Holy Maiden Yaoguang, however, threw cold water on the mood. "Winning a single battle against the Demon Race — and Master Jiang Chen is already this optimistic?"
Jiang Chen chuckled. "It seems news hasn't been traveling well these days. After the battle at Huichun Island Domain, I went on to the Immortality Sacred Ground and the Hundred Sacred Ground, where I destroyed the main forces of three Demon Race branches — the Metal Demons, the Giant Demons, and the Monster Demons. They've suffered devastating losses and are on the verge of complete annihilation. I was heading to the Eternal Sacred Ground next to eliminate the Wood Demon branch when I passed through Rising Sun Sacred Ground, only to find it had already been seized by the Fire Demon branch. Thankfully, Radiance Sacred Ground is still holding."
Both women stared, jaws dropping, their gazes fixed on Jiang Chen with utter disbelief — as though they were looking at some kind of freak. Their expressions were no different from what one might wear upon seeing a ghost.
"Brother Jiang, you're saying you defeated three more Demon Race branches along the way? Destroyed massive numbers of their main forces?" Holy Maiden Sitong couldn't help but ask.
"That's more or less what happened." Jiang Chen didn't deny it.
"But..." Holy Maiden Sitong hesitated, words dying on her lips.
Holy Maiden Yaoguang, by contrast, was blunter. "You single-handedly wiped out three Demon Race branches? Master Jiang Chen, do you actually take us for three-year-olds?"
Jiang Chen smiled ruefully. "Who said anything about single-handed? I have far more helpers than you might imagine."
"Where are they?" Holy Maiden Yaoguang's eyes roamed over Jiang Chen, sizing him up.
Jiang Chen waved a hand. "There are too many ears and eyes here — no need to cause a scene. Oh, by the way, I noticed the Winged Demon branch mobilizing troops as I passed through, and the Fire Demon branch is stirring as well. They're planning to attack Radiance Sacred Ground soon, aren't they?"
At this, both women's expressions tightened, and a gloom settled over them.
Clearly, this was the problem that had been giving everyone at Radiance Sacred Ground a headache. They had already reached out to every possible ally for help, but the situation across Myriad Abyss Island was dire, and no one could spare the forces to come to their aid. Even their ally, the Eternal Sacred Ground, was hanging by a thread — they were the ones waiting for rescue.
In truth, things had reached a dead end.
"Brother Jiang, weren't you afraid the Demon Race would spot you on the way here?" Holy Maiden Sitong asked with a note of curiosity.
"The Demon Race is formidable, but I was careful enough to slip through undetected. So, how much combat strength does Radiance Sacred Ground have right now? Are there any Divine Path fighters?"
The two women exchanged a glance and shook their heads with embarrassed expressions.
"The old patriarchs have all gone to the battlefield beyond the domain. They originally believed that front was the most critical priority, but the Demon Tribulation erupted far faster than expected. Now they're trapped there as well — the route back has been sealed off, and they can't abandon the extraterritorial battlefield either. They're stuck, unable to advance or retreat." Holy Maiden Sitong's gaze settled on Jiang Chen, carrying a thread of hope. "Brother Jiang, you are the Young Lord of the Eternal Sacred Ground, and your reputation across Myriad Abyss Island has always been strong. If you were to rally the call, the Ten Great Sacred Grounds could surely unite against the Demon Race."
It was a fine-sounding proposal. But fighting the Demon Race clearly wasn't something that could be accomplished through sheer bravado alone, nor was it as simple as just piling all ten Sacred Grounds together.
Even if the Ten Great Sacred Grounds joined forces, how much combat power could they really muster against the Demon Race?
Without their ten great patriarchs, the Sacred Grounds had remarkably little fighting strength to speak of. Only the Eternal Sacred Ground had a handful of Divine Path assets — Zi Che Min and the other Divine Path cultivators — giving them a somewhat stronger edge. But that edge was purely relative.
If the Eternal Sacred Ground's limited forces were thrown into a head-on clash with the Demon Race, they would still fall far short.
At this stage, banding all ten Sacred Grounds together into one force didn't add up to much either. In fact, each one remaining at home could better serve to tie down the Demon Race across multiple fronts.
Just like this time — the Demon Race had dispatched ten branches to attack the Ten Great Sacred Grounds in separate waves, which was precisely what had given Jiang Chen his opening. By waging guerrilla strikes across the region, he had dealt far greater damage to the Demon Race than any frontal assault could have achieved.