Sovereign of the Three Realms - Chapter 1787

Chapter 1787: 1787

Jiang Chen stood at the fringe of the portal and stared at the body of water until it quieted . He sighed softly . They would only be apart temporarily, but it still pained him to send away the woman he loved .

Yan Wanjun smiled slightly . “A man should follow his ambitions . There will be a time for love . ”

Yan Qingsang snickered, but surprisingly didn’t say anything .

“Elder Wanjun, I’ve upgraded the formation around the island based on Senior Pei Xing’s designs . It’ll be difficult for even empyrean experts to break in . ”

“Good . ” Yan Wanjun nodded . “Myriad Abyss Island is in shambles . Winterdraw Island will make a good operations base . ”

“I’m entrusting the island to you then, Elder Wanjun . ”

“I have no place to call home anyways . I’m more than happy to be able to settle down somewhere . ” Yan Wanjun’s tone was mournful . He added, “What’s your plans next?”

“Returning to Eternal Divine Nation,” Jiang Chen declared with great conviction .

“What?” Yan Wanjun frowned . “Didn’t the men from the Cloudwave Sect say the imperial family and House Xiahou are staging a coup? That may have happened already . You’ll be walking right into the crossfire . ”

Jiang Chen smiled faintly . “I’m a member of the sacred land and have enjoyed its support . I can’t stay on the sidelines and do nothing in its time of need . ”

“Well said, I’ll go with you,” rushed out Yan Qingsang .

“You should stay here with Elder Wanjun . Focus on cultivating and let him temper your personality . That’s the right thing for you to do . ”

Jiang Chen didn’t intend to bring Yan Qingsang with him . His reasoning was simple: Yan Qingsang wasn’t strong enough to be of much help to the sacred land . He’d only be marching to his death if he returned with nothing but an earnest heart .

Jiang Chen didn’t want Yan Qingsang to get himself killed, but he didn’t want to spare the effort to protect him, either .

“What is this?” Yan Qingsang asked unhappily . “Am I to be a deserter, while you are loyal to the sacred land?”

Jiang Chen smield in lieu of an explanation, which further angered Yan Qingsang . “Do you think I’m not good enough for you and will be dragging you down?”

Yan Wanjun slapped the back of his grandson’s head . “Enough . What are you yammering on about? Jiang Chen is right . You aren’t going to be of much help with that impulsiveness of yours . You’ll only be a burden . Stick with me and don’t think about going anywhere . If you want to help, improve your cultivation and make yourself useful . Now? It’s best that you stay put . ”

With age came wisdom . Yan Wanjun was experienced enough to tackle an issue in a more holistic manner .

Yan Qingsang’s shoulders slumped . He knew there was no changing his grandfather’s mind once he’d made up his mind .

Jiang Chen presented them with two pills .

“Elder Wanjun, Brother Qingsang, these are two Crowning Empyrean Pills . They’re not easy to come by . You must have heard about the effects already . ”

Yan Wanjun paused . During the Skymender Festival, the sacred land had mentioned a pill that could advance an empyrean cultivator a level, but didn’t they say the pill was still in development?

“Is this… the pill that grants an unconditional level to an empyrean cultivator?” Yan Wanjun asked in an unsteady voice .

“It is . It may be exaggerating to call it a level without cost, but it is very likely to push the user through their limits and into the next level . ”

It was rare to find anything that could provide a free level for empyrean experts, especially those at advanced empyrean realm .

The extraordinary thing about the pill was that even though it wouldn’t necessarily help cultivators break through immediately, it was very likely to achieve that in the long term . A cultivator reaching his limit at seventh level empyrean would be able to ascend to eighth after some time .

“Elder Wanjun, this pill will be of great help in ascending to ninth level empyrean . As for Brother Qingsang, I’d advise you to reach third level empyrean as soon as possible before taking the pill to maximize its benefit . ”

Reaching fourth level meant ascending from initial empyrean to intermediate empyrean . It’d be a large gap to bridge .

“That’s right . Did you hear that, Qingsang? Jiang Chen has put in so much thought and effort for you . ” Yan Wanjun couldn’t be happier . He hadn’t felt this good for a long time . He’d been stuck at eighth level empyrean for years and almost given up on breaking through . The Crowning Empyrean Pill was a wonderful surprise .

