Although the Peacock Emperor was not criticizing Jiang Chen, his words carried an unmistakable tone of instruction.
Jiang Chen could not refute him. In this regard, he had indeed always harbored a measure of selfishness, perpetually content to look after himself alone. It could be said that he had never once considered shouldering the fortune of an entire sect on his own shoulders, much less bearing the fate of all living beings.
In terms of this kind of awareness, Jiang Chen had truly not yet risen to that level.
In truth, across the entire martial world, those who genuinely possessed such awareness were exceedingly rare.
Ye Chonglou, Palace Master Dan Chi, and the Peacock Emperor — among all the people Jiang Chen had encountered, these three could be considered to belong to that caliber.
However, Ye Chonglou's strength was lacking, and he had always been willing but unable.
Palace Master Dan Chi harbored lofty ambitions, but the foundation and depth of Danqian Palace also constrained the space in which he could operate.
The Peacock Emperor held an exalted position, yet alas, he was advanced in years and had already comprehended the Heavenly Dao, with his ascension imminent. Once he ascended, it would be impossible for him to remain in Crystal King City.
Jiang Chen fell silent, though great waves surged within his heart. In truth, his Heavenly Emperor father from his previous life was the same kind of person as the Peacock Emperor.
Jiang Chen also believed that if his Heavenly Emperor father could see him now, he would surely be unhappy with the person he had become — this overly cautious son.
His Heavenly Emperor father, in plain terms, was a great sovereign with extraordinary vision and boldness.
Otherwise, he would not have been willing to expend his own fortune and power to refine the Sun and Moon Divine Pill, extending his son's lifespan at the cost of disrupting the fortune of the myriad heavens.
Comparing himself this way, Jiang Chen felt almost too ashamed to face anyone.
The Peacock Emperor's words struck at Jiang Chen's heart like evening drums and morning bells, shattering the shackles within him layer after layer, over and over again.
The fetters and obsessions in Jiang Chen's heart continuously crumbled and dissolved.
Suddenly, a ray of spiritual light pierced into Jiang Chen's sea of consciousness. Within that sea, the seal — which had lain as still as a windless, waveless surface — suddenly stirred with the faintest of ripples.
Though the disturbance was exceedingly slight, Jiang Chen perceived it with perfect clarity.
And in that instant, Jiang Chen seemed to catch a hint of something familiar — the aura of his Heavenly Emperor father from his previous life.
Though faint, though it flashed through his sea of consciousness in the blink of an eye,
that fleeting sensation was like a bolt of lightning illuminating Jiang Chen's mind, shattering all his obsessions in a single instant.
"Father!" Jiang Chen was utterly certain — this seal was absolutely connected to his father! Before, he had only suspected, but at this moment, he was completely convinced.
In this moment, Jiang Chen's mind was crystal clear.
In this moment, all of Jiang Chen's obsessions vanished.
In this moment, Jiang Chen's spirit soared.
"Your Majesty's guidance has opened this humble one's eyes. Since Your Majesty bestows such favor, it would be disrespectful to refuse." Jiang Chen's gaze was utterly clear as he met the Peacock Emperor's eyes.
Joy filled the Peacock Emperor's gaze. "Good, good boy! Your thoughts are unclouded, your comprehension so high — truly one worth molding! This is exactly the kind of successor I want!"
"If Your Majesty entrusts me with Peacock Holy Mountain, are you not concerned that your direct disciples will be dissatisfied? Or your Four Great Sovereigns? Or the heads of those great clans?"
The Peacock Emperor smiled faintly. "I'm entrusting it to you. These matters will have to be resolved through your own strength, your wisdom, and your methods. What? Don't you have confidence?"
Jiang Chen smiled. "Your Majesty's goading techniques are certainly well-practiced."
The Peacock Emperor laughed heartily. "Tell me — do you have confidence or not?"
"That depends on how far Your Majesty allows me to go."
The Peacock Emperor's expression turned serious. "Since I'm entrusting it to you, you are in charge. I place no restrictions on you whatsoever. Even if you turn heaven and earth upside down, even if you flip Peacock Holy Mountain on its head — as long as you have the ability, I will not breathe a single word of objection."
"Good!"
Receiving such a promise, Jiang Chen was in high spirits. "Being goaded by Your Majesty today has stirred the boldness in this humble one's heart. Since Your Majesty grants me such authority, I now have my bearings. Ten years... ten years..."
Jiang Chen gently chewed on the words "ten years."
Since he first set out into the world, not even ten years had passed, and he had already traveled from a small backwater like the Eastern Kingdom to Crystal King City, where he now stirred the winds and storms.
In another ten years, could he not reach the apex and command the tempests of the human domain?
Jiang Chen had never lacked this confidence. The reason he had never shown such boldness and breadth of heart was because he had been holding back out of wariness — not because he lacked those qualities.
Now, having cast off his obsessions and discarded those mental shackles, Jiang Chen suddenly felt his entire being relax, his heroic spirit soaring to the heavens.