly cunning—he stubbornly refused to meet up with the Evil Shadow Ancestor.
Jiang Chen had to admit that his scheme had fallen just a bit short, failing to force the Jade-Faced Demon's hand.
Yet even so, Jiang Chen still did not move against the Jade-Faced Demon.
Based on the Jade-Faced Demon's movements, Jiang Chen's attention turned toward the Yin Demon lineage's Youlan Demon, who was naturally placed under Jiang Chen's watch as well.
This Youlan, though suspicious by nature, was not nearly as cautious as the Jade-Faced Demon. Before long, he went to seek out the Stone Sha Ancestor.
The Stone Sha Ancestor had been in a critical phase of breaking free from his seal during this period. Seeing that Youlan had taken so long to come find him, he flew into a rage.
"Youlan, you're becoming more and more capable, aren't you? Just when this ancestor needed you most, you hid yourself where no one could find you. Don't tell me you're planning to betray me?" The Stone Sha Ancestor's tone was laced with accusation.
"Ancestor, I've been wronged! Your subordinate has been experiencing the worst luck imaginable these past few days."
"Oh? What happened?" the Stone Sha Ancestor asked coldly.
Youlan, looking thoroughly frustrated, gave a rough account of his dealings with the Shadow Demon lineage. Naturally, this retelling involved plenty of embellishment and selective editing.
In his version of events, his cooperation with the Shadow Demon lineage had been entirely coerced. Every fault and failing belonged to the Shadow Demon lineage.
That Jade-Faced Demon was particularly detestable—he had even tailed Youlan, attempting to redirect disaster onto the Yin Demon lineage. Such treachery was unforgivable.
After finishing his tale, Youlan said gloomily, "Ancestor, the Myriad Heavens Ten Thousand Spirits Divine Locking Formation has already been activated. We are now an isolated force, completely cut off from the demon armies of the Barrens. Unless the formation is broken, gathering with the main army would require crossing the entire Divine Abyss Continent—which is virtually impossible."
The Stone Sha Ancestor snorted coldly. "What is there to gather? This outcome may not necessarily be bad. Our Yin Demon lineage is different from the other demon bloodlines. We have never needed to huddle together. Look at it from another angle—from now on, the human territories are a piece of fat meat that only we alone get to gnaw on. Isn't that a good thing?"
Youlan let out a quiet sigh. The Stone Sha Ancestor was still as optimistic as ever. But Youlan found it impossible to share that optimism. The human territories' strength had been growing at a frightening pace.
Whether this "piece of fat meat" could actually be consumed was far from certain.
Besides, wasn't there still the Shadow Demon lineage? That Evil Shadow Ancestor was no easy opponent either.