The two of them remained underground for a full two months before finally suppressing Huang'er's Hundred Lives Unity Curse. Their duet of "Celestial Music" had also grown increasingly refined.
Through music they connected on a soul level, and an unspoken sense of mutual admiration gradually took root between them.
Of course, over those two months Jiang Chen had put every last stalk of Holy Infant Grass to use, refining over ten thousand Holy Spirit Pills.
While it would be a stretch to say he was eating Holy Spirit Pills for every meal, that many pills were more than enough to supply a hundred Saint Realm cultivators. Having all those resources for himself alone felt incredibly good.
As a result, during those two months Jiang Chen had effortlessly broken through to the second level of the Saint Realm — just a single step away from the third.
Now that Huang'er's Hundred Lives Unity Curse had been suppressed, the urge to leave the underground grew ever stronger in Jiang Chen's heart.
Huang'er was always understanding, and she naturally knew what was on his mind. Her condition had forced Jiang Chen to live underground with her for two months, and she felt deeply apologetic about it.
So she took the initiative: "Young Master Jiang, my curse has been suppressed now. Gouyu and the others were taken — we have no idea what their situation is. Why don't we head out as soon as we can?"
Seeing that Huang'er had brought it up herself, knowing she was trying to spare him any awkwardness, Jiang Chen didn't stand on ceremony. He nodded: "I'm worried about their safety too. I wonder how Palace Master Dan Chi, Elder Yun Nie, Junior Brother Gao Qi, and Senior Sister Bi'er are holding up."
Though Danqian Palace had been destroyed, Jiang Chen had not found any of their bodies.
He guessed that Elder Yun Nie and Mu Gao Qi had most likely been captured. They were important figures — probably taken to be interrogated about Heaven-grade spiritual medicine and the Myriad Longevity Pill.
As for Palace Master Dan Chi, Jiang Chen reasoned that upon returning to find Danqian Palace in ruins with no chance of recovery, they wouldn't have charged straight in.
In other words, Palace Master Dan Chi and the others were likely safe — for now.
Whether they could escape the dragnet cast by the Indestructible Heavenly Capital and the Scarlet Cauldron Central Domain was entirely up to fate.
Though worried, Jiang Chen knew that worrying would accomplish nothing.
He had to look ahead. Before the Grand Myriad Manifestations Ceremony, Palace Master Dan Chi had already prepared for the sect's dissolution.
It was just that everything had happened too suddenly, too unexpectedly.
They had believed their greatest enemy was the Nine Sun Heavenly Sect, never imagining that the real invaders would be the Scarlet Cauldron Central Domain — and behind it, the Indestructible Heavenly Capital.
The two left the underground and surveyed their surroundings, only to discover they were still within the Myriad Manifestations Region, in the territory of Danqian Palace.
The entire Myriad Manifestations Region was now garrisoned by forces of the Scarlet Cauldron Central Domain, which had seized every checkpoint.
This undoubtedly made their departure far more difficult.
But Jiang Chen's thoughts now went well beyond simply leaving. His sect had been destroyed, and he himself had nearly been captured.
A bitter fire raged in his gut — the fire of vengeance, blazing ever hotter.
Two months had passed, yet the hatred hadn't faded in the slightest. If anything, it had only grown stronger.
Every time he thought of Danqian Palace — the shattered ruins, the corpses strewn everywhere, the bloodied, mangled swordbirds...
Jiang Chen felt an overwhelming urge to annihilate the Scarlet Cauldron Central Domain and storm the gates of the Indestructible Heavenly Capital.
Though they faced an inescapable net, Jiang Chen felt no fear. He had already decided — even if he was leaving, he would first collect a debt of interest.
"Huang'er..." Jiang Chen began.
Huang'er smiled gently: "Young Master Jiang, you are the host and I am the guest. I'll follow whatever you decide."
She knew her place and was unwilling to let her own concerns influence Jiang Chen's Dao heart.
Jiang Chen nodded: "Before we leave, I intend to collect some interest first. Look — in Danqian Palace's territory, we have forces from the Thunder Sound Gate and the Giant Kun Sect. The Indestructible Heavenly Capital's Dharma King, Gong Wuji, was likely only stationed there as an overseer. Their own forces probably haven't been deeply involved."
"Mm, the Indestructible Heavenly Capital was pulling strings behind the scenes — they wouldn't want to show their hand," Huang'er agreed with Jiang Chen's assessment.
"Thunder Sound Gate and Giant Kun Sect are both fourth-rank sects. While they're stronger than the fourth-rank sects of our Myriad Manifestations Region, Imperial Realm powerhouses — a sect would have at most a handful. Those Imperial Realm experts can't all have been deployed; some must have stayed behind to guard their own sects. So I'd wager that the Imperial Realm experts we saw that day were all of them."
Jiang Chen continued his analysis: "A handful of Imperial Realm experts simply can't blockade all of Danqian Palace's territory. That means we have plenty of opportunities."
Huang'er nodded slightly, but said: "It would be best to capture a living prisoner first and find out where the others have been taken."
"Mm, that's exactly what I was thinking. Besides, this time we can't go overboard with the killing. If they take it out on Gouyu and the others, things could get ugly."
Jiang Chen had a clear grasp of this cost-benefit balance.
After weighing their options, they decided to target young disciples — and core disciples at that. Only core disciples would have access to enough insider knowledge.
The average small fry wouldn't know what was happening at the higher levels, and wouldn't know the whereabouts of Gouyu and the others.
With this objective in mind, the two moved carefully through the area, searching for their quarry.