Yao Guang's Holy Maiden huffed and pouted, "If you really have that kind of ability, I'll certainly take your orders. But if you dare try to pull one over on me, hmph!"
She shook her delicate fist, looking ready to throw herself at Jiang Chen at any moment.
Jiang Chen chuckled to himself, realizing this Holy Maiden of Yao Guang was no longer a problem. He turned to Sitong's Holy Maiden and said gravely, "If you can get your hands on the Fire of First Dawn, I'll have a seventy-percent chance of luring the Flame Demon lineage's powerhouses over — and then wiping them out in one strike."
"One strike?" Sitong's Holy Maiden blinked. "Those Demon Race ancestors are incredibly powerful in combat. Taking them out in a single blow — easier said than done."
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "On my way here, I've already killed eight or ten Demon Race ancestors. The Flame Demon ancestors may be strong, but they're not necessarily more formidable than the Giant Demon ancestors."
The Flame Demon lineage drew their strength from fire. If they were stationed somewhere like the Sacred Land of the Rising Sun, their combat power would be absolutely terrifying.
Cultivators of the same rank would stand no chance against them — not even those a full realm above would necessarily prevail.
But without that environmental advantage, Flame Demon cultivators were only somewhat stronger than their human counterparts. There was no overwhelming superiority to speak of.
Sitong's Holy Maiden pondered for a moment. "The one who safeguards the Fire of First Dawn is my martial aunt. She dotes on me the most. She had previously suggested that I bring the Fire of First Dawn to the Eternal Sacred Land — but I politely declined."
Jiang Chen nodded with admiration. "Sitong's Holy Maiden is a paragon of righteousness, choosing to live and die with her sect. Truly a deed worthy of praise."
Yao Guang's Holy Maiden shot Jiang Chen a sidelong glare. "Righteousness, my foot. Her martial aunt told her to go seek refuge at the Eternal Sacred Land — in other words, to go to you. It's just that Sitong knows you're a heartless, fickle man and refused to go."
These words left both Sitong's Holy Maiden and Jiang Chen thoroughly mortified. Clearly, neither had expected such a thunderbolt from the Yao Guang Holy Maiden.
"Sister, stop talking nonsense. Brother Jiang is a true hero — he's nothing like what you described!" Sitong's Holy Maiden scolded with a straight face.
"Fine, fine, pretend I said nothing. Jiang Chen, come on — tell us, once you have the Fire of First Dawn, how do you plan to use it?"
"To use the Fire of First Dawn to lure the Flame Demon ancestors, then concentrate our forces, attack together, and destroy them in one stroke."
In plain terms, it was an ambush-and-annihilation tactic.
"Just the three of us?" Yao Guang's Holy Maiden batted her luminous eyes.
"The fewer people who know, the better. Too many people risk alerting the enemy." With demon operatives lurking in the Radiant Sacred Land, no one knew who the infiltrators were.
Jiang Chen couldn't exactly go investigating up close — he didn't want to expose himself either.
The only thing he could confirm was that the two women before him had not been corrupted by the demons. So they could still be trusted.
At this critical moment, Sitong's Holy Maiden proved that a woman could match any man. She raised her elegant brows and declared, "Very well. I'll go all in with Brother Jiang. Tomorrow — tomorrow morning — I'll have the Fire of First Dawn. But Brother Jiang, that fire requires a specialized technique to control. Without it, it's extremely difficult to handle. Even I'm not certain I can manipulate it. After all, the quantity is enormous, and its power is staggering."
Jiang Chen smiled calmly. "You just need to bring the Fire of First Dawn here. Leave the rest to me."
"Then what do I do?" Yao Guang's Holy Maiden asked, blinking in surprise.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "Your job is to keep this secret and help us put on a show. Don't let anything slip. Once we've dealt a devastating blow to the Flame Demon lineage, we'll look for an opportunity to give the Wing Demon lineage a nice surprise."
"You're trying to kill two birds with one stone?" Yao Guang's Holy Maiden's eyes lit up.
"That's the plan." Jiang Chen made no attempt to deny it.