Moreover, the grandson he’d devoted everything to had gone through a great transformation over the years, which was another great cause for joy .

Yan Qingsang had been upset about being forbidden from returning to the sacred land, but the pill made it impossible for him to stay mad .

Yan Wanjun slapped his head again upon seeing his grandson’s haughty expression . That wasn’t the face to be pulling now .

“What’s that face for, young man? Let me tell you, you’re lucky Jiang Chen is mild-tempered . No one else would put up with you . You should be asking yourself if you’d be able to reach the same height without his help . ”

Jiang Chen was going to be Yan Qingsang’s brother-in-law, but he’d done more than enough for his friend . Yan Qingsang shouldn’t take his kindness for granted .

“I’m not upset with you, brother,” Yan Qingsang finally said . “I’m just angry at myself for not being able to help when it matters . I feel useless . ”

“Don’t worry . You’ll be of use once you become powerful enough . Listen to Elder Wanjun and cultivate on the Winterdraw Island . Wait for the right time to make a comeback . ”

“Must you go?” asked Yan Qingsang .

“The venerated forefather told me some stuff and we have a deal of sorts . I must go back to the sacred land . Besides, I promised Huang’er I’d save her parents . ”

Yan Wanjun flushed red with mortification . That was his son and daughter-in-law .

“Jiang Chen, about her parents . . . ” The elder murmured . “That was my mistake . Let me deal with it myself . ”

Jiang Chen smiled . “Elder Wanjun, we’re on the same team now . ”

“The Boundless Prison is very complicated, Jiang Chen,” Elder Wanjun boomed . “You won’t be able to enter with your level of cultivation . If I can reach ninth level empyrean, I may have a chance at breaking them out . ”

“What’s going on with the Boundless Prison?” 

“It’s a sealed prison said to hail from the ancient times, and connected to the Ten Divine Nations . There’s a sealed entrance in every nation leading to the prison . Only those who have committed the most horrendous crimes are imprisoned there, and it’s next to impossible for them to escape . Of course, there are exceptions . Sometimes, spatial storms blow up and create cracks, allowing some luckier inmates to flee . These criminals always stir up great trouble after their escape . ”

Yan Wanjun didn’t know that much about the prison either . Everything he conveyed was basic knowledge .

Jiang Chen nodded . “I’ll be making a trip sooner or later . ”

“Don’t be hasty . Even if you’re breaking in, you have to be smart about it . Huang’er has finally become free of her curse and found a good spouse . I don’t want her to become a widow at such a young age . ” He already considered Jiang Chen his future grandson-in-law .

“Fret not, I won’t just rush in head-on . ” Jiang Chen wasn’t going to be reckless .

Concern lifted from his chest after sending away Huang’er and Ling Bi’er . He’d also upgraded the formation of the island . It was now time for him to leave .

He didn’t have to worry about staying out of sight since there was no human activity within a radius of a couple thousand miles .

He leisurely navigated Starfate over the ocean, his mood light .

On this day, he flew over Warmspring Island, where he’d passed through the last time he was on the run . Unbidden memories about his old friends surfaced . Xing Hui and Xing Tong and Yong Peng’s family had all moved here .

It’d been years since he left Winterdraw Island, but he still remembered everything like it was yesterday .

“I may as well make a stop and see if I can find out anything about Eternal Divine Nation . ”

It’d been a while since he left the sacred land . He was worried about its current situation, but it’d take some time for him to reach it . He decided to ask around first .

No one on the island was going to recognize him . He was way too far from Eternal Divine Nation .

Warmspring Island was even more prosperous than Winterdraw at its peak . He noted its unique culture upon entering the island . People here were more friendly than in other places .

He made his way to where the crowds were . The more people there were, the more cultivators, and the more information he could obtain .

To his disappointment, he didn’t hear anyone talk of an unrest even in the most bustling areas .

There were quite a few people raving about the Skymender Festival though . They told the tale with great embellishment, painting Jiang Chen as a legendary figure and Shi Xuan the poor cannon fodder .

Then, a few of them brought up Xiahou Zong .

These incidents had become the topics du jour in Warmspring, but those were the only news about Eternal Divine Nation that had reached the island . There was no mention of any recent development or an uprising .