Sovereign of the Three Realms

“If Myriad Abyss has multiple gods, young lord, isn’t that enough to defeat the demons?” someone couldn’t help but ask.

To these cultivators, gods were practically omnipotent. If they existed, why couldn’t they win against the demons?

Why was the young lord saying that Myriad Abyss needed to be several times stronger demons on even footing?

Were demons really that scary?

Jiang Chen became somber. “Sometimes,” he said quietly, “a war isn’t decided on the comparison of raw strength alone. If that was the case, the Divine Abyss Continent of eld was far stronger than the demons. Why did the demons end up ravaging the continent regardless?”

This was an excellent question.

The demons had been reasonably numerous in the ancient times, true, and had a sizable number of puppets to boot. However, compared to the natives here, they were perhaps only a third as strong.

Demons held the advantage in their race and blood.

The forces of Divine Abyss had been a pile of loose sand. They were conquered after being divided, unable to come together as a unified whole.

When they realized the necessity of uniting, they were already entirely separated. That meant they could only fend for themselves. Even cooperation on a smaller scale wasn’t much good against the ferocious demons.

That was why the races had suffered significant losses after struggling to seal away the demons in the end. Many sects were destroyed entirely.

The greatest mistake the continent had made was not immediately unifying at the start of the threat. They could’ve used their numbers advantage to utterly crush the invaders.

“Old Brother Mo, why don’t you elaborate?” Jiang Chen looked toward his old friend.

Mo Wushuang knew what the young man wanted to convey. “I don’t know much about demons,” he nodded, “but many books record their strength. Their myriad varieties have equally many different tricks. As a result, they’re extremely difficult to deal with.

“We must stand united if we are to fend them off. Without unity, we can do nothing. That’s not just an empty phrase! I think that in ancient times, the successful sealing away of the demons was due to the spirit of sacrifice. 

“Every tribe and sect put down their differences and selfish intentions in the end, pouring themselves into the war effort against the demons. Many great men performed equally amazing deeds, giving us the long period of peace until today.

“Alas, it seems that we have not much longer to enjoy it. If we can’t deal with the demons ourselves, every race here on Divine Abyss will be enslaved by the demons. Once they control a territory, there’s no possibility of turning the tables then!”

Some of Mo Wushuang’s words had instructed by Jiang Chen beforehand.

Veluriyam’s young lord nodded. “You’re right. Any territory the demons take is as good as irrecoverable, unless some traveling master decides to liberate his home with his own strength. Otherwise, such a change cannot be reversed. In fact, it might become a breeding ground for more demons in the end.”

Jiang Chen glanced at Forefather Embittered Bamboo. “You are the forefather of an alien tribe, Embittered Bamboo. What do you think about the demons?”

The old savage was prepared. “I agree with Daoist Wushuang’s point of view. We must stand together to fight the demons. Honestly, we savages only fight over territory and resources. The demons, on the other hand… that’s a matter of species survival. The Embittered Savage Tribe will not give an inch in this matter.”

Jiang Chen slapped his thigh. “Well said, Embittered Bamboo. For having said that, I can let you go back to your tribe right now and gather it together. You should also investigate the races surrounding your own territory to see how they’re doing. Do you dare take on that job?”

“I can go home? I’m free?” Embittered Bamboo’s eyes lit up.

“If you manage your assigned task, what reason have I to withhold your freedom?”

The old savage was overjoyed. “Wonderful! The races of Divine Abyss have a natural responsibility to fight against the demons. The Embittered Savage Tribe will never be their slaves, even unto our deaths. No matter the difficulty associated with all of this, far be it from me to refuse!”

Jiang Chen was well satisfied with this answer. “Ambitiously said! You may return to your people. Don’t let me down!”

“My life is in your hands. You can count on it.” Forefather Embittered Bamboo gave the young man all due respect.

“I’ll wait for your good news then,” Jiang Chen waved.

Everyone else was stunned when they saw the forefather walk out. Was Jiang Chen going to let him go that easily?

What if he came back to hurt the human domain?

Jiang Chen was completely at ease as he swept his eyes across his subordinates’ faces. “Gentlemen, I’m guessing many of you are feeling lost and pessimistic right now. You may have no idea what to do from here. Still, I must cruelly break the news to you that our days of peace are about to be over. The seal on the demons is in the process of disintegrating. Maybe that will be in twenty or thirty years. Maybe it will take less than ten. Who knows?”

“Young lord, when the demonic invasion happens… how can the weak human domain stand up against the demons? Will Myriad Abyss Island really cross the great sea to come fight them? They didn’t dare resist in ancient times, so how can we expect them to have changed?”

This was said by someone who had hopes for Myriad Abyss, but thought them unrealistic.

“Why rely on someone else when you can rely on yourself?” Jiang Chen shook his head disapprovingly. “Myriad Abyss has its own part to play in the war.”

“Its own part?” Mo Wushuang blinked. “What is it, if I may ask?”

“Simple.” Jiang Chen sighed softly. “Haven’t you wondered how the demons were able to get to Divine Abyss in the first place?”

“How?”

“What, it wasn’t just coincidence?”

Jiang Chen smiled coolly. “Coincidence? That’s far too simple. Every plane has an orbit and axis. Usually, it’s difficult to get from one plane to another… unless there’s a problem with the heavenly axis that happens to expose that plane’s coordinates. So it was with Divine Abyss Continent: the deviation of the axis has revealed us to offworld adventurers, who have taken the opportunity to attempt to plunder us.”

This particular piece of information completely turned the relatively ignorant crowd’s worldview upside down.

The heavenly axis? Planar coordinates?

These concepts sounded too distant from them, and yet strangely accessible.

If the demons came in because of the deviation in the heavenly axis, that meant stronger bandits from different planes could venture in as well!