The flying vessel wasn't moving particularly fast. Jiang Chen sat cross-legged inside, his expression carrying a hint of "excitement"—though this bit of excitement was, without question, something he was deliberately putting on.
Commander Ding and his group were also aboard the vessel.
"Old Ding, we're almost there. Once we get close to Revival Island Domain, we'll need to get out and fly under our own power. The vessel is too conspicuous and could easily alert the demon race, giving them time to prepare."
Commander Ding nodded. "No problem. Better to be cautious."
Jiang Chen nodded, then turned his gaze to the others. "Are any of you nervous?"
These people had been part of Commander Ding's group—the ones who had broken through the siege to Winterbloom Island and then traveled together to the Tianchan Ancient Academy. They had followed Commander Ding's lead and hadn't had much opportunity to speak up on their own.
When they saw Jiang Chen addressing them so amiably, they quickly made their position known. "Not at all, Young Master Jiang Chen. We feel completely at ease following you."
Jiang Chen chuckled. "Rest assured. No matter what happens, we will drive the demon race back. As long as we coordinate from both sides, there's hope of defeating them."
The group nodded one after another, expressing their willingness to follow Young Master Jiang Chen and fight the demon race to the bitter end.
The flying vessel's speed wasn't slow, but the distance from Winterbloom Island to Revival Island Domain wasn't particularly great either.
When the vessel drew to within three thousand li of Revival Island Domain, Jiang Chen suddenly stood up and issued his command. "That's far enough. The vessel can only go this much farther—any closer and we risk detection. From here, we fly under our own power or use personal flight tools. Consider your options. But you must exercise extreme caution and avoid revealing your positions. Whoever exposes us becomes the sinner of this entire battle!"
"Yes, we'll be extra careful."
"Let's move." Jiang Chen swept his hand forward and was the first to transform into a streak of light, hurtling toward Revival Island Domain.
The others followed in quick succession. Commander Ding's group wasn't about to fall behind either, streaming after Jiang Chen in rapid flight.
What no one noticed was that among Commander Ding's people, one unremarkable-looking cultivator had, while in flight, quietly pinched several hand seals. These sent out a few gossamer-thin ripples of energy—barely perceptible—as a message talisman was dispatched, vanishing into the void.
All of this was done without the slightest trace.
…
On the outskirts of Revival Island Domain, the experts from the three branches of the demon race had already taken their positions, simply waiting for Jiang Chen and his party to arrive before springing their ambush.
This time, the demon race had brought three great ancestors, one puppet-tribe ancestor, and a contingent of demigod-level demon cultivators. These demigods would not be participating in the assault on Jiang Chen—instead, they were responsible for mopping up the entourage he'd brought along. In the demon ancestors' estimation, a force of demigod demon cultivators was more than sufficient to handle the rest of the group.
Among the opposing party, there was really only one person who mattered, and that was Jiang Chen.
As long as Jiang Chen was eliminated, everyone else in the group was expendable—a mere accumulation of no real consequence. Whether they were killed or not made little difference. But the demon race's nature was to annihilate completely, so killing everyone and leaving no survivors was naturally the best outcome.
Jiang Chen flew onward, and before he knew it, he was approaching the demon race's encirclement.
He seemed entirely unaware, continuing to fly as before. Then, abruptly, as though he had sensed something, he decelerated sharply and waved his hand. "Halt!"
The group heard Jiang Chen's command and stopped immediately.
Jiang Chen's expression darkened slightly. He murmured, as though talking to himself, "Something's not right. Everyone, stay on your guard. The terrain here is strange—clouds and mist are swirling about. If the demon race has laid an ambush here, we'd have little chance of defending against it. Let's slow our approach so that if we're caught in a surprise attack, we'll still have time to react."
"Understood."
Jiang Chen extended his divine sense, carefully probing the area for a long while before finally issuing another command. "Move out."