Jiang Chen listened to their words in silence. He knew these God Kings weren't just trying to flatter a young man — they genuinely admired him for who he was.
Faced with such wholehearted enthusiasm, it was hard for Jiang Chen to keep his guard up any longer.
He straightened his expression and said, "Your Excellencies' kindness is something I will always hold dear. After the God Kings' Assembly concludes, I will certainly give you all a definitive answer. How does that sound?"
"Truly?" Hao Ran God King asked.
"Absolutely." Jiang Chen's expression was earnest.
The portly Heavenly King slapped his thick thigh. "Good! Decisive — I love this kind of boldness! If a young man doesn't have that kind of vigor and spirit, how will he ever get anywhere? Let me ask in confidence — your so-called definitive answer... is that a yes, or a no?"
Jiang Chen smiled. "I believe you'll have your answer soon enough."
If he failed in this undertaking, then everything was over and there would be nothing left to discuss. If he succeeded, his standing would be such that Crimson Water God King could no longer speak of any successor arrangement.
So one way or another, this matter would be settled after the God Kings' Assembly.
Crimson Water God King chuckled. "All right, fellow Daoists, I only invited you here to meet Elder Zhen. Don't go putting any more pressure on the young man."
"Haha, even Daoist Brother Crimson Water can't stand it anymore. Very well, we'll leave it at that. But Elder Zhen really is quite impressive," the blue-robed God King added.
After finishing that sentence, the five God Kings exchanged glances, their eyes seemingly in perfect accord, and simultaneously began forming hand seals.
In the blink of an eye, a small God King barrier was erected.
"There — within this space, you can speak without any worry of being monitored," Crimson Water God King said with a chuckle, though his tone carried a note of helplessness.
This secluded residence was supposed to be an intimate place, yet even casual conversation required such extreme caution. That alone spoke volumes about just how terrible the atmosphere in the Profound Origin Grand World had become.
The portly God King sighed. "This kind of life is really becoming unbearable. Daoist Brother Crimson Water, are we truly going to keep drifting along like this? Each day can only get worse, can't it?"
"Fellow Daoists, when you came here — did anyone suspicious try to recruit you, or make deliberate overtures of any kind?"
"Yes!" The blue-robed God King was the first to speak. "More than one or two, in fact. But the things they said were all extremely roundabout and cryptic. I couldn't even tell what they were really trying to say."
"A bunch of spineless schemers," Hao Ran God King said with righteous indignation. "They all have their little ambitions, but none of them dare to make a move. They're all afraid of dying."
"Sigh." Crimson Water God King sighed. "Plenty of people have come to probe me while I've been staying in this residence as well. But my attitude has always been neutral, so most of them left disappointed."
"The current situation in the Profound Origin Grand World is extremely precarious," Crimson Water God King continued, his tone tinged with sorrow. "It's like a balloon being pumped full of air. Everyone knows it's going to burst, but when, how, and how many people it will hurt — nobody has any idea. And yet people keep blowing air into it, accelerating the explosion. If no righteous individuals step forward, if no one raises the banner of change... I fear that after this God Kings' Assembly, it will once again rain blood and storm wind. Another batch of God Kings and feudal lords will fall. Perhaps even Heavenly Emperor Qing Tian's days are numbered."
"Heavenly Emperor Qing Tian?" The blue-robed God King asked curiously. "How do you know he isn't the mastermind behind all this?"
The gaunt God King, who had been largely silent throughout, suddenly spoke up. "Heavenly Emperor Qing Tian has only so much cunning and so many tricks — everyone can see right through him. If he were the mastermind, then Heavenly Emperor Profound Origin was defeated far too unjustly. That would be like being toppled by an opponent as witless as a pig."