As a result, only two or three on the scene hesitated for a while before deciding not to join. The remaining six divine-path cultivators all agreed to follow An Jiaye.
In the Infinite Prison, An Jiaye's character had long earned everyone's recognition. After all, he had spent so many years in that place, steadfastly refusing to submit to the Elder of Guangdu. His unyielding spirit had won the quiet admiration of many cultivators.
Now, anyone with eyes could see it — the demon race had been appearing with increasing frequency across the Myriad Abyss Island. The peaceful days of the entire Divine Abyss Continent were numbered.
Once chaos arrived, whether you wanted it or not, the tide of events would sweep everyone along. It would be nearly impossible for anyone to remain on the sidelines.
In circumstances like these, securing a path for oneself in advance wasn't necessarily a bad thing. At least by following An Jiaye, everyone would have someone to rally behind.
These cultivators had originally refused to join the Elder of Guangdu because they didn't want to be his dogs, to be driven and commanded by him.
At the root of it all, they still possessed their own pride and backbone.
An Jiaye was one of their kind. Now that they had formed an alliance with him at its core, it was a matter of weathering the storm together — a far cry from submitting to the Elder of Guangdu.
They knew full well that when chaos arrived, going it alone would accomplish nothing.
The demon race's massive invasion would not leave them in peace. They would either be wiped out or enslaved.
They had refused to become the Elder of Guangdu's running dogs, so naturally they could never accept becoming the demons' puppets.
Alliance with An Jiaye was, in reality, a means of self-preservation.
"Brother Jiaye, now that we're all in the same boat, should we declare war on the demon race?" a browless cultivator asked in a low voice.
Every pair of eyes turned toward An Jiaye, eager to hear his plans.
An Jiaye shook his head calmly. "With our combined strength, declaring war on the demon race would not be prudent. While we might have some hope of assassinating one or two demon divine-path ancestors if we worked together, the demon race is inherently cunning and sinister in their methods. I cannot guarantee with absolute certainty that we could pull off such an assassination."
"Then even with all of us together, we're still helpless against the demons?"
"Not necessarily. Before we declare war on the demon race, I want to take all of you to meet someone first," An Jiaye said with a leisurely smile.
"Who?"
"Jiang Chen," An Jiaye replied, his voice firm as he spoke the name.
Jiang Chen?
Everyone was momentarily stunned. After a brief pause, someone spoke with a complicated tone: "The young master of the Eternal Sacred Land — the one who helped orchestrate the killing of the Elder of Guangdu?"
"That's right. I have met countless people in my lifetime, and by my estimation, that young man will prove to be a remarkable anomaly — not just for Myriad Abyss Island, but for the entire Divine Abyss Continent. Perhaps the core of the future battle against the demon race will rest on his shoulders. Let us travel to the human territories first and see what insights he may have regarding the demon tribulation's resurgence."
"After all is said and done, he's just a young man. The killing of the Elder of Guangdu was the result of combined efforts and fortunate circumstances — not something he accomplished alone. Besides, at his young age, how much can he really know about the demon race?" one of them said, still somewhat unconvinced about Jiang Chen.
An Jiaye laughed heartily. "The fact that you say that only proves you don't understand this young man well enough. He is the reincarnation of a divine being. His knowledge of the demon race far surpasses that of anyone else on the entire Divine Abyss Continent. Take the Elder of Guangdu, for example — the only person who was able to see through his true identity was Jiang Chen. If you looked into this young man's journey, you would understand everything."
Hearing An Jiaye's words, one of them sighed and said, "I know you rarely concede to anyone, Brother Jiaye. Since you hold Jiang Chen in such high regard, he must have exceptional qualities. We might as well go see for ourselves."