Yu Jie had lived long enough to swagger in countless places, but the affair at the Second Crossing Pass was one he would never forget.
Back then, in order to curry favor with Long Juxue, he had pushed Jiang Chen to the very brink of death. To demonstrate his own superiority, he had savagely humiliated Jiang Chen in both word and deed, slaughtering countless of his sword birds.
These things Yu Jie would not forget — but how could Jiang Chen possibly forget?
For the sake of those loyal sword birds who had died protecting their master, Jiang Chen would never forgive Yu Jie.
What was more, today the man had shown up with this band of Purple Sun Sect disciples and, for the second time, set his sights on the Golden-Winged Sword Birds.
Whether it was the Golden-Winged Sword Birds, Gouyu, or Tian Shao — they were all Jiang Chen's friends, his companions. To go after them was to go after Jiang Chen himself.
No matter how glib Yu Jie's tongue might be, Jiang Chen, who had cultivated the Heart of Rock, remained utterly unmoved. Not so much as a single ripple stirred in his heart.
"Jiang Chen, listen to me. Back then, we each had our own positions. I was only trying to win Long Juxue's favor — I had no choice. Now, if you kill me, the real culprit Long Juxue is still alive. But if you spare me, there's far more to gain. First, you'll gain a loyal dog. I can also help you lure Long Juxue to her death…"
"A loyal dog? You?" Jiang Chen let out an indifferent laugh.
"I can swear a Heaven and Earth Oath if you don't trust me," Yu Jie said hastily.
"It's not that I don't trust you." Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "It's just that to be my dog, your aptitude doesn't quite seem sufficient."
Then his expression darkened, his voice turning cold. "Don't talk to me about luring Long Juxue to her death. That wretched woman — I will kill her myself. But when I do, why on earth would I need your help?"
With that, Jiang Chen stopped listening to Yu Jie's drivel. With a thought, the petals of the Ice Lotus closed around Yu Jie once more, devouring him.
At the same time, the remaining few were also slowly consumed, digested, and absorbed by the Ice Fire Demon Lotus.
It had to be said, the devouring power of the Ice Fire Demon Lotus was truly astonishing. In the span of mere moments, it had swallowed all four Spirit Realm powerhouses clean.
The spiritual energy within their Spirit Seas was transformed into streams of qi that flowed through the vines into Jiang Chen's dantian, merging with the Flame Heart Ice Marrow into a single whole.
Nourished by this infusion, the Flame Heart Ice Marrow swelled dramatically in size.
The essence of four Spirit Realm powerhouses was more than enough to fuel significant growth for the Ice Fire Demon Lotus.
"With this nourishment, I believe it won't be long before I can control six Demon Lotus vines — perhaps even more. It seems my own Spirit Sea realm will need to keep advancing as well. Otherwise, controlling ever more Demon Lotus vines will only become more taxing."
Of course, the Flame Heart Ice Marrow had already merged with his Spirit Sea, becoming a part of it. The absorbed essence of power would naturally nourish his Spirit Sea, elevate it, enrich it, and become a part of his cultivation.
Feeling the Flame Heart Ice Marrow dance with joy within his Spirit Sea, Jiang Chen mused, "Perhaps this harvest can even help me break through to the third level of the Spirit Realm. I heard them mention the Four Great Sects' Grand Selection earlier — what exactly is that about?"
Jiang Chen felt a spark of curiosity. This piece of news had piqued his interest ever so slightly.
The Grand Selection of the sects — if it were merely a matter of selecting disciples to enter the sects, Jiang Chen would have little interest. But from what Zhou Yi had said, the very top geniuses of all four great sects would be involved.
That alone proved this Grand Selection was anything but simple.
The Grand Selection that came once in a century surely had its reasons. Even though Jiang Chen wasn't particularly enthusiastic about joining a sect, he knew that if he wanted to integrate into the cultivation world, there was no getting around the sects.
After all, in any martial world, sect forces controlled the vast majority of resources.
Being a rogue cultivator for a short while might be feasible.
But spending one's entire martial career as a rogue cultivator was clearly unrealistic. Resources were firmly in the hands of the sects, and if one wanted access to more resources, joining a sect was unavoidable.
"Old Gold, how did you make out over there?"
Jiang Chen retracted the Ice Fire Demon Lotus's Divine Ability and regrouped with the Gold-Munching Mouse King.
The Gold-Munching Mouse King let out a satisfied burp. "Chen Shao, you ought to thank me. Everyone you despised, I gnawed them all up. If that Elder Tie ever gets out of line, I'll take a bite out of him too."
"Liu Chengfeng — you killed him?" Jiang Chen was taken aback.
The Gold-Munching Mouse King patted his round, bulging belly. "He's in here, haha."
After that, he let out a sigh. "What a pity, though — that Luo Huang really had exceptional talent. If I could have devoured him, I might have had a chance to break through my shackles, shatter the Spirit Grade limit, and push for Saint Grade Spirit Beast."
Bloodline evolution required opportunity.
But an increase in raw power carried far fewer such constraints.
The Gold-Munching Mouse King's current cultivation was roughly on par with Ye Chonglou's. In actual combat, he might not quite match Ye Chonglou, but in terms of realm, the gap was negligible.
A Saint Grade Spirit Beast was equivalent to a Venerable of the Yuan Realm among humans.
Within the territory of the Sixteen Kingdoms Alliance, a Saint Grade Spirit Beast was utterly unheard of.
The reason Consort Dan had ventured into the Labyrinth to capture Spirit Beast cubs was that the cubs there possessed superior potential — the potential to be nurtured into Saint Grade Spirit Beasts.
It had to be said that Ye Chonglou and Consort Dan's thinking was sound, but the Sixteen Kingdoms Alliance's conditions were limited. Whether they could ultimately succeed was another matter entirely.