The demon race's inability to steel their resolve was precisely what the Celestial Demon Ancestor worried about most.
In a contest of raw power, the Celestial Demon Ancestor remained confident that the demon race — even if it now commanded less than a third of its ancient might — still held the advantage.
But when comparing strength, there was more to consider than mere raw power alone. There was also "soft power."
Soft power was an intangible thing — invisible, impossible to grasp. And yet it could often tip the scales of destiny.
Take the human race, for instance. From the ancient era through the ages, one might have assumed humanity had sunk to rock bottom. But then they produced a freak of nature like
That was the fortune of the human race — and fortune was a form of soft power.
The humans excelled at formations, at all manner of cunning stratagems. These were their soft strengths.
The Celestial Demon Ancestor's instincts told him that the assault on Wintercliff Island would be anything but easy. If everyone marched in expecting to sweep the island clean, they might fail to take it at all — and the demon race would suffer another devastating blow.
Even if they eventually ground out a bloody victory, the casualties would be catastrophic.
The humans were no pushovers. They had killed more than a dozen god-rank demons in succession on Myriad Abyss Island. That kind of terrifying lethality had already sounded an alarm for the entire demon race.
Underestimating the enemy was something that could no longer be tolerated.
The Celestial Demon Ancestor had been observing from afar for quite some time, yet he could not discern any opening. He sighed inwardly: "According to our intelligence, Wintercliff Island is nothing more than a middling backwater. But in this young man Jiang Chen's hands, he's fortified it so tightly that not even the wind can slip through. This kid really is a freak."
The more the Celestial Demon Ancestor observed, the more he felt that this young human could not be underestimated.
Just as the Celestial Demon Ancestor was peering through his concealment, something shifted. Beneath the formation, clouds gathered and parted. All around the formation's perimeter, more than a dozen whirlpools suddenly materialized.
Then, from the edges of every whirlpool, beams of light erupted one after another.
In the blink of an eye, countless rays shot directly toward the Celestial Demon Ancestor and his companions.
The Celestial Demon Ancestor had not brought the demon army with him on this scouting mission, and he had believed himself well hidden. Yet these beams of light were aimed at them with pinpoint accuracy.
It was obvious — they had been detected long ago.
"Everyone, watch yourselves!" the Celestial Demon Ancestor bellowed. He slapped his palm forward casually, and myriad phenomena burst forth from his hand — the sun, the moon, the stars, mountains and rivers, seas and streams. In a single palm strike, the very essence of heaven and earth seemed to be contained within, encompassing all things under creation.
"Hahaha." A strange, eerie laugh rang out, and the beams of light split into tens of thousands, scattering in every direction.
"Hmph — this is the Grand Colored Light. Stay calm, everyone." In the ancient era, the Celestial Demon Ancestor had clashed with the Divine Lord Colored Light himself and knew full well the capabilities of the Grand Colored Light Lamp.
The Grand Colored Light could split into countless copies — it was an absurdly extravagant escape technique.
In the Celestial Demon Ancestor's eyes, however, Jiang Chen was merely putting on a show. Using the Grand Colored Light to create confusion was nothing more than an attempt to mislead them.
Still, despite his thoughts, the Celestial Demon Ancestor did not dare let his guard down. He shot a glance to his companions, and the others understood immediately. They all moved to cluster around the Celestial Demon Ancestor. Clearly, they too harbored wariness toward Jiang Chen — especially Jiang Chen when he was wielding the Grand Colored Light Lamp. That was a truly difficult opponent to contend with.
After all, even in the ancient era, the Celestial Demon Ancestor himself had been largely helpless against the Grand Colored Light Lamp. Now, standing at Jiang Chen's doorstep without numerical superiority, there was no reason to chase after a phantom.
The Celestial Demon Ancestor sneered: "This kid is playing tricks and putting on an act — there's certainly a scheme behind this. We've seen enough for today. Let us withdraw, lead the main army, and return to challenge them openly!"
Though he was of the Celestial Demon bloodline, he possessed no blind arrogance. At critical moments, the Celestial Demon Ancestor's mind was razor-sharp, and he harbored absolutely no intention of overextending.
The Celestial Demon escape light blazed to life. Ignoring the myriad Colored Light beams, the group prepared to depart.